Enfamil vs Similac – Which is Best for Your Baby?

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Choosing a formula for your dear baby is often a tough choice. After all, this is your little one’s food, and you will want to ensure that you choose what is best for your sweet baby. If you don’t have the right milk then your little one will not get the proper nutrition they need in order to grow as they should and hit all of those milestones. Now, you might be asking what the difference is between Enfamil and Similac, which are the 2 most commonly purchased and discussed baby formulas available for purchase today.

Please keep in mind that there really isn’t just 1 single formula or brand of formula that is best for all babies everywhere. Believe me, I really wish that were the case, but it isn’t. All of us, and our babies, are different, and require different things. The formula that works well for our friend’s baby might not be the right choice for your own.

Keep in mind that if a toddler or infant formula is being sold in the United States that it is required to meet certain minimum nutritional requirements. These are set by FDA regulations and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Now, this doesn’t mean all of these brands will be the same, of course. They certainly aren’t. What it does mean, though, is that Enfamil, Similac, and many other brands (including store brands like Walmart, etc) will have to meet those minimum nutritional needs for infants in order to be sold at all.

Different Kinds of Baby Formula

Enfamil and Similac both sell several options when it comes to baby formula, which includes:

Soy Formula
Because of lactose intolerance and milk protein allergies plenty of little ones need to use a soy based formula. If your child is in this group there are plenty of options available for you. This option has been getting more and more popular over the years. Options include:
Similac Soy Isomil
Enfamil Prosobee

Rice Starch Formula
Some babies have issues with some acid reflux, and might benefit from a formula that has rice starch added into it to help the formula to have a thicker consistency. These thickened formulas won’t come up quite as easily, which reduces potential spitting up problems, and will help these babies to keep growing easier. Options include:
Similac Sensitive
Enfamil A.R. Lipil

Cow’s Milk Formula
Most people think about using a cow’s milk formula right off the bat as their first choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right one. In fact, demand for these are on the decline since they aren’t usually handled well by babies and are linked to many issues. We’d suggest trying one of the other options on this page. Options include:
Similac Advance
Enfamil Lipil

Gentle Formulas
Gentle formulas tend to use a lot less lactose than a traditional cow’s milk formula. In the event that your child has issues with being too gassy or fussy with the more traditional formulas, many pediatricians suggest trying one of the gentle formula options. Options include:
Enfamil Gentlease Lipil

Lactose-Free Formula
Since an increasing number of people, and babies, are recognized to have lactose intolerance, they’ll need a lactose-free baby formula. While the soy and rice based formulas might be better choices, there are still some options for cow’s milk formulas that remove the lactose. If your baby has an allergy to cow’s milk, or you suspect they might, you’d likely be better off going with a soy or rice based formula. Options include:
Similac Sensitive
Enfamil LactoFree Lipil

Premature Baby Formula
A premature baby will need more nutrients and calories than a baby that was full-term. A lower weight baby may also need this formula, assuming one’s pediatrician thinks your baby needs to grow faster than they currently are for their health.Options include:
Similac Neosure
Enfamil EnfaCare Lipil

Toddler Formula
Plenty of parents want their babies to stay on formula even after the 1 year mark. This is usually for health and growth reasons. Options include:

Similac Go & Grow
Enfamil Next Step Lipil

Specific Baby Formula Differences

If you start to look into any number of baby formulas you’ll start to see certain differences between the brands and what the formulas themselves offer. You may start comparing 2 different formulas and see that one has probiotics and the other does not, for instance. Others out there may have a difference source of fat like soy or coconut oil instead of palm oil in the formula.

Some of the potential differences within baby formulas are:

• Organic Ingredients
• Antioxidants
• Probiotics
• Prebiotics
• DHA and ARA
• Nutrition Comparison

In order to aid you with making your choice between Enfamil vs Similac, let us go ahead and see how these 2 specific brands compare as far as the actual vitamins, minerals, and nutrient content.

Protein, Carbs, Fats, and Calories – The Major Players

These are the 4 biggest focuses in terms of a baby formula. The protein, carbohydrates, fats, and calories are definitely something you need to be aware of. Let’s go ahead and compare 2 of the more popular options to see what differences there are: Enfamil Infant and Similac Advance.
Enfamil Infant
2.1 grams of protein per 100 calories
11.2 grams of carbs per 100 calories
5.3 grams of fat per 100 calories
20 calories per ounce
Similac Advance
2.1 grams of protein per 100 calories
10.7 grams of carbs per 100 calories
5.6 grams of fat per 100 calories
20 calories per ounce
Vitamins and Minerals

Now you’ll want to see a comparison of the vitamins and minerals across these brands and products. Between them there are some things that are the same and certain important notes that are different. Both of these formulas have the same quantity of vitamin A in them, which is needed for development and growth. In addition to this Similac and Enfamil both use the same amounts of calcium and iron in the formulas. Calcium is of course needed for growing bones, among other things, while iron is much needed for psychomotor and cognitive development.

Key differences you need to be aware of:

Enfamil
Contains higher amounts of magnesium, iodine, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.
Contains higher amounts of folic acid, inositol, choline, and pantothenic acid.
Contains higher amounts of vitamins K, B12, E, and C.

Similac
Is a better source of copper.
Contains higher amounts of thiamin, vitamin D, biotin, niacin, and riboflavin.
Enfamil vs. Similac: Let’s Compare Formulas
Let us go ahead and take a closer look at the Enfamil and Similac product lines, and compare the similar formulas they have to see what is different and what is the same.

Similac Advance vs. Enfamil Infant

These 2 formulas are going to be the more standard, basic kinds of infant formulas that you’ll see and possibly use if your baby has no allergies or other concerns that need one of the other options available. Both Similac Advance and Enfamil Infant are the top 2 options available in terms of popularity, and they come with all needed nutrients and fats to help your little one with their growth.

