Is One Formula Better than the Other?

Updated on September 04, 2008
M.M. asks from Long Beach, CA
14 answers

Has anyone used a store brand of formula such as Target or Kirkland (Costco) brand?

I am curious to know what other mom's think of these brands as they are pretty much half the price of the name brand formulas.

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

Hi M., aside of organic, I think that most formulas are simular. In my daycare and I have had and do have moms that used kirkland and target, their babies do just fime with them. J. L.

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M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

I always used VONS or Ralph's brand Soy Formula with my daughter after breast feeding at 6 mths. We did make most of her other baby foods, not too much store bought stuff. I found the ingredients to be almost identical and the price to be a lot more in my budget!
Good luck!

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J.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

I don't know about the Kirkland brand, but The Target Brand, Wal-Mart, Stater Bros, Rite-Aid, Walgreens ETC... Are all the same company PBM Nutritionals out of Vermont. I used this brand and my son did so much better on this formula than any of the brand names. The cheapest I found it was Wal-Mart. I highly recommed this to everyone

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

usually name brands are basically infamil or simalac (it usually says on the package.) i know parents choice is infamil lipil. they are basically the same there are small differences between them but they all do the same thing. i personally used goodstart. if your baby is on infamil or simalac then he should be ok on the store brand formula.

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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi M.,
We used the Kirkland brand. On the container there is a comparison chart showing the differences between Enfamil, Similac and Kirkland. There really isn't a huge difference at all. We also found it to be much cheaper than the other brands. Our daughter did very well on it and we had no complications at all.
Good luck!

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C.A.

answers from San Diego on

I personally LOVE the vons store brand safeway I think we used that and only that after a lot of vomit. So it was just as good as isomil similac so its good stuff and I would get a rain check and keep it and use it for a yr. :) I always paid $12.00 or less per can. I hope this helps.

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K.R.

answers from San Diego on

I used up my free samples of Enfamil and Similac and then started purchasing Kirkland. The only difference I've found is Kirkland mixes better with a spoon rather than shaking to avoid clumps. My baby is pretty easy going and has had no reactions to any formula or food, so I go with Kirkland b/c it's half the cost.

Congrats on #2 coming! I have #2 coming in Jan and my 1st is 11mo, so we are about the same :-)

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L.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

My now 4-year old son drank the Kirkland brand formula with no problems. I literally stood in Costco and compared the labels of their brand vs. the major label brand and found them to be almost identical. I have a 4 month old that is breastfed now, but I already have cans of the Kirkland formula for when she is weaned!

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K.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi M.. We have used Enfamil for our twin boys. I tried to switch to the Kirkland brand and found that they were gassier and had a harder time digesting that formula. It is very similar in consistency of Similac. Even though I liked the price cut on the Kirkland I went back to Enfamil because the babies just seemed to do better on it. Every baby is different though...I say try it....if the baby becomes fussy or his poop turns green maybe its not the best fit.

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K.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

My ped told us that all formulas are the same. I use the kirkland brand for my 7 month old and she has been on it since she was about 2 months old. If you compare the ingredients they are all the same. If formula is like most products then they are all made in the same factory just leave the factory with different labels. Hope this helps. Oh yeah we also have used target brand and walmart brand and they were both great.

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K.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We used ENFAMIL LIPIL,then we switched to COSTCO's brand when we noticed the ingredients were exactly the same. We have been happy with it. And our baby could never tell the difference between the 2 brands.COSTCO's brand is a bit chunkier while ENFAMIL is a bit of a finer thiner powder.

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A.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I compared labels too and ended up with the Kirkland brand. It is great and way less!! I had to supplement with both of my boys because I had problems with my milk supply and neither one had problems. I tried every type of formula--Parent's Choice, Similac, Enfamil, Kirkland, and Good Start. If your boy has problems with it you'll know and then you can change! Good luck!

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D.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

There are so many things to take into consideration when you start using formula. I wanted to use the cheaper brands, but my son had a sensitive stomach and then was diagnosed with lactose intolerance...so, I used Enfamil Soy. His stomach could not handle the consistency of Similac and the other brands I didn't even bother trying cause I was over putting him through this gas and discomfort.

If you make the comparision, they all have the same stuff basically. It comes down to your littl one and what works for them.

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R.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi M., my son is now two but when he was drinking formula, I asked the pediatrician this very question. His answer was that the sources for the Omega oils and other important ingredients were not considered as high quality as the name brands. Also, you'll notice a difference in the consistency of the powder before you mix it. By the way, my brother has a two year old also. He always used the generic brand due to the price difference. His two year old is just as happy and well adjusted as my son, but my preference has always been to use organic, etc, when possible. By the way, in the case of formula, we used Emphamil. Good luck and best wishes. R.

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