Question About Formula - Jacksonville,FL

May I ask what the Dr's response was? I am in the same situation. Did you make the switch and had did eveything go?

publix brand is fine,walmart brand is cheaper even still and same ingredients,second to last childwent through all of the brands and the walmart brand is the only one she took without getting sick. So as far as i'm concerned that's good stuff.also none of the different brands get though without having the required amounts of nutrition,so go for the cheapest.

I started my first daughter on the walmart brand of formula (Parent's choice) with lipids DHA&ARA. they're 25.75 oz powder can is only $14.99 and it lasted her almost two weeks! Then I found out we were eligible for WIC and got the formula through them. I'm still on WIC now and receiving formula for my second little girl. You should go and apply, you don't have anything to lose, but a little time.

J.,

After trying to breastfeed my daughter for 2 months we finally switched full time to Similac, per the hospitals recommendation. Well, when she was about 7 or 8 months I decided to try a store brand (for cost reasons), and while the ingredients were the same, she became very constipated and her stools totally changed. Needless to say, we switched back to Similac and she was back to her normal self. I agree with the mom who said try a small can first and see how she reacts. Good luck.
A.

my daughter is a year old and i have had her on similac good start and publix...we stuck with publix because it is so much cheaper...my daughter loved it...we also use publix diapers because i think they hold more than huggies or pampers...a little insight into publix brand stuff...all of publix's products are made by name brand companies....i work for publix so i use almost everything of theirs and i am very pleased

Walmart has a formula... Parents Choice...My son was on it the whole time and his is happy and healthy.

I had a premie and after the special premie formula I was using Similac Advanced. I switched to the Sam's club brand and she was fine and is fine. Been perfectly healthy and will turn 5 on Saturday.
S. Gallo
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I agree with the other women who had luck with the store brand. Our pediatrician asked us at our twins' six month appointment if we wanted to switch to store brand. We were shocked that she had waited so long to tell us! We switched to Sams Club and never looked back. It was perfect and so much cheaper, especially with two! But like the other moms said, check with your doctor first. Best of luck!

Hey J. i would say buy the publix stuff i did the same thing my child is very healthy! Ther are some things in life where name brands dont matter ! hope i helped

S. R

There are federal requirements about for formula, so they're all nutritionally equal. As long as you're going from milk to milk or soy to soy, you shouldn't have a problem.

I use Enfamil Lipil as well. My son's doctor recommended it. I would check with your Dr. first. There are different reasons they suggest a certain type b/c they have diff. ingredients and ratios. I know anytime you switch it will disrupt their bowels and might cause fussiness. Def check first. Have you siged up with Enfamil on thier site? i did when i was preg and they send me checks every month anywhere from 4-11 dollars off formula. that helps too. good luck:)

I used Engamil Lipil with my daughter too....My husband was laid off and you are right that formula is expensive! So... I asked the pediatrician and then I switched her to the wal-mart brand....ingredients matched and everything and it was half the price! Turns out i liked it even better! After I switched she seemed a little less gassy and it seemed to dissolve more easily too!

I know you asked this question a while ago. And after reading all the responses, I was wondering if you have ever tried to apply for WIC. It is Woman, Infant, and Children. I and both of my kids are on it. I was when I was pregnant. It is a government program that helps you with food supplies that help you stay healthy. Babys get formula for free. Even the name brand stuff. Everyone can apply, they go off of the household income. You can contact your local health Department for more information. It is worth a bunch. Kids can be on it till they are 5 years old. You get milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, juice, and peanut butter. Give it a shot.

We switched our son to the sam's club members mark soy formula and I have to tell you it was actually better. He quit spitting up and it was soooo much cheaper. It helped his acid reflux and was really worth it. The only problem is that we wanted to keep him on the soy formula until he was 2 and they don't have it so we are now using the more expensive Good Start 2 soy formula. Anyways good luck!
C.

