Making choices that directly affect your baby’s health is always challenging and requires careful consideration. Millions of mothers who decide to feed their infants with baby formulas know this. Let’s discuss the main points to consider when choosing the right formula for your little one.
Mother’s Milk Is the Best
It has long been known that the best choice is always the natural one. In this case, it is breastfeeding. According to the World Health Organization’s recommendations, a baby should be fed exclusively with breast milk until 6 months. 6 months is the age when the parents should start expanding the baby’s diet. This age is also the answer to the question, “When can babies have water?”
In the case of healthy children with no diseases and no special nutritional needs, breast milk is a sufficient food that fully meets the infant’s needs and provides its body with all the nutrients necessary for proper development.
For various reasons, both on the mother’s and baby’s side, breastfeeding is not always possible. In such cases, breast milk should be replaced with specially selected European formula for babies. Cow’s milk, consumed by adults, has an unsuitable composition for a baby. It contains too much protein and sodium, which can burden the infant’s kidneys, and little vitamins and iron necessary to support the baby’s development. Therefore, with the youngest in mind, baby formulas were created, which differ from each other.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Baby Formula
The most important point is to select the baby formula appropriate for the stage of an infant’s development. In the first six months, you should choose the formula marked with the number 1. After the baby reaches 6 months, you should change the milk for the one marked with the number 2. Such formulas are given to babies up to 12 months. After this time, parents should reach for the formula marked with the number 3, dedicated to children over one year. The manufacturers also produce baby formulas marked with the numbers 4 and 5 for toddlers over two years.
Another point to consider when choosing a baby formula is the baby’s specific nutritional needs. Manufacturers make every effort to ensure their offer includes products dedicated to children with special nutritional needs.
You can find baby formulas for infants with a tendency to mild digestive disorders, such as gas, constipation, and colic. There are also formulas designed to prevent frequent regurgitation in infants. It is marked with the AR symbol. In addition, there are lactose-free baby formulas, dedicated to babies who show symptoms of intolerance to this disaccharide, manifested by abdominal pain, flatulence, and diarrhea.
If you observe any disturbing symptoms after consuming a baby formula by your little one, you must not modify your baby’s diet on your own and reach for specialized mixtures. You need to go to the pediatrician and decide with the doctor whether to use the formula for babies with special nutritional needs.
