05/12/2022
This is a very helpful post about formula and the current shortage crisis. The biggest takeaways are that most formulas are interchangeable (unless your baby has an allergy), and before you try to make your own or dilute the formula you have, contact your pediatrician.
Lets talk a bit about the formula shortage as I know so many of you are struggling and we have almost nothing in the office to help you out with samples, so I want to spend some time explaining how to safely switch between brands/products so you can keep your child healthy. To start: ANY formula made in the US is nutritionally complete and provides all vitamins, minerals and food building blocks ( protein, fat, carbs) that your child needs. They all have adequate amounts of iron as well, which is sometimes not the case with some, not all, European formulas.
First- despite massive marketing campaigns by formula companies, from a medical standpoint, there are basically 3 major categories of formulas
1. Standard, dairy based formula- this is used by the overwhelming majority of infants. This category also includes the formulas like “sensitive:, “gentlease”, “total comfort” etc. ALL of these formulas are also dairy based formulas but have medically minor variations in the TYPE of dairy protein used, or the exact type of sugars ( carbohydrates) or the fat blends and some have added probiotics which can easily be given separately as needed.
2. Plant based- traditionally called “SOY” based formulas - these do not contain dairy protein nor do they contain milk sugar ( lactose)
3. Hypoallergenic or Elemental formulas- these include Alimentum and Nutramigen in which the proteins are “ hydrolyzed” which means they are in very small pieces which are tolerated by most babies even with protein allergies, and also the specialized formulas like Elecare or Puramino in which the proteins are completely broken down to the amino acid level, which are needed for a tiny percentage of infants.
The first thing to consider if your child is not on a standard formula is “WHY”? Many parents switch formulas many times in the first month or so without really knowing why and before they know it they are on a hypoallergenic formula which the child does not need. If your child had bloody, mucusy stools that resolved after switching to one of these, then your child likely DOES require one of these formulas- otherwise it might be good to speak to your pediatrician about how you got there, it’s likely your child does not actually require that level of formula.
On the lists below, find the formula your child uses and you can safely use any of the others on the same list
STANDARD MILK BASED FORMULAS
Similac Advance, Similac Pro Advance, Similac Organic
Enfamil Neuro Pro, Enfamil Enspire
Good Start Gentle Pro, Good Start Soothe Pro- I include these here as they are the standard formula for this brand
NAN Pro
MILK BASED FORMULAS WITH SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS IN EXACT PROTEIN OR CARBOHYDRATES - kids on these formulas can also safely use the standard formulas above, but may see recurrence of minor issues such as gassiness, harder stools etc- kids with lactose intolerance- see notes
Similac Sensitive or Pro Sensitive ( this formula is LACTOSE FREE and may be the reason your child is on it)
Similac Total Comfort- all variants
Enfamil Pro Sensitive (this formula is LACTOSE FREE and may be the reason your child is on it)
Enfamil Gentlease - all variants
Enfamil Reguline
Good Start Gentle Pro
Good Start Soothe Pro
Good Start Extensive HA ( this formula is LACTOSE FREE and may be the reason your child is on it)
MILK BASED FORMULAS WITH ADDED RICE PECTINS FOR BABIES WITH REFLUX- these thicken in the stomach to stay down better
Similac Spit Up
Enfamil A.R
HIGHER CALORIE MILK BASED FORMULAS FOR PREEMIES UP TO ABOUT 6 #- speak to your pediatrician if you cannot find
Enfamil Enfacare
Similac Neosure
PLANT (SOY) BASED FORMULAS- For infants with a dairy sensitivity- these formulas also do NOT contain lactose
Similac Isomil Soy
Enfamil “ Plant Based”
Good Start Soy
FORMULAS WITH BROKEN DOWN PROTEINS- required for kids with protein sensitivity to dairy AND soy
Enfamil Nutramigen
Similac Alimentum
SPECIALIZED ELEMENTAL FORMULAS- for infants with severe protein intolerance who cannot tolerate dairy, soy or the 2 above formulas- generally a pediatrician has prescribed these so please talk to your doctor if you cannot find your child’s precise formula
Similac Elecare
Enfamil Puramino
So you can quickly see that if your child is on a dairy based standard formula you can safely feed her almost anything you can find. If your child is on a dairy based formula but with the minor variations as in the second list, you can also SAFELY feed your child almost anything you can find, but thy may have minor tummy irritations- not dangerous at all and most can be worked on in other ways.
I hope this helps everyone until this issue is resolved, as always, if you have specific problems , please don’t hesitate to call so we can help you further.
- Dr. Patti Savrick
ETA: do NOT try to make your own formula nor dilute your baby’s formula with extra water- this can be very dangerous especially for infants less than 6 months- please call before you take this desperate step- we will try to help you.
ETA #2: store brand and generic equivalents like earths best, Costco, Sam’s club brands etc are all also required to meet all the same nutritional requirements as their brand name counterparts- again- there will be medically minor differences in fat blends , carbohydrates or proteins but they will be nutritionally complete
