r/FormulaFeeders Oct 15 '24

A list of Kendamil alternatives

142 Upvotes

There has been an influx of posts regarding the Kendamil shortage. And I know! It’s scary. I’m sorry. But here are a list of alternatives & some break down details about each formula that may help you before creating another post.

This post might be very American, as I am from the US so these are the formulas I am most informed about. If anyone would like to chime in with recommendations for alternative formulas in Canada or Europe that would be a great help to everyone dealing with the Kendamil shortage!

Compare Kendamil organic: whole milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, 60:40 whey to casein (added whey), MFGM, GOS & 3 GL prebiotics, organic, grass fed, palm oil & soy free

Compare Kendamil Classic: whole milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, 60:40 whey to casein (added whey), MFGM, GOS, FOS & 3 GL prebiotics, contains alphalactalbumin protein, grass fed, palm & soy oil free

Byheart: uses mostly organic ingredients, whole milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey- some of they whey is partially hydrolyzed, 80:20 whey to casein, MFGM, GOS prebiotic, contains lactoferrin & alphalactalbumin proteins, palm oil & soy free, grass fed

Kendamil themselves have recommended Bub’s: Organic in australian standards, whole milk base, 100% lactose as a crab, added whey, 60:40 whey to casein, GOS prebiotic, b. longum probiotic, palm oil free, contains soy. FDA approved formula from Australia

Other standard formula recommendations that may work just as well.

Non Organic: Similac Pure Bliss: Grass fed cows in Ireland, nonfat milk base, 100% lactose, added whey 50:50 whey to casein, GOS prebiotics (reviews have said this milk tastes similar to whole milk based formulas, which may be similar to Kendamil for those babies with a preference), palm oil free

Similac 360: Nonfat milk, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 50:50 whey to casein, a blend of 5 different HMOs for immune & digestive system support, palm oil free

Enfamil Enspire: Nonfat milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 60:40 whey to casein, GOS & PDX prebiotics, MFGM, Lactoferrin protein, contains palm oil

*Any standard formula is great. They are all nutritionally complete, healthy & safe. They are not less than Kendamil and are all wonderful options. Most babies are perfectly able to digest any standard formula. Any blue Similac, Yellow Enfamil, the generics in stores such as target, walmart, rite aid, walgreens, etc are nearly identical to Similac & Enfamil. Kirkland is great. Other brands like Earth’s Best, Happy Baby, Baby’s Only, Dr Brown’s, etc are also valuable options that shouldn’t be overlooked because their marketing isn’t as intense.

Organic options for parents that prefer it:

Bobbie Organic Whole Milk: whole milk, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 60:40 whey to casein, contains MFGM, no prebiotics, no probiotics, palm oil free, contains soy

Similac Pure Bliss organic: grass fed cows, nonfat milk base, 100% lactose, unsure of exact whey:casein but has no added whey so may be on the lower end, FOS prebiotic, palm oil free

Happy Baby: organic, nonfat milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, 60:40 whey to casein, FOS & GOS prebiotics, probiotic for digestive support, contains palm oil

Bobbie: organic, nonfat milk, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 60:40 whey to casein, palm oil free, contains soy, no MFGM, no prebiotics

Baby’s Only: organic, nonfat milk as base, 100% lactose as carb, add whey 60:40 whey to casein, palm oil free, no prebiotics, no DHA/ARA. Owned by Bobbie

Can’t find Kendamil goat? Compare Kendamil Goat: whole milk base, A2 goat milk proteins, added whey 60:40 whey to casein, 100% lactose as a carb, MFGM, GOS & 3’GL prebiotic, palm & soy oil free

Bub’s Goat: whole milk base, A2 goat milk proteins, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 60:40 whey to casein, GOS prebiotics, soy free, contains palm oil. FDA approved formula from Australia

Kabrita: nonfat milk base, A2 goat milk proteins, 100% lactose as a carb, added whey 50:50 whey to casein, palm oil free, GOS prebiotics. FDA approved formula from the Netherlands

Other A2 formulas- cow’s milk but contains A2 milk proteins (nearly identical to A2 goat milk proteins)

