ENFAMIL Formula Versues SMILIAC Formula

I don't know of the difference, but my son is on Enfamil. He does fine with it. My oldest daughter was on Enfamil and did great. But my middle daughter would get terrible gas with it, so we switched her to Carnation Good Start and her issues cleared up immediately. So for me, it just depended on the child. I have been told that Good Start is the easiest on a baby's digestive system. That was from several different pediatricians.

I actually used neither. Both my kids were on GoodStart until they were 12 mos and neither had any problems.

I believe they are all close in ingredients. My experience with these formulas was different with each child; with my first child I used smilac in the beginning because that is what the hospital gave us but later I switched to enfamil. (he digested it better, it was also easier to mix which was a bonus for us, this was 10 years ago) for my 2nd and 3rd children I breast fed. for my 4th who is now 20 months old I still currently use enfamil. (I liked it for my first so I went back to it though I use the soy formula for him and now at this point use the toddler version). For my 5th child who is 7th months old my pediatrician recommended Nestle Good Start because the baby wasn't digesting the enfamil easily. I actually like this formula the best he has never spit us, no fussy belly ache, and it digest just like breast milk even the babies stools are like breast fed babies. I wish this formula had been around 10 years ago (I don't think it was) because all of my formula fed children would have used this verses the smilac or enfamil. I hope this helps.

J.,

I didn't have much choice in what I fed my children since where we were living at the time my children were born the WIC office told me I could only get once kind. Personally, I liked both. It depends on your child's make up as to which would be better for them. My daughter couldn't handle the Similac, but my son did better on it. My daughter had to have Enfamil and my son had to have soy based Similac as the Emphamil didn't agree with him. Your the mom and you do what you feel is best for you baby. If she is less fussy on enfamil then stick with it. If you're still unsure, ask your pediatrician and let them know about your concerns. Don't let them tell you you have to have a certain one. If your child handles one better than the other, then that is your answer. Hope this helps. God Bless.

Our pediatrician maintains that all milk-based formulas are the same. I am a foster mom for infants so have been through a lot of babies/formula. I personally prefer the Good Start formulas- but have also had good luck with Enfamil and Similac. I would say if your daughter is less fussy on Enfamil- continue to use that.
Good luck!

I fed both of my children Enfamil Lipil and they both did great on it. I also used WIC for a short time with my second child and they gave her Enfamil Lipil as well. I did try Similac since I recived a trial container but to be honest they are basically the same. All formulas have to pass certain standards and you are basically payinfor the name brand with Enfamil as opposed to say Nestle Good Start. Good luck to you.

I find that Similac makes baby very gassy and bloated. My entire family used Enfamil and its was fine. I used the lactose-free on my daughter because it was gentler on her tummy and she did very well with that. She gained weight at a very healthy paced and she loved it.

Nutritionally they are the same, altough they each have a version for spit up and a hypoallergenic kind. They do taste differently. My daughter was very sensitive to taste and even at 2 months refused to switch to Enfamil from the Similac we had started from the hospital. It took my son 4 mo to refuse to change. Because I was used to Similac, I just contiued using it for my second.

Hi J.. I have worked for the infant nutrition industry and can tell u that it is an extremely regulated industry, so there isn't a lot of difference between them. I give my baby the Good Start Nestle infant formula, since I know the brand and its benefits pretty well.

Both of them are exactly the same nutritionally (I have compared the back panel and ingredients line by line when choosing a formula for my daughter last year), so really it is down to personal choice, what works for your daughter and cost/savings considerations.

We used Enfamil, partly because my daughter seemed to handle it better (gas/spitting up), and also because a super-size can of it is available at our Costco (32oz, instead of the 26oz in other stores.) Wasn't too much cost savings, but it did mean we had to go to the store less frequently and store less cans (and create less waste, thinking green here. = )

But choose whichever works for your baby/family best, they are essentially the same. If the Enfamil is working for you, I would stick with it.

Good luck!

We've used Similac for our kids for no reason in particular, initially. Then once we had them on it, we kept them on it. Someone gave us some Enfamil and the biggest difference I noticed was that the Enfamil was much finer, so it mixed easier and didn't clump together like the Similac will occasionally if you don't mix it well.

I'm not sure if there is any difference. We used Similac because that what they gave our daughter at Hopkins and she did fine. But we switched to the sensitive version because she was very gassy.

Jenninfer,
With my 5 children I have used both brands, I found Enfamil to not stain or smell as bad and sometimes cheaper. I think Enfamil is not as strong as Similac and causes less gas issues.

Personally, I liked Enfamil, it is a finer powder which meant it dissolved and mixed better-no clumps at the end of making bottles there's no mystery on which bottle got more formula(I had to make bottles a head of time). I also worked in daycare so I learned the smells of different formulas Quick! Enfamil has almost a sweet smell(which is nice when you're dealing with spit up!) Similac almost smelled sour and with the brown tint it was just all around unpleasent.

As you've been told, they are both nuttitionally about the same, it just matters what works best for your child. I's also like to note that BJ's brand is almost identical to ENFAMIL (all ingredients and nutritional info the same). However it is MUCH, MUCH cheaper - even better than using the coupons that come from the formula companies.

when i put my daughter on formula at 4 mos- the recommendations were all over the map, which i figured meant that it was really up to my daughter's preference. She preferred Enfamil over anything else, so that's what i went with! I have heard that more people tend to use Enfamil, but that's my own personal survey and nothing scientific!! :)

I used both Enfamil and Similac for my daughter. I had a few sample cans of each so I tried both and she didn't seem to be affected by the switch. So, I ended up switching her from one to the other because I had coupons. Then, when I ran out of coupons I stayed with Enfamil. Also, we eventally started using the Target store brand that was comparable to Enfamil at half the cost (around 9 months old.) May I also suggest the Playtex drop-ins bottles...they were GREAT for us!

Hello, I have a five month old girl and we have been going back and forth between both. She was refusing milk for a while, so I was trying different things. I think they are both pretty similar. I, personally like Similac Sensitive because it doesn't seem to smell as badly and my daughter is less fussy after it. It also seems to dissolve better. And, it is a little bit cheaper than Enfamil. Whichever one you choose, be sure to sign up on their website, so you get coupons :-)
I would be careful with the generic brands until she is at least six months. The content is the same, but there are some quality control issues...
Good Luck!

Hi J.! Everyone I've talked to who's an "authority" (for instance, my SIL is an obstetric nurse at Langley AFB) says all formulas are pretty much the same, content-wise. We found from experience that our boy liked Similac but hated Enfamil. He loves Nestle Good Start (which also happens to be the cheapest brand out there). If your child likes Enfamil, then stick with that (the theory is: if it ain't broke, don't fix it!). If you want to try others, ask your pediatrician if they have sample sizes or ask around to friends and see if you can "borrow" some of their formula. Good luck and God bless!