Anyone Use Formula from Wal-Mart, Target, or other?

[egoldber]

The best fomula to use is the one that you and your pediatrician feel is best for your baby. Nutritionally, they are all complete, and meet all FDA guidelines for infant formulas. That being said, not all formulas agree with all babies (just like not all foods agree with all adults). This is why it is fortunate we have choices. For instance, Similac did not agree with my baby. She tolerates Enfamil very well. I am not anxious to try other formulas unless I need to.

Also, formula prices vary pretty dramatically around the country based on local market conditions (even store brand prices). It pays to shop around in your area.

HTH,

[gwicks]

If you are using Similac, Carnation, Enfamil, etc. you are paying the higher prices to pay for the sales reps and advertising marketing, overpaying approx $10/ week.
Pediatricians are being taking out to lunch/dinner/sproting events by sales reps so they recommend their product to uninformed mothers.
My wife is a sales rep.
Do your own research!!!

[egoldber]

Deciding what to feed your infant can be a complex decision. Price is certainly an important part of that equation, but not the only part. There are many valid reasons why an informed consumer may choose to feed their infant a more expensive formula over a less expensive one. As folks have said, all formulas are nutrionally complete (most certainly including the store brands), but they are not, however, all identical. Most notably, their protein compositions vary from brand to brand. Some protein blends agree with some infants and others don't. It can pay to experiment with different brands to find the one that best suits your infant.

It also seems to me that an ethical pediatrician wouldn't allow sales reps to unduly influence the feeding advice they give new parents. I know that my peds strongly encourage exclusive breastfeeding to all their new moms. If you chose to formula supplement or formula feed, their advice was to use any commercially available milk based formula that agreed with your baby. They never mentioned brands to me. They were happy to load me up with stacks of free samples of whatever brand I chose if I asked for them. If a ped strongly pushes one brand over all others, I would certainly be very sceptical unless there was a valid reason. And I would certainly ask them why.

I have also worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and the pricing of drugs, medical devices and regulated foods (like infant formula) is also very complex. Higher marketing costs by Mead Johnson, Ross Labs and Nestle are indeed a large part of the reason why these formulas are more expensive. However, other factors also come into play. Here is a report to Congress http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/efan01006/ published last year that examined infant formula prices. It mostly relates to the WIC program, but I still thought it was interesting. It also gives you a good feel for the price variability around the country.

HTH,

[gwicks]

Thanks for the link, and the charts illustrate the higher prices for the big advertised brands.
On a side note, alot of people word it as, "if you choose to formula feed".
In alot of instances, that's incorrect, as is my wife's medical condition, there was no choice, she is unable to breastfeed.
As far as doctors and ethics, well that's another topic, but this is the USA, and sales reps is the foundation of the land of oppurtunity.
Ross coudn't sell the identical formuala as Wyeth and justify $10 increase, so they add a mg of Iron or Protein (which passes through the infant anyway)
They market it in Parenting magazine, on the cans, etc. as "Iron provides your baby the energy she needs" and "Protein is the essential building block growing babies need".
This helps define the phrase "The American public", just check out how filled the parking lots are at churches and synagogues every week!
I say EDUCATE THEM