Hi ladies,
I am wondering if any of you have had the experience of using both of these brands and can help me make a decision on which to go with. I used Similac Isolmil Advanced with my daughter but just read a study that the Enfamil ProSobee Lipil has higher levels of nutrients in it than the Similac. I am so used to the name brand Similac that using something different worries me without some input. If any of you could share your experiences with me I would appreciate it! Also, just in case, I am not at all against breast feeding and wish that I could however I had a breast reduction back in 2001 and with my daughter my milk came in and left within an hour.
Well, I never recommend formula as breastmilk is the very best for a baby. But, if you need to go with formula for some reason, I would suggest checking out Carnation Good Start. It mixes more smoothly and has more of the consistency of breastmilk. A friend of mine who had to supplement told me this. I have attempted to supplement a bottle a grand total of three times with both of my children using Enfimil (simply because that is what the doctor's office gave us, formula is way too expensive). It smelled awful and did not mix well. It was all clumpy and difficult to get completely mixed. I know nothing about Similac, so I can't really give you advice there. But, the Carnation I have heard is pretty good. I don't know about the differences in nutrients since I don't use formula, but there is my 2 cents worth, lol. Hope it helped. :)
I have fed my child both formulas and breastmilk, so I can speak from actual experience. Our child had expressed breastmilk for 4 months, supplemented with one bottle formula daily until we switched over completely. We started with Similac because that's what we got from the hospital. I switched over to Enfamil because I got better coupons AND our first pediatrician recommended it (ironically, the second pediatrician recommended Similac). As someone who has fed her baby both formula and breastmilk, I can say that I don't feel guilty whatsoever for how I've chosen to feed my child (so neither should you!) - he's growing and developing normally. We've been with two pediatricians and one said Enfamil and the other said Similac.
After comparing the two, I liked Enfamil better because it mixed much more easily. However, if I had no other choice on earth than Similac then I would have fed my baby that and I am sure he would have been just fine :)
I used Enfamil (though, not Prosobee) with my 1st. I thought it was pretty good. Mixed well. With my 2nd, we supplemented with both. Enfamil did mix better, I thought. But, other than that, I didn't really get much difference. I did also use Meijer brand. Found it to be comparable, only cheaper.
It is sad that you have to tell why your are not breastfeedigng and still people comment. It is your business and it is ok not to.
Anyway off my high horse, we asked our pediatrician and she said that they are the same and she reccomended using whichever one the hospital gave us.
I too have had great success with Good Start when both Similac and Enfamil made my little guy's belly upset. My oldest was sensitive to milk-based formula, so we used Good Start Soy - transitioned to this just fine when he weaned himself from Breast milk at 7 months.
My youngest is currently breastfed/supplemented with formula- again Good Start (milk based) has been the best one for him too. He tends to get really gassy with Enfamil.
A bonus - Good Start gives great coupons for a few months ($11 off) - sign up online.
I used both. I never had any real problems with either of them. They do have a different consistency though, and I'm not sure why! I would go to the store and look at the back of the cans. All the formulas list their ingredients and the vitamin content on the back. Store brand formulas are actually pretty much the same as the name brand. I started off using Enfamil, then switched to Similac (I think I was sent some sample cans in the mail), then switched to Target brand, then back to Enfamil (WIC provided) and I never really noticed a difference. When in doubt, ask your doctor :D
I have only ever used Enfamil Lipil and that was 5 years ago now. I have noticed though, that babies who use Similac seem to have a stronger "formula smell" to them. You know, your own general body smell, not like B/O or anything, just natural scent. Anyway, I notice it more with babies who use Similac than those on Enfamil. Also, I do know the spit up smells a lot worse and stains more with Enfamil. As for the nutritional aspect of it, I'm cluesless there, I've been lucky enough to be able to nurse all of my kids, only needing to supplement one.
Tonya,
I used the generic brand at Wal-mart. I know many people would not do this, but my son had no problems with it, and has been extremely healthy. He is 2 now. I also have a friend who uses generic formula with no problems. I think we often get sucked into the "brand name" marketing because of our deep concern for our little ones, but if you were comfortable with this, it would save you a lot of money, and I truly think it is a safe, healthy, product for your baby.
