Breastfeeding is undoubtedly the best food for newborns. A mother’s organism develops the best meal for a baby depending on its current needs. One should not test breast milk to ensure its quality because our body adapts the nutritional value of breast milk to a baby’s organism. Consequently, a baby gets the required number of fats, carbs, proteins, minerals, and vitamins at a certain period. However, not everyone can provide babies with breast milk. In this case, a good quality baby formula comes to a parent’s rescue.
How should a parent choose a baby formula? What is the difference between an organic European baby formula and its conventional American variant? Read this guide to learn the basic information about the available types of European baby formulas in the baby food market.
American Vs. European Baby Formulas
The difference between American and European baby formulas isn’t sustainable. There are three things to pay attention to.
- The number of iron per serving (American formulas have a higher level of iron due to the FDA requirements).
- European formulas usually have probiotics, prebiotics, omega fatty acids, and other significant vitamins and minerals that most US formulas lack.
- Traditionally, according to the EFSA, European baby formulas don’t contain sugar, artificial stabilizers, chemicals, or taste enhancers, especially, if they are organic.
To conclude, both American and European formulas suit the little ones, but European ones are more natural and diverse. Moreover, the European market makes formulas with different nutritional values. One can find the marking “stage” that points to a suitable baby’s age.
Types Of European Baby Formulas On The Market
A classification of formulas depends on the category a person is looking for. The core categories are the milk type, the needs of a baby, and the quality of ingredients. Let’s speak about each category in more detail.
Types of European Formula Depending on the Milk Type
The European market produces baby formulas based on three milk types – cow milk, goat milk, and vegan milk. Which milk is the best for your child?
Cow milk is nutritious and traditional for most baby formulas. It is rich in macroelements and microelements. However, cow milk doesn’t suit all babies. Some newborns are intolerant to animal milk proteins or feel discomfort and even pain when digesting cow milk formulas. These formulas have larger fat globules compared to goat milk formulas. They turn into hard curds in the stomach in babies and cause pain in newborns with sensitive tummies.
Goat milk is another variant of animal milk formula. Unlike cow milk formula, it might be a bit smelly for some parents, but kids like its sweet and soft taste. Compared to its cow alternative, it has more essential vitamins and minerals. Moreover, it contains A2 casein which is easier to process and digest. Consequently, fewer children experience digestive problems and colics.
Vegan milk is made of vegetables or plants. The most popular vegan milk types are oat, rice, coconut, and hemp milk. They are easy to digest for babies who poorly tolerate animal milk proteins. However, vegan milk formulas may lack some vital nutrients, so parents have to restore the deficiency with pharmaceutical drops that they have to add to a ready-to-feed formula or powder.
Baby Formula Types Based On Babies’ Needs
Many babies have different health issues connected with the consumed formula. The most common health problems are colitis, indigestion, frequent spitting up, constipation, and allergic reactions to baby formula. In these cases, parents should consider buying special milk formulas to satisfy the needs of their newborns and toddlers.
Typically, European brands produce the following formulas for babies with specific health conditions:
- hypoallergenic formula for babies who are allergic to animal whole milk proteins and need hydrolyzed proteins;
- anti-reflux baby formula for babies who spit up their meals soon after eating and lose their weight and nutritious elements because of that;
- comfort formula for babies who suffer from belly cramps and colitis because of indigestion or constipation;
- rice baby formula for babies intolerant to animal milk proteins and have diarrhea, but it’s a bad variant for babies with constipation.
Another category to consider when choosing a baby formula is the baby’s age. Unlike American baby formulas, European brands make formulas for babies of a certain age. You can find different stages of a baby formula when buying organic European formulas:
- from the first days to 6 months
- from 6 months to 9 or 10 months
- from 10 months to 12 months
- from 12 months to 2 years
Types Of Baby Formulas Based On The Quality Of Ingredients
There are conventional and organic baby formulas. Organic baby formulas are considered to be healthy and nutritious because all ingredients are natural. They are raised without a human touch and exclude the following harmful ingredients:
- sugar and other sweeteners
- non-organic colorants
- pesticide, herbicides, and other chemicals
- antibiotics and drugs
- hormones
- unhealthy additives
Organic farming doesn’t involve the use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals when growing vegetables and plants to feed animals and make oils for baby formulas. So, all formulas contain only the best-quality safe ingredients.
The Best Organic Baby Formula Brands From Europe
People worldwide search for baby formula brands that have spotless reputations in the baby formula market. The most popular and trustable baby food brands are HiPP, Holle, Jovie, Kendamil, BebeM, Löwenzahn, and Nanny Care. They make safe organic baby formulas derived from organic cow, goat, and vegan milk.
During the pandemic boom and baby formula shortage, American parents usually ordered the following organic baby formulas to supply their babies with healthy meals daily:
- HiPP Combiotik
- HiPP HA
- HiPP Comfort
- BebeM rice formula
- Holle cow milk formula
- Jovie goat milk formula
Experts recommend preparing the powdered formulas according to the mentioned instructions on the packages. The only formula that doesn’t need preparations is a ready-to-feed formula. It already has a balanced combination of all nutrients and promises sterility for safe feeding.
Note! Pediatricians don’t recommend buying special organic baby formulas without a doctor’s consultation. Only a health expert can decide what meals a baby requires to stay healthy and manage digestive disorders caused by the wrong formula choice.
