Can anything replace breast milk? Pediatricians state that breastfeeding must last at least six months to guarantee the proper development of a child and help it adapt to the environment faster. Some parents cannot breastfeed because of gender, health, or governmental incompatibilities. Luckily, the baby food market offers various baby formulas, such as Holle BIO Formula Stage 1, HiPP PRE, and more.
How to choose the right formula? Can baby formula be as healthy and nutritious as breast milk? Let’s find it out.
Tips to Consider When Selecting Baby Formula
Parents find it hard to choose a baby formula when shopping. There are so many offers that it is hard not to make a mistake. Experienced parents give the following five tips to consider:
1. Natural ingredients
One should look through the list of ingredients on the package. They must be natural and grown without pesticides and chemicals.
2. Organic
Organic baby formulas are safe because brands follow strict rules to get the label ‘organic.’ Farmers who raise animals, vegetables, and plants to feed cows and goats must guarantee sterility and a healthy environment. Laboratories test milk and plants before using them to produce organic baby formula.
3. Brand reputation
A company that produces baby formula must be reputable. You can search for more information online and ask experienced parents about their feeding experience. A brand must not have arguments concerning the safety of products and side effects.
4. Specific requirements
Some babies are lactose intolerant or allergic to animal milk protein. Consequently, parents of intolerant babies should search for food that excludes potentially dangerous ingredients.
5. Certificates and lab tests
Each reputable brand has certificates providing the safety of the produced products. As a rule, governments send organizations whose job is to test products. Thanks to that, you will know that independent laboratories have tested the chosen product and proven its safety.
How Beneficial Is the Use of Baby Formula for a Baby’s Organism
Breast milk contains lots of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs, fats, and even antibodies to some diseases. Can at least one formula rival it? The organic baby formula does.
First, researchers and scientists do their best to replicate the ingredients of breast milk when creating an organic baby formula. Consequently, Kendamil, HiPP, Holle, and other European brands add the required nutrients to their formulas to supply babies with everything they need to thrive.
Second, baby formula resembles a superfood due to its ingredients. For example, some breastfed children need to take vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Organic baby formulas already have the required proportion of macronutrients and micronutrients to prevent their deficiency and help babies grow healthy.
Third, new technologies let companies add oligosaccharides, milk fat globule membranes, and healthy gut microbiomes to their baby formulas. MFGMs contain many vital elements, while HMOs and B.infantis populate a baby’s gut with good bacteria. Consequently, parents don’t have to think about prebiotics, probiotics, and dietary supplements to promise proper nutrition.
Fourth, the variety of baby formulas impresses and lets parents adapt them to the individual needs of their babies. If a baby dislikes goat milk, parents can buy formula made of cow or plant milk. Babies who spit up their meals benefit from the anti-reflux formula.
Finally, baby formulas are universal, and everyone can take care of a baby without being bounded to mothers who must pump their milk and think of proper storage conditions to prevent its spoiling. Powder formula stays fresh without a fridge, and one can take sterile ready-to-feed formula when traveling with a baby.
To conclude, formula feeding satisfies the needs of each baby and parents who deal with routines and active lifestyles.
