Formula milk: types and differences
Let’s talk about different types of commercial formula milk: which are the most suitable, when is it necessary to change the type of milk, which formula should a baby that is intolerant to cow’s milk protein have, and can they have plant-based drinks? Here, we clarify some of these questions.
I don’t want or can’t breastfeed; what milk can I give my baby?
During the first year of a baby’s life, the main food should be milk, either breast milk or formula. If, for whatever reason, a woman decides not to breastfeed or to combine breast milk with formula (mixed or combo feeding), her options to feed her baby are the following:
- Donor milk or donor milk from a human milk bank. According to the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding drafted by the World Health Organization (page 10), this should be the first choice whenever possible.
- Commercial formula milk
The ingredients of commercial formula milk are regulated by law. Therefore, all industries manufacture formula milk according to minimum requirements. There are no better formula milk products than others, and their composition is determined by the Food Laws of the respective country (they can be different from country to country). Each family’s choice will depend on their personal preference, price, or the baby’s preferences: which one the baby prefers and which they digest better.
Much has been said about palm oil in formula milk. Breast milk provides babies with beta-palmitic acid. Formula milk also has this, but in the form of alpha palmitic acid, permitted by European food law.
Is organic formula milk better?
Research seems to point towards the conclusion that they are not much better and that the ingredients are not much different from non-organic formula milk.
There are other perfectly valid reasons for many families to choose these products, such as supporting local trade or organic farming. The consumption of organic formula milk is clearly a family decision.
What about plant-based infant formula milk?
By law, baby formula milk can be manufactured with an animal milk base (cow’s milk is the most common) and with a plant base, either from rice or soy milk. These formula milk products are sometimes not sold in supermarkets but in pharmacies, and their composition is subject to the same regulations as those based on animal milk.
By law, baby formula milk can be manufactured with an animal milk base (cow’s milk is the most common) and with a plant base, either from rice or soy milk. These formulas are sometimes not sold in supermarkets but in pharmacies, and their composition is subject to the same regulations as those based on animal milk.
A plant-based formula can be given to babies in case of allergies to cow’s milk protein, personal or dietary preferences (such as vegetarian families, although there are no totally vegan formulas, as the added vitamin D is always of animal origin), babies with galactosemia or babies who already feed on formula and suffer from a temporary intolerance to lactose.
First of all, they are suitable for babies. They are designed so babies can find all the nutritional elements they need. On the other hand, these formula products cost twice as much as regular formula milk and have a peculiar taste, which can create rejection in some babies.
What is elemental formula milk?
Elemental or semi-elemental formulas are formulas made with synthetic amino acids (parts of the protein) so they do not have the capacity to produce allergies. They are a very expensive and bad-tasting product that should only be offered to babies with severe allergies or other pathologies.
What does it mean when formula milk has been hydrolyzed?
Hydrolyzed formula milk has undergone a process where proteins have been fractionated, and some of them have been eliminated. In this way, they have partly lost their ability to cause allergies. There are different degrees and types of hydrolyzation according to the different needs of allergic children.
What about lactose-free formula?
Lactose intolerance in infants is usually a temporary process due to the administration of antibiotics or gastrointestinal disease that destroys the lactase in the intestine. This is responsible for breaking lactose into two simple sugars so that it can be digested.
Lactose-free infant formulas are usually for temporary use, and cow’s milk protein allergy should not be confused with a transient inability to digest lactose.
My baby is allergic to cow’s milk protein (CMPA). What formula does my baby need?
When an exclusively breastfed infant has CMPA, the first feeding option is to completely eliminate cow’s milk protein (either cow’s or goat’s milk protein) from the mother’s diet to prevent it from reaching the baby through breast milk and to continue breastfeeding.
If the mother does not want to or cannot have such an exclusion diet (or if the baby is not breastfed), the next step is to give formula without cow’s milk protein.
What about goat milk-based formulas?
In recent years, formula milk has appeared on international markets, which are not based on cow’s milk but on goat’s milk. There is much talk that goat’s milk is more similar to human milk than cow’s milk; therefore, it is supposedly better for babies. However, there is no evidence that these claims are true, and using a goat-based formula should only be based on families’ preferences.
Is plant-based milk such as soya, almond, or oat milk suitable for babies?
The cow’s milk substitutes that you can now find in supermarkets and that are aimed at an adult population (such as oats, soya, almonds, rice, or coconut “milk,” for example) are not suitable for babies under 6 months old. From the age of 6 months, and with the exception of rice milk, because it is very rich in arsenic, these drinks can be offered to babies as long as they do not replace, either totally or partially, breast milk or infant formula milk.
What about cow’s milk?
A long time ago, cow’s milk was diluted with water and mixed with other foods to be used as a substitute for breast milk when babies could not have that for whatever reason. Sadly, we are now seeing how this old and outdated recommendation is coming up again in some countries because of the impossibility of families to access formula milk.
Cow’s milk is never suitable for babies under 6 months of age because its composition is inadequate for their proper growth and development.
What about follow-on formula milk?
From when they are one year old, breastfeeding children can continue with breastfeeding and won’t need any other special milk. If milk or dairy products are consumed in the household and you want to offer them to your baby, they can have whole cow’s milk just as adults. Introducing the so-called follow-on or growing-up formula milk is neither necessary nor advisable. Their ingredients abuse sugar and do not provide any extra elements that are necessary for the growth of children.