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Maybe nursing is not working for you. You were really interested to breastfeed your baby through their first year, but you’re facing a few challenges. You’re upset.
You decided to seek expert help and they advised you to feed your babe infants formula. After much thought, you have settled on Similac and Gerber.
Now you’re in a dilemma – which brand to choose? You want to be sure your decision will not be regrettable.
Not to worry. Both Similac and Gerber closely mimic the nutritional value provided by mother’s breast milk.
Types of Baby Formula
Your choice will be based on Several factors. If you don’t know your baby yet, there are formula options for colic or fussiness, sensitive tummy, cow milk allergy, and babies intolerant to lactose.
With that in mind, we’ll look at different formula choices so you know the one to switch to if you notice your little one is having trouble with a particular option. Let’s get started.
1. Gentle Formulas for Sensitive Tummy
Gerber and Similac offer specialized formulas for children experiencing tummy issues, colic, gas, crying and fussiness.
Options for babies facing this issues are Gerber Good Start SoothePro and Similac Pro-Total Comfort. Parents report reduced crying spans by up to 50 percent just after 24 hours of switching to these variants.
2. Formulas Best for Supplementing
Best formulas for supplementing by Gerber and Similac are Gerber Good Start Gentle and Similac pro advance. Both are great options when it takes a little longer for milk to come in and for nursing mothers who do not produce sufficient breastmilk.
Great thing about these formulas is that you can start supplementing from day one all through his first year. Both brands use HMO and DHA which is why they’re closest to mother’s breastmilk.
You may also switch to these formulas if your child experience colic, fussiness, gas and upset tummies.
3. Hypoallergenic Formulas
Gerber extensive HA and Similac Alimentum were both created for kids allergic to cow milk proteins. Inside these formulas is whey protein that has been broken into tiny particles so the baby does not have problems digesting the formula.
Parents say both Gerber extensive HA and Similac Alimentum help deal with constipation, tummy problems, acid reflux, spit up and severe colic.
You may also switch to plant based versions such as Gerber Good Start Plant Based Soy and Similac Soy Isomil if your child is sensitive to lactose or whey proteins in infant formula.
Gerber vs Similac: Overview
Gerber formula is modelled after the nutritional value of breastmilk to help newborns and infants grow up healthy when the mother is ill or she has issues nursing.
The brand has several line of formulas to cater for little ones in the different stages as below:
Stage 1: For newborns 0 up 12 months
Stage 2: For babies 6 up to 12 months
Stage 3: Older babies 12 up to 24 months
Similac formula is the number one infant milk formula brand suggested by pediatrics and hospitals alike. When shopping, you’ll mostly find:
- Newborn Stage: 0 up to 3 months
- Infant Formula: birth -12 months
Similarities
- Both brands use comfort proteins so it’s much simple to break down by the little tummies. Not only that, Lactose content is very low.
- Both Similac and Gerber offer customers many variants to assist on different feeding issues.
- Both Similac and Gerber are blended with Prebiotics, DHA and all necessary vitamins and nutrients to offer complete nutrition for healthy growth.
- Both meet set out FDA regulations.
- Both brands are purely non-GMO.
Differences
One notable difference between Similac and Gerber is the ingredients in each formula. For example, some Gerber variants contains Probiotic L. reuteri, an ingredient we don’t find in Similac. When we look as Similac, there is Lutein for eye development while Gerber does not.
I also find Similac to have more formula variants than Gerber. Speaking of price, Similac line of formulas are charged less than the Gerber brand.
Pros
Gerber:
- No-GMO ingredients
- Different formula options
Similac:
- Purely non-GMO
- Many formula variants for vast baby issues
- Number one brand recommended by pediatrics
Cons
Gerber:
- Slightly expensive
Similac:
- Some brands are pricey
Similac or Gerber: Which One to Buy?
I feel both Similac and Gerber are equally good in as far as nutritional value is concerned. So, you won’t go wrong whether you pick Gerber or Similac.
Both are FDA approved and purely non-GMO. Their difference is so small that they’ll unlikely to affect how your baby grows.
In the end, it’s difficult to predict what variant you should give your little one. It all boils down to how the baby reacts to the building blocks in the infant formula and the one they prefer.