Enjoy that baby boy!!!
Melanie
I used the generic kinds from Target or Kroger. If you read the back it has the same vitamins & minerals as the Prosoybee from Enfamil. My son didn't have any problems with this, but did have problems with the regular formula with iron, so it had to be Soy. I breast fed for most of his first 9 months and we also had a little help with WIC and this year they used only the similac, and he had no problem from using both. The generic brand of this formula is less than 50% less per can. Check out the labels, they compare to Isomil & Prosoybee.
Good luck!!
I have a daughter that just had a baby and we have been checking into all the formulas. With the scare of of the melamine in all the formulas we have switched to all natural formula.
There are several natural brands out there to choose from. We went to a local health food store. Hope this helps.
I supplement (one bottle a day) with Similac Advance. I too am name brand partial to it. Plus I think Enfamil is slightly more expensive & it was effected by the melamine scare in other countries (Similac was not). I'm comfortable with Similac so I use it.
Hi Tonya,
With all three of our children (6,4 and 2 months) we have used Enfamil. We actually started all three of them out with Similac, but none of them took it very well (a lot of spit ups and upset tummies). It doesn't seem to mix as well as Enfamil either. I tried breastfeeding with all three, but I could not keep up with the feeding demand of the babies (we tend to have larger babies), so formula was a must! We have had great success with Enfamil and would recommend it to anyone!
Hope this helps!
I also used Nestle Good Start with my daughter who is 2 and I plan on using it when my new little guy gets here in May. My daughter never spit up or had any tummy problems. I have also heard good things about the off brands from Walmart/Target/Sams. I completly understand about the breast feeding thing, with my daughter it didn't work very well for us either.
Have you checked with a lactation consultant or La Leche League to see if there's anything else you can do to breastfeed? Miami Valley hospital has good lactaction consultants, so you might want to give them a call. Good luck!
Hi Tonya
Congratulations! Maybe things will be different the second time around and you'll be able to breastfeed which would be great. Another thought is your son may not need to use the soy formula.
After I stopped breastfeeding my son, we used Similac exclusively (the thought just never occurred to me to try anything different).
I stopped breastfeeding my daughter about 2.5 mos ago and we started the same way. We had some free cans of Enfamil and with formula being so expensive we thought we'd try and use them. So, following advice from other Mamasourcers, we used a 2 to 1 ratio to mix the two and gradually increased until it was completely Enfamil. We decided to try the Walmart brand and did it the same way.
I found the Walmart brand to be more like Enfamil and Target brand to be more like Similac. We usually get the Walmart brand. For me, the Enfamil/Walmart brand seems to mix a little easier - it appears to be a finer powder.
Hope this info helps.
Good Luck =)
Honestly, it's going to depend on what baby can tolerate. It's great to have plans, but once baby comes, more often than not, those plans go right out the window. Get a can of each and see how baby does.
i was told by my child's doctor that they are the same just different names, they have the same quality's so i went with both and alternated with which one was on sale for my second child and he is great, with my daugther i used similac so i really did'nt see any difference but check with your doc and see what they say.. hope that helps
Heather mother of two from ohio
Now this was about 20 years ago. My friend and I both used the different formula's. When we asked the Dr. about it, they both gave the same nutrients that your baby needs. We found that Enfamil had a sweeter taste than the Similac. Otherwise they both had the exact same ingredients.
If you are interested in breastfeeding . . . go for it. Yes, your prior surgery MAY have affected your ability, but it may not have. I have two children and my nursing experience has been vastly different for each one. If you really want to give nursing another try, talk to a lactation consultant before you deliver to prepare yourself for all the options!
As far as formula goes . . . I supplemented with my kids and bounced around between all the brands with no noticable difference. Some babies respond better to one formula or the other, but my boys didn't have any issues with Similac, Enfamil, Nestle or Target brand!
Good luck!