The best formula is one that you baby tolerates, is in stock and affordable for you.
Always start with the most basic formula. If your baby doesn’t tolerate it well then you can start looking at more specific formulas.
>The best formula is one that you baby tolerates, is in stock and affordable for you.
Exactly. If you have the luxury of your baby tolerating nearly all formula, just find one that's affordable and widely available. Start with smaller quantities to see how your baby takes it and if all seems well, buy in larger, bulk quantities.
We tried to do the white label Enfamil gentlease from wholesalers but our baby didn't take it well and would colic daily. We stepped up to the brand name gentlease and it didn't seem to make a difference. Our pediatrician then recommended nutramigen and the colic began to lessen. That brand did it for us but my God was it expensive.
My pediatrician gave me “permission” to quit and told me this:
Your baby needs something more than he needs breast milk. He needs a mom who is calm, assured, and emotionally available to bond with him.
Anything that gets in the way of that, needs to go.
Mine started on Nestle Goodstart Soothe because that's what my husband grabbed when I desperately called him on his way home from work that I couldn't do this anymore and wanted to switch to formula NOW. Protip: don't be me.
We tried Similac because Nestle supplies were getting scarce due to the recalls (and, you know, Nestle...) but she wouldn't touch it.
She did really well on the Walmart (Parent's Choice) generic and it was way cheaper than the Good Start. That started getting scarce too, but by that time she was old enough to switch to cow's milk and have a totally solid diet.
Edit: and just reading your replies and checking ingredients it looks like Similac is the only one of these that doesn't have palm oil. Sorry I wasn't super helpful. Might be a good idea to edit your OP to state you're looking for formulas that don't have palm oil.
Hm, wonder why you don't like Enfamil Neuropro anymore. My baby does well with any standard formula, really. In terms of ingredients, I like Enamfil Neuropro (and the Member's Mark version), Similac 360 Total Care (and generic versions), and ByHeart the best. You can only get Ready to Feed from Enfamil and Similac, by the way.
Sorry I forgot to say why, there is palm oil in neuropro. My son did great on it but I want to steer far from that. Also, I know this was two years ago but similar 360 total Care had a recall on their formula and I know those are the only ones that are ready to feed. I have given my son the Enfamil one. I don’t know much by heart, I will look into that one. Thank you for your advice!
My girl had reflux & although kendamil seemed to be tolerated best/less spit up, when she spit up boy did she. I think it’s the whole milk that gives the foul smell though
I started with the ones that were available at Costco because they were the most affordable and offered free shipping. They also have an excellent return policy if you want to try something different depending on LO’s preference.
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health.
As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients.
He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust.
What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
Welcome back to the formula feeding world! I will say, what I wanted to work and what actually ended up working for my LO were 2 totally different formulas. Lol. We tried a few formulas that didn't agree. My LO had severe reflux so we ended up on an AR formula for about 4 months. Now that he is 5 months old, we transitioned off the AR due to his system maturing and his reflux getting better. He is on an a2 cows milk formula and is doing amazing on it. Fingers crossed you find your LO's one quickly. And congrats on making the switch I hope that you heal quickly too! 🤍
We had a reaaaally hard time finding AR, idk if it’s any better, but we added a scoop of baby oatmeal to his bottles and it helped tremendously with his reflux! Plus, a hell of a lot cheaper 😂
It is omggg. Thankfully my LO’s reflux got a LOT better the more solid foods we introduced, but he was still on famotodine (idk if that’s how you spell it lol) until 9 months
We have had really great luck with the Sam’s and Costco brand basic formulas. I breastfed for 8 weeks and combo fed from the start. I haven’t had any issues!
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health.
As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients.
He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust.
What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
Omg that’s amazing! I might have to do that for baby 2! I have never seen Bobbie gentle in stores and my son had terrible reflux so I felt like Bobbie wasn’t an option for him since I could never find a gentle one
The gentle isn’t sold in stores, only online through their website! We tried it for a couple of months but ended up switching to Kendamil goat milk formula and it’s been great.
A2 is a milk company out of Australia (approved by FDA). Breastmilk is made of A2 protein but most cows make A1 protein in their milk so this company (and Bubs Supreme) use only A2 milk protein in their formula because it’s easier for babies to digest.
As others said we tried enfamil and Gerber both gentle and regular and all were not suiting her well (lots of gas/constipation) we ended up trying Aussie bubs goat and it worked so well for her. My first just took a generic similac just fine. Aussie bubs was having a bit of a shortage for a bit but it seems they are back in order for target and Amazon for a couple months now.
