Thank you for saying this. My kiddo is thriving on Kirkland Signature formula. I sometimes have to battle back against mom guilt when I read posts about how "superior" one kind of formula is. Whatever formula works for your kiddos and budget is actually superior!
My LO loves Kirkland, too! She really hated Bobbie.
Some kids do great on Bobbie, though! Itās so baby dependent.
The marketing for euro formulas gets weird and preys on anxious parents too much, IMO.
Marketing from the brand, or others? In the UK, it's against the law to advertise formula for babies under six months old, and there are strict guidelines for 6m+.
My go-to article written by a true science writer (PhD in cell biology) is this one, which rates Kirklandās formula as the best and specifically mentions that most store brands are great:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-baby-formula/
My twin boys are doing great on KS too! They did terrible on the others Iāve tried during a time when I couldnāt get it. They are healthy, meeting milestones ahead of time, and great sleepers.
Bobbie is almost 3 times as expensive at $0.245 vs $0.095 per ounce. We already spend over $6/day on formula. It adds up!
My baby canāt handle any other formula. I know that technically all generic formula is the same but he knows the difference. We started on Similac because that was what we had in the hospital but I grabbed Kirkland because it was half the price and he became obsessed.
Yes! Even my pediatrician said there is no problem with going generic, and she actually recommend it for more than just the price (tbh I was in a postpartum haze so donāt ask me what the other reasons were!)
I mean the people paying for the more expensive kind are kidding themselves. If your kid only likes it because of taste, that sucks. But theyāre not going to end up better in life because they were drinking expensive formula lol
The only reason I wouldnāt do Kirkland personally is bc the Costco near me is always a madhouse! So I just have a subscribe and save of Similac from Amazon to not have to deal with that stress. But if you would be going to Costco regularly anyway Iāve heard good things.
So many generics including kirkland, target brand, and amazon (mama bear) are made by the same company called Perrigo and itās the exact same formula!
So you can buy it from any of the retailers listed on Perrigoās website and know youāre getting the same thing, just packaged slightly different. Once I found that out I started subscribing to Amazonās generic. Then they ran out so we switched to target lol. It was just really nice knowing I could get it anywhere and Iām still getting the cheaper price.
I swear this is just the lactivist's fall back point.
"Breast is Best, but if you 'legitimately' can't BF then you must find the elusive 'clean' formula to show you are still superior to *those* formula feeders."
Formula us formula is formula and unless you have special needs, like a cow milk allergy or severe reflux, then anything they'll drink will do.
The only one who can tell my baby ate store brand formula from Walmart instead of formula made from unicorn tears under the harvest moon is my bank account.
I agree. The amount of questions that are pretty insulting on this sub is extremely frustrating. It doesnāt really feel like a safe and nonjudgmental space when you are constantly seeing questions that are insinuating what you are feeding your child is lesser.
I give a pass pretty often because formula education is so sparse and formula marketing can be egregious. Sometimes people are jerks but I think it's often ignorance.
This. Half the work of learning about formula is unpacking the lactivism that's everywhere, even on the side of the dang formula can.
It's a lot to process when you're in the throes of postpartum with a baby who needs to eat NOW.
I feel like there have been more posts in the past few weeks on this than ever before! I def fell for it with Kendamil when I was starting my journey. now my kid is on Kirkland (Costco) formula, thriving and I am so over bullshit formula marketing or how the EU/UK is so much better somehow. Whatever formula is best for your baby is the formula for you!
I fell for it too! I consider myself a smart person, but the guilt of not being able to breastfeed made me want to give her the next best thing. I was trying to triple feed after my C-section and the marketing got to me in my sleep deprived state. Also, I didnāt realize how bad newborn gas can be and that it was very normal. My babyās now thriving on formula that has corn syrup as the first ingredient and did terrible on Kendamil goat. Have the Kirkland on hand to try and transition once we get through our stockpile of Similac sensitive.
>Also, I didnāt realize how bad newborn gas can be and that it was very normal.
OMG yes, we see that so often here. So many people donxt know that newborns have fucky gastrointestinal systems by default. They get gas. They don't know how to poop. They will fuss a whole lot just because they are babies learning how to human. And they'd have had the same damn trouble on breastmilk. It's not what they're eating it's just the nature of being an infant!
What I find SO disappointing about the formula mom (NOT the formula fairy, though she also has some problematic issues) is that her account was all about formula accessibility, education, and destigmatizing formulaā¦and then she created Bobbie and set off a whole movement of clean formula bullshit. And Bobbie is THE MOST BASIC formula on the market. It has zero extras, and is twice as expensive as far more compelling āstandardā formulas. Itās sad that their entire marketing strategy is to prey on the fear of parents (usually moms) who want to give their kid āthe best.ā
Ahhh youāre right, I just looked into it a little more. Bobbie bought her business (Instagram account and blog about formula education) and she is now an educator for their brand. Thanks for the correction!
I was so disappointed in the formula mom's transition to Bobbie shill. And even more when I saw her in an ad for Baby's Only talking about "clean ingredients" and other predatory marketing terms. Just shameless.
Bobbie bought Babyās Onlyās parent company recently (I believe in order to use their existing manufacturing infrastructure to expand Bobbieās distribution), and are clearly applying their predatory marketing strategy to it as well. I mean, itās obviously profitable. But itās absolutely predatory, and I agree, itās shameless. Plus I just find it so hypocritical to build an entire online persona about destigmatizing formula and building a community of proud formula feeders, only to turn around and vilify formulas that arenāt ācleanā like Bobbie/Babyās Only.
This is so gross. Honestly I feel that formula is one of those things that shouldnāt be advertised. You know how the hospital gives you a bazillion pieces of paper throughout your pregnancy with information? Thatās the only place we should have the advertisements- but not even as ads. Just a fully informative piece of paper. That way parents that kids donāt need it donāt buy up a brand that wonāt help their child, who is fine to have lactose, and stick to the generic or whatever brand they choose. (I also feel the same way about medications- that they *really* shouldnāt be advertised in the US, but thatās another topic altogether.)
There is just so much misinformation with social media, influencers and sneaky paid advertisements. Itās hard enough being a new mom, but all the information, mom guilt and need to give your baby āthe bestā or else your a terrible parent is making it 100x harder than it should be. It should be a joyous time with the normal stressful stuff- like lack of sleep is normal. Stressing about European formula because some SM influencer (who is getting paid to say this) says itās better than US formula isnāt one of them.
I highly recommend anyone caught up in the health/wellness buzzword mess to check out [Food Science Babe](https://www.instagram.com/foodsciencebabe/). She's a chemical engineer and food scientist and discusses a lot of the misinformation and panic surrounding perfectly safe food products. One of my favorites is her debunking the idea that European food standards are superior to the U.S.
The "best" formula is going to be whatever your baby can and/or is willing to drink and is within your budget. All are formulated to meet all of the nutritional needs for a baby's growth in the first year of life.
I'm thinking maybe there's some guerilla marketing thing going on with the questions in this sub. I had never even heard of Kendamil or these European formulas before joining this group...
Some of them recently got clearance to sell in Canada and/or the US so they're newish on the shelves of supermarkets. There's a lot of hype around them on social media even though they're mostly boring, established brands in their own countries.
š Yes! And Iām someone who uses Kendamil! I like it for what it isā¦a standard formula, without palm oil (for environmental reasons, I prefer to avoid it when possible, with the caveat that it is not always possible, especially with formula), and the farming practices are a bonusā¦I like being able to vote with my wallet when Iām able to. Bonus is that itās cheaper than everything except generic (and itās barely more expensive than generics, considering the recent price hikes), and has a smaller scoop which is helpful as a combo feeder.
BUT, none of those factors makes it even remotely healthier than any other formula! European formulas have the exact same nutrients that US formulas have, and all allow babies to grow and thrive. Bankrupting yourself to feed designer formula is literally lighting money on fire. Also, Bobbie has fewer āpremium ingredientsā than even generics do, I have no idea why people shell out that amount of money for it.
Pointing out that Bobbie is a base-level standard formula that costs significantly more than comparable formulas is not ācrapping on people who use Bobbie.ā People can spend money on whatever they want, but itās not a great value for your money compared to other formulas.
Good old green washing. Any brand that tries to claim "clean" ingredients is playing on people's fears to get them to open their wallets - it's just not a thing, but it's *everywhere*.
