Name Brand Vs. off Brand Formula

Hey B., I shop at Sam's as well, and when I saw that formula I compared it to Enfamil Lipil. It seemed almost identical so I have used it ever since with no probs. I've asked around and everyone has said go for it! Hope that helps! A.

Hey B.! I just noticed this formula about a week ago! I love it! My son is 7 months old and been on store brand for 6 of those months! Just depending if I was closer to Target or Wal-Mart to pick it up. I like the Sam's brand because it shakes up better. With the Target and Wal-Mart brand, if you didn't shake it up for what seemed like forever with a screaming kid it would leave clumps. This just shakes up so easy! We bought it last Friday and my son takes anywhere from 5 to 7 bottles a day, and we are just now a little past half way! I would recommend it!! Hope this helps!

All I used was the off brand formula. If you look at the back, the manufacturuer is probably the Wyeth Company which makes Robitussin, etc...Most likely it is the company who makes the brand name formula. It is perfectly fine. I asked my peditrician just in case and he said it is the same as name brand. Hope this helps!

I don't know for sure what Sam's policy is, but at CVS if a generic (store brand) product is directly beside the name brand, it has to be EXACTLY the same in all areas. I don't know if that is a state policy or just that of CVS. Anyway hope that helps.

Hi B. -- With my 1st daughter, I switched to the Sam's brand at 6 months per the advice of the Dr. She said at 6 months when you are introducing food into the diet, babies rely on formula less and less as you move to the 1 year mark. The Dr. said just to compare ingredients and make sure they are similar for key ingredients (fat, calories, etc). The Sam's brand actually lists the enfamil ingredients on the can for a comparison, and it is practically identical. It saved us a lot of money!! My 2nd daughter is now 4 months, and I fully plan to do the same thing at around 6 months.

Good luck!! You will know right away if it works for your little boy. I have NO regrets -- I know I was still giving my daughter what she needed! When in doubt, ALWAYS give your pediatrician a call!

I see no difference between them. As long as your son continues to be healthy and thriving I would use the cheaper formula personally. If you notice any differences in his diapers, eating pattern, etc, you may want to consider changing back or trying another store brand. Hope this helps.

I wish I had discovered Parent's Choice (WalMart) much earlier. We used Similac Advance until just a few months before switching to whole milk. I found Parent's Choice to be very flat, like milk, as opposed to having bubbles when you mix it. If you look at the ingredients and percentages etc. on the back it's identical to Similac Advance. I will use Parent's Choice with baby #2!

~ t

I asked my dr. about this, and made the switch at about 6 months old to the Target brand. My doctor said not a problem at all, and it all depends on how your babies tummy handles different formulas. Mine didn't like the sams brand, but did great with Target, which was really cheap!

I would highly recommend trying it. Both of my daughters did well with it, saving us a ton of money. My doctor told me it was fine to try the generic. ALL formula companies are regulated by the government and have to live up to the same nutitional value, so cheaper does not mean less nutritional. Generic formulas are cheaper because they do not spend money marketing and giving tons of samples to doctors, notr becasue they are less quality. That is just marketing bs making you think he name brands are better.

That being said, you will have to try it out. Every baby tolerstaes each brand a little differently Just like some babies tolerate Similac better than Enfamil, somme might tolerate the generic brand better or worse than the name brand.

Another little tidbit of info: Most of the generic brands are exactly the same as each other. They are made by Wyeth (a huge pharmacutical company), then packaged for Walmart, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, etc. You can tell they are the same becasue the instructions on the back are exactly the same and there is a little "wyeth" symbol on the back. That is noce to know because you can pick it up anywhwere and it is exacly the same. It is a litle more powdery than the enfamil as some people have said, but we never really ahd trouble mixing it.

Good luck!

Hi B.,

I use the Sam's brand, and it has never caused any issues. Sometimes if I can't make it to Sam's, I'll get the Walmart brand - it's the same, too.

C.

B. I posted a similar question a couple of weeks ago... I found that they are all basically the same ingredient wise, so if you can deal with the smaller differences as far as texture, etc. that other ladies mention, sounds like a good option!
My Post:
http://www.mamasource.com/request/8017464225293139969

I tried the off brand and it just isn't the same. My son hated it and wouldn't finish a bottle. I love the Enfamil brand. I think it is totally worth the extra cost. It's the only brand I've seen that mixes easily because of the extra fine powder and actually looks like fresh milk. The other brands are harder to mix and they're yellow, which looks like sour milk to me. Try a can and see if your son likes it, you can always go back to Enfamil if he doesn't.

Personally I would stick with the Enfamil over store brand.
I occasionally buy the store brand products but never with my baby's formula.
There's a reason why it is so much cheaper and probably because it is not as good as the name brands.
Congrats and Good luck with your new baby boy.
~N.~

My twins were practically raised the first year on the Parent's Choice from Walmart. When I told the PEDI she said, great save yourself some money instead of giving it to Enfamil. Formula is regulated by the FDA so it must meet certain standards regardless of who produces it. We had absolutely no problems with mixing ( I always warmed the water a little in the microwave before adding the powder so maybe it helped with the disolving process) and my boys both spit up a lot less when we stopped using Enfamil. You can always try one can, it won't hurt your son to switch back if you're not satisfied with the results.

Ask your pedi, but mine actually asvised me to stick with the name brand.

I tried off brands and always went back to enfamil. As soon as I opened the can I noticed the difference. It was that wet sand type texture and it was harder to mix and made my daughter throw up more. I found it was worth the little extra more for it. Plus a can of it lasted longer than the off brands I noticed too.

I did not have any issues with Target brand formula. It is just a little harder to mix, but my son never had any issues with it. He didn't even notice the change when we switched him to Target brand. I did have issues with the Parent Choice brand though. I had several cans where the cans were no where near full and the formula would gather in large clumps at the bottom no matter how much you shook it. I asked my pedi before i switched and she said that as long as my son didn't have any reactions to it, then to go ahead and try it.

My son really likes the Target brand as well. He is on soy and the Target brand is tons cheaper. He actually did better on that than the expensive brand. I have had several friends who have used it as well and liked it.

We used Parents Choice (Wal Mart) w/ our daughter and now use it with our son. As others are telling you, the ingredients are the same, so save yourself the money. At my son's last visit, the nurse said, "I love that stuff" when I told her which formula we use.

We bought the Sam's stuff for my daughter and it was a little harsh on her belly. My daughter had acid reflux though and I am sure that had a lot to do with it. I would definitely try to save the money. Worse case if you buy from Sam's and it hurts his belly Sam's will take it back. They will take back most everything. Good luck!