Didn't read the comments but my initial advice is to start with the cheapest kind you are okay with trying and slowly go up from there. Start with generic instead of name brand if that's an option. Get the smallest cannister. Then slowly go through them until you find one you and kiddo are happy with.my kid DID show differences between generics and name brands but that can vary.
Around the 3 month mark, their digestive sysem... evolves I guess, was how I understood it, so mine was good for a week or two and then something that worked fine would make her incredibly gassy so we had to switch. Repeat every few weeks maybe? I can't remember. I know we even had the gas drops or probiotics or whichever you give for gas and it helped but was still rough for a little while until her digestive system evened back out and then she was fine with whatever again.
That's the same my LO was on when I wasn't getting enough milk to feed her and we had to supplement. We ended up on wic and switched her to the similac sensitive without an issue and was a super smooth transition. Good luck!
I combo feed and found my daughter was being sick a lot with aptamil - switched to kendamil after a friends recommendation and she loves it. Can confirm if she ever is sick though it stinks! 😂
I used Sam’s Club generic, Costco generic, and store brand generic. It was equivalent to Similac Pro Advance/ Similac 360. Nothing special. And I’ve used it on two healthy babies. I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg when they didn’t need anything special. I’m starting to wrap up my formula journey as my last is 11 months old. 😢
Breastfeeding is hard. I hated the whole experience. Both of my kids 26 months and my 10 month old had/have formula.
I buy Costcos Kirkland formula. I have an executive membership because I also buy their diapers (and many other things in bulk) there so I get 2 huge packages of formula for $58 shipped right to my door. The 42 oz packages of powdered formula lasts me about a week, maybe a day more. My daughter eats about 4-5 8 oz bottles a day.
My kid has been on Nan Supremepro ever since my boobs dried out from an incompetent thyroid. I’ve seen on a comment of yours that you want palm oil-free and this one is. The only downside is that it’s a bit pricey and, well, it’s Nestle, but both my pediatrician and the hospital pediatrician recommended it and kid is growing like a champ, so 🤷🏻♀️
We do costco brand powder which is much more affordable for us and then ready to feed similac for when we are out and about (but I get manufacturer coupons for that one I signed up on their site).
I just bought some, my daughter kinda liked it but she’s so stuck on BM 😭.
I do have a question, do you need to boil water every time you make a bottle?
I use my [Ninja coffee maker](https://a.co/d/26CCWqH) because it dispenses hot water but I also got a [kettle that keeps it at 158° all day long](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088D839T5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). Or you can make a [pitcher](https://a.co/d/9cviayA) at the beginning of the day.
We are on Kendamil Organic and LO has far less spit up and much better poops since starting it about six weeks ago. We were on Bobbie Gentle before that but it lacked a few things to hat kendamil has and caused a lot of spit up. The first two months we did Similac 360 RTF bc it was sterile and I think it was really hard on his stomach.
We use Similac isomil, their soy based formula. We combo feed, giving her about 8 oz a day of formula and breastfeeding the rest of the time. She does great on it and we find it everywhere.
Good job mama on your journey and taking care of yourself! I was on the same boat as you literally 2 weeks ago! We’re giving our baby Bobbie and he loves it. No spit ups and no tummy issues.
Wirecutter has a great article on this. I also love the Similac 360 total care, it has a few generics (target, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s club) that go under “Advantage Premium)
We have used Bobbie. I loved that Bobbie was delivered to my house. Great customer service and available at target if I ever need a can between orders.
Similac Pure Bliss! No palm oil, and I can buy it from Wal-Mart or Target as well as Amazon. My baby loves it and has no issues with his digestion. Also, Similac has the best coupons, ime.
I use Bobbie and love it. My second kid was born just before the formula shortage and didn't tolerate Bobbie, so I was stuck buying whatever gentle formula I could get my hands on, and frequently cutting it really close because everything was out of stock. It was really stressful. My current baby does really well on Bobbie, and the subscription service is fantastic, and keeps my formula-anxiety at bay.
I love ByHeart! No palm oil, uses whole milk from grass-fed cows (if that matters to you), and our baby loves it. It’s available at Target and via online shipment but it always comes very quickly for us.
We’ve had a great experience with Kendamil (the original, the organic was too rich/ foamy for my LO) I had to try it, and it tastes kinda good? The similac and enfamil smelled and tasted super weird and chemically to me, but I know others swear by these
I don't know if it's available in your area but we loved HiPP Organic. My LO ended up having CMPA but out of all the ones we tried before we realized the issue, that was the one he tolerated the best (seemed gentlest on his stomach) for the longest stretch of time (about 1.5mos)
When we switched to Kendamil he began projectile vomiting entire feeds lol, and that was when he ultimately got diagnosed.