Store brands are great! I used Enfamil with my first and switched to Bright Beginnings (or something like that). With my second, we only used the Enfamil when we got it free! I must have switched to 4 or 5 formulas and they are both very healthy and happy now!

my daughter's pediatrician let me switch to soy because of spitting up and reflux problems. I had extra formula that is milk based in my cabinet and asked if she could use that as well as her regular soy formula. she said we could use it at 6 months old that they should be able to tolerate any kind of formula, unlike when they are first born. as soon as they are on baby foods, they will be getting ingredients like wheat, yogurt, and milk products and it will not matter as much because they will be used to it.so switching to a different "compare to" brand is usually ok as long as it is close to the brand.

I tried to switch my son when he was younger (15 months now)(not to publix, another brand) and the doctor said it would be fine, but only if his stomach could take it. It couldn't. Upset tummy. So I had to switch back. Just like you Enfamil was the only one he could drink with no problem. But you may get different results. Everybaby is different. It will either work or make a rough few days for you and Cortni. smile. The only thing his doctor insisted on was the with Lipil. This is good for brain development.

Have you signed up with Enfamil online. They would send me $5 coupons all the time. Which helped a little.

Good luck.
Hope this helped a little.

J.

J.,

Believe me, I know what you're talking about! I had to use Lactose Free formula for my daughter, and I could not find it in store brand. I have always been told that a lot of time the name brand manufacturers make the products for the stores. As long as the labels read the same, I would use it. I would have had the opportunity been there!

J.,
I would think switching to the store brand would be fine, but I would definitely talk to your daughter's doctor first. I would also suggest purchasing a smaller can of the store brand at first to see if your daughter has any problems with it. If she doesn't have any problems, then I would say save the money!
Hope this helps!
C.

I would give it a try. Just keep a good eye on her. Make sure she isn’t spiting up more than normal and everything else is normal. Its defiantly worth a try! I know mothers who have used the store brand formulas and there babies have done just fine. Best of luck.

I asked my pediatrician about the difference in formula and he said there is no difference. He said to check the label and if the ingredients are the same - the formula is the same. He said a lot of the time you end up paying for the name basically.

Hi J.,

My youngest is 1 year old. She also had to be on a very expensive formula and we did not qualify for WIC. Her pediatrican said it was fine for us to switch to a store brand as long as we did it gradually. Start by using 2/3 of the original formula and 1/3 of the store brand. Gradually increase the new formula. This will help to reduce any stomach irritation that could be caused by the switch. Have you applied for WIC?

S.

I have a sone who was born 3 days before your daughter and he has to be on organic formula and of course WIC won't cover it so I know what you're talking about with the formula prices. I switched my son to the store brand and had great results and no problems with the switch. Hope that gives you some help

E. Tipaldos mother of 5 month old son

My son uses the Similac Lactose Free which cost $26 a can. I compared it to the Target and Publix brands and just a/b all ingredients were the same. So one day I bought the small can of Target brand and tried it. My son hated the taste and refused to drink it. So I tried the Publix and the same thing happened. So we back to the Similac brand. I even asked his doctor a/b it and she said that ALL baby formula and food have to be approved by the FDA and should all contain the same ingredients no matter who makes it. But for some reason the flavor of each is different.

Your lucky that it comes in a larger can. My son is on Nutramigen because he has reflux and a protein milk allergy. My son has been on Similac, Goodstart Supreme, Goodstart Soy, Parents Choice, Enfamil lipil and the Nutramigen. Let just say that the Nutramigen cost about $25 for the small can and I cant even find it in the larger size not that I could afford to buy it even if I did. I would definitely ask the pediatrician first before changing formulas. If she likes it and isn't allergic I dont see why you shouldn't save yourself some money by getting the cheaper one. Good luck! My son hates the formula changes... Argh.

I have had no problem with the store brand, i used goodstart, and parents choice which is from walmart. CHeaper doesnt mean less nutrients or bad for baby, it just means that those others just want to make more money. Good luck, C.

