Skip to Content

Enfamil AR vs Gentlease: Which Formula is Best?

Enfamil AR vs Gentlease: Which Formula is Best?
Latest posts by Keith Lindner (see all)

Having a baby is hard enough, but when you have a baby who is fussy because of tummy troubles, it’s even worse. Infants have more sensitive stomachs (sensitive tummy) than adults do, and it’s quite common for them to be extra gassy or irritable when their stomach hurts.

There are a lot of formula solutions designed to help combat fussy tummies. Enfamil AR and Gentlease are just two of the options. They’re both made by Enfamil, one of the top formula manufacturers in the United States.

Each works differently to help babies with feeding difficulties, so one may be better than the other for your child.

Bottom Line Up Front Summary: We encourage you to TRY BOTH to see what works best, BUT if we had to pick which one to try first, we recommend Enfamil AR a shot first.

Our Pick
Enfamil A.R. Infant Formula | Enfamil

Even though BOTH options are great we chose the Enfamil Baby Formula as a slightly better option which is ideal for babies who are otherwise healthy, whereas Similac would be better for babies that have health or other developmental issues.

Check Price Buy at Target
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Main Differences Between Enfamil AR vs Gentlease

The main differences between Enfamil AR vs Gentlease are:

  • Enfamil AR has a thicker consistency than foams and bubbles when mixed with water, whereas Enfamil Gentlease doesn’t.
  • Enfamil AR tends to do a better job of helping underweight babies gain weight, whereas Enfamil Gentlease is gentler on the stomach.
  • Enfamil AR works to prevent spit up and reflux issues, whereas Enfamil Gentlease can help reduce gas and fussiness in as little as 24 hours 

Enfamil AR

Enfamil AR is proven to help relieve reflux in babies. It’s normal for all babies to spit up, but excessive spit up or vomiting shouldn’t happen five times or more a day. If this is the case, it may be time to try something that’s more gentle on the stomach.

Enfamil AR has a thick consistency that is easier to keep down because it’s heavier. While many parents resort to adding rice cereal to the bottle, it’s not recommended for babies younger than three or four months.

Rice also adds unnecessary empty calories that don’t offer any additional benefit. Instead, Enfamil AR is a safe way to thicken your baby’s formula and help with reflux issues. Plus, it’s rich in all of the nutrients your baby needs in the first year.

Enfamil claims that their AR formula can help to reduce spit-up by 50%, but the results will vary based on a lot of different factors.

Main ingredients

Enfamil AR is comprised of several main ingredients including:

  • Non-fat milk
  • Vegetable oil (including soy, sunflower, coconut, and palm)
  • Calcium carbonate
  • Probiotics

These ingredients offer all of the nutrients your baby needs, they result in a thicker formula to reduce spit up, and they enhance digestive health. It can also help your baby gain weight if the excessive spit up has him or her struggling to maintain a healthy weight.

All of the ingredients are natural and the infant formula does not contain any artificial flavors or additives.

Forms

Enfamil AR comes in both liquid and powder form and in several different dosing options. The liquid form comes in individual serving sizes of 2 ounces and the powder comes in tubs and packets.

The liquid is a good solution for those who are on the go because you don’t have to add water. They’re premixed and easy to feed at room temperature. The convenient serving sizes mean you deal with very little waste because your baby will likely finish the entire bottle before it goes bad.

The liquid also helps cut down on the bubbling and foaming you might deal with when using the powder. Because the formula is thicker, it bubbles and foams quite a bit when mixing it with water.

enfamil infant formula

The powder is the more affordable route to pursue if you’ll be in places where you can mix up your baby’s bottles when you need them. The powder comes in several different sizes including plastic tubs and large tins.

You can also get powder packets that are pre-measured and easy to dump into a bottle of water when needed. They’re a great portable solution when you don’t want to bring the whole tub of formula with you.

It’s important to follow the ratio of water to powder accurately for the right consistency and amount of nutrients in a bottle. Too much powder will result in something too thick for your baby to drink safely and too little powder will make reflux worse.

Our Pick
Enfamil A.R. Infant Formula | Enfamil

Even though BOTH options are great we chose the Enfamil Baby Formula as a slightly better option which is ideal for babies who are otherwise healthy, whereas Similac would be better for babies that have health or other developmental issues.

