Infant Formulas

I know every baby is different so I'll just tell you what worked for me. I started my baby on similac organic and first of all thought it smelled pretty bad and had a completely different consistency than breast milk (I supplement what I express w/formula). I let this go, but was forced to switch when my baby got constipated. After reading several reviews on similac organic, it seemed common. After more research, we switched to Good Start DHA and ARA and i love it. It's not organic, but it has the consistency of breast milk and no foul odor. Also, no more constipation. Hop this helps:)

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Hi, C.!

Congrats on your new baby! Hope you are enjoying Mamahood! My Duncan is 14 months old and we are having so much fun. When Duncan was born, he nursed so well for 3 weeks and then, for reasons unknown, my supply dropped and he lost weight. We had to suppliment with formula and, even though with much effort I was able to bring my supply back up, he preferred the bottle and would only nurse once or twice a day and then by 4 months wouldn't nurse at all. Soooo...I had the same question you do - What formula should I use? Posed to the doctor, he said that they really all are about the same nutritionally and that Wegman's brand with Iron and DHA and ARA was just as good as the more expensive name brands. We compared the 2 and he was right. Now we have a healthy, bright and happy 14 month old who is 75th height for height and 60 for weight, LOVES music and takes a drumstick around the house experimenting with different sounds until he finds one that he likes, dances with his Mama and plays monster trucks, complete with engine sounds, with his Poppy.

I was so grateful for the doctor's advice. Our child is thriving and we saved, literally, thousands of dollars (the Wegman's brand was 1/2 the price of the name brands - $12.99 to the other's price of 24.99 for the same amount). If you don't have a Wegman's near you, take a canister to your pediatrician for his opinion or make the comparison yourself as they usually have the comparison information chart right on the lable and you will see that the differences are truly negligible.

A note on organics....I wish I could have afforded organic formula. It is MUCH more expensive than even the name brands. I made all Duncan's baby food from organic produce. Thankfully, Wegman's has a wonderful selection of organic produce at a reasonable price, as having had Duncan in March, I was much too busy as a new mama to put in my own organic garden last year. So, if finances are not an issue, I would recommend Earth's Best. I fed Duncan Earth's Best baby food if I ran out of our homemade or when we traveled.

I wish you the best and hope you find as much joy in mamahood as I have!

S.

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I too was not able to breast feed for medicl reasons and had started my son on Similac. He screamed with gas pain and constipation. We took him to the pediatrician thinking he was lactose intolerant or something. The doctor recommended Good start and I thought he was crazy how is another BRAND going to help. Well was I wrong. There is something with those "comfort proteins" that worked miracles! My baby was a completely different child, I have also recommended it to other mother's with the same problem and it worked for them as well. Another good thing is it does not have the formula Smell(formula burps). It smells sweeter and it is thinner.
Hope this works!!!
Mother of a very happy healthy almost 4 yr old!
K.

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Hi C.! Congratulations!!

I really think that the best formula really depends on the child. For my two girls it was Enfamil Lactofree because it did not make them gassy and fussy. It also did not constipate them. Similac is what the hospital started my oldest on and it was terrible. She was gassy and VERY fussy with Similac. I was always giving her mylicon and karo syrup to help poop. We went through a few brands with my older daughter before getting to Enfamil Lactofree and it was great for her. My second child started on regular Enfamil and we changed to Lactofree because we started to see fussiness. Changing to Lactofree was right for her, as well. I know people who think Similac was right. Others went with other brands but as I said, none but the Enfamil worked for my girls.

Good luck!
S.

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My pediatrician only recommends tried and true Similac or Enfamil (both are equally good). Nestle is better for babies with gas issues. Your best bet is to ask your pediatrician. We've used Enfamil with both our children.

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Hi C.,
My dr. recommended that I keep my son on Enfamil until he was at least 2 1/2 months old. After that I switched to the Good Start products and he did better with them than the enfamil. It's supposed to be easier on their tummies. I also received frequent coupons for free or almost free cans, knowing how expensive formula is, it was really nice to have once in a while. Good Luck!

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Good Start is much "closer" to breast milk than the others. It's also easier for the baby to digest because of the proteins. No other formula is like it. This statement from their website explains why, and it's true...

"Our patented process starts with 100% whey protein, the highest-quality protein available in infant formula.
Then we break down this gentle whey protein into smaller, easy-to-digest COMFORT PROTEINS."

You can sign up for their savings club and it looks like you can get up to $300 or so in coupons. That's awesome. They have a whole bunch of different formulas (with DHA, without, with probiotics, soy, etc), so you can find the best one for your baby.

I used this with my son, and it was by far the best. Oh, I'd get the ready to feed that is already mixed. It's just so much easier. Good luck!!

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I tried them all. Good Start worked best for us. There was less gas and fewer spit-ups. As an additional bonus, it was less expensive than the others.

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