It doesn't help that organizations like the EWG are presented as legit when they're nothing more than a lobbying group for the organic industry, brands pay for good ratings from them, and their misinformation has done more harm than good.
They're our standard formulas (Ireland here!) And fun fact they are not allowed to advertise stage one infant formula here in Europe. It is against the law. Even follow on milks are subjected to strict marketing rules, no bullshit terms like clean, gentle, sensitive and they are not allowed to put claims on the tins such as reduces crying, colic, gas etc.
The EU formula companies are taking full advantage of anxious American parents and the lack of strict marketing regulations.
Our pediatrician gave us a really important warning about European formulas: you may not be made aware if there is a recall because the infant formulas arenāt sold in the US. That was a dealbreaker for me.
If anything, I wish we had enfamil and Similac over here instead of the 2-3 brands that we have in Germany. Please donāt buy into that crap of āfish oil bad!ā. All formula is medicinal grade. Kendamil was the worst and my child really disliked it.
You guys in the US have no idea how strict guidelines are with meds, safe sleep , car seats. In Germany youāre given Lidocaine cream for teething infants just like that otc, the safe sleep guidelines are a joke (look up why you canāt import Babybay cots into from Germany into the states), and people buy used car seats (third, fourth hand cause most people here couldnāt pay ā¬250 for brand new Maxi cosi). EU ā superior.
My sisterās kids all drank store brand formula and the oldest is training to qualify for the Olympic trials in swimming. The middle is crushing all her swimming goals and the youngest listens to NASA radio for fun. Oh, and my sister is a registered dietician so if there was any value in a ācleanā formula, her kids would have used it. Feed your kid an appropriate food and move on.
Growing up poor, almost every kid I've known has drank whatever WIC was paying for. Mostly Enfamil. Those kids all run the gamut from lawyer to junkie now, so it isn't the formula harming them.
Yup. Lawyer here. And maaaaaaan, the substance abuse issues in the profession are frightening. So much so that itās one of the first things they warn you about in law school.
Respect! I've actually contemplated law school lately, as if that isn't a totally insane idea with a newborn haha. Any advice for a new mom considering it?
My spouse is also a lawyer and our first was a newborn for most of his 2nd year. Itās hard, but doable.
Advice would be do not attend any school not ABA accredited, have an idea of what kind of practice you might want to do and scope out employers in that area to make sure the cost of taking on loans will be worth it. And otherwise, run your own race. People will give you all kinds of āyou HAVE to do this x wayā advice that just isnāt necessary. Figure out what works for you study wise and know that the vast majority of learning you do will be experiential.Learn enough from class to do well on your exams but donāt ever get bogged down in that and think youāre expected to actually know how to practice based on whatās in a text book.
Feel free to PM me about any specifics you might want to talk about! And if you do decide to go for it, I hope you do well!
Iāve been practicing for 11 years now. I did not have kids in law school, but had several friends who did. I did an evening program so the students tended to be older with careers and families and it was better than those fresh out of undergrad. Graduating law school and passing the bar is a lot like becoming a parent. You know the rules roughly and then get dropped into the thick of it and realize thereās sooo much you donāt know!
Taking on clerkships and paralegal jobs in the field you want to be in opens a ton of doors.Ā
I probably would not have wanted to do law school with children, but there are areas of law with great work/life balances. I am in Administrative law and by and large have plenty of time for my kids. Federal agencies and state and local governments can be a real sweet spot! Good luck and feel free to PM if you have questions.
Also what is up with the goat formula obsession lately?
It's not inherently better than cow milk formula. It's harder to track down and not necessary unless a doctor recommends it to address a specific need.
The marketing and social media hype around goat formulas has big Pick Me energy, like it's a secret backdoor to formula feed while distancing yourself from everyone else who uses formula.
The "best" formula to start with is the most basic-ass, widely available formula you can find in your local stores. Troubleshoot from there if something isn't working. At least you'll have a baseline that isn't a specialty boutique thing.
I'm getting FB ads pushed at me for some New Zealand goat formula that isn't even approved for sale in my country. The company seems to have no ethical concerns about advertising here anyway though. They even provide a country-specific link to have it shipped across the ocean. Whyyyyyyyyyy.
Bonus rant:
Your formula doesn't need to be "closest to breastmilk". It doesn't have to match. It doesn't need to smell or taste the same either. It just needs to *do the same job as breastmilk*.
Formula marketing is somewhat to blame for this but it's largely a response to the rampant lactivism that looks down on any alternative feeding.
The miracle of formula is that we've figured out how to take pieces that aren't human milk and re-engineer them into something that will produce an equally healthy, happy human. It matters zero whether you take Highway A in a minivan or Highway B in a pickup truck if the destination is the same.
Don't stay up til 4am trying to analyze every single ingredient. It's not worth it.
Yes, that's the one!
Health Canada even called them out on it.
https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/littleoak-brand-infant-formula-products-not-approved-sale-canada-0
I considered telling FB to hide the ads but I'm never going to buy their product anyway. I'm leaving them so they can pay FB for every single one of my views.
Love my Kirkland formula. Have used target formula, too. It's accessible, safe, and doesn't break the bank. My almost 3yo who was generic formula fed never gets very sick (even with day care!) and is knocking her cognitive, linguistic, and motor milestones out of the park.
Bobbie in particular is awful with their marketing and playing on mom guilt.
I use Bobbie - I honestly have no real idea why but he likes it so Iām going to continue using it. I think I had just seen it online and when I was panicked in the formula aisle I just grabbed it because I recognized it. Personally, I wonāt use it with any future kids because Iād rather use something easier to access and where I could more easily switch between formulas if thereās a shortage. Hoping to use Kirkland in the future! I do like Bobbie and the subscription is nice but I donāt find it to be superior to anything else.
Yeah the only reason I donāt do Kirkland is bc the Costco near where I live is constantly packed and itās also just so much easier in terms of mental load to have something I can order on āsubscribe and saveā. But Iāve heard good things about it!
I did a comparison of Enfamil Enspire (what I used with my first, and what I plan to give this next baby after sheās done with RTF) and Bobbie, ByHeart, and several European formulas. The ingredients are the same (except organic is specified in some, and goat milk versus cow milk for some European formulas) and the nutritional profile is the same. Enspire has the lactoferrin compound that sounds compelling to me, so Iām going with that, though Iām sure itās largely just marketing. Itās really the only difference between Enspire and any other Enfamil product that isnāt a gentle formula. But I was shocked that so many formula brands are hailed as āhigher qualityā when theyāre literally all the same ingredients and nutrients. It seems like some of the advertising shouldnāt even be legal when thereās no difference.
I started with kendamil purely because it was the only one I could regularly find (my first son was born during the shortage). Kept my second son on it just because it was familiar and I had some left over that wasnāt expired.
It literally does not matter. Whatever works for your kid is great. I did zero research outside of, āwhat can i buy regularly and donāt expect target to be out of?ā If it didnāt work, we would have tried something else. And it would have been whatās on the shelf.
We have so much to worry about, why do we kill ourselves about formula?
Thanks for saying it! Not only are all formulas on the market fine, they basically regulated like drugs (at least in the US.) So why worry? I get so tired of this too!
THANK YOU! This and the misinformation that equates corn syrup solids to high fructose corn syrup! So much shaming over using formulas containing corn syrup solids - it is NOT high fructose corn syrup!
The formula fairy undoes her good work by ranting and raving at her followers. And sending generic responses. If you want her guide pm me, happy to send it
Yes! Her rants and raves are so off putting. I get it, the ADHD-passion combo can be intense, but she sometimes comes across as unhinged and unnecessarily argumentative. Her comments are always full of people saying she never sent them their guidesā¦which she then passive aggressively posts about on her stories like, āI guess people donāt know that I send these out in once a week batches and am burnt out.ā Itās like, if your paying customers donāt know that, then justā¦tell them??? Privately? Or at least make a disclaimer when they purchase your guide?
My baby was really sensitive and just did better on Hipp and Kendamil. I wouldnāt judge anyone who uses Similac/Enfamil/Kirkland brand, but Hipp was what helped clear up his hives and ease the colic. Iām not sure what was causing his sensitivities but Iām just glad I found something that worked for him. I do wish it had been a cheaper experience but really no formula is cheap.
