So ok..I know formula can cost a small fortune! My 6 month old goes through 5 large cans a month! She was originally Similac...then I put in on Lactose Free since she was having some issues. I had a friend tell me that Walmart's brand...Parents Choice....is just as good. In fact, she said her daughter was a lot less gassy then she was on Similac. Parent's Choice is about $14 a large can. They have all of the same varieties as the other brands...you can even buy Soy or Organic! (the container tells you which type of named brand formula it compares to.

On top of that, I was surfing the net, trying to see if I could buy Parents Choice Lactose Free in bulk (if anyone knows...please let me know!) What I found instead was a hotline # for Parent's Choice:

1-800-864-9718

I called it this morning and they are sending me a $3 off coupon (or so the guy said on the phone. They said it takes about 2-4 weeks to come...but you can call them every 30 days and get another one. Plus I'm going to call my mother and ask her to call for me and have coupons sent to her as well. Anyhow...you really can't beat buying formula for less than $11 container!

That is what I buy too! Target also has a brand that is just as inexpensive and works just as well.

Hi, I just read your post and wanted to add a couple of tips! I have a 21 month old so I recently went through finding the best deals too! My doctor also said the generic brands are just as good for your baby as the others. I researched a little and asked the people on the phone of the Parent's Choice line and they confirmed that all of the brands (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Sam's Club) are manufactured in the same place. Then I compared all of the prices and found that Sam's Club was the cheapest per ounce. I ended up getting checks for Walmart because I go there more often so I don't know if they had them for Sam's. Also, you can call back once a month and they will send you more coupons. Hope this helps!

I also use Walmart. If you take the can and compare the numbers on a can of Enfamil, they have the exact same numbers in the nutrients column.

With my second son,I tried all kinds of formula. My first son, Free, was just on Nutramigen. Tristan eventually liked the generic Target brand. I was so thankful, it is so much less expensive than name brands, and sometimes I would get coupons from
Target for the formula in the mail

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Kassie

Formula is a product that is government regulated...so it all has to be basically the same... Nutritional values may vary a tiny bit, but most of the time the name brand nutritional values match right up with the generics!

My 6 month old is on Emfamil low-iron HE was on good start but it made him horribly gassy.

Anyone know of any generic brands that compare to Enfamil low iron?

I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if the formulas are called the same thing or not.

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I so wish I would have known about this months ago...my son is 10 months and we have been using enfamil...I would get so disappointed bc I acquired dozens of $5 off coupons for Similac. My only trick was each time i visited the pediatricians office i would check their closet. they would get so many samples and would need to get rid of them before the expiration date. Last time i was there, i asked for a sample and she ended up giving me a large paper bag full of them. I would assume every pediatrician is different but mine was very generous.

I had tried the off brands a few times, but I was too nervous to completely switch him so I went back to the name brand. Now that he is 10 months old...do you think its too late? And how long do you keep them on formula for? How do you wean a baby off of formula and onto milk?

Thanks ladies

Like Abbysmom said, all formulas HAVE to be the same. They may vary a little but can't by much. I found this out when I put my oldest on parents choice. Ds #2 who can only have certain kinds (no lipids and so on) did BETTER on Parents Choice than any other. As for switching to cow milk, I think the norm is 12 months of age. Ds #1 went on it at 9 months along with a tsp of Poly-Vi-Sol a day. I would think rotating or mixing half and half to begin with would be best. However, I would DEFINITELY leave that up to the peds digressions.

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If your baby is on regular Enfamil or Similac or maybe soy, check your local consignment stores. We have a store that carries tons of the samples of these brands and they sell them for $6 or so.

I've done really well with trading coupons online. I also was able to get on a local Enfamil research study that paid $210 plus a 3 month supply of formula. I've barely paid for formula this time around.