Baby Formula - Chicago,IL

Hi P.! I don't know about Target, but I have used Parent's Choice (Walmart's brand) since my 1 yr old was 6 weeks old and it's been great! $11.88 compared to $25! Read the ingredients on the back and compare to the namebrand. To me it's like buying Advil or gereric Ibuprofin. ITS THE SAME THING!

I don't believe there is a difference. I've used the Baby Basics (Jewel brand) since my daughter was 2 months old and I've never had a problem. She's a happy, smart and sweet baby who is already crawling at 7 months. So, I don't worry about losing essential brain developing nutrients.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I discovered the Target brand formula when my son was 9 months old and it was fantastic...exactly the same as Enfamil. He never noticed a difference and I never did either. For my next child I will only use this one. I mean, the reality is, Enfamil is making this one for Target and they put their label on it. Save the money for other needs!!!!

I used only Target formula for the same reason you are contemplating it - because it is so much cheaper with the same ingredients. They have a soy version as well. I say use it!

Also, Target has the best price on diapers as well - their brand is about 1/3 less expensive than the name brands and works just as well.

You have to realize that Target is a retail store. They don't manufacture anything. If something has their name on in, it is because Target pays another manufacturing company to sell the product under their own name. They then choose how to price it. Many times even, if a brand says compare to such and such. It was actually manufactured by that company, but licensed to Target to sell it under their name. The company's don't care because there are so many brand conscious people that refuse to use private-label products.

It's perfectly fine!

my daughter has done very well on kirkland brand-costco. it's worth the membership cuz it comes out to $10 per tin. i highly recommend it. make a few bottles ahead of time and refrigerate. my baby will only drink it cold and no bubbles!

The price difference in baby formula has to do with WIC. Companies make HUGE profits off WIC checks being used for specific brands.

If your kiddo tolerates the Target formula well, go for it.

I also have 3 boys. We did switch to the Target brand formula and had no issues at all. I consulted my son's doctor, who said it was pretty much the same thing and that it was fine to switch. If you are looking to save money I would totally recommend switching!

We use the Wal-Mart brand & haven't had any problems. It takes a little more shaking to mix, but nothing too noticable. My son actually likes it better that the name brand stuff. Try it, the worst that happens is you don't like it and have to switch back.

Go for it. It's all the same.

Both my kids were breastfeed, but when I used formula, it was parents choice Walmart $11.88 a can! How could you beat it! On similac, my son had a lot of gas, parents choice, no gas and barely any bubbles in the formula. Go Generic!

Definitely go with Target. My dtr used the walmart brand and my son used the Target brand b/c Target opened up closer to our house. Definitelt a money saver

My mother in law always purchased us the name brand - enfamil and we always purchased the target brand. I used both all the time and they both were fine. My son would drink just about anything though! So if your baby will take the target brand, you should save the $$

I used the Target Brand with my little 2, and it was just fine. There are nutritional standards that it has to follow to be allowed to be sold. In my opinion, it is not at all inferior

My friend used both target and walmart brands of formula and her baby took it just fine.

I used Isomil with my first child. The Tasrget brand with my second. It worked just as well. She was even in the hospital for a week and the nurses would still give her the Target. She preferred it and they said it ws the same. If I remember corectly it also has a Good housekeeping seal of approval. The way it was explained to me was that this is one area that is so regulated any brand will work. Just do not keep continually switching. That is where the problems occur. Hope this helps.

It has been a long time since I bought formula (our son is 7) but I do remember buying the Walmart brand without any problems. I think it was the gentle or easily digestible since the extra iron can sometimes cause constipation for the little ones. ALso, if you are looking for some coupons on the Enfamil, there are always offers on Free Cycle. It's a website for giving items away that are useful. Good luck!

I am currently using the Target brand and have had no problems (my baby is now 15 mo). I asked my ped and he said it was OK, they were all the same. Just make sure it has iron in it, which the target one does. I know about the price difference!

The Target brand and Enfamil are exactly the same product - I spoke to my pediatrician about switching and ingredients and she said it is the exact same quality. My son transitioned wonderfully and we saw no difference between the two except of course the price! Buy it and save money!

Just so you know Walmart's Enfamil is usually $2 cheaper than Target.

Also just recently we were at Sam's Club and I noticed a huge over 3 lb container next to the Enfamil that says comparable to Enfamil. It was only $20. So we decided to try it and my daughter hasn't even noticed. The consistency is different but I beleive all the ingredients are identical. I wish I would have tried this sooner. I could have saved lots of money!

Kirkland (Costco Brand) formula worked very well for us.
Two large containers cost $19.95.
Hope this helps!