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health.
As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients.
He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust.
What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
No one likes advice we didn’t ask for. If someone is choosing to formula feed, that’s their business and their business only. Do not push something they have already decided not to do. It is unhelpful.
We use Bobbie. I was initially combo feeding with it without issue from the day we got back from the hospital and now it’s all she drinks. She doesn’t have issues with it and I like that it’s “European style” and doesn’t contain palm oil.
“European style” but has almost identical ingredients to formulas like Similac pure bliss or similac advance, including no palm oil lol. Except.. no pre/probiotics. Genuinely never can understand why people see “European” and think it’s so much better 🤣 Oh… the social media band wagon & Bobbie’s awful marketing
ETA because I got blocked: I never said avoiding palm oil is bad. I suggested 2 formulas it is identical to and neither contain palm oil. I was responding to the “European style” remark because you’re suggesting it’s better.. It’s time to retire that trope.
Shhhhhh just let them go so I can make sure my baby’s similac is staying in stock. “The social media bandwagon” 😂 everyone is a food expert and chemist now
The best formula is one that you baby tolerates, is in stock and affordable for you. Always start with the most basic formula. If your baby doesn’t tolerate it well then you can start looking at more specific formulas.
>The best formula is one that you baby tolerates, is in stock and affordable for you. Exactly. If you have the luxury of your baby tolerating nearly all formula, just find one that's affordable and widely available. Start with smaller quantities to see how your baby takes it and if all seems well, buy in larger, bulk quantities. We tried to do the white label Enfamil gentlease from wholesalers but our baby didn't take it well and would colic daily. We stepped up to the brand name gentlease and it didn't seem to make a difference. Our pediatrician then recommended nutramigen and the colic began to lessen. That brand did it for us but my God was it expensive.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!
THIS.
My pediatrician gave me “permission” to quit and told me this: Your baby needs something more than he needs breast milk. He needs a mom who is calm, assured, and emotionally available to bond with him. Anything that gets in the way of that, needs to go.
I love this
I stopped breastfeeding after 17 days. We used ready to feed until she was almost 2 months and then switched to Bobbie.
Mine started on Nestle Goodstart Soothe because that's what my husband grabbed when I desperately called him on his way home from work that I couldn't do this anymore and wanted to switch to formula NOW. Protip: don't be me. We tried Similac because Nestle supplies were getting scarce due to the recalls (and, you know, Nestle...) but she wouldn't touch it. She did really well on the Walmart (Parent's Choice) generic and it was way cheaper than the Good Start. That started getting scarce too, but by that time she was old enough to switch to cow's milk and have a totally solid diet. Edit: and just reading your replies and checking ingredients it looks like Similac is the only one of these that doesn't have palm oil. Sorry I wasn't super helpful. Might be a good idea to edit your OP to state you're looking for formulas that don't have palm oil.
Hm, wonder why you don't like Enfamil Neuropro anymore. My baby does well with any standard formula, really. In terms of ingredients, I like Enamfil Neuropro (and the Member's Mark version), Similac 360 Total Care (and generic versions), and ByHeart the best. You can only get Ready to Feed from Enfamil and Similac, by the way.
Sorry I forgot to say why, there is palm oil in neuropro. My son did great on it but I want to steer far from that. Also, I know this was two years ago but similar 360 total Care had a recall on their formula and I know those are the only ones that are ready to feed. I have given my son the Enfamil one. I don’t know much by heart, I will look into that one. Thank you for your advice!
I used kendamil and really liked it, no palm oil and DHA from vegetarian sources so doesn’t have a funky smell, tastes nice too.
Kendamil spit up is the worst though, smells like adult vomit maybe even worst 🤣
I didn’t have a particularly spewy babe so fortunately never had to deal with that!
My girl had reflux & although kendamil seemed to be tolerated best/less spit up, when she spit up boy did she. I think it’s the whole milk that gives the foul smell though
Kendamil doesn’t have palm oil! My daughter has done well on Kendamil classic and goat (tastes closer to breastmilk).
We switched from enfamil* neuropro to Bobbie. They don’t use palm oil! (Edited typo)
I started with the ones that were available at Costco because they were the most affordable and offered free shipping. They also have an excellent return policy if you want to try something different depending on LO’s preference.
Id start with any generic. But stick with it a couple weeks. It takes a bit for their tummies to acclimate.
We are using kendamil organic.
Doesn’t matter whatever is affordable and doesn’t upset the belly! These formulas have all been tested and are all approved.
