Key Differences Table Between Gerber Soothe and Enfamil Gentlease
| Features/Aspect | Gerber Soothe (SoothePro) | Enfamil Gentlease |
|---|---|---|
| Ideal For | Babies with common digestive issues like colic, gas, fussiness | Babies with fussiness, gas, and mild spit-up |
| Type | Formula with partially hydrolyzed whey protein | Formula with partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk and whey proteins from soy |
| Primary Protein Source | Partially hydrolyzed 100% whey protein | Partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk and whey proteins |
| Carbohydrate Source | Corn maltodextrin | Corn syrup solids |
| Fats and Oils | Blend of vegetable oils including palm olein, soy, coconut, high oleic safflower/sunflower | Blend of vegetable oils including palm olein, soy, coconut, high oleic sunflower |
| Key Nutrients | DHA, ARA, probiotic L. reuteri, prebiotic 2′-FL HMO | DHA, ARA, and a proprietary blend of prebiotics |
| Ease of Digestion | Tailored for babies with digestive issues, promotes soft stools | Tailored for sensitive stomachs, designed to ease fussiness and gas |
| Probiotic and Prebiotic | Contains Lactobacillus reuteri and 2′-FL HMO | Does not contain probiotics or prebiotics |
| Specific Benefits | Aids digestion, reduces colic, supports immune development | Clinically proven to ease fussiness and gas within 24 hours |
This article aims to compare two popular formulas for sensitive babies: Gerber Soothe and Enfamil Gentlease.
We will analyze their nutritional compositions and ingredients to help you make the best decision for your baby.
Let’s get after it!
Related read: Similac Advance vs Total Comfort
Our Short Answer
Gerber SoothePro easily wins this comparison for the following reasons:
- It uses corn maltodextrin instead of corn syrup solids (less sugar and a more neutral flavor).
- Adds Lactobacillus reuteri (probiotic) and 2′-FL HMO (prebiotic) to help support your baby’s intestinal flora
The only reason to choose Enfamil Gentlease is if your baby is very sensitive to cow’s milk protein, as Gentlease adds soy protein. But if this is the case, you would be better off using an extensively hydrolyzed formula.
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Overview of the Two Formulas
Gerber SoothePro offers partially hydrolyzed whey protein, probiotic L. reuteri, and prebiotic 2′-FL HMO, aiding digestion and reducing colic.
Enfamil Gentlease features tailored nutrition with DHA, ARA, partially hydrolyzed proteins, and an exclusive prebiotics blend, clinically proven to ease fussiness and gas within 24 hours.
Gerber Soothe
Gerber Soothe, known formally as Gerber SoothePro, is a formula that aims to provide complete nutrition while catering to infants with common digestive issues such as colic, gas, fussiness, and irregular stools. The formula is tailored for babies from birth through 12 months and is clinically shown to offer various digestive benefits:
- High-Quality Whey Protein: It contains partially hydrolyzed 100% whey protein that is easy for infants to digest.
- Promotes Soft Stools: The formula supports regular bowel movements, akin to those of breastfed infants.
- Probiotic L. reuteri: This beneficial probiotic is included to help balance the gut microbiota, reduce crying time by up to 50% in colicky babies, and decrease mild spit-up frequency.
- Prebiotic 2′-FL HMO: Structurally identical to the abundant Human Milk Oligosaccharide found in breast milk, this prebiotic supports digestive health and immune system development.
Enfamil Gentlease
Enfamil Gentlease positions itself as the go-to starting point for sensitive infant stomachs. As a brand with an established history and commitment to mimicking breast milk’s nurturing properties, this formula brings clinical proof that it can alleviate fussiness, gas, and crying within 24 hours of use.
What sets Enfamil Gentlease apart includes:
- Tailored Nutrition: Crafted for infants up to 12 months old, it provides 30 nutrients essential for growth.
- Blend of Fatty Acids: Enfamil includes DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and ARA (Arachidonic Acid), emulating important elements found in breast milk for brain-building potential.
- Easy-to-digest Proteins: The protein blend in this formula is partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk and whey proteins from soy that are simplified for better digestion.
- Exclusive Prebiotics Blend: Enfamil Gentlease contains a proprietary blend of prebiotics designed to support a strong immune system.
Nutritional Composition
Gerber SoothePro uses partially hydrolyzed 100% whey protein for gentle digestion, while Enfamil Gentlease combines partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk and soy protein, aiding digestibility but with lower bioavailability.
Both have carbohydrate sources suited for lactose sensitivities: maltodextrin in SoothePro and corn syrup solids in Gentlease.
Their fat blends, including essential fatty acids like ARA and DHA, are similarly composed of a mix of vegetable oils.
Protein Content
Protein is fundamental to your baby’s growth, aiding in building muscles, tissues, and other critical physiological functions. A formula’s protein source can influence digestibility and overall comfort for your infant.
Gerber SoothePro: This formula features high-quality whey protein as its primary protein source. The whey protein is enzymatically hydrolyzed, reducing the size of protein molecules to make them easier for an infant’s immature digestive system to process. By including 100% whey that is partially broken down already, it promotes gentle digestion while offering the necessary amino acids for infant growth.