Things That Are Similar
Enfamil and Similac both use vitamin K, choline, and DHA in addition to a prebiotic.
Both contain zero additional sugar.

They are also both made from cow’s milk, and are made with a combination of coconut oil, high oleic safflower oil, and soy oil.

Things That Are Different
There is added lutein in the Similac to help keep eyesight healthy.
The Enfamily formula makes use of palm olein oil since it is a fatty acid that is similar to that of human breast milk. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy on the stomach of little ones.

Similac Sensitive vs. Enfamil Gentlease

The Sensitive and the Gentlease are both intended for those little ones who have issues with spitting up too often, being too fussy, or have issues with gas. They both work for more sensitive stomachs, so which one should you go with?
There are some parents that think the better option for baby is Enfamil Gentlease since it has no sugars added.

Things That Are Similar
They both use corn syrup solids.
They both have a version that is non-GMO.
They both give the same amount of fats, proteins, vitamins, carbs, and water.
Things That Are Different
Similac makes use of milk protein isolate for their “easy to digest” ingredient. However, it is often shown to trigger allergies in little ones.
Similac also has more added sugars and linoleic acid.
Enfamil makes use of whey protein concentrate solids from soy and partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk to aid in more delicate stomachs being able to digest the formula.

Similac Sensitive R.S. vs. Enfamil A.R.

Both Similac and Enfamil A.R. are made for those little ones who tend to have more spit-up than your average baby does. Enfamil makes the claim that the A.R. formula can help to reduce baby spit-up by more than fifty percent, and many parents have confirmed this to be the case. This is most likely due to the fact that this Enfamil product has 2 prebiotics that can help with digestive health, not to mention the fact that this is a thicker than normal formula made to still pass through bottle nipple’s without issue.

As for Similac, many mothers and fathers believes that it helps to reduce spit-ups by babies since it has less cow’s milk products within it. In the even that you believe this is contributing to your baby’s spit-up then the Similac S.R. could be a good option to go with. It is worth noting, though, that it makes heavy use of sugars, which of course could make it be more appealing to babies.

Things That Are Similar
Both have a similar mixture of vitamins and minerals.
Both have sugars that should help to reduce overall fussiness.
Both use a rice starch to help the formula to be thicker.
Things That Are Different

The 1st ingredients listed on Similac’s formula are modified rice starch, vegetable oils, corn syrup, 1 prebiotic, and milk protein isolate.
The 1st ingredients listed on Enfamil’s formula are vegetable oils, lactose, nonfat milk, maltodextrin, and rice starch. They also use 2 prebiotics in their formula.

Similac Soy Isomil vs. Enfamil ProSoBee

In the event that you’re looking for a milk free formula (that is soy based) for a little one having issues with cow’s milk then the options that are most often suggested would be the Similac Soy Isomil and the Enfamil ProSoBee. Both of these options are very soft on the stomach of your baby, who might already be very sensitive to milk as it is.
These are solid formulas for those babies who might be struggling with being able to digest lactose, and who might be colicky. It is also a good option for those vegan based parents who want to skip the animal products in their baby’s diet.
Plenty of mothers and fathers opt for the ProSoBee since it makes use of less sugars. Often sugars are more difficult to break down and digest for babies, but if your little one isn’t enjoying the ProSoBee flavor then think about giving Similac’s Soy Isomil a shot.

Things That Are Similar
They both give your baby all the nutrients they’ll need for proper growth.
They both avoid all milk-based ingredients by using a soy protein isolate.
They both have corn syrup listed as the 1st ingredient.
Things That Are Different
Similac lists their 2nd ingredient as soy protein, and they have a higher linoleic acid level as well as added sugars.
Enfamil lists their 3rd ingredient as soy protein.
Similac Alimentum vs. Enfamil Nutramigen
In the even that your sweet little one is allergic to milk from cows, you might find yourself debating between Similac Alimentum and Enfamil Nutramigen. Each of these is made for those little ones who have symptoms of colic when they consume milk from a cow. Some babies are completely incapable of being able to digest the protein from cow’s milk, while others only have a smaller, more mild aversion.

The Similac Alimentum helps to reduce colic that comes from being too sensitive to the protein in cow’s milk. The claim on this formula is that it will help reduce those symptoms of colic in as little as 1 single day while also boosting overall health. However, it is worthwhile to mention that though the formula is hypoallergenic, it is not completely free of lactose due to it still having certain milk products in it. However, there is no lactose, which can be very difficult to break down and digest.

The claim from Enfamil is that this formula can help to reduce the colic from a cow’s milk allergy in as little as two days. The Nutramigen aids in reducing colic, and it can also aid in reducing allergies to cow’s milk while making sure that your baby is getting all the vitamins they need. This is a formula that is digested easily and is hypoallergenic.

Things That Are Similar
They both make use of sugars to aid in digestion. Similac uses corn maltodextrin, while Enfamil uses corn syrup.
They both make use of casein hydrolysate which are smaller proteins that tend to be easier to digest, though they are derived from cow’s milk.

Things That Are Different
In addition to using corn maltodextrin, Similac also has a higher linoleic acid content as well as added sugars.
In the Enfamil formula they use a modified corn starch in order to make it thicker and theoretically more easy to digest. However, there are some little ones that aren’t able to tolerate this all that well.

Choosing the Correct Formula for Your Infant

Choosing between Enfamil vs Similac is a tough decision to make. Both of these brands have plenty of really great options to use for your sweet little one. If you’re still not certain which you should choose after this article then I’d highly suggest speaking with your pediatrician. They will be better able to give you suggestions as to which formula is going to be a more proper fit for the specific requirements of your baby.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.