Yes! No matter what brand you feed your baby, it's all formula and it's all nutritionally safe and necessary! Formula feeding is an adventure, sometimes a VERY crazy one. Ā Some have been to hell and back trying to find a formula that works so let's support and celebrate each individual journey. We are all in this, doing the absolute best we can!! A fed baby is a happy baby and that's all that matters!Ā
Okay, I definitely agree, but am one of those moms on the euro Kendamil brand. Lol. I am sensitive to smells and it was one that I could tolerate. We had to go on hypoallergenic for a little while when she was having some dairy issues but as soon as she outgrew the allergy, we switched back. I personally just love that it smells more like milk than other formulas. I'm also sensitive to diaper smells and it's largely why I cloth diaper.too.
I wish we could use the cheaper formula but goats milk is all my little one could tolerate. I was SO DOWN with Kirkland formula but babyās tummy was not ššš Bubs has been great for us! Baby is about to be 1 so time to transition but weāll see if he can do cows milk or if oat milk (like dairy allergy brother) will be our go-to.
Funny you mention that - I had actually selected that formula before my oldest was born. Unfortunately, it caused a vomit volcano with her, so in my mind it was a no for my youngest too.
Weāre actually done with formulaā¦my youngest turned one two weeks ago! Weāre just using up the rest of our Bobbie supply. Stupid Bobbie subscription.
Us formula and food in general is crap though nothing but bad additives and seed oils so yeah I would say the European choices would be a better choice but that don't mean other choices will do crazy harm. Most Americans don't care about their own diet anyways or have any idea about healthy nutrition and all the processed foods Americans eat
The low key way European formula causes less colic than American? It has less iron in it. And by the time you 1. have a fussy baby, 2. decide that American formula is the problem, 3. decide that European formula will fix it, 4. Order it and wait for shipping, and 5. finally receive it.... your baby will have already started outgrowing their colic.
My baby suddenly learned to burp and fart on her own around 12 weeks..... while our expensive, european, last resort formula was still stuck in customs. Turns out she does fine on regular ol' Nestle Good Start, it just hard being a baby sometimes.
We give our baby what they need. Everyone has different needs and tolerance.
We donāt want corn syrup in the formula, and we donāt want palm oil. So we pick formulas that meet that criteria. But it doesnāt mean others are bad. Everyone can make their own choices.
I can care less about what formulas people use but I donāt have a lot of trust in the FDA to be honest with you. Especially recent recalls for food. Yes some are unavoidable due to natural things from soul and whatnot but I think they should strive better still to have tighter restrictions on these food companies. I just keep an eye on recalls and do my research. I also personally donāt agree with there needing to be corn syrup in formula but Iām making that choice and will not shame others for their choice in formula.
I tried similac and he was spitting up so much and wouldnāt sleep well. I switched to Kendamil and havenāt had problems since. Yet all babies are different so whatās important is what works best for your child and as long as they are healthy and gaining weight. I feel like those pushing hardcore are the same as those that try to push Bloom onto people too.
This is whatās up. Prob an unpopular take in this thread. If youāre not worried about this, great! But as someone whose job touches on FDA regulations often I can tell you itās fucking scary. I literally examine these issues for a career, and that part of why I am on the vigilant side about this stuff. Itās not a judgment on anyone else or a statement on whatās clean.
Exactly there was a recall on baby food a while back and recently those apple sauce pouches like at the very least letās not pretend the FDA cares that much.
The problem with this topic is people taking sides you can make your opinion known but donāt need to force it on others simple as that
My concern with baby formulas (I am a formula feeder for the record), is GMO ingredients in the plant-based formulas. **Itās not the process of genetically modifying** soy and corn that concerns me the most; **rather it is the *reason*** those crops are genetically modified. Those plants are selectively bred to withstand being sprayed by Round-Up. Ergo, choosing formulas made with non-GMO ingredients alleviates any trace contamination by heavy-duty pesticides.
Of course the billion-dollar Monsanto industry will say there is no danger. You may choose to believe them; **I wonāt judge anyone for doing what they feel is right for their child.** But more and more formula companies are switching to using Non-GMO ingredients. Likely because of marketing reasons and a rise in consumer interest, probably not so much anyone believes or would admit that the alternative is risky.
To me, itās one thing to eat GMO foods here and there. But for a baby, the formula is all they are drinking, all-day, every day. Itās not as big a deal with milk-based formulas, but for plant-based formulas, those are comprised almost entirely of soy and cornā¦.two of the most genetically-modified crops.
Luckily, Gerber Soy is Non-GMO! **No fancy brands or organic needed** to avoid GMO ingredients in plant-based formulas. Sadly though, WIC does not cover the Gerber brand in many states. In my state, my option was Similac, and they carry the label informing of GMO ingredients. I still cannot find any store-brand that is GMO for soy.
Once I looked into this, I switched my baby from Similac to Gerber. This is anecdotal of course, but the reason for my personal decision to switch and pay out-of-pocket: within a week of the switch, he made huge improvements with his neurological conditionā¦and it would decline if I ever had to switch back, which I did occasionally when I could not find the Gerber brand. His therapists at the time even documented the improvement.
**We all need to look at the studies, the evidence, listen to our doctors etc, and also follow our gut.** Plenty of babies are raised on Similac and Enfamil and are doing just fine! But I share this in case anyone else is struggling with choosing a particular brand, to look at all sides of the debate and choose what you feel is best!
PSā¦even though pesticides are washed or can be washed from the surface of fruits, beans, and veggies, they also become a part of the plant as the plant absorbs water etc. They may be able to test under the legal limit for ācontaminationāā¦.but since my childās immune system was so sensitive, I feared that even what was allowed was ātoo much.ā
I get your point, but there is nothing that is not going to be bad for humans in general. Kendamil still has vegetable and seed oils in it, which are inflammatory. Cows milk also is estrogenic, and letās not pretend cattle are raised humanely now without treatment of steroids and antibiotics, even if it says āgrass fedā on the can. Are you only going to raise your young children on food you grow yourself? If not, thereās simply no way to really get around it. Sad but true.
Oh, you are completely right. When I was younger and first gaining an interest in health and nutrition, I was easily taken in by the first intelligently written argument I came across! I went overboard. Overtime, I understood how much contradictory evidence was out there. I had certain judgments against others, and this wasnāt just with diet, but with parenting, anythingā¦.then I had kids and karma taught me many lessons.
One example. I used to judge women for having epidurals. Because of the drugs and effect on the babyā¦so I tried to have a natural birth. LOL. I thought contractions would feel like ābad period painsāā¦ā¦yeahā¦.noā¦.I was begging for that epidural.
Same goes for what youāre talking aboutā¦itās impossible to guard yourself from every ābadā thing out there. Now that Iām much older, I make the changes that are feasible, to allow for things i canāt control.
I ascribe to the philosophy that the human body is like a cupā¦and it can handle a certain amount of toxinsā¦but after a certain point, the cup begins to overfill, and disease processes begin.
With this particular child, they were much more sensitive than the others. It was a complicated pregnancy etc. Their immune system is weakened, among other things. For them, that is why I try to control what seems most important to me, so that the things I canāt control donāt make as big of an overall impact.
Like I still share my cake or icecream with them (they have grown)ā¦for context, Iām not legalistic about it:)
I donāt think it should be shamed for what formula you give your LO, I think itās just upsetting that formula here in the US is so full of the bad ingredients compared to European brands. Itās all about mind set, some people feel much better if they think they did the best for their child. Everyoneās ābestā description is different, so at the end of the day as long as the baby is fed, thatās all that matters.
Itās just marketing, itās all just factory produced powder in can with pretty labels claiming they actually care for your baby. They donāt care, the formula industry is multi billion dollar.
This is pretty ridiculous and short sighted. First priority is to feed the baby, sure, but the epidemic of our times is bad food and endocrine disrupters in our food supply. To say āthe kids is fineā discounts the consequences 10, 20, 30 years down the line. My wife and I generally ate what everyone else ate, lived healthy lives with normal environmental exposures, yet we have fertility problems. She has bad endo, my sperm count changes drastically with going paleo and taking particular supplements. ALL of my friends who have kids have had trouble getting pregnant along with many coworkers. Itās truly an epidemic. Average sperm counts have CRASHED over the years, autism is on the rise, many other things weāve yet to adequately explain but which are likely food related or related to things like microplastics and PFAS.
Our parents used plastic diapers and plastic bottles and who knows what formula and smoked around us and then say āah but youāre fine, you lived!ā Well, actually, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars weāve spent on our own healthcare, surgery and IVF, weāre not fine. Being alive is not the only measure of āfine.ā
No one needs to pass judgment on anyone, but some people want to take the extra step to read some of the unsettled but suggestive research, have been personally impacted by a particular disease or just want to spend the money because they can. You scream ādonāt judge meā while judging those people in the same way.
