r/FormulaFeeders • u/Hungry-Mix-283 • Feb 15 '26
Advice / Question š” Enfamil
Hey everyone! I am due with my first in June. I have decided I want to formula feed. I know I will get a TON of hate but I have never had a desire to pump or breastfeed. Itās just something Iāve never wanted to do and I think it will be tough on my mental health. I hope I am not making a mistake doing formula right away.
I have a family member who works at a formula company that manufactures Enfamil formula, so I can get this brand of formula HEAVILY discountedā¦. I wanted to know your thoughts on this brand??? This is my first so all of this is new to me.
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u/goodbyekawaii Feb 15 '26
Is your family member who manufactures Enfamil single? Iām sure my husband would understand. Love Enfamil Neuropro. My baby is 2mo and we exclusively use RTF Neuropro and my life is really easy tbh. My baby is growing well and strong and hitting milestones early. Iāve received no hate, for what itās worth. My pediatrician majorly supports this decision!
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u/Hungry-Mix-283 Feb 15 '26
Haha thatās funny! š¤£ We are very lucky thatās for sure! This makes me feel a lot better! Itās honestly just what I need to do personally. It just sucks Iāll receive so much hate from my husbands family for it
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u/Top-Anybody-6996 27d ago
And if you decided to EBF they would be hateful that you arenāt allowing anyone else to feed/bond with baby. A fed baby is a healthy baby (under normal circumstances) and that is all that matters.Ā
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u/Secret_Fox7520 Feb 15 '26
Both of mine have had Enfamil right from birth and they have done great!
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u/trishuuh Feb 15 '26
Iām due in July with baby #2 & Iām pretty sure Enfamil is what our hospital gives so given he tolerates it thatās what weāll be sticking with! Its a great formula
Legacy brand thatās been around for almost 70 years, i like the bells & whistles added, both ready to feed + powder options, different lines for sensitivities if baby ends up with any. In your case, saving money is awesome lol
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u/Data-Fox Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is a fantastic brand! One of the two giant name brand formula companies in the US. We intentionally switched our baby from Similac NeoSure (since thatās only what the hospital had) to Enfamil EnfaCare.
Once she no longer needs premie formula, weāre planning to switch her to Enfamil Optimum.
We really like their focus on brain development-supporting ingredients.
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u/Agreeable-Banana4963 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Girl nobody has the right to judge you. Feed that baby!! Enfamil is great! Some people donāt like the fact that it has palm olein oil in it but a lot of babies donāt react to it. (Can cause constipation in some babies I guess is what the worry is?)
Gentlease was a god send for my son!! Start off with enfamil infant or enfamil neuropro! If baby doesnāt react well to that, talk to their pediatrician about switching, if the issue is spit up, they may recommend A.R. but if itās things like gas or fussiness, probably gentlease! Enfamil like similac has a formula for almost every symptom!! Itās absolutely worth a try especially if you get it cheap!! If I have to use formula for my next baby Iāll either use similac advance or enfamil infant!
Please donāt listen to the people who fear monger and say enfamil / similac are toxic and you NEED to feed your baby Kendamil. Itās your choice. All 3 options and any formula sold on shelves are valid options. They provide your baby with what they need. Some formulas NEED corn syrup in them. People love to point out that one but itās used for gentle formulas and very necessary lol. And when people say not to use a certain formula because it caused symptoms for their baby, donāt listen. Every baby is different. No one formula works for every child. You got this, youāre going to do great. Enfamil is a great option!
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u/ashrevolts Feb 15 '26
No one gave me any hate. I hope you don't get any either. Formula is a great choice!
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u/becsos Feb 15 '26
I tried bf and ep, I had to supplement with formula at the hospital. And I never produced enough to feed my baby. So at 6m he went full ff. Our brand of choice was Enfamil nuropro because it was easy to find in any store. Both rtf and powder which was nice for the traveling we did. I now have a healthy toddler. I loved it and recommend it. There are quite a few people who prefer their brand of formula for one reason or another. So it's really up to you, but getting it on discount and having a connection to know you won't experience a formula shortage is so nice! That would be enough for me to give me peace of mind to go with it.
Some people crap on Enfamil or Similac because they are major brands so have had recalls in the past, but I personally don't have a problem with either. Though I was definitely a snob when my husband tried to buy the Costco brand formula and it is packaged in the same center so is the same formula š¤¦āāļø.
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u/Dangerous-Bar5532 Feb 16 '26
We loveeee Costco formula in this house š my baby loves it and itās so affordable and lasts a good amount of time
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u/becsos Feb 16 '26
We will probably be going that way with our second. Now that I know better, we definitely don't have a connection to get discounted formula any other way.
