Before I tell you my experience with them, I want to give a little disclaimer. This is just MY experience with them. Ultimately it comes down to using what works best for your little one. My daughter uses just the regular old formula.....not soy or anything like that.
We started out with Similac because samples were given to me for free at the hospital when my daughter was born. We had no physical problems with the formula. My daughter tolerated it very well. However, we did have a lot of problems with globs of the powder getting stuck in the nipple of the bottle, or at the bottom. Also, the powder itself was normally quite clumpy in the can making it a little difficult to make sure we were getting an accurate amount of powder for the formula. I would buy the pre-mixed bottles for when we were on the go. These bottles were GREAT because we were using 6 0z. bottles at the time and the premixed either came in the 8 oz minis, which you could attach a standard sized nipple (although not the Playtex VentAire nipples as they are designed differently than most others) to if you were so inclined and they had a screw top lid to store any excess formula. The bigger bottle of pre-made formula was much the same in that it comes in a plastic bottle with a screw top lid.
We then switched to Enfamil after being given a few free cans of it from a friend. Enfamil was a bit more granular in nature. I didn't have the clumping problem that I did with Similac, nor did I have a problem with clogged nipples or clumps of formula powder in the bottom of the bottle. My daughter tolerated the formula quite well. The pre-mixed Enfamil formula actually comes in cans. By the time we made the switch from Similac, my daughter was using 8-9 oz. bottles that can accommodate the full can. It would be a bit less useful for those moms using the smaller bottles, so I always recommend just buying the bigger bottles in the beginning if you're planning on using Enfamil. The company also sells pre-measured powder formula packets. Those are GREAT for a diaper bag. I highly recommend it.
The Kirkland brand of formula at Costco looks and acts exactly like Similac right down to the clumpy mess that it makes. While it is a very good value for the price, I haven't bought more simply because of the mess that it makes. However, if you're feeding your baby Similac and want to save some money, get yourself a Costco membership and stock up on this product! The savings alone will make the membership fee worth it!
The Target brand was basically the same as the Kirkland brand. It looks and acts exactly like Similac with a savings of almost half! It's great if you're in an economic pinch and need something to get you through until payday!
Sorry if the writing is poor. My daughter is crawling all over the place and it has literally taken me all day to finish this!
I also wanted to add that if you use Similac or Enfamil, you can go to their websites and sign up for their clubs. As a member of these clubs, they will send you $5 off coupons practically every month. Every little bit helps!