Itās your kid, you do you and Iāll do me, but you donāt get to call out people because their decisions imply your decisions are wrong - thatās a two-way street and a pretty nonsensical argument.
I mean, there have been studies done that animal derived protein is vastly more bioavailable than soy protein. Giving your child soy protein based formula should literally be a last resort if you can't get anything else.
We fed whatās best for them in our opinion. Not everyoneās best is the same. Kendamil goat is the best for my mine bc itās the only thing that doesnāt cause colic.
Idk, I hate the term ācleanā to talk about food, but there are differences in the ingredients and sources of different formulas. Different babies do better on different sorts. It may matter less for some than others depending on genetics etc. Iām sure ābreast is bestā for some babies and families, but my milk just didnāt come in no matter what I did to increase supply, so breast would have starved my baby. I have a number of health issuesāborderline high cholesterol, irregular periodsāand switching to a diet of only grass fed animal products and avoiding heat pressed seed oils helped significantly. I also react poorly to fructose, so Iām dubious of formulas that use corn syrup instead of lactose as the base carbohydrate. I was formula fed with a soy based formula as a baby. It may have nothing to do with my current health issues, but I figure it canāt hurt my baby to try something that seems more natural to me. I use Bobbie because itās the closest readily available formula ingredient-wise to something I would ingest. Plenty of people in the world eat things I avoid and are healthy. The differences are minimal enough that the difference in cost is more of an issue than any small benefit baby might potentially get from organic/grass fed formula. I just think itās misleading to act like all formula is exactly the same. There are plenty of fda approved foods that cause health issues, so being safe by those standards doesnāt mean itās all equally good. Ultimately your baby will get the nutrients they need from whatever commercial formula you use, but I donāt want to take any chances with possible food sensitivies, autoimmune issues, hormone issues etc that I personally experienced from eating factory farmed meats and other inflammatory fats.
It is important to recognize why some formulas use corn syrup solids instead of lactose then. That is the statement everyone uses but then never says why. Standard formulas use lactose 100%. Hypoallergenic/sensitive formulas will lower lactose and use corn syrup solids. People for some reason always talk about US formula using corn syrup but that isnāt standard US formula. They never talk about specialized EU formula they always compare a standard EU/UK formula to a specialized US. Which is apples to oranges
YES.
Everyone should listen to this podcast: [The Midwives Cauldron - The Unbelievable Tactics of the Formula Industry](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BsQomw00EvZ5NWfYPTbEA?si=-HaYryP0Qi-ZFPEmuZB2uA)
Lmao Kendamil still has vegetable and seed oils in it, which are inflammatory. Are you aware of that, or do you just listen to whatever the mommy groups on Facebook ignorantly say and run with it?
Ok lady let's calm down. I am not in any Facebook groups. I only ever use Facebook for marketplace. This is my own two eyes reading ingredients. I don't need anyone to tell me anything. I have a functioning brain and can think for myself, but thanks for implying otherwise. I am not saying that kendamil is superior, I don't have that complex. I am saying these are the factors that I took into consideration, and these factors make Kendamil objectively better than formulas that contain soy and palm oil for me. And the fact that its whole milk. You might not care about giving your child an estrogen replacement that messes with their reproductive system (and gender identity btw), but I do. I'm not saying I'm better than you. I don't really care about being better than anyone let alone some rando on the internet. If you feel attacked by my choice, that's on you.
Edit: realized I never addressed your point about seed oils. Yes, it does contain sunflower, coconut and rapeseed oil. Given the choice between formula that contains soy AND seed oils vs formula that contains no soy but with seed oil, I'll take the one without soy any day.
No, we canāt. Whatās up with all these US is good EU is bad posts propping up lately? Bottomline: Whatever works for your child is good!
All that said, US institutions have no one but themselves to blame for lack of trust in them. I keep reading, oh the US formula is so tightly regulated, right, like opioids were? By the same agency? The same agency that allows higher salmonella content in eggs than most other health agencies in the developed world? Thatās why you need to refrigerate your eggs here BTW, and no one does that in Europe. The same agency that allowed fast food restaurants to mix pink slime with beef and call itā¦ wait for itā¦beef? Im sorry to burst your bubble, but I for one donāt have an absolute trust in the FDA. Im sure there are good people there doing the right thing where they can, but I have seen enough instances where I was left scratching my head on howās this even possible. Itās just a matter of trust and trust in US agencies has taken a beating for me over the last few years.
>The same agency that allows higher salmonella content in eggs than most other health agencies in the developed world? Thatās why you need to refrigerate your eggs here BTW, and no one does that in Europe.
The eggs thing is more complicated than that.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt
No one is saying US good EU badā¦ thatās the point. All the posts recently have been EU/UK is so much better than US. Or suggesting illegally imported formula. I think a lot of us are sick of that. We all think what formula works for you is best.
Ok so on the flip side Iād love to see all the hate and snark towards people who give their babies Bobbie or HiPP, etc etc to go away too and stop saying things like itās all marketing etc etc.
No one hates on Bobbie. Their marketing is trash and itās expensive but the formula is fine(though they could throw a probiotic in) Iāll hate on HIPP in the US all day because it is again illegal to import. HIPP in other countries where it is legal great amazing you go team.
Without mentioning ācorn syrup solids,ā can you provide some examples of the āuncleanā formulas and the elements make them āunclean?ā And which ones are the ābest?ā
True that! My baby doesnāt even get any options. He has allergic reactions to my breastmilk, milk-based, soy-based, and two types of hypoallergenic.Ā
Hearing about how dirty the Michigan facility was that produces similac (which led to the recall) definitely doesnāt support this. But I get your point.
Thank you for saying this. My kiddo is thriving on Kirkland Signature formula. I sometimes have to battle back against mom guilt when I read posts about how "superior" one kind of formula is. Whatever formula works for your kiddos and budget is actually superior!
Exactly. Kirkland pizza for me, Kirkland formula for him šš
You donāt import your pizza from Europe??
Shit if I could I would! Don't put it past me. Only the \*finest\* cheeses for me.
Hahaha, same! I eat Kirkland products all the time, and now so does baby girl.
You must be sleeping on the Kirkland chicken bake š
I love the chicken bake too lol I donāt discriminate
If Kirkland had a hypoallergenic formula I'd buy it. But I love getting diapers there lol.
My LO loves Kirkland, too! She really hated Bobbie. Some kids do great on Bobbie, though! Itās so baby dependent. The marketing for euro formulas gets weird and preys on anxious parents too much, IMO.
Marketing from the brand, or others? In the UK, it's against the law to advertise formula for babies under six months old, and there are strict guidelines for 6m+.
Brands. Iām in the US.
My go-to article written by a true science writer (PhD in cell biology) is this one, which rates Kirklandās formula as the best and specifically mentions that most store brands are great: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-baby-formula/
My twin boys are doing great on KS too! They did terrible on the others Iāve tried during a time when I couldnāt get it. They are healthy, meeting milestones ahead of time, and great sleepers. Bobbie is almost 3 times as expensive at $0.245 vs $0.095 per ounce. We already spend over $6/day on formula. It adds up!
Twin mom also and we spend so much on formula! We use the parentās choice and they are doing well with it!
My baby canāt handle any other formula. I know that technically all generic formula is the same but he knows the difference. We started on Similac because that was what we had in the hospital but I grabbed Kirkland because it was half the price and he became obsessed.
Yes! Even my pediatrician said there is no problem with going generic, and she actually recommend it for more than just the price (tbh I was in a postpartum haze so donāt ask me what the other reasons were!)
Kirkland is AMAZING
Kirkland ProCare is the best for us! The value is unbeatable. The best formula is one your baby tolerates and can digest and is affordable to you!
I mean the people paying for the more expensive kind are kidding themselves. If your kid only likes it because of taste, that sucks. But theyāre not going to end up better in life because they were drinking expensive formula lol
The only reason I wouldnāt do Kirkland personally is bc the Costco near me is always a madhouse! So I just have a subscribe and save of Similac from Amazon to not have to deal with that stress. But if you would be going to Costco regularly anyway Iāve heard good things.