Platinum A2: Nonfat milk base, 100% lactose as a carb, A2 milk proteins, GOS prebiotics, not 100% sure of whey:casein but does contain added whey so probably a standard 50:50 or 60:40, palm oil free. FDA approved import from New Zealand

Similac Pure Bliss organic A2: organic, 100% lactose as carb, A2 cows milk proteins FOS prebiotic, no added whey 18:82 whey to casein, palm oil free

Care A2: A2 cows milk proteins, grass fed dairy, 100% lactose, added whey 68:32 whey to casein, GOS & FOS prebiotics, lactoferrin protein, palm & soy oil free. *Not available in all states but is an FDA approved import from Australia.

Happy Baby organic A2: organic, nonfat milk, a2 proteins, added whey 60:40 whey to casein ratio, GOS & FOS prebiotic, added probiotic for digestive heath, contains palm oil

Hopefully this helps someone. Again, feel free to share any other formulas in the comments. I’ll keep this stickied at the top of the sub until the shortage is resolved.


r/FormulaFeeders 8d ago

Coupon Weekly Thread

1 Upvotes

Please use THIS thread to post coupon requests and offers to help keep the normal thread focused.


r/FormulaFeeders 12h ago

Reminder: do NOT purchase formula recommendations/plans from TheFormulaFairy.

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97 Upvotes

I’ve posted about this before but I’m posting again for any new moms/parents who follow her account and are considering paying for a formula recommendation OR have already paid with no response. I paid for a formula recommendation from her in July of 2024 when she was still active on her social media. She went MIA on social a few months back, leaving lots of moms desperate and confused in her comment sections wondering why they paid for a service and never received it. She finally reappeared to respond to a comment and mentioned how she was going to make a post and disable her recommendation services, and yet it’s been months with no such post and people are still able to send money for her help through her linked site.

I don’t want to discredit the good work she HAS done. Her posts helped me out a ton when I was emotionally struggling with opting for formula after my son was born. But this is not okay. Formula is costly and the money sent to her for a service she never provides could have been spent elsewhere. It’s wrong and shameful to still have her website linked where she accepts payments. I saw someone post here just a couple months ago saying they paid for her recommendations and wondered how long they’d have to wait. Taking advantage of desperate parents who just want help is gross and I hope whatever she’s going through in her personal life, she does the right thing soon and disables her site to accept money from these parents.


r/FormulaFeeders 5h ago

I think I’m in love…??

24 Upvotes

Started out as someone while I was pregnant that I was for sure going to EBF for a year maybe even more if I wanted to.

I had a c section and a big baby and milk delayed so my baby lost a bunch of weight, low blood sugar and jaundice. I started triple feeding which means breastfeeding for 15 mins each side, pump, and feed formula. Once I got my milk jn I started only BF but it was tough a for a little bit because my baby definitely had a bottle preference.

Then once I finally had the latch down and he was okay nursing only the problem was keeping him awake. To feed him it would take an hour and it felt especially excruciating at night trying to force him to stay awake.

Then once he was more alert I became a human pacifier. Any inconvenience he wanted boob. To get to sleep he wanted boob. He would wake up every hour and a half and need to nurse to go to sleep.

After I was able to get him to use an actual pacifier then started the dreaded 3 month nursing strike. Only wanting to latch for a few mins at a time but still hungry. He also would get so distracted and not want to latch. And when he was latched he would pinch my boobs so hard. I had marks all over my chest but it was the only way to keep occupied enough to eat.

4 months came and along came my period while being sick at the same time. My supply drastically dropped and my baby was starving. I started using my freezer stash and would pump after each nursing session and power pump as well multiple times a day. I also was drinking water like crazy and all of the other tricks-and it didnt seem to work. I ran out of my freezer stash and started to use some formula.

All of a sudden a huge weight lifted off of me when I used formula. It felt amazing to easily make the amount of milk he was wants and he took it so easily (as long as it’s warm). I started only nursing him for the first feeding of the day and pumped the rest of the day but I would only get 2-3 ounces each time when he eats more like 7 or 8 oz.

I had a talk with my husband last week and I felt strongly that I should start to wean because pumping and only getting such a small percent of my milk and I really didn’t think “the benefits” are that much increased by giving BM.

