If you are going to become a mom in the near future, one of the most important decisions that you may have to make is whether you will give your child your breast milk or you will choose from several baby formulas available in the market. Of course, there can be no two opinions about breast milk being the best for a baby. However, if you have to make use of baby formula for some reason, two of the popular brands are Enfamil and Similac. Both are being used by millions of moms, to feed their children and there are pros and cons of both. How to choose between them is a tough question for most to be moms. This article takes a look at Enfamil and Similac to highlight their features to make it easier for to be moms to decide on either of the two baby formulas.
Enfamil
Enfamil is a baby formula that is produced by Mead Johnson and is extremely popular as an alternative to breast milk among the moms around the country. In fact, this is one baby formula that has captured over 50% of the baby formula market in US. The company produces several formulae depending upon the age of the child such as Enfamil Premium Newborn for newborn babies between the ages of 0-3 months, Premium Infant that is used for infants up to the age of 12 months, and finally Enfamgrow Premium Toddler which is used for kids between the ages of 1-3 years. These baby powders are made to contain all the nutrition that babies require for their optimum body growth. They are enriched with vitamins and contain all nutrients considered essential by doctors for the development of the baby as well as to provide immunity from several diseases. All these formulae not only contain the daily requirement of 400IU of vitamin D for the babies, they also contain ARA and DHA that are natural ingredients in the milk of a mother.
Mead Johnson is a company that makes special baby formulas for babies with special needs such as babies that spit up, babies that are premature, babies with digestion problems, and so on.
Similac
Similac is a baby formula that is also very popular among moms across the country. The company mainly produces Similac Go and Grow for infants and toddlers and Similac Advance for babies up to an age of 12 months. The baby formulas made by the company contain all nutrients required for the growth and development of the babies. They have DHA and ARA found in breast milk and in addition they contain Lutein, which is a substance found naturally in breast milk and which helps in the development of eyes and the brain of the babies. In addition to these two general formulas, Similac also produces some special formulas to take care of the needs of babies having certain problems. So there is Similac Sensitive for sensitive babies and Similac Expert Care Alimentum for babies having food allergies.
What is the difference between Enfamil and Similac?
• Similac is made by Abbott laboratories while Enfamil is produced by Mead Johnson.
• Enfamil has a larger share of the baby formula market than Similac in US.
• Both products are good for the nutritional requirements of newborns and infants and have started to add DHA and ARA found naturally in mother’s milk to make their formulas much better than before.
• It is difficult to compare the two products as both companies have a wide variety of products that have been designed keeping in mind the special needs of children.
• It is better trying one of the formulas and stick to it, if the baby grows normally without any difficulties. One can always switch to the other brand in case of any difficulty. It all depends upon the experience of a baby with either baby formulas.