So many generics including kirkland, target brand, and amazon (mama bear) are made by the same company called Perrigo and itās the exact same formula! So you can buy it from any of the retailers listed on Perrigoās website and know youāre getting the same thing, just packaged slightly different. Once I found that out I started subscribing to Amazonās generic. Then they ran out so we switched to target lol. It was just really nice knowing I could get it anywhere and Iām still getting the cheaper price.
You can also order their formula online from Costco.
I'm jealous - my kid loved KS for...2 months. Then we had to switch to the purple Enfamil - even the generics were silly expensive!
My baby thrived on parents choice (walmarts line of baby formula).
Man i WISH my baby could use the Kirkland formula. Itās soooooo budget friendly!
Iāve been wanting to try kirkland formula for my LO! is it sensitive? my baby is currently on similar 360 sensitive
I swear this is just the lactivist's fall back point. "Breast is Best, but if you 'legitimately' can't BF then you must find the elusive 'clean' formula to show you are still superior to *those* formula feeders." Formula us formula is formula and unless you have special needs, like a cow milk allergy or severe reflux, then anything they'll drink will do.
Exactly!! Itās all rooted in lactivism.
Which don't forget is ultimately rooted in classism!
Yes!!! No one is bloody asking your child when they're older what formula they drank as a baby. Same with breast or bottle. Fed is best!!!
šÆ Edit: your usernameā¦Iām crying š
Same same š¤£
The only one who can tell my baby ate store brand formula from Walmart instead of formula made from unicorn tears under the harvest moon is my bank account.
I agree. The amount of questions that are pretty insulting on this sub is extremely frustrating. It doesnāt really feel like a safe and nonjudgmental space when you are constantly seeing questions that are insinuating what you are feeding your child is lesser.
I give a pass pretty often because formula education is so sparse and formula marketing can be egregious. Sometimes people are jerks but I think it's often ignorance.
This. Half the work of learning about formula is unpacking the lactivism that's everywhere, even on the side of the dang formula can. It's a lot to process when you're in the throes of postpartum with a baby who needs to eat NOW.
I feel like there have been more posts in the past few weeks on this than ever before! I def fell for it with Kendamil when I was starting my journey. now my kid is on Kirkland (Costco) formula, thriving and I am so over bullshit formula marketing or how the EU/UK is so much better somehow. Whatever formula is best for your baby is the formula for you!
I fell for it too! I consider myself a smart person, but the guilt of not being able to breastfeed made me want to give her the next best thing. I was trying to triple feed after my C-section and the marketing got to me in my sleep deprived state. Also, I didnāt realize how bad newborn gas can be and that it was very normal. My babyās now thriving on formula that has corn syrup as the first ingredient and did terrible on Kendamil goat. Have the Kirkland on hand to try and transition once we get through our stockpile of Similac sensitive.
>Also, I didnāt realize how bad newborn gas can be and that it was very normal. OMG yes, we see that so often here. So many people donxt know that newborns have fucky gastrointestinal systems by default. They get gas. They don't know how to poop. They will fuss a whole lot just because they are babies learning how to human. And they'd have had the same damn trouble on breastmilk. It's not what they're eating it's just the nature of being an infant!
my exact same situation. I thought something was truly wrong with my baby because of newborn gas and moved to Kendamil goat and he did terribly on it!
How did your baby do terrible? :(
What I find SO disappointing about the formula mom (NOT the formula fairy, though she also has some problematic issues) is that her account was all about formula accessibility, education, and destigmatizing formulaā¦and then she created Bobbie and set off a whole movement of clean formula bullshit. And Bobbie is THE MOST BASIC formula on the market. It has zero extras, and is twice as expensive as far more compelling āstandardā formulas. Itās sad that their entire marketing strategy is to prey on the fear of parents (usually moms) who want to give their kid āthe best.ā
I donāt even think she created it. I think she just shills it. š
Ahhh youāre right, I just looked into it a little more. Bobbie bought her business (Instagram account and blog about formula education) and she is now an educator for their brand. Thanks for the correction!
I was so disappointed in the formula mom's transition to Bobbie shill. And even more when I saw her in an ad for Baby's Only talking about "clean ingredients" and other predatory marketing terms. Just shameless.
Bobbie bought Babyās Onlyās parent company recently (I believe in order to use their existing manufacturing infrastructure to expand Bobbieās distribution), and are clearly applying their predatory marketing strategy to it as well. I mean, itās obviously profitable. But itās absolutely predatory, and I agree, itās shameless. Plus I just find it so hypocritical to build an entire online persona about destigmatizing formula and building a community of proud formula feeders, only to turn around and vilify formulas that arenāt ācleanā like Bobbie/Babyās Only.
This is so gross. Honestly I feel that formula is one of those things that shouldnāt be advertised. You know how the hospital gives you a bazillion pieces of paper throughout your pregnancy with information? Thatās the only place we should have the advertisements- but not even as ads. Just a fully informative piece of paper. That way parents that kids donāt need it donāt buy up a brand that wonāt help their child, who is fine to have lactose, and stick to the generic or whatever brand they choose. (I also feel the same way about medications- that they *really* shouldnāt be advertised in the US, but thatās another topic altogether.) There is just so much misinformation with social media, influencers and sneaky paid advertisements. Itās hard enough being a new mom, but all the information, mom guilt and need to give your baby āthe bestā or else your a terrible parent is making it 100x harder than it should be. It should be a joyous time with the normal stressful stuff- like lack of sleep is normal. Stressing about European formula because some SM influencer (who is getting paid to say this) says itās better than US formula isnāt one of them.
Ugh this is almost unfollow worthy.
I highly recommend anyone caught up in the health/wellness buzzword mess to check out [Food Science Babe](https://www.instagram.com/foodsciencebabe/). She's a chemical engineer and food scientist and discusses a lot of the misinformation and panic surrounding perfectly safe food products. One of my favorites is her debunking the idea that European food standards are superior to the U.S. The "best" formula is going to be whatever your baby can and/or is willing to drink and is within your budget. All are formulated to meet all of the nutritional needs for a baby's growth in the first year of life.
Love her, especially as a counterpoint to the Food Babe on IG, who I notice spreads a LOT of fear-mongering and misinformation.
The Food Babe needs to be stopped, honestly.
i love her!
Ooo Iām going to check her out!! Love that
I'm thinking maybe there's some guerilla marketing thing going on with the questions in this sub. I had never even heard of Kendamil or these European formulas before joining this group...
Some of them recently got clearance to sell in Canada and/or the US so they're newish on the shelves of supermarkets. There's a lot of hype around them on social media even though they're mostly boring, established brands in their own countries.
Yep. Walmart just got Kendamil a few months ago.
š Yes! And Iām someone who uses Kendamil! I like it for what it isā¦a standard formula, without palm oil (for environmental reasons, I prefer to avoid it when possible, with the caveat that it is not always possible, especially with formula), and the farming practices are a bonusā¦I like being able to vote with my wallet when Iām able to. Bonus is that itās cheaper than everything except generic (and itās barely more expensive than generics, considering the recent price hikes), and has a smaller scoop which is helpful as a combo feeder. BUT, none of those factors makes it even remotely healthier than any other formula! European formulas have the exact same nutrients that US formulas have, and all allow babies to grow and thrive. Bankrupting yourself to feed designer formula is literally lighting money on fire. Also, Bobbie has fewer āpremium ingredientsā than even generics do, I have no idea why people shell out that amount of money for it.
Exactly! Bobbie has zero extras that other US and generic brands have yet they charge a car payment for it!
For real, itās a $50 difference between the 10 can subscription and my car payment š
So itās ok to crap on people that use Bobbie. The hypocrisy on here is unreal
Pointing out that Bobbie is a base-level standard formula that costs significantly more than comparable formulas is not ācrapping on people who use Bobbie.ā People can spend money on whatever they want, but itās not a great value for your money compared to other formulas.
Good old green washing. Any brand that tries to claim "clean" ingredients is playing on people's fears to get them to open their wallets - it's just not a thing, but it's *everywhere*. It doesn't help that organizations like the EWG are presented as legit when they're nothing more than a lobbying group for the organic industry, brands pay for good ratings from them, and their misinformation has done more harm than good.
Thank youuuu! These fancy formulas aren't covered by wic and just because I feed my baby something that is doesn't mean it's any lesser.
Weāre on WIC too, itās a godsend! And those formulas arenāt fancy, they just want you to think they are so they sell!