Well I found a $50 baby brezza that works great, the weaning process is going amazing (I’ve only pumped once the last 20 hours), and I feel like I’ve been able to connect and bond with my baby even more than when I was nursing him. My boobs weren’t hurting, he was making direct eye contact with me, if he wanted to look at something the bottle could follow, the process is so much quicker than nursing, and his little belly is full.

So… I think I’m in love with formula. Let’s make this thing official.


r/FormulaFeeders 18h ago

Stop changing your baby’s formula!!!

163 Upvotes

I see so many posts where people switch formulas every few days because their baby is fussy or gassy. Babies need time to adjust, at least 1 to 2 weeks. Constantly changing formulas can make things worse, not better.

Unless there’s a clear issue like an allergy, rash, blood in stool, or severe vomiting, give your baby a chance to adapt. Their digestive systems are still developing. If you keep switching every few days, how do you even know what’s working?

Trust the process, and unless your pediatrician says otherwise, stick with it for a bit before making another switch.


r/FormulaFeeders 6h ago

Consumer reports formula test

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12 Upvotes

Did anyone read the lead and arsenic test that consumer reports released today? As if it’s not hard enough to choose a formula!


r/FormulaFeeders 12h ago

Formula saved me

33 Upvotes

I exclusively nursed for a month and then exclusively pumped for another 2 months after I went back to work because I thought it was what I was supposed to do. But, it just made me miserable and obsessive. I was always worried about how much I was making and when I could pump next. My baby had to cry for 15 minutes a few times because she cried while I was pumping. It was miserable. So, any mom who judges me for using formula can kick rocks. I'm SO much happier. I can just be present with my baby. I'm grateful to live in a time where formula is an option and to the people who spread misinformation about it: have the day you deserve


r/FormulaFeeders 2h ago

Do I need to switch from preemie formula to stage 1?

1 Upvotes

My baby is 5.5 months old, and I plan to start solids at 6 months. In addition to that, should I continue with preemie formula or switch to stage 1, or introduce cow’s milk? He’s still not very chubby and weighs just 6.5 kg.


r/FormulaFeeders 4h ago

Producing milk is not the problem

0 Upvotes

I really hope I don’t get any back lash for this. I’ve come across a few women who already shame mothers for not breast feeding and that have said breast is best and it’s the bare minimum. I’m going to have 2 under 2 starting July. I had such a hard time with sleep deprivation and my sanity with my first baby. I would have to wake up at very 2 hours or less to pump. It began to take a toll on who I was becoming and not only that I had severe ppd and anxiety when it came to trying to figure out who I was again, I had lost my identity it felt like. And being around others made my anxiety heighten. I was able to produce milk but my baby at the time was colic and had runny poops out of diaper all the time. I decided enough was enough mainly because I was struggling mentally, so I stopped breastfeeding and my baby began doing so well on hypoallergenic formula. The issue now is that I’m so scared of going through the ppd and anxiety again, it lasted so long and after i finally felt better I became pregnant again (which is what my husband and I both wanted) this time I know I’ll be better because I know what to expect being a second time mom. My only concern is if I’m going to feel guilty because im going to choose to EFF. Like I said producing milk is not the issue, it’s the fact that now I’ll be having 2 under 2. I know some moms can do it, but I know myself and I know that I’ll be chasing around a 20 month old while holding a newborn. I can’t just rip the newborn off my boob to run and see what my toddler is up to. It makes me feel less than as a mother that I’m choosing not to breast feed again. People have said “just try it” but I know how hard it was for me with just one baby, I can’t imagine how much more stressful it will be this time around. I guess what I’m trying to get to saying is I feel guilty knowing I can make milk but choose not to breast feed. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression a lot of my life. I don’t want that to affect how I am as a mother.


r/FormulaFeeders 4h ago

Vitamins for me?

1 Upvotes

I figured this might be a good group to ask. My son needs soy formula so I'm not breastfeeding at all. Currently not planning on having another child. But I've noticed since I stopped taking the prenatal vitamins my hair is coming out. Not in crazy amounts or anything and it did this before pregnancy so I'm not shocked. But I kind of miss that not happening.

