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Formula food for baby


Formula Feeding FAQs: Starting Solids and Milk (for Parents)

Whether you plan to formula feed your baby from the start, want to supplement your breast milk with formula, or are switching from breast milk to formula, you probably have questions.

Here are answers to some common questions about formula feeding.

When Can My Baby Try Solid Foods?


Doctors recommend waiting until your baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but wait until your baby is at least 4 months old.

Babies who are ready to eat solids foods:

  • are interested in foods (for example, they may watch others eat, reach for food, and open their mouths when food is near)
  • hold up their heads well, and sit up with little or no help
  • don't push food of their mouth (which is a natural tongue reflex that disappears when babies are 4–6 months old)
  • usually weigh twice their birth weight, or close to it

Talk to your doctor about the right time to start solid foods.

How Do I Introduce Solid Foods?

When the time is right, start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon. Don’t add cereal to a baby's bottle unless your doctor recommends it.

When your baby gets the hang of eating the first food, introduce other foods from all food groups, such as puréed meats, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and yogurt. Wait a few days between introducing new foods to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.

You can include foods that are more likely to cause allergies — such as peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy — among the foods you introduce to your infant. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies.

Talk to your doctor before giving foods that contain peanuts if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, as these conditions make an allergy to peanuts more likely. Eating peanut-containing foods early on may lower a child’s chances of developing a peanut allergy. But your doctor will need to decide if you can give peanuts to your baby, and the safest way to do it. Usually, this requires allergy tests.

Should We Avoid Some Foods?

Yes, don’t give your baby:

  • foods with added sugars or no-calorie sweeteners
  • high-sodium foods
  • honey until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
  • unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese
  • regular cow's milk or soy beverages instead of breast milk or formula before 12 months. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
  • foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Always supervise your child when eating. Make sure your child is sitting up in high chair or other safe place.

When Can My Baby Have Cow's Milk?

Before their first birthday, babies still need the nutrients in breast milk or formula. But after that, they’re ready to switch to cow's milk.

Most kids under age 2 should drink whole milk. If a toddler is overweight or there is a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or heart problems, your doctor might recommend switching to reduced fat (2%) milk.

If your child can’t drink cow’s milk, choose an unsweetened soy beverage fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Other milk alternatives, like almond, oat, rice, or coconut milk, have less protein and may not be fortified.

How Do We Switch to Cow’s Milk?

You can switch your baby from formula to whole milk by replace bottles of formula with bottles — or sippy cups — of milk. By 1 year old, your baby should be eating a variety of solid foods and drinking about 16 to 24 ounces (480–720 milliliters) of milk per day.

When Can I Start Giving My Baby Water and Other Drinks?

In their first 6 months, healthy babies drinking enough formula usually don't need extra water. Once your baby is eating solid foods, you can offer a small amount of water between feedings, up to 4–8 ounces a day.  

Water that has fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. If your water does not have fluoride, talk to your doctor or dentist about fluoride drops.

Do not give juice to babies younger than 12 months. After your child’s first birthday, limit 100% fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces a day. Always serve juice in a cup, not in a bottle. Don’t give your child sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda, juice drinks, sports drinks, and flavored milks.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: November 2021

Choosing an Infant Formula | Nutrition

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Information about finding infant formula can be found
here.external icon
Additional information to help families during the infant formula shortage can be found
here.

alert iconCDC’s investigation of Cronobacter infections in infants who consumed powdered infant formula from the Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, MI, is now closed. No new cases have been identified. Get updates about FDA’s investigationexternal icon.


No brand of infant formula is best for all babies. You should pick an infant formula that is made especially for babies. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates commercial infant formulas to make sure they meet minimum nutritional and safety requirements. Iron-fortifiedalert icon infant formulas are recommended, and most commercial infant formulas sold in the United States contain iron. Commercial infant formulas come in liquid and powdered forms.

When choosing an infant formula:

  • Make sure it is not expired.
  • Make sure the container is sealed and in good condition. If there are any leaks, puffy ends, or rust spots, do not feed it to your baby.
  • Make sure it is not labeled for toddlers.

Talk with your child’s doctor or nurse if you have questions about choosing an infant formula for your baby or if you are thinking of switching infant formula brand or type.

Homemade Infant Formula

FDAexternal icon and the American Academy of Pediatricsexternal icon warn against using recipes to make homemade infant formula. Using homemade infant formula can lead to serious health problems for your baby. Your baby’s nutritional needs are very specific, especially in the first year of life. Homemade infant formulas may contain too little or too much of certain components, such as vitamins and minerals (like iron).