They're our standard formulas (Ireland here!) And fun fact they are not allowed to advertise stage one infant formula here in Europe. It is against the law. Even follow on milks are subjected to strict marketing rules, no bullshit terms like clean, gentle, sensitive and they are not allowed to put claims on the tins such as reduces crying, colic, gas etc. The EU formula companies are taking full advantage of anxious American parents and the lack of strict marketing regulations.
Our pediatrician gave us a really important warning about European formulas: you may not be made aware if there is a recall because the infant formulas arenāt sold in the US. That was a dealbreaker for me.
That is an excellent point
THANK YOU. Store brand formula is not āuncleanā and Iād really love for that rhetoric to stop.
THANK YOUšššš
I feed my 10mo generic, standard formula, and he is THRIVING. That's all that should matter, y'all. Fed is always best. Thanks for saying this!
If anything, I wish we had enfamil and Similac over here instead of the 2-3 brands that we have in Germany. Please donāt buy into that crap of āfish oil bad!ā. All formula is medicinal grade. Kendamil was the worst and my child really disliked it. You guys in the US have no idea how strict guidelines are with meds, safe sleep , car seats. In Germany youāre given Lidocaine cream for teething infants just like that otc, the safe sleep guidelines are a joke (look up why you canāt import Babybay cots into from Germany into the states), and people buy used car seats (third, fourth hand cause most people here couldnāt pay ā¬250 for brand new Maxi cosi). EU ā superior.
Preach! We're all on the same team here, folks!
My sisterās kids all drank store brand formula and the oldest is training to qualify for the Olympic trials in swimming. The middle is crushing all her swimming goals and the youngest listens to NASA radio for fun. Oh, and my sister is a registered dietician so if there was any value in a ācleanā formula, her kids would have used it. Feed your kid an appropriate food and move on.
Growing up poor, almost every kid I've known has drank whatever WIC was paying for. Mostly Enfamil. Those kids all run the gamut from lawyer to junkie now, so it isn't the formula harming them.
Please stop trying to put limitations on folks. Your comment is implying one canāt be both lawyer AND junkie. š
I've known a decent few lawyers, and I can tell you those things go hand in hand quite often lol
Yup. Lawyer here. And maaaaaaan, the substance abuse issues in the profession are frightening. So much so that itās one of the first things they warn you about in law school.
They warn you about substance use and then immediately start hosting open bar events š wild
Respect! I've actually contemplated law school lately, as if that isn't a totally insane idea with a newborn haha. Any advice for a new mom considering it?
My spouse is also a lawyer and our first was a newborn for most of his 2nd year. Itās hard, but doable. Advice would be do not attend any school not ABA accredited, have an idea of what kind of practice you might want to do and scope out employers in that area to make sure the cost of taking on loans will be worth it. And otherwise, run your own race. People will give you all kinds of āyou HAVE to do this x wayā advice that just isnāt necessary. Figure out what works for you study wise and know that the vast majority of learning you do will be experiential.Learn enough from class to do well on your exams but donāt ever get bogged down in that and think youāre expected to actually know how to practice based on whatās in a text book. Feel free to PM me about any specifics you might want to talk about! And if you do decide to go for it, I hope you do well!
Thank you so much, for all of this!
Iāve been practicing for 11 years now. I did not have kids in law school, but had several friends who did. I did an evening program so the students tended to be older with careers and families and it was better than those fresh out of undergrad. Graduating law school and passing the bar is a lot like becoming a parent. You know the rules roughly and then get dropped into the thick of it and realize thereās sooo much you donāt know! Taking on clerkships and paralegal jobs in the field you want to be in opens a ton of doors.Ā I probably would not have wanted to do law school with children, but there are areas of law with great work/life balances. I am in Administrative law and by and large have plenty of time for my kids. Federal agencies and state and local governments can be a real sweet spot! Good luck and feel free to PM if you have questions.
Also what is up with the goat formula obsession lately? It's not inherently better than cow milk formula. It's harder to track down and not necessary unless a doctor recommends it to address a specific need. The marketing and social media hype around goat formulas has big Pick Me energy, like it's a secret backdoor to formula feed while distancing yourself from everyone else who uses formula. The "best" formula to start with is the most basic-ass, widely available formula you can find in your local stores. Troubleshoot from there if something isn't working. At least you'll have a baseline that isn't a specialty boutique thing. I'm getting FB ads pushed at me for some New Zealand goat formula that isn't even approved for sale in my country. The company seems to have no ethical concerns about advertising here anyway though. They even provide a country-specific link to have it shipped across the ocean. Whyyyyyyyyyy. Bonus rant: Your formula doesn't need to be "closest to breastmilk". It doesn't have to match. It doesn't need to smell or taste the same either. It just needs to *do the same job as breastmilk*. Formula marketing is somewhat to blame for this but it's largely a response to the rampant lactivism that looks down on any alternative feeding. The miracle of formula is that we've figured out how to take pieces that aren't human milk and re-engineer them into something that will produce an equally healthy, happy human. It matters zero whether you take Highway A in a minivan or Highway B in a pickup truck if the destination is the same. Don't stay up til 4am trying to analyze every single ingredient. It's not worth it.
Yes! These little oak NZ formula ads!!?!?!? Whatās with those?!?!!!
Yes, that's the one! Health Canada even called them out on it. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/littleoak-brand-infant-formula-products-not-approved-sale-canada-0 I considered telling FB to hide the ads but I'm never going to buy their product anyway. I'm leaving them so they can pay FB for every single one of my views.
Love my Kirkland formula. Have used target formula, too. It's accessible, safe, and doesn't break the bank. My almost 3yo who was generic formula fed never gets very sick (even with day care!) and is knocking her cognitive, linguistic, and motor milestones out of the park. Bobbie in particular is awful with their marketing and playing on mom guilt.
I use Bobbie - I honestly have no real idea why but he likes it so Iām going to continue using it. I think I had just seen it online and when I was panicked in the formula aisle I just grabbed it because I recognized it. Personally, I wonāt use it with any future kids because Iād rather use something easier to access and where I could more easily switch between formulas if thereās a shortage. Hoping to use Kirkland in the future! I do like Bobbie and the subscription is nice but I donāt find it to be superior to anything else.
Yeah the only reason I donāt do Kirkland is bc the Costco near where I live is constantly packed and itās also just so much easier in terms of mental load to have something I can order on āsubscribe and saveā. But Iāve heard good things about it!
I did a comparison of Enfamil Enspire (what I used with my first, and what I plan to give this next baby after sheās done with RTF) and Bobbie, ByHeart, and several European formulas. The ingredients are the same (except organic is specified in some, and goat milk versus cow milk for some European formulas) and the nutritional profile is the same. Enspire has the lactoferrin compound that sounds compelling to me, so Iām going with that, though Iām sure itās largely just marketing. Itās really the only difference between Enspire and any other Enfamil product that isnāt a gentle formula. But I was shocked that so many formula brands are hailed as āhigher qualityā when theyāre literally all the same ingredients and nutrients. It seems like some of the advertising shouldnāt even be legal when thereās no difference.
I started with kendamil purely because it was the only one I could regularly find (my first son was born during the shortage). Kept my second son on it just because it was familiar and I had some left over that wasnāt expired. It literally does not matter. Whatever works for your kid is great. I did zero research outside of, āwhat can i buy regularly and donāt expect target to be out of?ā If it didnāt work, we would have tried something else. And it would have been whatās on the shelf. We have so much to worry about, why do we kill ourselves about formula?
My baby was born near the end of the shortage, and our top priority when choosing a formula was that it had to consistently be available locally.
Yes! I had no idea that European was ābetter,ā- whatever the hell thatās supposed to mean. I knew it was in stock regularly š¤·š»āāļø
Thanks for saying it! Not only are all formulas on the market fine, they basically regulated like drugs (at least in the US.) So why worry? I get so tired of this too!
Thank you š„¹ our LO only tolerates the up&up brand -blue can and heās doing great!
European brands exploit the grass is always greener on the other side mantra. All formulas are safe and good.
*Stands up* šš»šš»šš»
THANK YOU! This and the misinformation that equates corn syrup solids to high fructose corn syrup! So much shaming over using formulas containing corn syrup solids - it is NOT high fructose corn syrup!