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u/Technical_Sort4549 Feb 15 '26
LO has been on Enfamil from birth and has done amazing on it. We switched to the NeuroPro once home from the hospital just because thatās what we had at home. Weāve never had to switch or worry about it. I will say BM are pretty gnarly but I now consider it just prepped us for the starting solids BMs š
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u/Excellent_Heart1211 Feb 15 '26
My daughter has had no problems since getting it first at 4 days old, and is now a gorgeous lil 5.5 month old with a lil chunk hehe I wish I wasnāt so pressured to breastfeed and eff from the start. NeuroPro ftw
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u/CompetitiveEffort109 Feb 15 '26
We used Enfamil Neuropro and then switched to Kirkland brand for cost savings but had no problems with Enfamil other than the cost! It was like $79 a can
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u/connectedfromafar Feb 15 '26
Itās what we use. Tried using the Kirkland brand but got a lot of gas; still was pretty gassy on Enfamil, but much less so than before.
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u/PlantMost1210 Feb 16 '26
Same experience. I wanted the Kirkland brand to work, but Enfamil works best for my LO.
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u/Financial_Citron9866 Feb 15 '26
Try not to feel bad. I had a significant mental health condition from ages 28-30 and now am 36, 100% well controlled on medication.
My symptoms came raging back for the first time in over half a decade on day four and five of my babyās life (sheās almost a month old now). My psychiatrist and I wisely schedule a meeting for the week after my due date, and he was like, you gotta stop breastfeeding. The stress of pumping and feeding and not making enoughā¦plus the worst culprit of lack of sleepā¦put me right back into instability.
The relief I felt when I stopped trying to breastfeed a week into her life is the greatest relief Iāve ever felt in MY entire life. My husbandās family in France couldnāt understand the pervasive cultural pressure to breastfeed. Itās clearly a cultural thing, and this helped me come to terms with having to EFF.
Less than a month down the line, I am a great mom, a grateful human, and a better partner than I ever could have been breastfeeding.
So try to F all that noise and do you. You donāt owe anyone an explanation and anyone who judges you lives in the echo chamber I escaped and hopefully an echo chamber you can avoid. If you were in another cultural context, this would barely be a blip.
The only downside was the excruciating pain I experienced going cold turkey on pumping/feeding. If you decide to formula feed, talk to your doctor and see if there is anything that can be done to avoid this pain. It was worse than labor.
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u/Hungry-Mix-283 Feb 15 '26
Thank you! This makes me feel so much better for my choice. It sucks, I donāt truly have a good reason for not doing it other than I simply donāt want toā¦. but it is what I think will be best for me. My husbands side of the family is absolutely INSANE. Completely ācrunchyā and judgmental. I donāt have a problem with crunchy moms as long as they donāt judge my personal choices in how I choose to parent. I know I am going to get ate alive when they find out my choice is to formula feed. Luckily I am very strong willed and can hold my own. My husband also has my back and will have no issues putting his family in their place if it comes down to it.
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u/Financial_Citron9866 Feb 15 '26
Iām glad I could help! Iāve been lurking on this subreddit but just now on the other side of my rage against the Breastfeeding Industrial Complex to appropriately express myself. Good luck. If you need any affirmation at anytime please just send me a DM. So glad your husband will stand beside you. Enjoy FF! Youāll have so much more time to cuddle!
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u/Indecisive105 Feb 15 '26
We use enfamil and like it! Kirkland formula is half the price so we did switch to that, Iād check if your deep discount is cheaper than Kirkland too!
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Feb 15 '26
We use enfamil nueropro and so far so good. We planned on breastfeeding but on day one we realized that nothing was coming out so we started supplementing with formula. My wife had a c section and they said it can take a few days for the milk to start flowing. By that time she was so used to the formula nipple and refused to latch. We pumped what we could and got up to an oz. per day. I recommend trying to get baby some amount of breast milk if possible to cover what bases you can. Other than that we really like formula feeding it makes life a bit easier and allows us to take turns sleeping. Good luck out there itās a full time job.
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u/dioor Feb 15 '26
My 8mo has been EFF Enfamil A+ (the Canadian most basic version of Enfamil on the market) exclusively. She has never been sick, is a decent sleeper and has hit all milestones at the early end of average. She was born around the 55th percentile for weight and has hovered around the 75th since she was about a month old, consistently 95+ for height.
Of course, all of this is more geneticsā¦ but using a great, trustworthy formula doesnāt HURT. We have no complaints and have had no issues.
The only thing to note, I guess, is that it doesnāt mix well into cold water. Best to mix bottles when the water is a bit warmer than room temp and then refrigerate ā again, weāre in Canada so I boil water then let it cool on the counter for a while before using it for formula, based on our local guidelines for formula prep.