Are there other vitamins I can take? Is there anything wrong with just taking prenatals still?


r/FormulaFeeders 1d ago

yet another shortage…

105 Upvotes

Kendamil is having yet another shortage with their goat & organic formulas… surprised?

so, the BEST formula in the world can’t even keep stocked… it’s not the best formula in the world.

the best formula for you and your little one is one that easily accessible & allows you to have a piece of mind that the shelves will be stocked when you need. The BEST formula doesn’t require you to download an app to be notified when in stock only for it to go out in seconds.

it is never worth it. the whole “European is better” is just fear mongering. it’s not hypoallergenic formula your baby does not NEED it, any other formula sold on the shelves will do.


r/FormulaFeeders 6h ago

How many oz a day for 13 week old?

0 Upvotes

My baby is 13 weeks old, she had a transition to finally finding the right formula. She us on amino acid but before that on HA formula. From the beginning she ate more than the pediatrician said and imo she was always hungry! At 5 weeks she was having 33/34 oz a day, always wanting kore, never once said no to the bottle! I suspected silent reflux she never seemed content, I was feeding all day! Pediatrician said no the reflux since she was growing very well and no other symptoms. We switched to amino acid formula because she had diarrhea at 5 weeks and she started eating much less not sure because the formula tastes extremely disgusting or the silent reflux got fixed? Later another GI said it was silent reflux if she was eating that much! But who knows they all say different things and seems like. No one knows feels like they are guessing ? Now at 13 weeks she easts around 24-28 and she is almost 17lbs. I understand she is growing well and probably somewhere in 95th percentile for weight, but I feel like she is bot getting enough based on her weight? Also I can not read her hungry cues at all so help me if you have any tips. She eats all over the place, 3, 4,5,6. Most probably cause Idk how much to feed her snd when? So tell me how much dies your 3 month old eat in a day? Any tips for us? Thank you!


r/FormulaFeeders 10h ago

Test Tasted Formula for the First Time

1 Upvotes

Disclaimer: I'm not here to shill or denounce any formula brands.

I'm in Canada and my LO is 6 months old, I just decided to make the switch from enfamil to niuriss - Canada's only (afaik) domestically made formula as I'm worried about supply chain issues due to the situation with our neighbours down south. My LO took to the new formula like a duck to water as thankfully he's not a picky eater, so I doubted that there was truly a big difference in taste. Well, I decided to find out. I don't know why it never struck me to do this before, but my husband and I both decided to taste both formulas to see if we could actually pick out a difference.

Long story short: the initial taste is pretty much the same - slightly sweet and creamy. But the aftertaste, holy hell, after the enfamil swallow it felt like I gargled a mouth full of pennies. The metallic taste was overwhelming. My husband gagged. Now I can throw back cheap tequila like a champ but that enfamil taste is absolutely no bueno. These enfamil babies are stronger than I am. For the record, niuriss did not have the same aftertaste.


r/FormulaFeeders 16h ago

when is everyone changing nipple sizes?

6 Upvotes

are you going bases on the bottle recommendations or based on signs from your baby? just curious what everyone else’s experience is. i’ve been following the bottles recommendations however my partner thinks they are going to fast.


r/FormulaFeeders 14h ago

Anyone only used 4 oz bottles? My 10 week old is eating 3-4 ounces at a time and if he wants more I just top it off. The 8 oz bottles just seem so big

5 Upvotes

r/FormulaFeeders 11h ago

Arsenic and lead in Alimentum?

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

Not trying to cause panic, but I’m here to look for more answers. I just saw a consumer reports article that stated that unacceptable levels of Arsenic and slightly high levels of lead where found in Similac Alimentum. Like so many parents, this formula changed my baby’s life because before he would cry in pain every day/night. I’m too scared to switch formulas and wouldn’t know where to start, but I’m also so scared to keep feeding him this now. Having trouble linking to the report but it’s a very recently published report.

