Formula

I don't think she was asking about breastfeeding, ladies, so I would keep the social commentary and opinions to yourselves.

Speaking from experience, after I finished breastfeeding my daughter, I used the Enfamil and the Target brand. I found the Enfamil to mix better than Target's brand, because it was a lot finer and less lumpy.

However, it is true that by looking at the labels, there is very very little variance between store and name brands.

What I truly think is that your daughter will let you know what she prefers when she arrives. :) Congratulations, by the way!

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Hi there...Off brand vs. Name brand isn't really a competion. Working in the grocery industry, I have some close personal experience with this. The off-brand stuff in a lot of cases, not all, is exactly the same as name-brand with a huge price difference. For formula, the off-brand is very very comparable to the name-brand. I use the off-brand as it is sooo much less expensive. You have to pay attention though to which one you get as there are quite a few different formulas of formula out there. Be sure you get the one you are wanting.
Hope this was helpful!!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi K.,

I see you already have a ton of responses so I'll keep it short. First off to the woman who said that only 1/1000 women are medically unable to breastfeed... pffffft!!!!! I lost my complete milk supply with both my children and went on drugs to boost it and ended up in too severe of a depression to continue. There are many many reasons why some women cannot nurse... not just chemo drugs or other harmful drugs. Plus, it's not our place to judge!!! A mother does what she can.

I breastfed both my babies until 9 months then switched to formula. My first I used Enfamil and nothing else since that's supposed to have the best amount of vitamins in it. With my son I started out using Enfamil then saw Parents Choice was so much cheaper and is comparable in vitamins to Simalac so switched to that. THENNN (Even better) I went to Sam's Club and saw that they had a can that is literally 2 times the size of 'big' cans of Similac that go for $23 a can and they were only $19. Plus the vitamins are comparable to Enfamil...so we switched to that. Healthy, happy babies both ways! Best of luck.

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I nursed but, for occasional supplements, gave my daughter the generic formula from Target. She had no problems with it, and the quality is the same as the brand names. There's a book I refer to a lot called "Baby Bargains" by Denise Fields, and they say there's no difference. If you want to go with the brand name formula, the other advice they give includes to buy it online, buy in bulk at a warehouse like Sam's Club, or to go with regular formula (w/o the DHA and ARA additives). Hope this helps!

btw, I only mention I nursed to give you background. Every mom has to make the choice that is right for her, and as long as your baby is happy and healthy, then that is what matters (rather than where their milk comes from)

I also use generic Target brand diapers! You save a lot with those too - and, after all, they just pee and poop into them =)

Formula is one of the most strictly regulated products so you can rest easy knowing that it has everything it's supposed to have. However, I do think what another mom said about it not being broken down as much is true, but if your baby doesn't have any problems with digestion, etc, then I think you'd be okay using an non-name-brand.

If you're chosing to bottlefed from the beginning, you might want to just start your baby on the off-brand. I found that my son had a hard time switching formulas (in a pinch when we had a free can from the manufacturer) because they taste different and have different consistencies. But if you want to use a name brand product, you can sign up at their websites and they'll send free samples and coupons (anywhere from $10 - $1). I also found that you get a lot more for your money if you buy the formula at at warehouse like Costco or Sam's Club (both brand and off-brand formulas).

I did the same thing w/my first child. My sister in law used Parents choice and I looked into it also and asked my doctor it's the exact same ingredients just generic. I've used it with my daughter who is now 7 months. We've not had any problems. It's a whole lot cheaper which is a plus but would never put anything into her precious body had I not reseached it first and am very confident with using that product.

The FDA regulates formula so it has all of the necessary ingredients. I have 3 kids and have breast fed all of them. I did supplement with formula when needed and I have used Infamil, Parent's choice (Walmart) and Meijer brand. I tried Good Start with my oldest daughter and she would projectile vomit. I switched her to Walmart brand and she was fine. It depends on the child, but nutritionally you shouldn't have any concerns. My son only nursed for 6 months so I felt guilty and used the expensive formula. He is my one with the most allergies, eczema and asthma. I wouldn't worry!

I used Parent's Choice formula and it worked very well for me with my 1st child. Child #2 I was fortunate enough to breastfeed and Child #3 was on the WIC program so we used Enfamil. I would reccommend the off brand because the savings are so huge. But remember as with all formulas, you may have to try different ones because the baby's digestive system might not agree. E.