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u/InspiredBagel Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is one of the oldest and most trusted brands in the US. Definitely a good option.Ā
Just so you know, every baby has different tolerances. My kid always did worse on Enfamil products than Similac. Go into formula feeding with a plan, but know you might need to adjust!Ā
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u/writingfoodie Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is great! Their Gentlease was amazing when my now 6-month-old had constipation a few months back.
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u/felltothetop Feb 15 '26
We use Enfamil! We got a sample pack so started with the regular NeuroPro, but our guy was a little too gassy so we switched to NeuroPro Gentlease and have 0 complaints.
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u/Practical-End-8955 Feb 15 '26
This is my go to as itās what my state offers with Wic they also have all the options and are widely known and understood by pediatricians. I have two very smart and healthy Enfamil babies
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u/AnxiousTalker18 Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is great! Weāve used Neuropro from birth with both my kids and theyāre both healthy and bright š
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u/trendetarian Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is what ive used for both my babies! Has worked great. I also decided to FF because I had no desire to bf or pump which is a completely valid reason! Donāt feel bad about it, you are a great mom. FF has definitely helped with my physical and mental recovery, would not have it any other way.
First time around i bf for 2 weeks because they pressured me into it. Almost died from sepsis because of mastitis. I always knew FF was what was right for me, so trust you gut! This second time I FF from the hospital. Baby just turned one month and I have felt so good, baby blues to a minimum, nights have been great, c section recovery has been great - donāt let anyone tell you what to do or make you feek any sort of way.
FF is absolutely fine and wont make you less of a mom or hinder your connection with your baby. My three year old is healthy and super smart. I was also a FF baby from the start and I think im doing alright haha.
I know some women love BF but anecdotally the people I know who BF wonāt stop complaining about it š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Longjumping_Duty_400 Feb 15 '26
The best brand of formula is whatever brand is FDA approved, your baby does well on, and works best for you family.
Enfamil has lots of different formulas you can try and if any of them work well for your baby that will be the best choice for you!
My babies got, Kirkland, Up&Up, Simalac, and Enfamil at different times when thats what I could find. They did great on all of them.
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u/Hopetober25 Feb 15 '26
We combo fed since birth until moving to EFF at 6 weeks. Used Enfamil the entire time, both Neuropro and the A+ types. Baby is doing great with it!
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u/Revolutionary-Lab10 Feb 15 '26
My 3 month old is on Enfamil NeuroPro and he loves it!!! I was like you, no desire to pump or breastfeed. Guess what? My baby is healthy, gaining weight, sleeps wonderfully, hitting all the major milestone and above all heās happy and loved!!!
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u/Veggie_cat Feb 15 '26
Enfamil neuropro ready to feed is what I feed my baby. Iām so jealous you get to buy it at a discount.
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u/Pretty_Please1 Feb 15 '26
All brands in the US are heavily regulated. Theyāre all great and safe!
FWIW, I got zero hate for exclusively formula feeding. I think itās more of an internet thing.
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u/Cinnie_16 Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is what my baby is on. I switched to formula to supplement low supply before stopping BF completely at 3 months. I tried similac first but he made him gassy. Switched to Enfamil neuropro gentlease and his gas was much better. But be warned, he will have green poop from the iron and itās normal. I freaked out at first. š
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u/elly26 Feb 15 '26
We have used enfamil gentlease since the beginning basically and my son has done great on it. It also comes in RTF bottles which are handy for traveling and feeding on the go. We used RTF in the first month for the middle of the night feeds so we wouldnāt have to wait for the bottle to warm up. Youāre so lucky you have a connection! I hope your baby will like it
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u/PermanentTrainDamage Feb 15 '26
Solid domestic brand with a strong legacy, been feeding babies for almost 100 years. Sold in just about any store that sells formula, so easy to get if you happen to run out in the middle of the night.
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u/shana- Feb 15 '26
Used Enfamil gentle ease from day 1 for our first. I never had any issues.
Itās a great brand.
For our second we use Kirkland since itās significantly cheaper. If you are able to get Enfamil for a huge discount, thatās a win win!
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u/CuteEntertainment273 Feb 16 '26
My daughter uses enfamil neuropro gentlease, she loves it, super healthy, she's 6 weeks.
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u/trolldoll26 Feb 16 '26
Our hospitalās first choice was Enfamil! Our baby had it for two days at the hospital but then the nurses switched us to Similac sensitive because Enfamil wasnāt sitting well in our babyās belly.
I had already decided to feed her whatever the hospital suggested because I figured it might make our life easier if we donāt have to try a ton of different ones.
Iād suggest waiting until your baby is born to choose a formula they like/is compatible with their belly.
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u/momofchonks Feb 16 '26
We used Neuropro for our daughter, and to save money we bought generic. I'd say get a small supply through your connection to start out. If baby tolerates it well, you have an enviable supply line. Numerous formula feeding parents would love to have that kind of connection.
