New and experienced parents often don’t know how to select safe and nourishing baby formula for their infants. All products look and even smell alike, so this task may become a challenge for unaware parents. That is why it is crucial to know the main ingredients of healthy baby formula and its available alternatives. What is the difference between an organic formula from HiPP and nonorganic formulas from other manufacturers? What types of baby food are there? We’ll answer all these questions to let you choose the best baby formula.
What Types of Baby Formulas are There?
Baby formula manufacturers provide different types of baby food to satisfy the needs of the smallest customers. They can be cow’s or goat’s, hypoallergenic or full-fat, organic and nonorganic, and more. Nevertheless, all these variants are released in one or all three formula forms:
- powder
- liquid
- ready to feed
One prepares them differently regarding the instructions. The last one is ready for feeding. The only requirement is to warm it up because a baby can get a sore throat if it drinks cold milk. To prepare the first two types, one needs to mix them with a certain amount of water that must be boiled and cooled. Moreover, it must be fresh and of good quality to guarantee the sterility and safety of the ready product. For example, a parent can filter tap water or buy bottled water. The unboiled variant doesn’t fit because it can have dangerous bacteria that might provoke diarrhea and poisoning.
What is the difference between these three forms?
Powder
This form is choice #1 among parents because it’s affordable. Powdered formula costs less than its liquid or ready alternatives. Moreover, storage conditions are excellent. One can store an open pack for up to 30 days in a cool and dry place. A baby should eat the fresh-made mixture, but it is also possible to keep ready mixtures in a fridge for 24-48 hours. One should not keep a powder in a fridge.
Powdered baby formula can be different. For example, an organic formula from HiPP can be hypoallergenic, cow, goat, comfort, and ani-reflux. So parents can select the best option for their infants.
Liquid
The benefit of this formula over the powered one is its sterility. One just pours the required amount of water, and that’s all, though it’s a bit more expensive than the previous form. You can store the prepared formula for less than 24 hours in a fridge, but it is safer to use the fresh-made serving.
Ready-to-feed
This form is the most expensive but the most convenient at the same time. One just takes a bottle that is a single serving and feeds a baby without worrying about proper water proportions and sterile mixing conditions.
NOTE! If a baby starts eating any of the three forms of baby food, it will be necessary to finish the meal in two hours maximum because mouth bacteria start accumulating inside the bottle and spoiling the mixture.
Baby formula can be organic or not. The first variant has only natural components, while non-organic formulas can have chemicals, stabilizers, flavors, GMOs, and other harmful ingredients.
Variants of Baby Formula and the Ingredients
Manufacturers try to reproduce the ingredients of breast milk in their baby formulas. Consequently, one serving of baby formula must have:
- water
- altered milk
- vitamins
- minerals
- proteins
- fats
- carbs
The amount of these ingredients per serving depends on the baby’s age and health conditions. One can buy cows, goats or herbal baby formula.
Cow’s Baby Formula
This formula is the most popular because almost all farmers have cows, so cow’s milk is easy to get. Besides, it is rich in whey and casein proteins, vitamin B 12, folic acid, and selenium, and it can be whole or skimmed. European baby formula manufacturers introduce three-stage formulas to adjust the whey-casein ratio to a delicate digestive system of a baby, regarding its age.
Goat’s Baby Formula
The organic formula from HiPP, Jovie, and Holle organic formula is widespread in European and American cities because they have developed a perfect hypoallergenic formula based on goat’s milk. American companies don’t produce it because of the problem with raw materials. Goat’s milk is easier to digest and causes fewer allergic reactions. The European Food Safety Authority has tested goat’s milk baby formula and declared it safe and healthy for infants.
Due to linoleic acid and a high protein level, such baby food is digested twice faster. So babies don’t suffer from constipation and bloating. Besides, its proteins resemble human proteins that are in breast milk.
Some goat formulas are usually marked as A1. It means they don’t contain much casein and lactose, which perfectly fits babies with intolerance to cow’s milk.
Herbal formula
Some babies cannot drink cow’s and goat’s milk because of intolerance, which leads to severe allergic reactions, diarrhea, skin diseases, and other health problems. So, parents search for safer variants for their kids to avoid complications. The best variant for them is plant-derived baby formula. For example, many companies produce soy or hemp baby formula to help such kids get everything required safely.
Baby Formulas with the Changed Ingredients
Some babies need special care and food to thrive. Organic formula from HiPP goes beyond traditional baby food. HiPP has developed alternatives for babies with colics, bloating, cow protein allergy, and belching. One can choose one of the three variants:
- comfort (broken milk proteins and reduced lactose level)
- hypoallergenic with broken (fully hydrolyzed) protein molecules
- anti-reflux with a natural thickener to prevent spitting up
In other words, HiPP has created perfect food variants for babies who are too sensitive to traditional baby formulas.
The parent’s task is to search for an organic formula because it has no GMO, sweeteners, stabilizers, or flavors and is similar to a mother’s milk. The best formula has carbs, healthy fats, partially or fully hydrolyzed or full proteins, and an ideal proportion of minerals and vitamins, including vitamins C, B group, A, D, Ca, omega 3, and fiber. If a baby cannot digest the product well, one should look for a formula with prebiotics and probiotics.