How to start a bottle feeding successfully: A deep dive into baby formula options
Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for an infant. However, there are situations when it’s not possible or babies need extra nutrition to be sated and develop appropriately. If that’s your case, don’t worry – we live in the 21st century and modern technology allows us to take care of our children as best as possible. High-quality organic infant formulas, created specifically to be close in composition to natural breast milk, are the perfect substitution for breastfeeding. To start bottle-feeding successfully, read this post and you’ll find out what best baby formula options are available in the market today.
Today, parents have several options for feeding their little ones: breastfeeding, mixed feeding, and baby formula feeding. Breast milk provides the perfect natural nutrition to an infant, but sometimes, it’s not possible or not enough for a baby, so parents introduce bottle-feeding to their infants.
Common cases for bottle-feeding:
- mother’s breast milk supply is low and a baby needs extra nutrition
- the quality of breast milk is not enough for a baby to gain weight normally (in this case, a pediatrician will probably recommend adding formula milk to an infant’s ration)
- mother aims to stop breastfeeding and switch to formula
- due to certain health issues, the mother needs to temporarily stop breastfeeding (for example, while she’s taking medication)
- mother has a busy lifestyle or can’t leave work, so breastfeeding during working hours is impossible and substitution is required
To start bottle-feeding your infant, choose either Stage PRE formula or Stage 1 formula – they are created for babies from birth to 6 months and are characterized by a composition close to breast milk.
A common question among young parents is whether formula milk provides enough nutrition for a baby. The short answer is – yes. The thing is, modern infant formulas are invented and manufactured using modern knowledge about the development of a baby and the newest technology. Baby food manufacturers achieved such a level of formula quality that it’s very close to breast milk in composition, and even improved by adding the perfectly measured amount of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, probiotics, prebiotics, and other elements needed for a baby’s proper development.
Several most popular options of baby formula for infants
HiPP Stage PRE Combiotic Infant Formula – German version
It’s European certified organic infant formula based on cow’s milk that includes minerals, vitamins A, D, and C, probiotics and prebiotics, and fatty acids DHA (omega-3) and ARA (omega-6). This first milk is sugar-free, GMO-free, and doesn’t contain such common allergens as soy, gluten, peanuts, and eggs.
HiPP Stage 1 Combiotic Infant Formula – Dutch version
This baby formula is organic, enriched with probiotics and prebiotics, has fatty acids DHA (omega-3) and ARA (omega-6) in the composition, includes vitamins A, D, and C, and minerals needed for an infant’s well-being.
Holle Stage PRE Organic Infant Formula
This infant formula is based on goat’s milk and is manufactured at Demeter-certified organic farms. Demeter certification is among the strictest organic certifications in Europe, even stricter than governmental organic certifications. Holle Stage PRE Organic formula is sugar-free and GMO-free. It is close in composition to breast milk and includes vitamins A, D, and E, minerals, and essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6).
Jovie Stage 1 Organic Goat Milk Formula
This first milk is based on organic goat’s milk and is suited for infants with sensitive tummy issues. There are no harmful chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, or GMOs in its composition due to organic farming. Baby formula includes lutein, fatty acids (DHA and ARA), medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), and added prebiotics.
Lebenswert Bio Stage 1 Infant Formula
Among the ingredients of this organic formula are skim cow’s milk, whey, lactose, and vegetable oils. No sugar and GMOs. The first milk contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) that are a great source of energy.
Löwenzahn Organics Stage Pre Infant Formula
This organic formula includes skim milk, lactose, milk proteins, and vegetable oils. It’s free from GMOs, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, pesticides, and chemicals. Löwenzahn Organics formula is enriched with omega-6 and plant-based omega-3 fatty acids and prebiotics.
Basic line
When breastfeeding is not an option, bottle-feeding an infant with baby formula comes to the rescue. For a child to get all the needed energy, nutrients, and other useful elements, baby food manufacturers created a variety of formulas that differ in composition and purpose to allow any baby, no matter if they’re healthy, prematurely born, infants with low birth weight, or babies with health problems, to get enough nutrition for the perfect development. In this article, we’ve tried to get you acquainted with some of the best and most high-quality European infant formulas for babies from birth to 6 months.
