![]() While there is no denying that breast milk is the best possible food for babies, not all of us are able to nurse exclusively. Despite my best efforts, including seeing a lactation consultant, I was only able to nurse for a few short months with both of my toddlers. I pumped and pumped and pumped some more, and still found that I had to supplement their feedings with infant formula because I couldn't provide all of the breast milk they needed. My pediatrician swore that this was just fine, and that I didn't have to beat myself up over it. (I did anyway, though.) There are a ton of different options available when it comes to infant formula. Most of them have one thing in common: They are expensive! After talking to my pediatrician at length about the best choice for my babies, she told me that cheaper does not mean lesser quality when it comes to formula, and to consider using store brand formula. I was surprised, since a lot of moms mistakenly assume that brand name means better. My doctor told me that all infant formulas made in the United States must provide complete nutrition for growing babies and meet FDA requirements for safety, nutrition, and quality. In fact, store brand infant formulas are nutritionally equivalent to similar national formula brands such as Enfamil or Similac, but cost half the price, which can save you about $600 a year. Now I don't know about you, but for my family, $600 in a year can go a very long way! So while my babies were still on formula, we decided to try Target's Up & Up Infant Formulas, made by Perrigo Nutritionals. This company manufactures store brand formulas like Up & Up, Parent's Choice,(Walmart) Comforts for Baby,(Kroger) and Simply Right (Sam's Club). They have a wide variety of formulations to accommodate even sensitive tummies and lactose intolerant babies, and the value is wonderful. Both of my kids made the switch seamlessly, and we saved a ton of money. Not only did my babies get the same nutrition found in name brand formulas, they thrived on store brand formula.
A study was conducted recently that outlined the feelings of new moms. The results were intriguing. Did you know that:
*All results are taken from the Perrigo Nutritionals "Brand" New Mom Study So if store brand infant formulas are just as beneficial as the pricier name brands, why aren't more new parents catching on? Probably because they haven't tried them yet! I would definitely recommend researching store brand formulas and talking to your pediatrician about them. You may be pleasantly surprised like we were! I can attest as a parent who used formula made by Perrigo Nutritionals for over a year that these products are just as good as the more expensive brands. If you compare the nutrition labels, they are basically identical! I also noticed that while my babies were using Target's Up & Up brand, they spit up less, had more "normal" looking bowel movements, and were generally quite happy. Other pluses? When mixing the formula, it didn't "foam" like some of the big brands, so there weren't as many air bubbles getting into baby's tummy. I also noticed that the store brand formulas didn't smell as offensive as the brand we had switched from. They stained less, too, which helped save my laundry! If you haven't checked into using store brand formulas, I highly suggest that you try it. With many different options available, such as soy or gentle formulations, you're sure to find the right fit for your baby. In the process, you'll save your family tons of money! While breast is always best, if you make the decision to formula feed or need to supplement, I think that the store brand formulas made by Perrigo Nutritionals are the smarter choice. To learn more about store brand infant formulas, please click HERE. WIN IT! One lucky reader will receive a prize pack from Perrigo Nutritionals, which will include:
This giveaway is open to US residents 18+ until 12:00AM on February 27, 2012. No PO Boxes. Winner will be drawn using Rafflecopter's Random Number Generator. All entries will be verified, so play fair! I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This contest is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. Thanks for entering, and Good Luck! ***Disclosure: Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Perrigo Nutritionals through MyBlogSpark.. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
17 Comments
Amanda Maupin
2/8/2012 11:55:56 pm
We have used infant formulas, well we have tried to! My son has a sensitive stomach and just didn't adjust well to the taste. So we continue to buy a big name formula for him. If I win, I know a mama who could definitely use this and it will be donated to her!
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Elizabeth Snow
2/9/2012 12:31:26 am
I love both of those formulas....they are so much cheaper then the on brand and have the SAME ingriedients <3
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Shannon R
2/9/2012 02:36:21 am
My first daughter refused to nurse, so obviously we used formula. It was almost exclusively the parents choice or up and up brands. It worked great, we never had any problems. I honestly never thoughy twice about buying the store brand i checked the ingredients first of course, but seeing everything the same, the pediatrician had no problems with it, and what a HUGE savings!
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Stacey B
2/10/2012 02:23:47 pm
I've never tried a store brand, but would be willing to try.
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Livivua
2/11/2012 06:49:25 am
i have used store brand formula but not in the first 6 months of feeding. Only later and I had no problems with changing
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kelly
2/17/2012 12:59:57 am
I have never tried store brand formulas but would be willing to try
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ericka coello
2/19/2012 06:51:28 am
I've tried parent's choice formula, is cheaper than name brand's and same quality
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tamar
2/23/2012 10:28:27 am
never tried store brand formula. i should though... hmm
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Donna Marie
2/24/2012 01:33:58 pm
We have tried store brand. I think that if you can not Breastfeed that the store brand are equal in quality to the name brand. They all have to pass the same inspections and have the same guidelines.
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Paula Tavernie
2/25/2012 07:05:18 am
Ive never tried it but I would love to!
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amanda joy
2/25/2012 10:57:42 pm
We've used name brands and they work fine.
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Brittney House
2/26/2012 03:28:45 am
I always try store brands and i've have had no problems.
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Michele P.
2/26/2012 04:39:22 am
yes I have tried them for my grandsons and they appear to do just fine. Back in the day when my kids were small we used Enfamil but then when I was running low on money I would switch to lesser known store brands and it never upset their tummies. Nowadays they have many more store brands out there...
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sleppery
2/26/2012 09:41:58 am
had to use formula for our firstborn. Used the great value wal mart brand. It worked totally fine and we didn't have any problems :)
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Ross Hassel
2/26/2012 12:29:35 pm
My wife prefers nursing.
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