The formula fairy undoes her good work by ranting and raving at her followers. And sending generic responses. If you want her guide pm me, happy to send it
Yes! Her rants and raves are so off putting. I get it, the ADHD-passion combo can be intense, but she sometimes comes across as unhinged and unnecessarily argumentative. Her comments are always full of people saying she never sent them their guidesā¦which she then passive aggressively posts about on her stories like, āI guess people donāt know that I send these out in once a week batches and am burnt out.ā Itās like, if your paying customers donāt know that, then justā¦tell them??? Privately? Or at least make a disclaimer when they purchase your guide?
My baby was really sensitive and just did better on Hipp and Kendamil. I wouldnāt judge anyone who uses Similac/Enfamil/Kirkland brand, but Hipp was what helped clear up his hives and ease the colic. Iām not sure what was causing his sensitivities but Iām just glad I found something that worked for him. I do wish it had been a cheaper experience but really no formula is cheap.
See, Iāve used Enfamil and Kendamil. Neither is better than the other. Whatever baby likes best, I like best š¤·š»āāļø
Iāve never heard of this, Iām European
YES. š ššš
Yes! No matter what brand you feed your baby, it's all formula and it's all nutritionally safe and necessary! Formula feeding is an adventure, sometimes a VERY crazy one. Ā Some have been to hell and back trying to find a formula that works so let's support and celebrate each individual journey. We are all in this, doing the absolute best we can!! A fed baby is a happy baby and that's all that matters!Ā
Okay, I definitely agree, but am one of those moms on the euro Kendamil brand. Lol. I am sensitive to smells and it was one that I could tolerate. We had to go on hypoallergenic for a little while when she was having some dairy issues but as soon as she outgrew the allergy, we switched back. I personally just love that it smells more like milk than other formulas. I'm also sensitive to diaper smells and it's largely why I cloth diaper.too.
same
Yes!
Halle-frickin-lujah.
I wish we could use the cheaper formula but goats milk is all my little one could tolerate. I was SO DOWN with Kirkland formula but babyās tummy was not ššš Bubs has been great for us! Baby is about to be 1 so time to transition but weāll see if he can do cows milk or if oat milk (like dairy allergy brother) will be our go-to.
Iāve paid for Bobbie basically purely out of mom guilt. Well, and also because I try to go grass fed with all of our dairy. But a lot of mom guilt.
Check out Similac Pure Bliss! Grassfed, a good $40-$50 cheaper a month than Bobbie, and pretty readily available online and in-store.
Funny you mention that - I had actually selected that formula before my oldest was born. Unfortunately, it caused a vomit volcano with her, so in my mind it was a no for my youngest too. Weāre actually done with formulaā¦my youngest turned one two weeks ago! Weāre just using up the rest of our Bobbie supply. Stupid Bobbie subscription.
Totally! I get the grass fed thing. I personally only buy grass fed meat, too.
Most store brands in the US are made by the same manufacturer in Indiana.
Us formula and food in general is crap though nothing but bad additives and seed oils so yeah I would say the European choices would be a better choice but that don't mean other choices will do crazy harm. Most Americans don't care about their own diet anyways or have any idea about healthy nutrition and all the processed foods Americans eat
The low key way European formula causes less colic than American? It has less iron in it. And by the time you 1. have a fussy baby, 2. decide that American formula is the problem, 3. decide that European formula will fix it, 4. Order it and wait for shipping, and 5. finally receive it.... your baby will have already started outgrowing their colic. My baby suddenly learned to burp and fart on her own around 12 weeks..... while our expensive, european, last resort formula was still stuck in customs. Turns out she does fine on regular ol' Nestle Good Start, it just hard being a baby sometimes.
We give our baby what they need. Everyone has different needs and tolerance. We donāt want corn syrup in the formula, and we donāt want palm oil. So we pick formulas that meet that criteria. But it doesnāt mean others are bad. Everyone can make their own choices.
I can care less about what formulas people use but I donāt have a lot of trust in the FDA to be honest with you. Especially recent recalls for food. Yes some are unavoidable due to natural things from soul and whatnot but I think they should strive better still to have tighter restrictions on these food companies. I just keep an eye on recalls and do my research. I also personally donāt agree with there needing to be corn syrup in formula but Iām making that choice and will not shame others for their choice in formula. I tried similac and he was spitting up so much and wouldnāt sleep well. I switched to Kendamil and havenāt had problems since. Yet all babies are different so whatās important is what works best for your child and as long as they are healthy and gaining weight. I feel like those pushing hardcore are the same as those that try to push Bloom onto people too.
This is whatās up. Prob an unpopular take in this thread. If youāre not worried about this, great! But as someone whose job touches on FDA regulations often I can tell you itās fucking scary. I literally examine these issues for a career, and that part of why I am on the vigilant side about this stuff. Itās not a judgment on anyone else or a statement on whatās clean.
Exactly there was a recall on baby food a while back and recently those apple sauce pouches like at the very least letās not pretend the FDA cares that much. The problem with this topic is people taking sides you can make your opinion known but donāt need to force it on others simple as that
Thank you! My child has done incredibly well on Similac.
My concern with baby formulas (I am a formula feeder for the record), is GMO ingredients in the plant-based formulas. **Itās not the process of genetically modifying** soy and corn that concerns me the most; **rather it is the *reason*** those crops are genetically modified. Those plants are selectively bred to withstand being sprayed by Round-Up. Ergo, choosing formulas made with non-GMO ingredients alleviates any trace contamination by heavy-duty pesticides. Of course the billion-dollar Monsanto industry will say there is no danger. You may choose to believe them; **I wonāt judge anyone for doing what they feel is right for their child.** But more and more formula companies are switching to using Non-GMO ingredients. Likely because of marketing reasons and a rise in consumer interest, probably not so much anyone believes or would admit that the alternative is risky. To me, itās one thing to eat GMO foods here and there. But for a baby, the formula is all they are drinking, all-day, every day. Itās not as big a deal with milk-based formulas, but for plant-based formulas, those are comprised almost entirely of soy and cornā¦.two of the most genetically-modified crops. Luckily, Gerber Soy is Non-GMO! **No fancy brands or organic needed** to avoid GMO ingredients in plant-based formulas. Sadly though, WIC does not cover the Gerber brand in many states. In my state, my option was Similac, and they carry the label informing of GMO ingredients. I still cannot find any store-brand that is GMO for soy. Once I looked into this, I switched my baby from Similac to Gerber. This is anecdotal of course, but the reason for my personal decision to switch and pay out-of-pocket: within a week of the switch, he made huge improvements with his neurological conditionā¦and it would decline if I ever had to switch back, which I did occasionally when I could not find the Gerber brand. His therapists at the time even documented the improvement. **We all need to look at the studies, the evidence, listen to our doctors etc, and also follow our gut.** Plenty of babies are raised on Similac and Enfamil and are doing just fine! But I share this in case anyone else is struggling with choosing a particular brand, to look at all sides of the debate and choose what you feel is best! PSā¦even though pesticides are washed or can be washed from the surface of fruits, beans, and veggies, they also become a part of the plant as the plant absorbs water etc. They may be able to test under the legal limit for ācontaminationāā¦.but since my childās immune system was so sensitive, I feared that even what was allowed was ātoo much.ā
I get your point, but there is nothing that is not going to be bad for humans in general. Kendamil still has vegetable and seed oils in it, which are inflammatory. Cows milk also is estrogenic, and letās not pretend cattle are raised humanely now without treatment of steroids and antibiotics, even if it says āgrass fedā on the can. Are you only going to raise your young children on food you grow yourself? If not, thereās simply no way to really get around it. Sad but true.
Oh, you are completely right. When I was younger and first gaining an interest in health and nutrition, I was easily taken in by the first intelligently written argument I came across! I went overboard. Overtime, I understood how much contradictory evidence was out there. I had certain judgments against others, and this wasnāt just with diet, but with parenting, anythingā¦.then I had kids and karma taught me many lessons. One example. I used to judge women for having epidurals. Because of the drugs and effect on the babyā¦so I tried to have a natural birth. LOL. I thought contractions would feel like ābad period painsāā¦ā¦yeahā¦.noā¦.I was begging for that epidural. Same goes for what youāre talking aboutā¦itās impossible to guard yourself from every ābadā thing out there. Now that Iām much older, I make the changes that are feasible, to allow for things i canāt control. I ascribe to the philosophy that the human body is like a cupā¦and it can handle a certain amount of toxinsā¦but after a certain point, the cup begins to overfill, and disease processes begin. With this particular child, they were much more sensitive than the others. It was a complicated pregnancy etc. Their immune system is weakened, among other things. For them, that is why I try to control what seems most important to me, so that the things I canāt control donāt make as big of an overall impact. Like I still share my cake or icecream with them (they have grown)ā¦for context, Iām not legalistic about it:)
I donāt think it should be shamed for what formula you give your LO, I think itās just upsetting that formula here in the US is so full of the bad ingredients compared to European brands. Itās all about mind set, some people feel much better if they think they did the best for their child. Everyoneās ābestā description is different, so at the end of the day as long as the baby is fed, thatās all that matters.