Homemade infant formula may also have an increased risk of contamination, which could lead to your baby getting sick or developing an infection. Commercial powdered formulas are also not guaranteed to be sterile. However, FDA regularly inspects these products and the manufacturing facilities where they are made to help make sure these products are safe.

Imported Infant Formulas

There are some public claims that infant formulas sold in other countries and promoted as “natural” or “organic” are better for babies. However, there is no scientific evidence that these infant formulas are better for babies than commercial infant formulas sold in the United States. All infant formulas legally sold in the United States—whether made in the United States or imported from other countries—must be reviewed by FDA. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against using illegally imported formulas, such as products ordered online from third-party distributors. FDA may not have not reviewed these products. Illegally imported formulas also may not have been shipped and stored properly.

FDA reviews all infant formulas sold legally in the United States to make sure they meet minimum nutritional and safety requirements. FDA also makes sure that the water used to make formulas meets safety standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Toddler Milks, Drinks, or Formulas

Toddler milks, drinks, or formulas are not needed to meet the nutritional needs of young children. They typically have added sugars. At age 12 months, your child can be introduced to plain whole cow’s milk or fortified unsweetened soy beverage.

Babies younger than age 12 months should be fed infant formulas specifically designed to meet their nutritional needs. They should not be fed toddler milks, drinks, or formulas labeled for toddlers.

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Composition of infant formula: required ingredients and non-permissible ingredients

Tiunova Elena

Published: 01/15/2023

Reading time: 5 min

687

Every mother who is faced with the need to introduce powdered milk formula into the baby's diet is faced with a variety of brands and names of baby food. Navigating everything that the market offers is not easy.

What is adapted infant formula?

Infant formula manufacturers are constantly working to bring the composition of powdered milk formulas as close as possible to breast milk and improve the formulas of substitutes, taking into account the ever-increasing knowledge of breast milk and the physiological role of its components.

Adapted formula - close in composition to breast milk. To date, all mixtures for baby food presented on the Russian market are adapted.

Highly adapted (premium) infant formula - with an expanded complex of components, the composition of which closely resembles breast milk.

What is important to know when choosing infant formula?

When choosing a mixture for a newborn, you should first of all focus on the recommendations of a pediatrician.
When choosing infant formula on your own, consider:

  • the age of the child

  • type of feeding (mixed, artificial)

  • Indications and contraindications for the appointment of this product

must carefully familiarize yourself with the information on the package of the product:

  • For what age is the mixture

  • What are the indications for its purpose

  • how to prepare the mixture
  • composition

What must be present in the mixture?

  • Proteins, fats, carbohydrates - essential nutrients

  • Vitamins and minerals

  • Omega-6 linoleic and omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid - fatty acids that are not formed in the body and must be obtained from food.

  • Taurine – amino acid essential for brain development. It must be included in the mixture for newborns

The calorie content of the product must be indicated on the package and such an indicator as osmolality - means the concentration in the mixture of proteins and salts. In order for the load on the immature kidneys of the child to be small, the osmolality index should not exceed 320 mOsm / kg.

It is preferable to choose highly adapted infant formulas with important functional components:

  • Omega-3 (DHA) and Omega-6 (ARA) - polyunsaturated fatty acids for the development of the brain and intelligence

    • for prebiotics growth of beneficial intestinal microflora. It should be GOS (galactooligosaccharides - found in breast milk).
  • Nucleotides - for the formation of the immune system and the gastrointestinal tract

  • probiotics - to improve intestinal microflora

  • lutein - to protect the retina and development of the organ of vision

  • LOAK Palm
  • - Molochyny Zhim as a source of energy for the growth of the child.

How can a mother choose the composition of the formula?

Remember that formula for a child must be prescribed by a doctor.
When choosing a formula for healthy children on your own, be guided by the composition of baby food and the manufacturer you trust.

Children's mixtures should be included in the composition ( in addition to proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamin-mineral complex and taurin) Important functional components :

  • omega-3 and omega-6

  • Luthein

  • Prebiotics (GOS)

  • Nucleotides 9What Nutrilak offers?

    Nutrilak Premium offers the most advanced blend with Omega-3 (DHA)max* and milk fat. The mixture contains the maximum amount of omega-3 DHA (11.5 mg per 100 ml of the finished mixture), which effectively affects the optimal development of the brain and vision. The milk fat in ProBrain promotes better absorption of DHA. And the phospholipids of milk fat help the development of memory, speech and motor skills.

