Name Brand Formula vs Store Brand

I have used both Meijer brand and Target brand. They are both the same price, and since my daughter was on Similac Sensitive, we are saving a TON of money.

J.,

Yes formula is expensive. I would read the label of Similac and other brands that you may want to switch to. They may say they are the no brand equivalent, but the ingredients will reflect if they are the same. Also if you decide to switch, you may want to do it gradually. Baby's systems can be sensitive.

Good luck,

M.

Hello J., My daughter has used the Walmart brand (Parents Choice)for my grandson since he was born last christmas. It has worked for him great. Good luck.

J.-

We used Parent's Choice Formula which can be purchased at either Wal-mart or Sam's CLub. We liked buying it at Sam's becuase you could get a huge can for about $20.00. We found nothing to be different at all.

Hope this helps out.

Hi J.,

I heard target was good. We used Kozy Kids for my son....only because my husband works for Amway. I started using Enfamil and then switched when I compared the labels and the price.....they were almost exactly identical. I would do some comparing of store brands vs what you are using now. Good Luck!!!

L.

My daughter was on Similac and we switched to Target brand at 8 months with no problem. It is half the price. (we mixed her bottle half and half for a few days before we totally switched)

My pediatrician told me that the only difference between the name brand and the store brand formulas is advertising. We've been using the Target brand. The powder is a different color, but the nutrition info is identical to Enfamil and it seems to be working just as well.

I used store brand at Babies r us. However you can sign up to recieve coupons from the manufacturer that end up being cheaper than the store brands. I even signed up family members to get extra coupons. Try to use the name brand the first 6 months. Then after that they can handle different foods easier on their digestive tracts. Make sure none of these formulas come from China!!!!!!!

I use the meijer brand formula. It has worked exactly the same as the name brand and I've saved a ton of money. It's half the price.

My kids used the costco brand. double the amount for the money. we compared the label vs the similac, and it was almost identical. We went through 5 different name brands in the beginning, to reduce the spitting up (actually projectile vomiting, haha) and this was the one she tolerated best.

By Law all infant formula has to meet certain requirements. Every single brand has the same basic nutrition it is.. One brand may have abit more of this or that but it all meets the standard.

Pick a store brand of a store that you go to... If you shop at walmart.. pick up a can of walmart formula. Try it out.. if your baby drinks it and doesnt refuse it cause it tastes different... then watch for any extra spitting up or bowel changes..

I think there are only 3 manufacturers of formulas. So all of the store brands are made by one of the big companies..

I fed my son Enfamil Prosobee, and switched to the Target brand soy formula. My son has a lot of ongoing stomach problems, but had no issues switching brands.

I used costco brand for my eldest and sams club brand for my youngest and both were great with them, I had no problems with either. The only reason I switched to sams club brand is because a sams club opened nearer to our house so we changed our membership to there instead. You will save soooooooo much and if you look at the comparison on the back you'll see your baby is getting just what she needs. The only reason they're cheaper is because they don't advertise and they don't give away millions of free samples each year. You do need membership but you can save hundreds on diapers and wipes aswell, not to mention all the other good stuff they have. I used their diapers and wipes aswell (sams and costco) and found them just as good as huggies or pampers (which they also sell).

When I was formula feeding my first child our doctor said that all the formulas were held to the same standards and that it was fine if I feed him the store brand. (He was a big baby and a big eater!) We used the Target brand and it was fine, but I know each baby has a different tummy. My second child had to have soy and my third refused formulas all together. I would say decide which one to use and transfer over slowly (a bit of Similac and a bit of the new until she gets the hang of it, but don't try Target's then WalMart's, etc. Good luck and enjoy your baby.

I had great success with Sam's Club's own brand. Even my pediatrician said it was all the same! Good luck, God Bless, and Merry Christmas!

Hi J.,

I started off using Similac and Enfamil for my son. Oh my goodness the cost was astronomical!!!!! I think at the worst part we were buying a 20 dollar can of formula about every 3 days!!! OUCH!

Then, I said enough is enough, and I switched to Meijer Brand. My son did great on it, and I have promised myself that if I'm blessed enough to have another child, I'll skip the expensive stuff and go straight for the off brand.

Whichever brand you use is going to be great. Just watch for any changes in BM's, gas, or spit ups. Otherwise, have fun saving some money!

I used to use the similac brand as well, until it shot up over $20+ a can. My pediatrician said the off-brand was just as good. We switched to the Wal-Mart brand and saved over 50%. Definitely worth it! Good luck!

Costco......kirkland formula....exactly the same as enfamil and probably similac. It is $20 for 2 cans!! Also their diapers are great too!!

Buy store brand. It's basically the same thing. If you are switching from Similac w/Iron, just buy the w/Iron one from the store. They all have to have the same stuff in it to meet FDA standards. My twin boys were on Enfamil Gentlease for the first 6 mos because they were so gassey and fussy all the time. My Ped told me that by 6 mos their digestive system is better developed so I switched them to Regular w/Iron formula from Costco. I could buy the Kirkland (Costco brand) and get 2 large cans of powder formula for $20 vs. $21.79 per 1 large can of Enfamil. That's a huge savings. They were fine with it and my Ped checked out the label I took in and said it was perfectly fine.