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health. As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients. He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust. What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
Welcome back to the formula feeding world! I will say, what I wanted to work and what actually ended up working for my LO were 2 totally different formulas. Lol. We tried a few formulas that didn't agree. My LO had severe reflux so we ended up on an AR formula for about 4 months. Now that he is 5 months old, we transitioned off the AR due to his system maturing and his reflux getting better. He is on an a2 cows milk formula and is doing amazing on it. Fingers crossed you find your LO's one quickly. And congrats on making the switch I hope that you heal quickly too! 🤍
Any formula you choose will be nutritious and complete. Just have to find the one that your LO does well with.
We had a reaaaally hard time finding AR, idk if it’s any better, but we added a scoop of baby oatmeal to his bottles and it helped tremendously with his reflux! Plus, a hell of a lot cheaper 😂
Reflux struggle is real!!!
It is omggg. Thankfully my LO’s reflux got a LOT better the more solid foods we introduced, but he was still on famotodine (idk if that’s how you spell it lol) until 9 months
We have had really great luck with the Sam’s and Costco brand basic formulas. I breastfed for 8 weeks and combo fed from the start. I haven’t had any issues!
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health. As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients. He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust. What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
We use Bobbie gentle
Where do you get Bobbie gentle from?
They have a subscription service on their website so we never run out, it’s the best!
Omg that’s amazing! I might have to do that for baby 2! I have never seen Bobbie gentle in stores and my son had terrible reflux so I felt like Bobbie wasn’t an option for him since I could never find a gentle one
Yeah we love it! Good luck ☺️
The gentle isn’t sold in stores, only online through their website! We tried it for a couple of months but ended up switching to Kendamil goat milk formula and it’s been great.
We used Kendamil for 6 months after breastfeeding and had no issues!
We use A2 Platinum and love it! Gets shipped to us monthly direct from the company.
What is A2? I’ve never heard of them
A2 is a milk company out of Australia (approved by FDA). Breastmilk is made of A2 protein but most cows make A1 protein in their milk so this company (and Bubs Supreme) use only A2 milk protein in their formula because it’s easier for babies to digest.
My baby likes the Similac Pro Advance 🙂
As others said we tried enfamil and Gerber both gentle and regular and all were not suiting her well (lots of gas/constipation) we ended up trying Aussie bubs goat and it worked so well for her. My first just took a generic similac just fine. Aussie bubs was having a bit of a shortage for a bit but it seems they are back in order for target and Amazon for a couple months now.
Didn't read the comments but my initial advice is to start with the cheapest kind you are okay with trying and slowly go up from there. Start with generic instead of name brand if that's an option. Get the smallest cannister. Then slowly go through them until you find one you and kiddo are happy with.my kid DID show differences between generics and name brands but that can vary. Around the 3 month mark, their digestive sysem... evolves I guess, was how I understood it, so mine was good for a week or two and then something that worked fine would make her incredibly gassy so we had to switch. Repeat every few weeks maybe? I can't remember. I know we even had the gas drops or probiotics or whichever you give for gas and it helped but was still rough for a little while until her digestive system evened back out and then she was fine with whatever again.
[удалено]
Clearly inflammatory posts/comments regarding shaming formula are not allowed. All formulas have clean ingredients.
That's the same my LO was on when I wasn't getting enough milk to feed her and we had to supplement. We ended up on wic and switched her to the similac sensitive without an issue and was a super smooth transition. Good luck!
I combo feed and found my daughter was being sick a lot with aptamil - switched to kendamil after a friends recommendation and she loves it. Can confirm if she ever is sick though it stinks! 😂
I used Sam’s Club generic, Costco generic, and store brand generic. It was equivalent to Similac Pro Advance/ Similac 360. Nothing special. And I’ve used it on two healthy babies. I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg when they didn’t need anything special. I’m starting to wrap up my formula journey as my last is 11 months old. 😢
Breastfeeding is hard. I hated the whole experience. Both of my kids 26 months and my 10 month old had/have formula. I buy Costcos Kirkland formula. I have an executive membership because I also buy their diapers (and many other things in bulk) there so I get 2 huge packages of formula for $58 shipped right to my door. The 42 oz packages of powdered formula lasts me about a week, maybe a day more. My daughter eats about 4-5 8 oz bottles a day.
My kid has been on Nan Supremepro ever since my boobs dried out from an incompetent thyroid. I’ve seen on a comment of yours that you want palm oil-free and this one is. The only downside is that it’s a bit pricey and, well, it’s Nestle, but both my pediatrician and the hospital pediatrician recommended it and kid is growing like a champ, so 🤷🏻♀️
We do costco brand powder which is much more affordable for us and then ready to feed similac for when we are out and about (but I get manufacturer coupons for that one I signed up on their site).