K. B.

My son and his family used the same name brand formula in the beginning of their new born daughter. They too switched to the off brand formula and found there was no difference. My grand daughter is healthy as can be.

The only difference is the packageing and the price. The name brand you are paying for just that the name and packageing. The off brand Parent choice is a good product. Match the ingredients as your friend has. They are the same...you are only paying for the product inside the package.

With the high cost of every thing continueing to rise before us. If you can save a penny and make your baby happy, healthy go for it. If all fails ask your doctor and you more then likely will get the same reply.

I have raised four healthy handsome sons on off brand products. They are out there to help people save money and still have happy, healthy children.

Good luck in your new born and making your choices. Please stay in touch.

Your mama sister,
S. F.

Off brand formula is just as good as the name brand. It is very regulated. I breastfeed (1st to 4 months, 2nd to 8 months) and then they had Target formula. Both are very happy & healthy. Pet food is a totally different story and there is absolutely a difference...no comparison...apples to oranges.

Hi K., we've had 2 children and w/ both of them we used off brand formulas. They all have the same ingredients and it saved us ALOT of money. We would go to Sam's Club or Costco and buy those big cans, usually buying 2 or 3 cans at a time and it would last us a month or little longer. It worked out good for us. Hope everything goes well.

M.

We used the off brand as you call it and everything was fine. The only difference between the off brand and the brand name is that you are not paying for the Similac name. It is the same thing with medications and many other things out there. It is the same ingredients. You can even look at the can of the off brand and it will say on it compared to Similac Advanced, so then you know you have the right one. Saving money can always help out and this is one way that you can do it while you are still giving your baby the same thing.

My daughter just turned 2 in November. We used Parent's Choice the entire time she was on formula. I too was skeptical about using off brand but consulted with my pediatrician who said it would be fine. I also compared the ingrediants and found them most to be identical. I think my daughter did just fine with Parent's Choice and I plan to use it again when we have our second child. The amount of money you save is huge. I totally recommend Parent's Choice. We also used that brand of diapers until she got a little older and needed less changing. Good Luck.

Bobbi

It sounds like you've made up your mind already, but just in case, I think that it matters more whether or not your child is doing well on the formula that you give, and not whether or not it's a name brand or a store brand. If your baby is happy, gaining weight and growing the formula is most likely good. You can always call the company that makes the formula to see how it compares to the name brand. Also, I've found that it doesn't matter what you decide to do (breastfeed or use formula). There will always be someone out there who disagrees strongly with you. Do what's best for your baby. Try not to let other opinions bother you. I nursed my youngest child until he was 18 months (he's special needs) and found out recently that he would have been better off with formula. Basically, it all comes down to what you think/know is best. Your pediatrician might be another good person to ask. If the off brand is just as good, I would definitely go with that. Good luck! I hope all goes well w/this pregnancy.

Why do you have a problem using "off brand" things. They are not "off" they are just different brands. Maybe you should look into breastfeeding if you can, it's the cheepest and has the best ingredients.

I also had the same concerns after I was done breastfeeding. After about one month I switched to the off brands, I stood in the store for about ten min one day comparing them, and they were all the same ingredients. I then bought all my formula off of e-bay, making sure the they were not expired. We saved a lot of money by doing both of these. good luck

I was so against off brands also. But my in-laws found an off brand from sams that had the same ingredients as enfamil. They pretty much just started using it without asking. I was not ok with it at first, but then I felt it was ok after checking the labels. Now, I will let them use that and I still use regular enfamil. Sometimes they will purchase the offbrand for us to use, but when I purchase formula I still by the enfamil brand. So she gets a little bit of both and it doesn't bother her at all. And it saves us some money, but I still feel good because she is getting a little of both.

All formulas are regulated by the FDA.Off brands must meet all requirements and quality control points that brand names do. When you purchase Brand names you're paying for the name. You'll be okay with the off brand. I used them with both my children and their triving and not lacking in any way. Hope this helps!

With my daughter I mainly used Enfamil...but when times would get tight with money I would use the off-brand, and there were no problems at all. The ingredients are exactly the same as long as you use the off-brand that is compared to what you would normally use (Similac, Enfamil, etc).

I also compared labels and the off brands have the same stuff and the name brand. It depends on which off brand/name brand you compare, which are the same (some are the same as Enfamil and others are the same as Similac). I have found the best deal is the HUGE can at Sam's Club (3 lbs) for 19.99.