Hi my name is T. and I have a 19months old daughter. I don't think that the fourmal it self would harm your baby but if he/she is picky then it is kinda up to them on what they take. I say try it and see if he eats it. Myne took every thing and trust me we went cheep! Also try going on there web site sometimes you can get coupons and freebes.
God bless you

I have 2 little boys and have used the "store brand" formulas for both and both are doing just fine. My one son is still on formula and I like to use the wal-mart parents choice formula. You can actually call the number on the parents choise web site and get coupons for free that vary from $3 to $5 dollars off. You can call every 30 days to get more coupons. I have found that it helps out even more on the cost. If you are interested in the coupons and can't seem to find the number let me know. Also you can get coupons from the same number for the sams club brand...i'm not sure what that one is called. I guess they are made by the same company. Good luck and hope you can find one that works good for your baby!! Let me know if you need help with the #____@____.com

J.,

I started with name brand formula for the first few months and switched to Publix/Target brand. We used soy formula, and as you mentioned, it is the exact same ingredients. It is so much cheaper, and completely safe & nutritious. My daughter didn't have any problems with the change. By the way, my daughter's birthday is exactly one year before yours! The date caught my eye. Best of luck with your decision - it will definately save money to switch!

I'm right there with you! I had switched to Walmart brand, however, which probably would have been fine if I wasn't getting formula from my mother as well. She kept buying the Enfamil brand while I was trying to buy the store brand, and with the slight differences in ingredients, it did have a slight effect on my daughter. As with changing to any formula, if you switch even just the brand, expect your daughter not to have a BM for a day a two. If it's all the same ingredients, I don't see the harm in trying it. I had gotten a paper with guidelines on it for switching formulas - it was meant for different brands and types of formula, different all together, but if it would help you feel better about switching just brands here it is: start with a quarter of the usual serving size as the new formula and keep the rest your regular formula. Do that for 2-3 days, then up the new formula to half and half for 2-3 days then 3/4 new formula for a couple days, then completely the new formula.

I breast fed my little girl until she was almost 4 months old. Then for 2 months I gave her the brand name formula, i think that i used nestle good start. Then I figured that since she was eating solid foods, why, should I spend a ton of money on formula when store brand almost the same as 'brand name'. I switched to store brand and Eva never had a problem with it.

Bj's has extra large cans of the Enfail Lipl for 29.99

Enfamil Lipil was the only formula I used.

I tried others and they all made my daughter gassy and uncomfortable. I figured the price was worth my daughters happiness but every child is different and some babies have no response to changing formula.

Just try her, no formula is "dangerous" and she will either like it or not.

Good Luck.

Hello J.,
I have a 9 month old, she is my last of 3. I have been using the Target brand for her since she was 2 months. She is doing great!! I have talked to my pediatrician, and she said that all formula is the same. So go for it! Use the extra money to spoil your new little one! M.

I would say double check with your Dr. First, BUT if everything matches then go for it. I completely understand. I had to switch from breastfeeding overnight back in June to formula. I also had put my daughter on Enfamil and was paying about $15 a week for it at the time. I never thought in a million years I would qaulify for WIC, but my sis made me try. Well to my surprise I did, however they do not support Enfamil unless prescribed by a Dr. for medical reasons. So we were switched to the Nestle Nan because it was closest to what she had been on for several months. I was very uneasy about it at first but she transitioned wonderfully and has done great on it. Just double check with the Dr. before making the switch.

J.,

May I ask what the Dr's response was? We are in the very same bind?

J.

While the ingredents may be the same, the percentage of those ingredents may vary, sometimes by alot. I would talk with your doctor about it before switching. Also if you are looking for cost cuts. By the infamil lipil at Sams. The $30 you spend on the initial cost to become a member wil be made up within like 5 containers of the infamil plust they are bigger containers and last longer.
Good Luck

We were feeding our son Enfamil Lipil as well. We switched to the Sams brand. It is worth the membership fee just for the formula. It is double the size and much cheaper. It is a 3 lb can! It is $20 per can! It has saved us alot of money and our son did not even know the diffrence.