Help Center & FAQs

Here you'll find helpful advice and answers to parents' most common questions.

Nutrients & Ingredients

What are DHA and ARA? What do they do?

DHA is the scientific shorthand for docosahexaenoic acid. ARA stands for arachidonic acid.

Both of these fatty acids are building blocks for your baby's brain and eyes. It's important that your growing baby has DHA to help support his brain and eye development and immune system both in the womb and out.

What do babies need iron for?

Iron is an important nutrient, no matter how old you are. Iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, which is the primary transporter of oxygen in the red blood cell. Iron is important for psychomotor and mental development in infants and children.

What is choline, and do Enfamil® baby formula have choline?

Choline is another nutrient also found in breast milk that helps support a baby's brain development. The body uses it in cell membranes, and to help some cells communicate with each other. Choline also helps the body use fat, and control its muscles.

Choline helps support a baby's rapid brain growth and development, which occur in the first two years of life. Like DHA and ARA, choline is a building block for baby's brain.

In 2005, Enfamil LIPIL® became the first infant formula in the U.S. to increase its amount of choline to that of breast milk as calculated from the mean choline content of human milk as determined by the Institute of Medicine.

Why does my infant need vitamin D?

Vitamin D is needed to help your baby develop strong bones. Sunlight is the usual source of vitamin D production in the skin. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies under 6 months avoid direct exposure to the sun, and that they instead receive vitamin D either through formula or, if they are breast fed, through vitamin supplements.

Newborns may consume less formula the first three months of life… that’s why Enfamil® Newborn has a tailored level of vitamin D to ensure that your newborn gets the recommended daily amount, having 400 IU of vitamin D in 27 fl oz.

All Enfamil Infant formulas deliver the expert-recommended vitamin D for each stage, based on the amount of formula newborns and infants consume daily, so you can feel confident that your baby is getting the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.

Do all formulas contain whole proteins?

The most popular routine infant formulas contain whole (intact) proteins, similar to breast milk. Formulas designed for mild intolerances, such as fussiness or gas, have the proteins partially broken down. These formulas are known as partially hydrolyzed and are not appropriate for babies with food protein allergies. There are also specialized formulas for infants with allergy symptoms who need an extensively hydrolyzed formula (the protein chains are broken down even further).

How can my infant or toddler get DHA and ARA?

Pregnant and breastfeeding moms should be getting 1.3-1.4 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ARA), an omega-3 fatty acid, per day to support your baby's needs. Your baby gets DHA and ARA in utero from you.

After birth, DHA and ARA are found in breast milk and in infant formula like Enfamil® formulas. Enfamil has a blend of DHA and ARA, important nutrients that support brain and eye development.

Experts also recommend DHA for toddlers, and Enfagrow® has the recommended amount of DHA.

What are fatty acids? Why are they important for my baby's development?

Certain fatty acids, like DHA and ARA, are building blocks for your baby's brain and eyes, before and after birth. Because a baby's brain develops quickly in the early months of life, many experts believe that it can be beneficial for babies to get DHA and ARA during that time.

You can pass DHA and ARA to your baby through breast milk. Or they can get these same great nutrients through infant formula like Enfamil® NeuroPro. Enfamil has our blend of DHA and ARA, important nutrients that support brain and eye development. In fact, Enfamil is our closest formula to breast milk.

What exactly is an intact protein?

Intact proteins are proteins that aren't broken down yet. Breast milk has intact whey and casein proteins in it. So do most formulas. If you are formula-feeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting with a standard cow's milk-based formula.

If your baby has milk tolerance issues, they may benefit from a formula that has decreased lactose and partially broken-down proteins, or extensively broken-down proteins.

Related: Choosing to Formula-Feed

What is MFGM?

MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) helps support your baby's cognitive development. Specifically, MFGM is a naturally occurring bioactive membrane that surrounds the fat droplets in breast milk and cow's milk. Research has shown that MFGM plays an important role in brain structure and function. The Enfamil® brand has infant formulas that have MFGM added as in ingredient to foster cognitive development. Learn more about Enfamil® NeuroPro™ and Enfamil® Enspire™ today.

Related: What are Lactoferrin and MFGM?

What is lactoferrin?

Lactoferrin is an important protein found in breast milk that helps support digestive health. In fact, high levels of lactoferrin are found in colostrum, the very early breast milk that provides important immune support for newborns during the first weeks of life.

While dietary lactoferrin is digested and available to act throughout the body, some dietary lactoferrin can help reduce the incidence of bacterial infection, possibly by stopping the growth of bacteria by depriving them of iron, which is an essential nutrient for their growth. Clinical studies have shown this protein's ability to support immune health for infants and toddlers.

Related: What are Lactoferrin and MFGM?

At Enfamil, we are dedicated to giving the millions of babies and toddlers that rely on our formulas the best start in life.

We are currently experiencing increased demand for many of our brands. We recognize that the inability to find your favorite brands, in the format you are accustomed to, can be worrisome. We want to reassure parents that we have ample supply across the Enfamil family of brands to meet the needs of babies who rely on our formulas. We have increased production and continue to work with all of our distribution channels to ensure availability of product where you want it. Should you need assistance in finding the formula you need, please reach out to our Customer Service team 1-800 BABY-123 (222-9123).