One thing that made it easier for me to use the off brand was knowing that baby food (including formula) is the one type of food that the FDA regulates. The manufacturers of the the off brands are held to the same standards as the name brands.

Hope this helps.
J.

My daughter is 4 and was on the Target or Walmart brand of formula. She is so healthy and smart. She had no problems with the formula at all. I won't pay the amount for the name brand (unless she couldn't tolerate anything else). I have a 11 month old that also does great with the off brand. I can't tell you yet about his brain power (seems normal and on the same level as my daughter. Hope this helps.
A.

Here's my story. I breast feed and supplemented with formula until my first daughter was 6 months old. (She had teeth, bit me and drew blood!) OUCH! During this time I joined every formula company club I could find. I'd got lots of coupons and free samples, compared ingedents and began to stock up. I somehow got coupons for Mejer brand and used that too So, my daughter had every formula made from store brand to name brand. It has to meet FDA and other government standards. She is now 8 yrs old and very very healthy. I did the same with my second daughter but I started signing up with the formula companies when I was pregnant with her. She is now 5 and is very, very healthy.

Hope this helps,

J.

Sometimes using off brands are actually healthier for you even when it comes to formulas. I used to use the Nestle Carnation Baby Formula with my first two boys, but then baby #3 came I used the Sam's Brand Choice and it worked out great and was cheaper. If you don't like to use the off brands, you really should read the labels and compare brand name to off brand products. You will be amazed at how much healthier they are for you and cheaper too.

I (my sister and best friend, 8 kids all together) have used Carnation Good start. I don't know how much cheaper it is, but some at least, it doesn't smell or stain as much as the other brands, we think....all of the kiddos were breastfed for 2-10 months, then switched to the Carnation. You can sign up for their club, check the web and I've gotten several (around 6 or so free or very reduced cans...) Good luck!

K.-

My peds told me with my first son that I could use whatever formula was on sale/whatever was cheapest, as long as it had iron in it. I did this with him and did this again with my second son (although the younger one required soy for reflux) and both were and are healthy, happy, little boys. I saw no harm at all in the store brands, just more money left over in my wallet!

K.,
I was able to breastfeed my first child until he was 11 months old so it came as a big surprise to me when at only 8 months I suddenly wasn't producing enough to feed my second child. We have a membership to Sam's Club and so looked into the bulk thing. I looked at all the ingredience labels and the Members Mark (sam's off brand) had everything that the other brands had. I used this for my second child until she was a little over a year because she was playing catch up. She thrived on this formula and there were no problems what so ever.

Hi K.,

You may not know this but MANY off brands are made by the name-brand companies. For example, I know that the Sam's brand (Comfort Choice, I think) is made by Similac. If you look on the label, you will see that the formulas are almost ingredient for ingredient, the same. The reason there has to be a little varience is that if they are exactly the same, they have to be called by the same brand. I have a close friend that works the company that produces Similac and she told me that the reason that they do this is so that they reach the "high end" customers but also reach the "low end" market. Read the labels. They are almost identicle.

Personally, I used name-brand with my first two children and then upon finding out this information, used off-brand with my last two. I found absolutely NO difference.

I hope this helps!

C.

I have a 5 month old baby who I just stopped nursing. I put him on the Members Mark formula from Sams club and he actually seems to like it better than the Enfamil formula he sometimes gets at Grandmas house. I also have a almost 3 year old who drank the Members Mark formula when he stopped nursing and both of my children are healthy. Not to mention the price difference, the 3 lb can is about 13$ cheaper than the Enfamil for the same size. I have found with the formula as with many other products I buy that the off/store brands are just as good if not better than name brand, you just aren't paying for all the advertising and labeling of the name brand products.

I used Enfamil for my first baby and swore by it. Didn't even look at the off brand formulas and I thought for sure I'd use it again for my next baby...well, I was wrong. It wasn't a fit for my second baby. It made her very constipated and cranky. So I looked at Target brand and yes, they had all the same ingredients and all the same amounts, so I figured...I'll try it.

Glad I did. It helped her with her constipation and made her less gassy as the name brand. Never thought I'd use the off brand...but you know, a lot of those formulas are made in the same plants, same ingredients, but you're paying for the name brand sticker on the outside.

I highly suggest trying any off brand names...I know for my third (when that comes!) I'll be trying Target brand first!

