Most women usually prefer breastfeeding to bottle-feeding, and it is the right decision because breast milk contains all the vitamins and minerals in the correct proportions taking into consideration the individual characteristics and needs of a baby. In addition, it also helps mothers stand a close psychological bond with their newborns.
Unfortunately, a young mother’s body reacts very subtly to stress, fatigue, and other factors. Therefore, sometimes milk may be lost or produced in insufficient quantities.
What are the best alternatives to breast milk?
Most modern milk formulas are called adapted. This means that they are created to be as close in composition to breast milk as possible and they contain almost all the necessary elements for the health of the baby. If you have ever asked yourselves which formula to start you can try the Holle formula. Holle is one of the highly-respected infant food manufacturers in the world. The ingredients in baby products are made from GMO-free and chemical-free agriculture. Besides, Holle assortments are divided into stages which means that the food made by the company suits kids from birth till 3 years old.
How to choose infant formula?
Before bottle-feeding, it is best to visit a pediatrician so that he can tell you what you need to pay attention to first of all: the content and proportions of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (for example, if a child is low or underweight, it needs to be given more nutritious and easily digestible formulas) or to certain components of the formula (if the baby is prone to food allergies, intolerance to certain components, or frequent pain in the tummy, colic, etc.).
If a kid is completely healthy, gains weight properly does not suffer from allergies and digestive disorders – you can choose the infant milk based on a baby’s age – this information is always indicated on the package.
If baby’s tummy hurts
Usually, bottle-fed kids could suffer from gas formation in the intestines, which are accompanied by severe pain in the tummy, in other words, colic. This is due to the peculiarities of bottle-feeding: when feeding on a bottle, a baby can accidentally swallow air that enters the intestines along with the food.
Modern brands of feeding bottles are developing special anti-colic systems and valves that limit the intake of air from the baby’s food, but this does not always solve the problem of colic. Special milk formulas for comfortable digestion help to quickly eliminate colic, constipation, burping, and other unpleasant eating disorders. They are made on the basis of partially split protein or locust bean gum that is added to make the formula thicker and more viscous thus avoiding air-swallowing.
Milk formula for evening feeding
In order for a baby to sleep soundly all night, there is a special formula for evening feeding, which is added gluten-free cereal flakes. Such formulas can be added to babies’ meals after 6 months since the organism of newborn babies is not yet adapted to digest cereals.
Organic Milk Formulas
You should also pay attention to organic milk formulas if you want to be sure of the natural origin and benefits of each component. One more example, HiPP formula are produced on the basis of ecologically pure cow milk, obtained without the use of hormones, fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics, in compliance with all organic production standards.
