When it’s your first baby or not, there are always questions. Baby’s come with a lot of rules and no instruction manual. It’s mind boggling. Formula is a great example. For instance, when it comes to formula feeding you might be wondering ‘can I use Enfamil Infant for a newborn or is that bad for them? In this article we will explore the subject in a little more depth to help you to determine if Enfamil Infant is safe for your child. Let’s get started.
Enfamil Newborn vs. Infant : What’s the difference?
While formula products such as Enfamil’s line have age-ratings to help you determine which one you should be feeding your baby, there is generally a bit of wondering on your part as to what exactly are the differences in them. Let’s discuss some of the primary ingredients and give some comparison ratios for both.
What is the difference between Newborn and Infant formula: Protein
First, let’s discuss protein. Important for your growing baby in a number of ways, the protein content in your baby formula is certainly one something we will want to scrutinize. By comparison, here are the amounts:
- Enfamil Newborn – Enfamil Infant has a protein content of 2.1 grams for every 100 calories consumed. This is slightly higher than the infant formula as your baby need a little more protein at this time.
- Enfamil Infant – Enfamil infant has a protein content of 2 grams for every 100 calories ingested. This is a good ratio for your growing infant.
The difference between Enfamil Newborn and Enfamil Infant: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another important factor with your baby’s development. Sadly, While Enfamil Newborn meets the daily vitamin D requirements Enfamil Infant contains a lower amount of this vitamin. As such, pediatricians recommend that if you are feeding Enfamil Infant to your baby that you supplement their vitamin D if they are consuming less than a liter per day. Here is how they measure up to each other:
- Enfamil Newborn – Enfamil Newborn contains 75 IU for every 100 calories consumed. This is a good amount of vitamin D for your baby’s needs.
- Enfamil Infant – Enfamil Infant falls a little short in the vitamin D department, providing only 60 IU for every 100 calories consumed. Most likely you will need to supplement the vitamin D to increase to proper levels.
Enfamil Newborn vs. Infant : Whey to Casein ratio
Another important source of vitamins for your baby, the whey to casein ratio of your
” Enfamil Newborn is meant to mimic breast milk as much as possible.”
baby formula is important. So how do these two compare? Quite differently, as it were. Enfamil Newborn is meant to mimic breast milk as much as possible and so it scores higher in the whey ratio. Here are the statistics:
- Enfamil Newborn – As mentioned before, Enfamil Newborn is designed to mimic breast milk as much as possible. As such, the whey to casein ratio is higher than you will find in the infant formula. Thus Enfamil Newborn has an 80/20 ratio of whey vs. casein.
- Enfamil Infant – Enfamil Infant has a more balanced amount of whey and casein ratios in order to accommodate baby’s changing requirements and the slow journey to eating solids. Enfamil Infant’s ratio is 60/40, respectively, for the whey vs. casein comparison.
Is Enfamil Infant good for newborns?
While the differences nutritionally are fairly minute, due to the larger amounts of whey, standard protein, and Vitamin D we would recommend only Enfamil Newborn for your newborn. In a pinch you can use Enfamil Infant if no other option is available but we do not recommend doing this regularly. With the higher casein levels it may be a little harder on baby’s stomach and nutritionally the Newborn formula is simply much better suited for your child’s needs.
Other important ingredients in Enfamil
Enfamil has made a name for itself over the years and for good reason. Their formula contains a number of useful components to aid in baby’s growth and development for up to the first year of life. Some other ingredients of note in this product are iron, DHA, choline, and dual prebiotics in order to strengthen baby’s immune system.
Notes when switching from breast milk to formula
If you are switching your baby from breast milk to formula there may be a bit of an adjustment period. As formula is a little harder on the stomach than natural breast milk you may notice a little stiffness or bloating in the child’s stomach. Warm baths or light massage several times a day can help with this. It may be associated with constipation but the massage and bath should still help. If baby’s poop schedule changes then you might also try a teaspoon of prune juice if your baby is over 3 months old to soften the stools (formula can make them a bit more solid, unfortunately, and this can stress baby). Lastly, if your baby is having discolored stools after changing to formula (white, grey, watery, with blood streaks, or accompanied by mucus) then you should visit your pediatrician to see if another formula or course of action is recommended. Likely your baby is going to adapt to formula just fine but we want to make sure that you have all of the information that you need for a happy and healthy switch to formula.
In closing
In this article we have discussed the difference factors found in Enfamil Newborn when compared to Enfamil Infant. While some of the differences are minute, this does not mean that they are insignificant. These formulas are designed to fit specific needs of your child at various ages and stages of development. As such, we recommend that only feed your child the formulas that are listed in their age range for best results. This can help to ensure that you are getting the proper ratio of vitamins that your baby needs at that particular time. Happy feedings, folks!