We use the Sam's Choice infant formula, which is the same as the Enfamil Lipil with Iron, my peditrician recommended it and said there is no difference. In fact the Sam's choice makes less bubbles in the bottle after shaking it up! I hope this helps you out!

They have to be the same ingredients, but I would say just try it. If it doesn't settle with his/her little tummy then go back to something that does. I was big on brand name diapers with our first, but it was because the cheap ones leaked all the time, now I use them with our second and they work just find for him.

With our daughter we used Enfamil AR, and that was a bit pricy. However, we started our son off with Carnation Good Start. He just couldn't handle it. So, our pediatrician suggested switching him to a lactose free formula. She made a point of telling us that we could try the Parent's Choice, as it was the same as Enfamil, where is counted. We have been using the Parent's Choice Lactose Free formula ($14 a can) rather thant he enfamil (Over $25 a can) and he is doing great! I just had his 9 month check up yesterday and he is a "healthy, happy, well fed baby." Even my sister in law's pediatrician told her that she used the Target brand of formula because she thought it to be better. So, talk to your pediatrician about it, but I say go for it.

We discovered that the Target brand formula is almost identical to Enfamil and dissolves just as well. Our son has no problem with it. It is SO much cheaper than Enfamil!

No matter what brand you buy (store or name brand)they all have to be FDA approved. You will be better off saving some money and buying the less expensive brand!

I used Simulac because I was a single mom and got it free through the WIC clinic, however, my sister started using the Simulac and found the off brands to be cheaper. She checked with our dr & he said that both had same nutrients in them. As long as the baby tolerated it well, there was no problem using a store brand. Same thing for diapers, wipes the works. My daughters had sensitive skin and one could only use Luvs & one could only use Pampers but my sister always bought the store brands & never had a problem. Do what is best for you & baby, if you can go a cheaper way...I say go for it!!!

My daughter, she will be 4 next month, grew up on Parent's Choice and did great. Her doctor said it is just as good and the pricde is right (plus the cans are larger). My son was on Parent's choice and did great, but is on Nestle Good Start now, only because we have WIC and that is all they will pay for.

I too was skeptical about using off brand formula. We had our first daughter in April of 2006 (so far the only child) and we of course used the name brand formula, etc... for the initial 6-7 months. We used enfamil- big fan! But then as our daughter got older and we switched to step 2 formula we took the step to move to generic (parents choice) step 2 formula. It was way cheaper, and by the time our daughter was 6-7 months I didn't figure it would be very hard to switch her. The ingredients were just about the same, so I think it was worth it. I knew lots of other new moms who also used the off brands and thought they were okay.
I think it's your preference. Thinking ahead to our second child when we get to that point, I may stick with what we did originally. But I may try going generic right away-- it can't hurt-- the worst thing is you end up switching...

Have you considered breastfeeding instead? It's free, as opposed to $1000-$2000 dollars for a year of formula feeding, and you don't have to worry about what's in it. :) I breastfed my twins because we couldn't afford formula - I got laid off from my job when I was 4 months pregnant, and my husband worked at a coffee shop. Even with WIC and food stamps, we didn't have the funds to buy formula.
If you do think about it and want to give it a try, there's lots of support out there - your local health department/WIC probably has classes or support groups, there's La Leche League, and almost every hospital has at least one lactation consultant on staff.
Good luck!

I used the off brand formula as well with my older 2. Like your friend said, they have all the same stuff, you're just paying for the name by using the brand name stuff. Save yourself some money and use the money you save for diapers! :)

I know it might sound weird, but if I have any more babies and couldn't nurse, I would be using goats milk. Infant formula is a mix with cow's and human's milk. Because of the cow's part in there, it means that it is meant for a heavier animal, and humans are not meant to be that size. Last I saw, goats milk for powdered was like maybe 10 per canister. There is also concentrated, which most stores carry, and a few stores actually carry cartons of the milk by the quart. I did give it to my neice, and after she switched to goats milk, she lost the circles, blemish problems, gas, and all the other problems she was having, giving us all a happier baby!

A bit about me. I am a coupon and saver card freak and will go out of my way to find a bargin. I used Parents Choice for both of my children. I at first bought the Similac. You don't get much for the price. With my 8 year old she didn't tolerate regular so I switched her to soy. It is definately more economical to by the Wal-Mart brand which does have the same ingredients. I also buy my Luvs there. It's about $21 for 108 diapers. Both my girls are very happy and healthy.