Check Price Buy at Target
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Enfamil Gentlease

enfamil gentlease

If your baby is fussy or gassy, it could be because he’s having a hard time digesting the formula he’s currently on. When suffering from an upset stomach, your baby can be very difficult to calm or take care of.

It’s important to try switching to something that is a bit gentler on the stomach. Enfamil Gentlease is made from simple proteins that are easier for babies to digest. Complex proteins, like those found in other formulas, are fine for babies with more mature stomachs, but many babies benefit from something more gentle, even if they don’t struggle with an upset stomach often.

Gentlease is a step in the right direction if your baby is unusually fussy and you don’t know why. It’s important to give it a try first before resulting in extreme measures like soy formula or a specialty formula that is much more expensive.

Main ingredients

Enfamil Gentlease consists of a simple protein ratio that includes whey and casein in a 60:40 split. Before it’s added to the formula, it’s broken down and patterned after breast milk, making it more digestible. It also has docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acid, which are also found in breast milk. Mimicking breast milk makes it easier to digest and aids in brain and eye development.

It’s formulated with these ingredients so that your baby gets all of the nutrients he needs in his first year of life. All of the ingredients are natural and there are no artificial flavors. These ingredients are also designed to alleviate pain, gas, and fussiness within the first 24 hours. However, your results may vary depending upon whether this formula works for your baby’s digestive issues.

Forms

enfamil neuro pro Just like Enfamil AR, Gentlease comes in both a liquid and a powder. The liquid is a great solution for those who are on the go more than at home because it’s premixed. You don’t have to make a bottle when your child gets hungry because the individual serving sizes are ready to go.

However, in the case of Gentlease, the powder is a bit easier to manage than the AR because it doesn’t foam or bubble as much. The powder comes in several different sizes including pre-measured packets for traveling.

It’s still important to follow the appropriate mixing ratio with Enfamil Gentlease to get your baby the right nutrients in the right amounts. Mixing it incorrectly could result in too much or too little of what they need.

Buy in bulk & save
How to save on Enfamil

Enfamil's flagship products can be ordered in bulk from most major retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco, etc.) as well as from their own site. We found Amazon typically had the best selection and prices.

Shop on Amazon
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Alternatives

While Enfamil offers these two great solutions, and many others, to aid in digestive health for infants, they’re not the only ones who have these types of products. Many moms gravitate toward a certain brand because of what they’ve heard, what their doctor promotes, or what they’ve used in the past.

There are many other awesome formula options out there that you can try if either of these don’t work for you. All of these brands also offer soy formula options if you seem to think a cow’s milk allergy may be the problem.

Similac

similac advance

Similac is another trusted name in baby formula in the United States. They offer several different varieties for sensitive stomachs including Pro-Total Comfort, Pro-Sensitive, Sensitive, and Similac for Spit Up. Similac Pro-Total Comfort is very similar to Enfamil’s Gentlease product. The proteins are partially hydrolyzed for easier digestion, and Similac claims you’ll have a less fussy baby in about 24 hours.

Pro-Sensitive and Sensitive are also similar to Gentlease in that it contains a blend of ingredients that supports brain and eye development. Pro-Sensitive also contains 2’-FL HMO for immune support, which is abundant in breast milk. Similac for Spit Up is similar to Enfamil AR and is designed to be thicker and heavier, making it easier for your baby’s tummy to keep down.

Gerber

Gerber is a trusted brand in all sorts of baby products, so don’t leave them out when looking for formula options for sensitive tummies. While Gerber is a bit pricier than other formula solutions, you know you can count on them to offer the best.

Gerber Good Start SoothePro is the only non-soy option for babies with sensitive tummies. It’s designed much like Enfamil Gentlease and works to relieve gas, colic, excessive crying, and fussiness using a special blend of simple proteins.

Gerber Good Start SoothePro Baby Formula Powder | Amazon

Soothing Nutrition: Modeled after the complete nutrition and gentleness of breastmilk, this formula offers nutrition for babies up to 12 months experiencing colic, excessive crying, fussiness and gas.