    Infant milk formulas Nutrilak Premium have an improved fat composition without palm and rapeseed oil.

    Myths about infant formula



    Author of article

    Tiunova Elena

    Pediatrician of the highest category, nutritionist, candidate of medical sciences, associate professor of the department of faculty pediatrics and propaedeutics of childhood diseases, Ural State Medical University

    About the author

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    Contents of the article

    • What is adapted infant formula?
    • What is important to know when choosing infant formula?
    • What must be present in the mixture?
    • How can a mother choose the composition of the formula?
    • What does Nutrilak offer?
    • Myths about infant formula

    Products from article

    Baby formula Nutrilak Premium Caesarea BIFI

    From birth

    Nutrilak Premium Sour Milk Infant Formula

    From birth

    May be of interest

    • Nutrilak Premium without palm oil
    • Milk fat in infant formula
    • When is an anti-reflux mixture needed?
    • How to wean a baby from night feedings?

    How to choose powdered milk formula?

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

    Elena Simonenko

    Head of Department, Research Institute of Baby Nutrition, Branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology"

    The choice of a mixture is not rushed, even when you have been assigned a specific product. Read the information on the bank carefully. Look at what age the formula is for (for example, for infants from birth to six months) and what the formula is intended for (for example, powdered adapted milk formula). This information is located on the front or back of the package.

    Depending on the age of the child, the amount of vitamins and minerals in the mixture changes, so it is not recommended to feed the newborn with a mixture intended for older children.

    The results of the study of infant formula milk read HERE.


    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, in particular with digestion, choose therapeutic or specialized mixtures.

    Tatiana Butskaya

    pediatrician, founder of the all-Russian movement "Council of Mothers" and the national award "Parents' Choice", international expert in children's products

    Do not try to figure out on your own which mixture is best to buy for a child. If there is a need for artificial feeding, contact your pediatrician. The introduction of supplementary food into the infant's diet is always metabolic stress. The mixture should be treated as a medicine, which is selected according to indications and taking into account individual characteristics.

    Attention to detail

    The composition of the product for children of the first year of life should be as close as possible to human milk, 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 - substitutes 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 should be the composition of the mixture

    • 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 (eg 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 (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli). They form the basis of a 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, beneficial microorganisms remain viable throughout the entire shelf life of the mixture. Their effectiveness has been clinically proven.

    Prebiotics (galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, oligosaccharides) serve as a nutrient medium, in other words, food for beneficial intestinal bacteria.

    Biological ingredients that improve product quality

    • Choline (vitamin-like substance) - helps to eliminate harmful compounds, is needed for fat metabolism and muscle growth.

    • Tryptophan - has a positive effect on the quality of a child's sleep, his 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.

    How to store?

    Powdered milk formulas for children, regardless of the type (first, second or third steps), have general storage rules.

    • Dry mixes, subject to the integrity of the packaging, are designed for a long period of storage.

    • If you bought a mixture packaged in jars, you can store it at home in the original packaging.

    • If the mixture is packed in bags or cardboard boxes, after opening the contents must be poured into a hermetically sealed container. Ware for storing baby food can be glass or plastic, but always with the appropriate marking indicating the absence of toxic impurities in the composition of the material.

    • When you open the package, stick a label on it with the date you opened it or put it in an airtight container.

    • The mixture in an open package or poured into an airtight container can be stored for exactly as many days as indicated on the package!

    • To make it easier to comply with the established shelf life, put a label on the package with the date you opened it.

    • Store dry mixes in a ventilated cabinet, protected from light, at room temperature. The optimum temperature is 12–24 °C.

    • Diluted infant formula can be stored at room temperature for no more than three hours.

    • In the refrigerator, the diluted mixture can be stored for no more than a day.

    What if the formula is not suitable for the child?

    If the mixture is not suitable for the baby, he may be disturbed by flatulence, colic, constipation, diarrhea, skin rashes. Any of the symptoms requires finding the culprit of such a reaction and replacing the mixture. Therefore, I advise you to contact the pediatrician again. After buying a new mixture, carefully, within a week, introduce the mixture into the baby's diet. Do not mix milk replacers from different manufacturers in one bottle, use two for this. If the introduction of the mixture is accompanied by a deterioration in the child's well-being, consult with his doctor.

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