Best formula

sherbear09 · September 2015

hey ladies! I searched this buy figured id post a new one since brands change and new ones come out..im not able to breast feed and was wondering which formula is best.

Achae · September 2015

Every baby is different - some may have allergies and some may do just fine with the cheaper formulas on the market. See if your dr gives free samples and then you can see what your baby prefers, or stick to buying a small amount just in case baby dislikes it/is allergic.

ashcody2 · September 2015

Yes, this will definitely vary from child to child - my son was BF and we supplemented, he never had any issues using different brands of formula, we started off with Gentlease and then switched to Target brand's equivalent to that and he did fine.

You can sign up on the Enfamil and Similac websites and they will usually send you samples and free coupons to help save $$ with the cost of formula.

purplepenguin3 · September 2015

Yeah i agree with pp. I wouldn't probably buy too much this early on. and you'll get tons of free samples as you get closer.

Life is Exciting · September 2015

Check out the ingredients lists and see what you're most comfortable giving your baby.

When I needed to supplement my son, I avoided Enfamil because I didn't like the ingredients list (I want to say maybe it had high fructose corn syrup as one of the first ingredients?).

I ended up choosing Similac for supplementing my breastfed baby. I would have preferred a more all-natural organic brand, but I couldn't afford them. If I was formula feeding full-time instead of only using it to supplement, I might have tried to add in an organic all-natural brand.

If you sign up for Similac StrongMoms, they'll send you $5 off coupons - like a TON of them. And you can use them together. I'd oftentimes get 3 $5 off coupons in the mail at once and I'd use all three on the same formula purchase at Target. It cost me very little to buy formula that way. Ask a relative or friend who lives nearby to sign up too if you feel comfortable doing it.

I agree with most of the other ladies though, that you should wait until the baby is born to buy lots of formula. He or she might not like the brand you get. If you want to get a jump start, you could always start buying a gift card to target or one of the other stores that sell formula with every paycheck so you'll have the money set aside to spend on formula after the baby comes.

wisco29 · September 2015

Achae said:
Every baby is different - some may have allergies and some may do just fine with the cheaper formulas on the market. See if your dr gives free samples and then you can see what your baby prefers, or stick to buying a small amount just in case baby dislikes it/is allergic.

This

jellybellybean3 · September 2015

There's no way to say one formula is the best. What may work for some babies, does not work at all for others. Some kinds may make your baby extra fussy, or make him/her throw up while others may not. And I definitely would not be stocking up on formula before baby is born, as chances are it may not work for your child. You can plan to use a certain kind, but it's best to wait until baby is here because often those plans don't work out. It took us a while to find one that worked for our kids.

Twindling · September 2015

I would start with a cheaper generic if possible...then you don't have to worry about switching to save money down the road. Surprisingly, my girls did better on the target brand similac sensitive than they did on the similac brand.

BabyHope2013 · October 2015

We started off using regular similac and then ended up switching to similac sensitive. Every baby is different for what will work best for them, but read the ingredients list to do your research on a few brands to pick what to start with first.

Sprinkles07 · October 2015

Not taking into account if your baby will adapt to this formula it that, I just watched a news segment comparing the name brands to the store brands and pointing out that they are for the most part exactly the same. I did a lot of similac to start with my son with the coupons they give however when those ran out we switched to up and up which I think ended up being less expensive even with out coupons.

Shatzegirl · October 2015

My cousin was unable to breastfeed due to a breast reduction so she decided to use Earth's Best Formula. If I couldn't BF, I'd probably use that, too. It'll just depend on what you're comfortable with ingredient-wise and your baby's prefrences/sensitivities/etc. My mom had to switch me to a soy formula because the regular kind made me colicky.

BabySeaTurtles · October 2015

I am not sure if all hospitals do this but with DS they sent me home with a ton of samples of many different brands. So you might be able to see which ones your baby agrees with the most. Some were powder and some were pre-mixed. (Pre-mixed ones expire quickly and cost more but boy are they super easy to throw into the diaper bag to use while out.)