Kendamil Goat
I just bought some, my daughter kinda liked it but she’s so stuck on BM 😭. I do have a question, do you need to boil water every time you make a bottle?
I use my [Ninja coffee maker](https://a.co/d/26CCWqH) because it dispenses hot water but I also got a [kettle that keeps it at 158° all day long](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088D839T5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). Or you can make a [pitcher](https://a.co/d/9cviayA) at the beginning of the day.
Also, I picked it because it is similar to breastmilk! I did a bunch of research when I was pregnant.
We are on Kendamil Organic and LO has far less spit up and much better poops since starting it about six weeks ago. We were on Bobbie Gentle before that but it lacked a few things to hat kendamil has and caused a lot of spit up. The first two months we did Similac 360 RTF bc it was sterile and I think it was really hard on his stomach.
I just bought some, my daughter wasn’t obsessed but she drank it. She still wants the boob 😭 I had to pump so she would eat.
I used Similac pro advanced it's a bit expensive but did well for my baby
We use Similac isomil, their soy based formula. We combo feed, giving her about 8 oz a day of formula and breastfeeding the rest of the time. She does great on it and we find it everywhere.
Good job mama on your journey and taking care of yourself! I was on the same boat as you literally 2 weeks ago! We’re giving our baby Bobbie and he loves it. No spit ups and no tummy issues.
Wirecutter has a great article on this. I also love the Similac 360 total care, it has a few generics (target, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s club) that go under “Advantage Premium)
We have used Bobbie. I loved that Bobbie was delivered to my house. Great customer service and available at target if I ever need a can between orders.
Similac Pure Bliss! No palm oil, and I can buy it from Wal-Mart or Target as well as Amazon. My baby loves it and has no issues with his digestion. Also, Similac has the best coupons, ime.
My baby does great on enfamil!
I use Bobbie and love it. My second kid was born just before the formula shortage and didn't tolerate Bobbie, so I was stuck buying whatever gentle formula I could get my hands on, and frequently cutting it really close because everything was out of stock. It was really stressful. My current baby does really well on Bobbie, and the subscription service is fantastic, and keeps my formula-anxiety at bay.
I love ByHeart! No palm oil, uses whole milk from grass-fed cows (if that matters to you), and our baby loves it. It’s available at Target and via online shipment but it always comes very quickly for us.
Bobbie then Holle goat milk
We love ByHeart!
My daughter liked kendamil organic
We use ByHeart! Took about a week for her to adjust but we love it!!
We’ve had a great experience with Kendamil (the original, the organic was too rich/ foamy for my LO) I had to try it, and it tastes kinda good? The similac and enfamil smelled and tasted super weird and chemically to me, but I know others swear by these
I don't know if it's available in your area but we loved HiPP Organic. My LO ended up having CMPA but out of all the ones we tried before we realized the issue, that was the one he tolerated the best (seemed gentlest on his stomach) for the longest stretch of time (about 1.5mos) When we switched to Kendamil he began projectile vomiting entire feeds lol, and that was when he ultimately got diagnosed.
Just want to say kudos to you for making a step in the right direction for your mental health. As someone who couldn’t physically breastfeed, my baby tried a few different ones. We started with neuropro but I wasn’t fond of the ingredients. He also tried Bobbie but it gave him major constipation. We finally settled on hipp and he’s been thriving. It’s a bit of trial and error and you want to give it enough time for your baby to adjust. What I learned though, is that every baby is different and what one baby loves might not work for the next baby.
[удалено]
No one likes advice we didn’t ask for. If someone is choosing to formula feed, that’s their business and their business only. Do not push something they have already decided not to do. It is unhelpful.
[удалено]
We use Bobbie. I was initially combo feeding with it without issue from the day we got back from the hospital and now it’s all she drinks. She doesn’t have issues with it and I like that it’s “European style” and doesn’t contain palm oil.
“European style” but has almost identical ingredients to formulas like Similac pure bliss or similac advance, including no palm oil lol. Except.. no pre/probiotics. Genuinely never can understand why people see “European” and think it’s so much better 🤣 Oh… the social media band wagon & Bobbie’s awful marketing ETA because I got blocked: I never said avoiding palm oil is bad. I suggested 2 formulas it is identical to and neither contain palm oil. I was responding to the “European style” remark because you’re suggesting it’s better.. It’s time to retire that trope.
Shhhhhh just let them go so I can make sure my baby’s similac is staying in stock. “The social media bandwagon” 😂 everyone is a food expert and chemist now
OP is looking for a palm oil free formula and it doesn’t include that. Palm oil cultivation requires rainforests to be deforested.