--K.
Mom to Alex (11), Aaron & Aidan (2)

I know you have received more than enough responses, but I just thought I'd let you know that we use Target brand Gentlease for our daughter which is about $14-$15 a can.
I switched her to Kroger brand when I saw that their brand was only $10, well, she did not tolerate the change and got really bad diaper rash and runny poop the whole time she was drinking it.
When we switched her back to the Target brand everything cleared up. So not all store brands are the same.

Hi J.,

I know you have enough responses, but I still wanted to add that yes, store brand is awesome! With my first, I was very hesitant to use store brand. But with my second baby, I made the switch to Target (we were broke by then) and I LOVED it! Target brand is the same as Enfamil, and I found that I actually PREFERRED Target brand. Besides the huge price difference, I found that that Target brand was much less foamy after shaking the bottle. It would get bubbles, but the bubbles disappeared within a minute or two after I shook the bottle; the Enfamil brand stayed foamy the entire time my daughter drank the bottle. I know now that if I ever have baby # 3, I would go right to the Target brand.

Oh! One more thing to keep in mind! Sometimes, the store brand prices vary from store to store. For example, the Target store in Sterling Heights cost just over $14 per can. The Target store in Clinton Township AND Chesterfield Township cost just over $10 per can! I asked an employee why this was, and she said something about them basing their prices off of other local competitors' prices. Bottom line: no matter which store brand you use, call around first to see if there is a significant price difference! Good luck!

Hi J.,

My daughter is three months old and has been on Kirkland formula (the Costco brand) since we got home from the hospital. She has been doing great on it and does not have any problems with gas or spit up. It is about half the price as Similac and in my opinion, is just as good! Good luck!
-T.

I started off with enfamil, had to go to the partially digested protein kind (gentlease) and used the target brand equivalent. Had no troubles and saved a ton.

Once i was done breastfeeding we started right out with Sams brand(Members Mark) and have never had any problem with it, it even compares itself to Enfamil on the back and it is exactly the same! You get over 3 lbs of formula for 19.99!!! My daughter has no problems with it at all!

I used Similac at first then changed to the store brand with no problem. Your right it is much cheaper.

My baby is just over 3 months and we also used Similac at first. We recently switched to the Kirkland (Costco) brand and he tolerates it just the same as the name brand. I did a lot of research and checked the ingredients on both cans and they were not exactly the same but pretty darn close (the store brand actually had more of some vitamins and minerals!) At $28/can for name brand vs. $17 for TWICE AS MUCH store brand - it really seemed like a pretty easy decision. These are the current Costco prices. There are bubbles when you shake it - but they stay in the bottle - my thought is as long as they are in the bottle and not in his little tummy it's not a big deal to me! He has not had any trouble with gas or fussiness with the switch, and his bowel movements are the same too. Good luck with whatever you decide!

With my son we strictly used Enfamil but now with the second we're much wiser and are using the Sam's brand formula. Everything is the same and my daughter loves it. I asked my doctor about it and he said all of the formula brands are good and are strictly regulated by the FDA (not that that necessarily means much these days).

The Sams brand is $10 cheaper and it comes in a bigger can!

With both of our daughters, except when we were on WIC, we used the Walmart brand (Parent's Choice). I don't remember if there was a Meijer brand at the time, or if we tried it. I know that the Target brand seemed to leave the girls a little more gassy than the Walmart brand.

I never used generic, but my reasoning was due to a picky eater. My son loved one brand but would not drink the other, so I never wanted to shell out the money for a can of formula he *might* drink.

I used sample cans of formula (which the docs have loads of...it's stocked by the drug companies) by the pediatrician in our practice. Don't forget to ask your ped for samples of anything before you buy it! It's there for you to use!

~L.

J.

I used Similac the whole time with my first. By time my second came along and I had two in diapers, I got smart. I found out that the name brand is not better than the store brand, so we would buy Member's Mark from Sam's because it was so much for the money.

My son is now about 7 1/2 months I have been using Kirkland Brand from Costco. It is a powder form. He has been on it since he was about 3 weeks old. If you go and look on the back of the canister it does give the comparison between Enfamil Lipil, Similac Advance and the Kirkland Brand. I am certain you will now find much difference. Hopefully you have a membership and can check it out. When my son was that age (goes by so fast) he was going through about a can every 4 days. Shortly after that he was taking cereal. Now a can last me about a week to week and 1/2. Good luck and enjoy the Holiday Season.

The ingredients are the same. If you want to be completely sure, check the ingredient label. I get WIC ... they now have a contract with Enfamil ... but I ran out of the coupons once and ran out of formula (my daughter eats like food is going out of style) and the Meijer brand is a lot cheaper and it's the same thing! When you buy Similac or Enfamil, you're paying for the name.

Hi J.,

All you have to do is compare the ingredients on the back of the label... For instance if it says it's the same as Enfamil, compare labels or have the pharmacist do it, that is what I did. My kids had to be on Soy formula because they would get bound up, and the Walmart store brand was exactly the same. I don't like Walmart, but I did go in for formula, I got twice the amount for less than 1/2 the price of Enfamil Soy Formula....
Good Luck!!
J. In Macomb :)

I was using Enfamil but after some research, and comparing ingredients on the cans, store brands are exactly the same. I now use the Target brand which I have had no problems with. There is an infant formula act that states all infant formulas must have the same ingredients so other than price, there really is no difference.