HI K.
I found the target brand to be the cheapest in our area. I too was skeptical at first. If it was $10+ cheaper then there must be something in there that should be or, something that should be in there that was left out. I asked my pediatrician and they confirmed that for was can for can the same stuff. I was also told that there are strict guidelines that baby formual companies (as with car seats companies, etc) have to follow so if it is on the shelf it has passed every test that the more expensive item has. With the second child comes more financial strain and if you can save money while still giving your baby safe healthy formula, then I encourage you to try it. FYI - I did the same for my kids. My oldest, I used everything name brand. For my second baby, I ventured out and saved our family some money:). Both my kids survived and are healthy!! Good luck

Hi K.,
Me like you used Simlic for my first 2 kids. Then we had twins and looked into using an off brand. I asked our doctor and she said that most off brands are made by Simlic, Enfimal, ect. We found that not only was it a better deal but the Formula Sam's Club carries as their own, Members Something. Is made by Enfimal, it is the same in everything, except the "water", was off a bit. But it is a bigger can and still less. We never had problmes with our twins using it. I'd say save your money and use an off brand, you'll need the money for diapers and college.

I have a 16 m/o daughter whom had respiratory issues when she was born and spent 1 week in the NICU. When breastfeeding didn't work we switched to Enfamil formula when she was 1month old. I bought the name brand at first and not long after I realized how quickly we went through a can and calculated our monthly formula expense, I too started comparing labels. I realized Parent's Choice and the Target store brand both had the same ingredients and percentages of vitamins as the name brand. I decided for $10 cheaper a can off brand was fine. I also shared this with our pediatrician and she never told me to buy the brand name. Our little girl is healthy today and has no lingering effects from her rocky start.

I used brand name formula for our first child, also. Almost 3 years later when we had our second child, we were wondering about off brand formula. After speaking with our doctor and doing some research, we used Parents Choice formula. As a matter of fact, inside the Parents Choice can was a paper comparing Parents Choice, Similac, and Enfamil. All three formulas are government regulated, so all the 3 are pretty much the same, except the price. We are very satisfied with the Parents Choice brand.

K.

I used Parents choice as well- Couldn't tell a difference and my Ped was actually the one who suggested it to me.

My experience:
What I learned from my pediatrician and obgyn is tht off brands are not broken down as much on brands (similac/enfamil). Same ingredients yes, but for lack of better wording, off- brands have bigger ingredients. Meaning that it is harder to digest, which makes it uncomfortable for newborns. I was strongly suggested to by my ped to use the brands for at a minimum of 2-4months and then switch to off brands. I had twins and struggling big time financially, if I felt comfortable, I would have used the off -brand, but I wanted my babies to be comfortable, able to digest, and minimal gas problems so we did the brand until 3month.

I too used Similac for my now 6 month old at the beginning and also noticed that some of the ingredience were virtually the same. I asked the pediatrician about it when I took my son in for his 3 month appt, and the doc assured me that as long as it's a milk based generic I could go ahead and switch. So, I did. My son took to it just fine....I did'nt have to ween him over or anything, and yes it does save me alot of money each week. As long as your child does'nt seem to have any side effect to it, or shows trouble with digesting it, I would say go for it.

I have a 1.5 yr. old girl and she had absolutely no problems with the off-brand (parents choice) that i had her on most of the time. i was lucky that i had a child where i could pretty much feed her whatever brands i wanted and she didn't care-- physically or tastewise. i did a lot of comparison reading and didn't find much difference either except in price. i figured as long as my daughter seemed to like it fine then that was what i was going to go with. :) happy feeding!!

K.,

I used to use the Wal-mart brand but now I absolutly love the Hy-Vee brand. I have used it for both of my daughters. At the Hy-Vee I live close to, it runs out fast and it seems like it is the only formula on the shelf that disappears so I buy as much when its avaible. Apparently this must be popluar for other moms too.

I personally think that the Symilac brad was to rich for my 2nd because she kept spitting it up and having issues. As soon as I switched to Hy-Vee she was 80% better. Now, and I am so excited, they came out with a Hy-Vee comfort ease formula, just like the $22.00 Good Smart and she is perfect.