They are supposed to be the same, it's like buying name brand medications versus prescription- they have to have the same active ingredients, etc. Did you know that they don't list all the ingredients in formula?

I'm actually feeding my 2 month old Target formula as I'm writing this! We tried the Kirkland brand from Costco, all in an attempt to save money. The Kirkland brand has a LOT of foaming, so we tried Target and have been very pleased! No bubbles and is very smooth. Good luck!

It is all the same. I have heard that most bf babies like the taste of Good start better than others.

P.,

As someone who worked for retails stores before, many of the store brand items such as formula, bodylotion, pain killers etc. are of similar or in some cases same quality but the manufacture has allowed that store to use their label to be able to sell it for less and still keep the name brand at the competitive price of other name brands..you just have to read carefully to see what they are comparing it to that is usually it's brand equivalent...

Enjoy the savings...

I used both the Sam's Club brand(same as Enfamil) as well as the Target brand. My kids liked both of them. I saved a lot of money buying generic brand. It is not an inferior product by any means.

Yep, they're the same. It's a regulated product -- they would be in BIG trouble if they skimped on ingredients!!! We've used both Target and Kirkland brands, and our kid is just fine and wicked smart to boot. Save money!

My girlfriend, who currently has her baby on formula, was recently telling me that she is considering switching for the same reason. Someone told her that they did it and it seems to be just as good, for whatever that's worth!

Also, FYI, they sell Enfamil at Costco. When my daughter was on formula, this was the brand we used and we cost-compared it all over the place. You can get the hugest container of Enfamil you've ever seen at Costco for dollars less than the biggest container they sell at Target. If the only thing you ever bought at Costco was formula, I think the savings there would be enough to cover the cost of your membership! : )

I have a 2.5 yr old and an 11 wk old, and we buy the hugest containers of Enfamil at Costco and we save a ton of money - we figured 20% less than buying Enfamil at Target and 25-30% less than at the grocery store. If you want to stick with Enfamil (Lipil is what we use) join Costco, it's worth it for the formula alone (plus they have a ton of Carter's baby clothes for soooo cheap! I stock up! PLUS they sell gas for less :)

I gave my kids generic formulas. They are sometimes made at the same place as name brand and are regulated the same

I have read that legally all formulas have to include the same nutrients etc. be brand-name or generic. Good Luck.

Many people have used the generic or house-brands formula and their kids did not grow a third arm nor are the maladjusted in any way. I had a friend who tried one of the Target, Costco, Sam's (can't remember which one it was) brands and the only problem she had was that it didn't seem to mix as smoothly.

I haven't read the rest of the posts, but I have asked my pediatrician several times about the differences in the formulas and they are basically all the same. She even told me to check out the ingredients, which I did. It's just a stigma they have...Everyone assumes Enfamil is the best and Similac is the alternative...I don't know why everyone thinks that way. It's the same with generic meds...I use them all the time and they do the exact same thing and I save money. Good luck!

If I recall correctly, Wyeth makes most of the store brands. Call them and they'll send you a free sample or coupon for one and tell you which stores - like Jewel, Target, Walmart, Dominick's. I believe Costco's brand is made by someone else. I know some peds were gun shy on switching brands until a child was 4-6 months. When I stopped breast feeding I used the Carnation brand with my oldest. My youngest had to be on soy and I had to use the Enfamil because that worked best for him.

Here's a tip - call the formula companies and they send you our coupons in addition to ones in their club and find a friend who uses a different brand and swap.

M.

Hi P.,

I was concerned about this when I had my daughter 5 years ago. I spoke with a dietition at my place of employement. She explained that the FDA strictly regulates all formulas. The only difference between brandname and generic formulas is the whey in them. The generic formula tends to curtle a little more in the stomach. If your baby tolerates it, use it. The generic formula has the same nutritional value as the brandname formula. Why waste your money if you don't have to?

I practically went broke feeding my son Neutramedgen (sp?) for the first 6 months of his life. When I was finally able to switch to a regular formula, I had thought about switching to a generic because I could see no real difference when comparing labels. I came across a similar posting to yours back at that time and most mothers agreed that generic is fine. One comment that really stuck with me was that a gal had a friend that worked at the infants ICU at a hospital and they even used generic (I think it was Costco?). It was comforting enough for me to at least try and my son did great on the Target brand. I now have him on a mix of whole milk and/or Target toddler formula. He's a bright, healthy, happy little boy and in fact, he seemed to us that he became more allert and responsive once we stopped using Neutramedgen.

Your doc may tell you otherwise, but baby formula is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and so the quality is required to be the same. The different brands are really like pepsi versus coke except target or costco's is half the price.