Baby Formula Milk
Food Health

How To Choose the Right Baby Formula Milk?

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You are faced with the need to transfer the child (in whole or in part) to artificial feeding, and the pediatrician has prescribed a specific mixture for your baby. Before you go shopping, read the recommendations of a specialist.

The Gradation of Mixtures by Age Is Indicated By A Numerical Value:

  • With the prefix “pre” in the name, mixtures for premature or low birth weight babies are indicated.
  • “1” – for children from birth to 6 months.
  • “2” – for babies from 6 months to 1 year.
  • “3” – for children older than a year.
  • “4” – as a rule, starting from 18 months.
  • Also on the market is a category of adapted milk formulas with average indicators for feeding children from birth to 12 months.

For newborns, you need to take only adapted mixtures. They are closest in composition to breast milk and are easily digested and absorbed by the baby’s body.

If the baby has any health problems, with digestion, choose therapeutic or specialized mixtures.

Read more: Quinoa for diabetics

Attention To the Nuances

The composition of the product for children in the first year of life should be as close as possible to human milk and meet the age norms and physiological needs of the child.

  • If the baby has flatulence and frequent regurgitation, the specialist will recommend a mixture with special thickeners (starch).
  • If constipation and dysbacteriosis – mixtures with additives (probiotics and prebiotics).
  • If the child has sleep problems – substitute with a “night formula”.
  • If you are allergic to cow’s milk protein – a mixture of highly hydrolyzed proteins based on whey and casein.

You can be sure that the doctor will choose the best option. One hundred percent it will be a well-known brand. Let me explain why: world-famous leaders in the production of formula value their reputation, and their products comply with existing international standards and are as close as possible to the composition of breast milk.

What Composition Should the Mixture Have?

  • Protein. According to the latest scientific data, excessive intake of protein in the first year of a child’s life can lead to obesity in the future. That is why the recommended rate per liter of the mixture is no more than 12-15 grams.
  • Proportion of whey to casein. It is important that there are more whey proteins.
  • Fat composition.

It includes vegetable oils (e.g., soybean, corn, sunflower), which are sources of all fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins.

The composition of the mixture should include milk fat. Please note that it is not completely excluded from the product. Milk fat provides the body with important saturated fats, cholesterol, phospholipids, gangliosides, and other substances necessary for cell function, as well as for strengthening the body’s defenses and developing the child’s brain.

  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids. Very important! Their lack leads to a slowdown in the overall development of the child and a decrease in immunity. The mixture must contain linoleic (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acids. It is also desirable that the mixture contains docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids. They improve vision and promote brain development.

In addition, the mixtures should contain probiotics (bifidobacterial and lactobacilli). They form the basis of healthy intestinal microflora. Their presence in mixtures contributes to the formation of the intestinal ecosystem and the prevention of dysbacteriosis. Probiotics are needed for calcium metabolism, the formation of vitamins and hormones, as well as strengthening local and general immunity. Thanks to modern technology and the baby bottle maker, beneficial microorganisms remain viable throughout the entire shelf life of the mixture. Their effectiveness has been clinically proven.

Prebiotics serve as a nutrient medium, in other words, food for beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Biological Components That Improve the Quality of The Product

  • Choline (vitamin-like substance) – helps to eliminate harmful compounds and is needed for fat metabolism and muscle growth.
  • Tryptophan – has a positive effect on the quality of a child’s sleep, mood and appetite.
  • Nucleotides – improve the absorption of iron, promote the growth of healthy microflora, strengthen the defenses of the child’s body.
  • Taurine – improves vision.

What To Look for When buying?

Do not go to grocery stores for formula. Go to the pharmacy. This is where you need to buy the mixture for the child. If for some reason the pharmacy does not have the product you need, go to the children’s store.

When buying, pay attention to the packaging. Do not accept damaged or wrinkled packages. The deformation on the packaging raises great doubts about the correct storage and transportation conditions of the product. Don’t forget to check the expiration date.