Buy at Amazon
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Enfamil

enfamil neuropro sensitive

Yes, we already talked about two of Enfamil’s products for sensitive stomachs, but there are a few other options, too. They have a NeuroPro line of products including NeuroPro AR and NeuroPro Gentlease that have additional brain-building ingredients.

They also offer a NeuroPro Sensitive formula that’s designed specifically for infants from birth to three months old.

Enfamil Neuropro Sensitive Baby Formula Powder | Enfamil

Enfamil NeuroPro Sensitive is our easy-to-digest formula specially designed for lactose sensitivity that has brain-building Omega-3 DHA at an amount global experts recommend.

Check Price Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

The Verdict: Enfamil AR vs Gentlease?

Bottom Line Summary: We encourage you to TRY BOTH Enfamil formula options to see what works best, BUT if we had to pick which one to try first, we recommend Enfamil AR a shot first.

Enfamil is one of the best formula brands on the market. They’re known for quality, and their huge selection of sensitive stomach formulas give you a range of options to try when your baby isn’t at his or her best. When it comes to digestive issues like reflux, gas, colic, spit-up, or fussiness, Enfamil AR and Gentlease are two of the best options you can try. You’ll notice relief within days when you get your baby on the right formula for them.

 

Your baby will feel better, and you’ll have more peace knowing that you’re doing everything you can to keep your baby happy and healthy.

Our Pick
Enfamil A.R. Infant Formula | Enfamil

Even though BOTH options are great we chose the Enfamil Baby Formula as a slightly better option which is ideal for babies who are otherwise healthy, whereas Similac would be better for babies that have health or other developmental issues.

Check Price Buy at Target
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

FAQs

Question: Does Enfamil AR cause gas?

Answer: Many infant formulas tend to cause excessive gas because bubbles form in the mixing process. When your baby swallows this air, it can get trapped in their stomach. While Enfamil AR is designed to be thicker and alleviate reflux, it does create more bubbles than most other formulas. These bubbles can lead to gas, which can lead to another set of issues you may not be willing to trade for excessive spit-up.

However, every baby is different, and Enfamil AR does work for some babies. Enfamil Gentlease, on the other hand, is specifically designed to help reduce gas, which means the bubbles it creates when mixing is minimal, but they are still there. In some cases, Gentlease doesn’t work as well as you might hope, which means it’s on to another solution.

Question: What is the best formula for colic and gas?

Answer: Enfamil Gentlease tops the list of formulas that work best for colic and gas. There are others, too, like Similac Sensitive and Gerber Good Start Soothe, but Enfamil products get overwhelmingly good reviews from parents who struggle with digestive issues.

Enfamil Gentlease is the best place to start if your baby deals with gas and fussiness because it works for most babies. If it doesn’t work for you, try another Enfamil product like AR, Reguline, or ProSobee. If you still struggle, consulting your baby’s doctor or switching to a different brand may be the next step before starting a course of treatment for reflux or other digestive problems.

Question: Does Enfamil AR cause weight gain?

Answer: One of the most common problems in infants with excessive spit up or reflux is poor weight gain. Enfamil AR is designed to not only relieve reflux but combat poor weight gain issues, too. Because the formula is thicker and designed with special nutrients, it can help your baby gain the weight they should be gaining as they eat. And because your baby will be able to keep down the thick formula much easier, they’ll be absorbing all of those nutrients, not just some.

Question: Can newborns have Enfamil AR?

Answer: Enfamil AR is designed for infants twelve months of age or younger, so you can give your newborn Enfamil AR immediately if you feel like that’s the right decision for you (Enfamil newborn varieties). If you have one or more previous children with reflux issues, it’s likely that most of your children will struggle, so starting with Enfamil AR can give you some relief.

Question: How do I know if the formula is hurting my baby’s stomach?

Answer: There are several very clear indicators that your baby’s stomach is upset. If your baby is always fussy or grumpy and cries more than usual, especially when accompanied by not eating or sleeping well, you can assume that it’s probably the formula you’re using. Squirming, tense muscles, arching back, and making painful faces is other good sign that your baby’s stomach is uncomfortable.

And of course, vomiting and diarrhea are immediate signs that something is wrong. While you should always consult your baby’s doctor if you don’t know what to do, switching formula for a week or two can give you a clearer picture of whether it will help your baby feel better or not.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *