Having an allergy to milk isn’t all that uncommon, as anyone can develop an allergy to milk. Unfortunately for parents, infants are among the most likely to develop a milk allergy.
Some studies have shown that as many as 2% to 3% of infants are affected by a milk allergy.
This can make parenting particularly difficult and worrisome. As a milk allergy takes both breastfeeding and traditional baby formulas off the baby’s menu.
Luckily, there is a solution, and it comes in the way of infant formulas that ditch the milk protein but still deliver all the nutrition that your child needs.
One such formula is Nutramigen, which is what we’ll be taking a look at in this article.
First of all, we’ll briefly explore what Nutramigen is, before reviewing the feedback from the people who know the product best – the parents who give their infants Nutramigen.
What Is Nutramigen?
Nutramigen is a baby formula made by Enfamil that has hypoallergenic properties.
It’s designed for infants who are allergic to milk. It is also a great choice for infants allergic to soy, as it contains no soy.
As opposed to containing milk protein, which is how infants traditionally get the protein intake they need to be healthy and grow, Nutramigen is mostly made up of very small proteins (mostly amino acids and peptides) known as hydrolyzed casein proteins.
The benefit of using small proteins such as these is that they are particularly easy for your infant to digest.
The formula isn’t totally made up of these proteins, though. Making up about 5% of Nutramigen’s fat content are medium chain triglycerides, which are great for babies suffering from malabsorption.
This is because these are significantly easier to break down than long-chain triglycerides, which are often used in traditional baby formulas.
The Nutritional Value Of Nutramigen
Nutritionally, Nutramigen is very similar to standard baby formulas. When prepared properly, it should contain roughly 20 calories per ounce.
You would expect a traditional baby formula to contain roughly 11.2 grams of carbohydrates, 2.2 grams of protein, and 5.1 grams of fat per five-ounce serving.
In the same five-ounce serving Nutramigen, by comparison, performs well. It actually contains more protein and more fat than standard infant formula, with 2.8 grams of protein and 5.3 grams of fat respectively.
However, Nutramigen offers slightly less in the way of carbohydrates at just 10.3 grams.
Nutramigen also contains many of the same essential fatty acids found naturally in breast milk, DHA and ARA. These are vital for the proper development of your child’s brain and eyesight.
What Do Parents Think?
Positive Reviews On Influenster
There is absolutely no shortage of rave reviews for Nutramigen. On the popular review website Influenster, the product has 4.5 stars out of a possible five from over 1,000 total reviews.
One of the most frequently used terms to describe this product is ‘life saver’. Such is the relief it provides to infants and by extension their parents.
The review rated most helpful on the site, was written by Nicole A. from Las Vegas, and gives the product a resounding five stars out of five.
She was a little disappointed, however, that she couldn’t give the product 100 stars!
She goes on to describe how her infant son was suffering severely from colic and digestive issues after he turned two weeks old, and soy formula was not helping.
That’s where Nutramigen stepped in, and within a week his symptoms had almost completely cleared up.
Nicole, with 187 reviews on the site and with the rank of Mega Parent Expert Level 4, goes on to describe Nutramigen as a ‘miracle’ and a ‘true life saver’.
Stacy A, from Trumann Arkansas, a reviewer with the rank Mega Parent Expert Level 7. She describes her son as ‘a different baby’ after trying Nutramigen.
Because her son was now able to sleep through the night, Stacy can only describe the product as ‘a literal life saver’ that ‘saved (her) sanity’.
Positive Reviews On Amazon
Over on Amazon, the reviews of Nutramigen are even more positive. At the time of writing, the product has an overall rating of 4.7 stars out of five from a total of 8,864 ratings across the world.
Ashley S, reviewing from the United States, also gave the product a rating of 5 stars out of five.
Voted the most helpful positive review on the site, Ashley’s review takes a more balanced approach. She addressed some concerns people have with the formula before ultimately concluding that her ‘daughter did a 180 on this formula’! Having gone from an infant that was clearly suffering to a ‘happy, laughing and comfortable 4-month-old'.
The second most helpful review on the platform comes from Johnny Optimus, reviewed in July 2020.
He gave Nutramigen five stars and observed that it had cleared up his daughter's rashes and eczema within weeks.
The fact that so many people found this observation helpful suggests that Nutramigen is worth a shot if your baby is suffering from unexplained eczema or rashes.
Negative Reviews
Despite Nutramigen’s overwhelmingly favorable reviews, it would be remiss of us not to mention the handful of negative reviews.
Over on Influenster, most of the negative reviewers state that the formula didn’t agree with their infant, giving them an upset stomach and loose stools.
Some point to the inclusion of corn as the problem, exacerbating their child’s digestive issues rather than resolving them.
Other reviewers, like Danyka C- another reviewer with the rank Mega Parent Expert Level 7- gave the product one star and remarked how foul the product smelt, and how bad it made her child’s stools smell.
On Amazon, a similar story unfolds. The most helpful negative review takes aim not at the product itself but the storage. They claimed that it had been left in the sun and caused their child bowel problems.
Another reviewer, going only by ‘Andi’ takes issue with the formula’s ingredients, preferring not to feed her baby a formula made up of 48% corn syrup solids.
Final Verdict
It seems to us as though a pretty clear picture has emerged. If your baby is suffering due to a milk/soy allergy, Nutramigen will help to clear that up in time.
Nevertheless, it’s not a product for everyone- especially if your baby’s colicky symptoms aren't a result of these allergies.
It might not work for every child, but scores of parents call this formula a life-saver for a reason.
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