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u/RatherBeReading007 Feb 16 '26
It's fine. It never worked for my baby, but if it had, I'd still be using it.
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u/Sensitive-Rain-8963 Feb 16 '26
Enfamil was our preferred brand with our first. We tried all of the Enfamils with our second but ultimately he did best on Elecare (from Abbott). The best formula for your bay is the formula your bay does the best onā¦donāt let any new age parent shaming testing tell you otherwise!
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u/Pretty-Tangelo2376 Feb 16 '26
I have a five week old and also decided even before being pregnant that we would exclusively formula feed and surprisingly I got no flack about it (at least to my face). Not that I wouldāve cared! But we started with Enfamil Gentlease and have stuck with it so far with success! Our pediatrician even gave us a bunch of it to take home at our two-week appointment.
I know you get a discount but we can find it at Costco so thatās a win for us!
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u/EAS0 Feb 16 '26
We switched from Kendamil to Enfamil Gentlease Neuropro. Our guy was screaming and crying with gas and stomach pains until we made the switch! We are super happy with it. He really seems to enjoy it as well.
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u/anon120 Feb 16 '26
My baby did not do well on Enfamil. She was super fussy, gassy, uncomfortable, and would hardly ever finish her bottles. I could tell she didnāt like the taste (I didnāt either, it tasted bitter).
Switched her to Bobbie and the difference is night and day. Her poops improved, her fussiness has subsided, sheās a happier baby and always finishes her bottles. The flavor is great. They also skip palm oil and their calories come from lactose which is important for us. Since the formula is much simpler than Enfamil, we are supplementing with Bobbie probiotic drops.
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u/Hefty-Coat4641 Feb 18 '26
Really happy with bobbie as well since you never have to deal with shortages with their subscription!! Their support team is rly responsive as well š¤
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u/bajasa Feb 16 '26
We used Enfamil Neuropro for my daughter from the jump, and honestly, nobody said shit to me to make me feel bad. I exclusively pumped for my son until six months and then it was Enfamil Gentlease. I trust them. I think there's been a huge push for boutique brands, which always made me nervous. And the ByHeart thing didn't help. Personally, for that reason alone I think sticking to one of the big trusted brands is best.
Plus, Enfamil has loads of different kinds of formula!
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u/mrs___holmes Feb 16 '26
We use Enfamil Neuropro and she likes it! They have a Gentlease type too if your baby has a sensitive tummy. Congrats!
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u/schoenzyy Feb 16 '26
Firstly, I hope you don't get hate from fam or friends, that's your choice and none of their business really. Your baby will do just fine on formula. Enfamil is top tier. Its what they gave us in the hospital and we've been using since getting home a month ago. Neuropro (regular or gentlease) are the best as they have additional immunity boosting properties making them the closest to breastmilk. We stock both neuropro along with regular A+, but have been giving mostly gentlease as it does seem to help with the colic. Just note it tastes disgustingly bitter compared to regular neuropro and A+ if you try it due to the partially broken down proteins, so don't freak out. Baby doesn't seem to care, however, and that's what matters.
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u/catsofthe90s Feb 16 '26
We feed the enfamil A+ and it has been great, no issues with digestion/excessive gas.
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u/UnderstandingTop69 Feb 17 '26
Baby uses enfamil neuropro gentlease. Instantly helped her colic during feeds.
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u/HospitalRude275 Feb 17 '26
LOOOOOVE ENFAMIL. ESP REGULINE!!!Ā Get it.Ā I wish I could use Enfamil for my second baby. She is on similac. My first was a gentlease/reguline baby and he did GREAT
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u/Educational-Tea-5385 Feb 18 '26
No experience with Enfamil but I've EFF two healthy babies from birth and the sleep and 50/50 partnership with my husband has been the best thing for my mental health and ability to be the best parent possible. Don't feel bad or expect hate per se as that can make it more common.... instead be 100% confident in your decision and have your partner be as well as I've found those who are 100% sure do much better not being questioned at the hospital by staff than those only 95% sure leaning toward not breast feeding
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u/ellisacobey Feb 18 '26
Enfamil was what they had in my hospital and we used for the first week of my daughterās life. It really upset her stomach and she was pooping way too much! We switched to Similac and it worked much better for her, sheās now 6 months and weāve switched to Costco brand and thatās also going well for her. It really just depends on your baby, I wouldnāt stock pile anything until you know what works for them.
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u/SimSkinJunky Feb 19 '26
No shame in your game! I don't use Enfamil but just wanted to encourage you to do whats best for you!
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u/Rich_Kaleidoscope436 Feb 15 '26
Enfamil is great! Their neuropro line is super popular and comes in ready to feed too.