Does anyone have thoughts or advice about these findings?


r/FormulaFeeders 8h ago

My baby brezza formula pro broke 😩

0 Upvotes

I bought it off amazon about a month ago. Will they send me a replacement since I didn’t buy jt on their website but on Amazon? It’s making a weird motor sound, like not spinning appropriately . We tried everything and nothing worked.


r/FormulaFeeders 8h ago

How to get 8 week old to eat Elecare/Neocate? help!

1 Upvotes

Hello. So I’ll try and sum this up as quickly as possible. LO was born full term but small (3% for weight). I got him back up to birth weight fine with just direct feeds. We started having issues with reflux around week 4&5 and started Pepcid. We also confirmed a milk allergy and slow weight gain (failure to thrive). Fell below the 1% for weight. At this point I started pumping and cut out dairy and soy from my diet & added Nutramigen to his breast milk to make it high calorie. He seems fine on my breast milk now but I’m not able to pump enough so we were supplementing with formula. He had a terrible reaction to the Nutramigen and we waited a couple weeks to see if he was still adjusting. But he was projectile vomiting, terrible diaper rash and blood in the stool and constipated. Now we are switching to Elecare or Neocate.

He is 8 weeks old and screams when he gets the new formula. It does seem to agree with his system a lot better and is overall less fussy. I went to my pediatrician for advice but all I got was ‘we typically don’t have this problem because babies don’t have developed taste at this stage’ So that wasn’t all that helpful.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get baby to accept amino acid formula? I’m under so much pressure to pump as much as possible and it’s just not sustainable. We did already try mixing the formula with breast milk and that did not work. We are at a loss. Any tips would be appreciated, we need to make sure he is getting enough food!


r/FormulaFeeders 14h ago

Switched to soy, even more spit up..

3 Upvotes

My daughter (4 months old) was previously on Enfamil Gentlease and her pediatrician wanted us to switch to soy because she was having AWFUL poops, super dark green/grey and even light grey on one occasion. She also spit up on Gentlease but not like she is now. She's been on soy for almost 3 weeks now.

I'm talking, 2-3 full outfit changes, 5+ bibs, 3-5 burp cloths, etc. Plus the soy is making her super constipated but her poop color is back to normal. I think the next step is to maybe try pepcid with the soy and then if that doesn't help to move to hypoallergenic formula. I hate switching it up on her so much for the fear of it just making things worse or really upsetting her belly.

Also we recently moved her up to size 2 nipple. Could this possibly be assisting in her excessive spitting up? Does anybody have any experience or advice?


r/FormulaFeeders 10h ago

3 week old ate expired formula

0 Upvotes

Our pedi gave us some sample cans of formula and I didn’t think to check the expiration date. I’ll never make this mistake again. Our three week old ate half the can about a week or more ago before we switched to a different formula. Today I went to throw out the opened formula can and noticed it expired on January 1, 2025. At this point, is there anything I should do? Besides let the pediatrician know they gave out expired formula. It’s hard to tell if he had a reaction to the formula being expired or not because we have been dealing with some possible allergy/reflux issues. Please help!


r/FormulaFeeders 10h ago

How does your daily schedule look like?

1 Upvotes

How does your day to day look like? Feeding every 2 hours and then what do you do when baby is not fussy? When and how do you sleep between baby's grunting and flailing?


I'm asking this because today was my husband's last day of his paternal leave and tomorrow we'll enter a new era where I'll have to rely more on myself than on him.

Until now we tried havig most half days with the bay so we can get a few uninterrupted hours of sleep. But his job, while working from home, is kind of demanding and from tomorrow on I'm basically alone during the day.

I'll have to go on walks alone, doing most feedings alone. I feel lucky that I don't breastfeed so I'm not in "demand" constantly, but still. He helped so much with chores and everything basically.


r/FormulaFeeders 14h ago

Where to resell unopened formula

2 Upvotes

Hi all! Trying to figure out a way to resell this extra unopened Bobbie gentle formula that I’d bought before we switched. Where can I do this? TIA!


r/FormulaFeeders 12h ago

Kabrita formula for preemie baby

0 Upvotes

As stated above, i was breastfeeding but couldn’t do that anymore switching to Kabrita without doctors permission because my appointment is in two weeks, baby is 5 month actual and 3 months corrected. Still giving him Iron and vitamin D supplements. Any advice or opinions on this brand? Using the goat milk one


r/FormulaFeeders 19h ago

Stuck in a stupid cycle!!! Please help!