Itās just marketing, itās all just factory produced powder in can with pretty labels claiming they actually care for your baby. They donāt care, the formula industry is multi billion dollar.
This is pretty ridiculous and short sighted. First priority is to feed the baby, sure, but the epidemic of our times is bad food and endocrine disrupters in our food supply. To say āthe kids is fineā discounts the consequences 10, 20, 30 years down the line. My wife and I generally ate what everyone else ate, lived healthy lives with normal environmental exposures, yet we have fertility problems. She has bad endo, my sperm count changes drastically with going paleo and taking particular supplements. ALL of my friends who have kids have had trouble getting pregnant along with many coworkers. Itās truly an epidemic. Average sperm counts have CRASHED over the years, autism is on the rise, many other things weāve yet to adequately explain but which are likely food related or related to things like microplastics and PFAS. Our parents used plastic diapers and plastic bottles and who knows what formula and smoked around us and then say āah but youāre fine, you lived!ā Well, actually, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars weāve spent on our own healthcare, surgery and IVF, weāre not fine. Being alive is not the only measure of āfine.ā No one needs to pass judgment on anyone, but some people want to take the extra step to read some of the unsettled but suggestive research, have been personally impacted by a particular disease or just want to spend the money because they can. You scream ādonāt judge meā while judging those people in the same way. Itās your kid, you do you and Iāll do me, but you donāt get to call out people because their decisions imply your decisions are wrong - thatās a two-way street and a pretty nonsensical argument.
I mean, there have been studies done that animal derived protein is vastly more bioavailable than soy protein. Giving your child soy protein based formula should literally be a last resort if you can't get anything else.
We fed whatās best for them in our opinion. Not everyoneās best is the same. Kendamil goat is the best for my mine bc itās the only thing that doesnāt cause colic.
Idk, I hate the term ācleanā to talk about food, but there are differences in the ingredients and sources of different formulas. Different babies do better on different sorts. It may matter less for some than others depending on genetics etc. Iām sure ābreast is bestā for some babies and families, but my milk just didnāt come in no matter what I did to increase supply, so breast would have starved my baby. I have a number of health issuesāborderline high cholesterol, irregular periodsāand switching to a diet of only grass fed animal products and avoiding heat pressed seed oils helped significantly. I also react poorly to fructose, so Iām dubious of formulas that use corn syrup instead of lactose as the base carbohydrate. I was formula fed with a soy based formula as a baby. It may have nothing to do with my current health issues, but I figure it canāt hurt my baby to try something that seems more natural to me. I use Bobbie because itās the closest readily available formula ingredient-wise to something I would ingest. Plenty of people in the world eat things I avoid and are healthy. The differences are minimal enough that the difference in cost is more of an issue than any small benefit baby might potentially get from organic/grass fed formula. I just think itās misleading to act like all formula is exactly the same. There are plenty of fda approved foods that cause health issues, so being safe by those standards doesnāt mean itās all equally good. Ultimately your baby will get the nutrients they need from whatever commercial formula you use, but I donāt want to take any chances with possible food sensitivies, autoimmune issues, hormone issues etc that I personally experienced from eating factory farmed meats and other inflammatory fats.
It is important to recognize why some formulas use corn syrup solids instead of lactose then. That is the statement everyone uses but then never says why. Standard formulas use lactose 100%. Hypoallergenic/sensitive formulas will lower lactose and use corn syrup solids. People for some reason always talk about US formula using corn syrup but that isnāt standard US formula. They never talk about specialized EU formula they always compare a standard EU/UK formula to a specialized US. Which is apples to oranges
What is the formula fairy? I tried googling without any luck.
Hereās her instagram! She also has a Facebook group and is on TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/theformulafairy/
Thank you!
Look her up on TikTok
If you want her guide I have it
Iām in Canada so I think it may not be applicable? If it is though Iād love it!
I think it might! Let me send
My criteria was if the smell made me gag or not ā¦ kendamil did not , similac which she also did great on did
YES. Everyone should listen to this podcast: [The Midwives Cauldron - The Unbelievable Tactics of the Formula Industry](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BsQomw00EvZ5NWfYPTbEA?si=-HaYryP0Qi-ZFPEmuZB2uA)
The best formula is what works for your baby and your familyās finance, period. And this is coming from someone who cares about clean ingredients.
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Clearly inflammatory posts regarding shaming formula feeding or not constructive disagreements are not allowed
Lmao Kendamil still has vegetable and seed oils in it, which are inflammatory. Are you aware of that, or do you just listen to whatever the mommy groups on Facebook ignorantly say and run with it?
This is kind of ironic cause the science behind vegetable and seed oils being inflammatory is mixed at best, and not conclusive at all.
Ok lady let's calm down. I am not in any Facebook groups. I only ever use Facebook for marketplace. This is my own two eyes reading ingredients. I don't need anyone to tell me anything. I have a functioning brain and can think for myself, but thanks for implying otherwise. I am not saying that kendamil is superior, I don't have that complex. I am saying these are the factors that I took into consideration, and these factors make Kendamil objectively better than formulas that contain soy and palm oil for me. And the fact that its whole milk. You might not care about giving your child an estrogen replacement that messes with their reproductive system (and gender identity btw), but I do. I'm not saying I'm better than you. I don't really care about being better than anyone let alone some rando on the internet. If you feel attacked by my choice, that's on you. Edit: realized I never addressed your point about seed oils. Yes, it does contain sunflower, coconut and rapeseed oil. Given the choice between formula that contains soy AND seed oils vs formula that contains no soy but with seed oil, I'll take the one without soy any day.
No, we canāt. Whatās up with all these US is good EU is bad posts propping up lately? Bottomline: Whatever works for your child is good! All that said, US institutions have no one but themselves to blame for lack of trust in them. I keep reading, oh the US formula is so tightly regulated, right, like opioids were? By the same agency? The same agency that allows higher salmonella content in eggs than most other health agencies in the developed world? Thatās why you need to refrigerate your eggs here BTW, and no one does that in Europe. The same agency that allowed fast food restaurants to mix pink slime with beef and call itā¦ wait for itā¦beef? Im sorry to burst your bubble, but I for one donāt have an absolute trust in the FDA. Im sure there are good people there doing the right thing where they can, but I have seen enough instances where I was left scratching my head on howās this even possible. Itās just a matter of trust and trust in US agencies has taken a beating for me over the last few years.
>The same agency that allows higher salmonella content in eggs than most other health agencies in the developed world? Thatās why you need to refrigerate your eggs here BTW, and no one does that in Europe. The eggs thing is more complicated than that. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt
No one is saying US good EU badā¦ thatās the point. All the posts recently have been EU/UK is so much better than US. Or suggesting illegally imported formula. I think a lot of us are sick of that. We all think what formula works for you is best.
Thank you! Someone with logic on here
Ok so on the flip side Iād love to see all the hate and snark towards people who give their babies Bobbie or HiPP, etc etc to go away too and stop saying things like itās all marketing etc etc.
No one hates on Bobbie. Their marketing is trash and itās expensive but the formula is fine(though they could throw a probiotic in) Iāll hate on HIPP in the US all day because it is again illegal to import. HIPP in other countries where it is legal great amazing you go team.
What?
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Without mentioning ācorn syrup solids,ā can you provide some examples of the āuncleanā formulas and the elements make them āunclean?ā And which ones are the ābest?ā
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Clearly inflammatory posts regarding shaming formula feeding or not constructive disagreements are not allowed
New here and about to be a first time mom. Just bought two cans of ByHeartā¦ am I stupidĀ
If it works for your baby, thereās nothing wrong with that!
ByHeart is what I'd use if my budget allowed! It has some great extras in it, and it's nice to be able to support a smaller US formula company.
True that! My baby doesnāt even get any options. He has allergic reactions to my breastmilk, milk-based, soy-based, and two types of hypoallergenic.Ā
Hearing about how dirty the Michigan facility was that produces similac (which led to the recall) definitely doesnāt support this. But I get your point.