Enfamil Gentlease: Similarly to Gerber SoothePro, Enfamil Gentlease provides its protein from partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk and whey protein concentrate solids from soy. The partial hydrolysis also aids in rendering the proteins more manageable for sensitive tummies to digest. The inclusion of both nonfat milk and whey proteins aims at creating a profile that’s closer to mother’s milk.
Both formulas follow the same approach regarding protein: partially hydrolyzed skimmed milk. The only difference between both is the fact that Gentlease adds soy protein. This type of protein, while being a good option for babies who cannot properly digest cow’s milk protein, has less bioavailability, which means it is used less efficiently by the human body.
Carbohydrate Content
Carbohydrates are another key component of an infant formula since they’re a primary energy source crucial for rapid growth.
Gerber SoothePro: The main carbohydrate in Gerber Soothe is corn maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide derived from corn starch. Its role is not just to provide energy but also to help stabilize the formula.
Enfamil Gentlease: For Enfamil Gentlease, the carbohydrate source is corn syrup solids. Like maltodextrin, corn syrup solids are easily digestible carbohydrates that cater to an infant’s energy needs while being gentle on their digestive system.
These formulas do not use lactose because they are designed for lactose-sensitive babies, but their approaches are different. Both use corn, but Soothe uses maltodextrin while Gentlease uses corn syrup solids. Maltodextrin is a better option than corn syrup solids because it has less sugar content and a milder flavor.
Fats and Oils
Fats are crucial in an infant’s diet as they contribute to brain development and provide the essential fatty acids that babies cannot produce themselves.
Gerber SoothePro: A blend of vegetable oils including palm olein, soy oil, coconut oil, high oleic safflower or high oleic sunflower oil makes up the fat content in Gerber SoothePro. It also adds DHA and ARA.
Enfamil Gentlease: Enfamil Gentlease also uses a mix of vegetable oils: palm olein, soy oil, coconut oil, and high oleic sunflower oil. Additional supplementation with Mortierella Alpina Oil as a source of ARA (arachidonic acid) and Schizochytrium sp. Oil as a source of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) provides key omega-3 fatty acids commonly found in breast milk known for supporting brain development.
Regarding their fat blend, there are little to no differences between both formulas. Both use palm olein and soy oil, which are not the ideal vegetable oils, but they are considered safe and are widely used in the US.
Prebiotics and Probiotics
To enhance digestive health and support a strong immune system, many infant formulas now include probiotics and prebiotics. These components are crucial for nurturing a healthy balance of bacteria in your baby’s gut.
Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria known to restore and maintain a healthy microbial balance in the digestive tract, which is vital for digestion and immunological function. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are non-digestible fibers that act as food for these probiotics, helping them flourish.
Gerber Soothe: This formula contains Lactobacillus reuteri, a probiotic clinically shown to reduce crying time in colicky infants and contribute to overall gut health. Gerber also includes 2’-FL HMO (Human Milk Oligosaccharide), which is structurally identical to our leading prebiotic found in breast milk and supports both digestive health and the developing immune system.
Enfamil Gentlease: Gentlease does not have any prebiotics or probiotics in its ingredients list.
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What are the Best Alternatives to SoothePro and Gentlease?
Gerbe Soothe and Enfamil Gentlease are good formulas, but other alternatives in the formula market are better overall. Here are our favorite options:
- Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive: Recognized as one of the best Similac alternatives for sensitive tummies, this formula provides an extensive range of nutrients alongside easy-to-digest proteins specifically designed for delicate stomachs. Similac also prides itself on containing 2’-FL HMO prebiotic for a strong immune system. *Read: Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive vs Enfamil Neuropro Gentlease
- HiPP Comfort: HiPP Comfort is formulated especially for babies with sensitive tummies. It consists of reduced lactose content, special fat blends that are designed to be easy on an infant’s immature digestive system, and hydrolyzed proteins. Its organic ingredients ensure high quality without any added pesticides or harmful substances.
- HiPP HA: Regarded as one of the top sensitive formulas available, HiPP HA comes with hypoallergenic proteins—hydrolyzed to minimize allergic reactions—and pairs it with an impressive prebiotic and probiotic blend aimed at strengthening your baby’s gut flora while being gentle enough even for babies prone to allergies. *Read: Hipp HA vs Gentlease
Last Words
We hope this comparison between Gerber Soothe and Enfamil Gentlease has helped you make the best decision for your baby.
If you have further questions, leave a comment below or contact us and we’ll be happy to help you.
Happy feeding!
We’re Maria and Alberto, a married couple and educators who are nutrition enthusiasts. Even before we had kids, we were already crazy about nutrition.
We’d read scientific articles, watch videos from nutritionists, and spend hours listening to nutrition podcasts.
Today, we continue doing this, but in a different way, as we’ve learned to sift through the noise and trends. Nutrition, like any other field of knowledge, the more you read and learn, the more you develop a comprehensive understanding of reality, and that’s what has happened to us.
Before having our first child, we focused on learning everything we could about child nutrition, using the same techniques we had already employed, backed by our extensive knowledge in nutrition.
Our mission is to help other parents with their children’s nutrition, to help them become the best versions of themselves.
If we are what we eat and drink, which is absolutely true, let’s do it right!