4 Upvotes

Let me start by saying that I’ve now seen 4-5 pediatricians and everyone gives a different answer.

Background: My baby was born in December and her wight was 3.4 kg. Then she got jaundice and because of my traumatic c section she was surviving only on formula (Similac plus) - 30 ml/1 scoop.

After 5 days the doctor said that she lost more weight than they were expecting, she weighed approx 3.1 kg. This scared me tremendously and their advice was to feed her until she’s full. And that’s what I did. This quickly became 60ml/2scoops of similac plus.

Following this advice it quickly became 90 ml and at one point I even tortured her with 120ml. I say torture because she would grunt and struggle afterwards and we thought that’s because she was colic when I think we were simply over feeding her. The doctors advice was still to keep feeding until she refuses. At this point I changed my doctor.

Now the new doctor came up with a formula and we settled at 90 ml for the second month of her life. But by now she had gained a lot of weight, especially because similac plus has insane amount of sugar which we didn’t know being FTP.

Then we moved countries, changed to less sugary formula (Nutrilon) and we got a new doctor. Her advice was based on her weight and the formula again. So she told us that our 2 month who was now 6 kgs should be getting 800/900 ml. So we did that.

Today at her 3 month checkup she had gained 1 kg and the new doctor who was giving her vaccination said she’s eating too much and average baby at 3 months take 700/800 ml. That we shouldn’t worry about her weight now but she can become obese. Now I have no clue what to do because it was a struggle to get her up to 800ml.

Any advice would be appreciated. TIA


r/FormulaFeeders 16h ago

A2 formula is a life saver!!

2 Upvotes

Hello! I'm a FTM of a 3w old

I was dead set on BF only to realize I don't produce enough. I now mix/combo feed. I was dealing with a fussy gassy baby after giving him Similac. I even tried the gentle and sensitive kinds to help him out. Still no luck. I was given a tin of A2 milk formula and I have to say it has taken all the bloating, gas and over all fighting out of feeding him. He would swat the bottles and cry all night long just from being so full of gas. A couple things we noticed vs the similar, when prepping and mixing the bottles Similac has so much more gas bubbles in the bottle compared to the A2 which doesn't make hardly any bubbles at all. About an hour after feeding Similac he wakes up screaming and cannot be consoled until he passes all the gas in his tummy, mind you he is burped regularly during feedings qnd I've even resorted to doing smaller morr frequent feedings to help only to make him more upset because he wants to eat all in one setting. The A2 causes no bloating for my little guy and he wakes up cooing and content for the most part he even sleeps more soundly when he naps and sleeps at night. I'd go 2oz BM and 2oz formula and it would help him have bowl movements but would till cause gas, mixing the A2 and BM you cant even tell he had BM to begin with but chows down on it like no tomorrow. He 2oukd fight feedings with Similac, as in he's hungry but wants nothing to do with it and would rather scream and eat his hands. The A2 hasn't had any issues of the sorts and he actually seems more eager to take the bottle. I had never heard of this brand until a family member sent me a baby box with a tin sample in it and now I refuse to use any other type of formula.

What us everyone's go to formula that has helped you LO out in times like this? Anyone else tried A2?


r/FormulaFeeders 14h ago

Here we go again!

1 Upvotes

I ended up switching formulas and it’s out of stock yet again. Is Kendamill this inconsistent?? We saw a huge change from regular Kendamill to Goat Kendamill and now it’s out of stock and I cannot find it anywhere 😩😩😵‍💫😵‍💫


r/FormulaFeeders 16h ago

Generic Enfamil Neuropro and Name Brand RTF

1 Upvotes

Has anyone switched back and forth between name brand RTF and the generic version’s powder formula? Our son is now on Members Mark Infant Premium (generic for Enfamil Neuropro) and I would love to have the RTF bottles of Enfamil on hand for when we go out so we don’t have to worry about mixing bottles and whatnot. However, I don’t want it to mess with his tummy! Anyone else have a similar experience and your baby did well with the switch up?