Hy-Vee brand cost $10-12 dollars the comfort ease is $12.00. Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
I have three daughters ages 5, 3, and 6 weeks. The infant is still nursing but with the other two girls I had no problems using Parent's Choice or the Target Brand formula. If fact, with my oldest she didn't spit up using them like she did using Similac. The FDA has to approve all formulas on the market before they can be sold. My pediatrician had no problems with me using them, so I felt it was okay. If you read on the container both Parent's Choice and Target brand are made by the same company so that makes it easier to buy. As a parent you have to feel comfortable with your decision, this is just one mother's opinion.

My sister used that kind with her first child. I used Emfamil myself and I was on WIC. They helped with formula and baby cereal. I don't see anything wrong with it. Congrats and Good luck!!!

the off brand in formula is just fine you will love the savings as long as the brand you pick is made in the usa

I know you have a ton of advise, but we bought our formula at COSTCO. It is thier brand, and the label compares ingrediants exactly the same. It has 2 cans for $20. 1 can lasted us for a week. Our daughter is now 17 months old and very healthy.

HI K.
I used that brand all the time and with great success. Used it for 3 children and they are smart, healthy and happy.

it's a great savings.

Alot of the time Name brands are very similar to Off brands. If the ingredients are the same I would definately compare the two and see which one your infant likes best. I used Similac sensitive because my son had a hard time digesting the other brands. I guess it's always best to shop around and see which formula works best for the baby. Good luck

Hello K.,

You have been givin alot of great advice from other moms. It will be you sole decision on what you feel is best for your child. I am a mother of 5 and have used them all from breast feeding to soy formula. If you decide to stick with what you know worked for you on your 1st child there is a few ways you can save money. One is buying in bulk will save you money. Get the big cans from Sams or wholesale stores will help save a few bucks. Another way to save is to sign up for their coupons. You can also sign up your friends and relatives to get coupons for you. The last way I can think of to save is buy your formula on Ebay. You can usually pay 1/2 price per a can on Ebay. I have both sold and bought formula on Ebay and never had a problem. Well good luck with the bun in the oven.

MOAT aka Mommy of a Tribe

My friend is a nurse and she just went to an infant feeding class where they told her that the off brand formula is the recipes that Similac and Enfamil sold them 7 years ago. They sell their outdated recipes when the patent expires or something like that. I don't know what that means to the consumer or how they make it up to standard. I don't know if this helps or not!

I had the same issue that you are having, I've personally never liked the "off brand" stuff just thinking it's not as good as the rest but I've come to find out some things are just as good and you can save a lot of money. I have a three month old baby and I am currently using the Parents Choice formula from Walmart with her and it works great, she eats it just as good as she did the Enfamil formula but we are saving TONS of money this way. My husband even compared the labels and they are the same stuff. Our pediatrician said it works just as good as all the name brands too.

I used the Parents Choice formula for my daughter and she did great with it. I do beleive the ingredients are all the same and as you said it saved ALOT of money. Compare the cans for yourself and if you are still concerned, just ask your doctor.

Something about using 'generic' formula just rubs me the wrong way. We are penny pinchers and I still wouldn't do it on formula - or diapers for that matter, not worth the mess! Wish you the best!

From what I understand, formula is FDA regulated, so it is REQUIRED to have the same nutritional content no matter the brand. This is one case where you really are just paying for the label.

Hi,
I think Off Brand is totally fine. Big companies often produce more than they can sell undera certain brand name and just put the same stuff in a container with a different name instead on selling the brand name item for less. (Happens very often with coffee) Just check the list of ingredients yourself, ask your pediatrician and make your decision based on that.
And just a thought - breastfeeding would be sooo much cheaper and is the best brand you can find ;)

K., My advice is to save the money. Our pediatrician says formulas are all the same...they have to be (due to FDA regulations, etc.) The difference between them is the 'name brands' spend extra money on research of their formulas' makeup, the effects on kids, etc. In my pediatrician's words, "If you have the money to support all the research they do, great. But most of us don't so a generic brand is FINE." Take that for what it's worth. I totally understand wanting to do what's best for your child.

I was on assistance when getting formula for my daughter, so I had to use Similac, and have no first-hand experience with off-brand formula. However, the FDA regulates the formula produced in this country, and there are requirements regarding nutrition.

I would recommend trying the off-brand to see if you'll be able to save some money. Reality is, your daughter may not be able to "stomach" it (or Similac for that matter) and you may have to try several, including soys, so be prepared to make changes. My sister-in-law had to try three different formulas before she was able to get my nephew settled into a feeding routine.

As long as she accepts the formula and continues to gain at a healthy rate, she'll be fine and happy!