After being in the daycare business for over 25 years, I have decided to start supplying the formula for my daycare children. Costco is under “Kirkland brand” and Sam’s Club is under “Members Mark”.
Information that I have found is that Members Mark is a little bit harder to mix up. Kirkland and Members Mark are basically the same ingredients as Similac or Infamil. They both are government approved.
Cost wise Costco formula is about .35 cents an ounce and Sam’s Club was about .45 cents an ounce. On the Costco website it has great reviews so I think I will try the Costco Brand.
For a free sample of Members mark Formula: www.membersmarkformula.com/free_sample.aspx
I also came across a free sample from Wal Mart’s parents choice formula: www.parentschoiceformula.com/sample-milk-baby-formula.aspx
Does anyone have any opinions on using any of these formulas?
Costco has a formula comparison chart here:
| Infant Formula Nutrition Comparison Chart |
|||
| Kirkland Signature Infant Formula |
Enfamil LIPIL |
Similac ADVANCE |
|
| Nutrients/100 Calories |
|||
| Protein g | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.07 |
| Fat g | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.49 |
| Carbohydrate g | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.56 |
| Water g | 133 | 134 | 133 |
| Linoleic Acid mg | 900 | 860 | 1000 |
| Vitamins: | |||
| Vitamin A IU | 300 | 300 | 300 |
| Vitamin D IU | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Vitamin E IU | 1.5 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Vitamin K mcg | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Vitamin B1 mcg | 100 | 80 | 100 |
| Vitamin B2 mcg | 150 | 140 | 150 |
| Vitamin B6 mcg | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Vitamin B12 mcg | 0.25 | 0.3 | 0.25 |
| Niacin mcg | 1050 | 1000 | 1050 |
| Folic Acid mcg | 15 | 16 | 15 |
| Pantothenic Acid mcg | 450 | 500 | 450 |
| Biotin mcg | 4.4 | 3 | 4.4 |
| Vitamin C mg | 9 | 12 | 9 |
| Choline mg | 16 | 24 | 16 |
| Inositol mg | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium mg | 78 | 76 | 78 |
| Phosphorus mg | 56 | 53 | 42 |
| Magnesium mg | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Iron mg | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Zinc mg | 0.75 | 1 | 0.75 |
| manganese mg | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| Copper mcg | 90 | 75 | 90 |
| Iodine mcg | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| Selenium mcg | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| Sodium mg | 22 | 27 | 24 |
| Potassium mg | 83 | 108 | 105 |
| Chloride mg | 63 | 63 | 65 |
| Added Lipids: |
|||
| DHA mg | 17 | 17 | 8 |
| ARA mg | 34 | 34 | 22 |
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We used Member’s Mark Infant Formula for our twins and it was well tolerated along with my breast milk (while it lasted). In all I think it saved us more than $1,400 for the year! My pediatrician said the store brand baby formulas offer the same nutrition as the pricey Enfamil and Similac brands, so I guess it doesn’t matter if you use Costco or Similac. I know Member’s Mark is made in Vermont by PBM, and I believe the Kirkland formula is manufactured by one of the big-brand companies. Good luck!
Thanks for the great info A Catherine. $1,400 is fantastic! I appreciate the insight. Both are very similar, but it’s good to stay on top of what goes into your baby formula, as everyone wants the best for their children.
Hello Iris,
Store brand infant formula sold in bulk-sized cans at club store is a great way to provide nutrition, especially if you own a daycare center. In fact, many health-care professionals are now recommending store brand formulas to patients because they realize that the FDA requires that all infant formula be created equally with respect to the nutrients – and nutrient levels – contained in the formulas. As an Associate Clinical Professor of Nutrition at Weill Cornell College o f Medicine in New York City I have educated new moms about this information for many years. These infant formulas contain DHA the important omega-3 fatty fatty acid necessary for cognitive development and visual acuity. The money saved may help support healthy food choices as your child adds solids to his or her diet.
The authors of Consumer Reports are now recommending parents breast feed or buy store brand formula at retailers because of the cost savings and the premium nutrition. This information can be found in 10th Edition of the Consumer Reports Best Baby Products guide.
Breast milk is the gold standard, however, many women are unable to breast feed for the duration especially if they are on medication, have multiple births or must return to work during these difficult economic times. To save money, there is one solution — store brand infant formula. I am very encouraged that more moms realize that store brand infant formula is equivalent to name brands.
Best,
Dr. Barbara Levine
Thanks A Catherine…did a search on PBM Products and saw on their website that Consumer Reports recently recommended that there is no reason why people should not use store brand formulas, since the nutritional value is the same and the savings, as you mention, are incredible! They apparently make like 95 percent of the store brands out there, including CVS, where we do a ton of our shopping. We weren’t sure about switching to the CVS brand but now are definitely going to do so. Love getting information like this…thanks for sharing it!
We used the Walmart store brand, Parent’s Choice formula for our twins. I couldn’t breast feed.. oh how I wish I could’ve but… We were baffled at the cost of the name brand formulas, so, we did a label comparison while out shopping one day, and saw that the labels were nearly identical. We knew that Parent’s Choice was the right decision. We were able to save about $1400 over the year my girls were using formula. That amounted to a lot of diapers, clothes, and other necessities.
Like meganw said, even Consumer Reports is recommending that consumers purchase the store brands over the national name brands to save money! Of course, breast feeding is best for baby, and will save you the most amount of money… but if you need to or choose to formula feed, I’d really give the Store Brands a look!
I just want to know the formula was made. Was it made in China?
Is it safe?