Formula - which one do I choose?
There are many different brands and types available on the market, which mostly come into 4 categories. You can try your baby on different brands and you can request samples from the companies- but most babies will settle on the formula that you choose. Be aware of the different types of milk that are designed for different stages of infancy:
Types of Formula for Bottle Feeding
Whey based milk / first milk Formula that is suitable from birth, easily digested. This is designed to be as close as possible to breast milk.
Casein based milk/ second milk Designed for hungrier babies, who are not yet old enough to start solid food. This takes longer to digest.
Follow on milk A milk for babies between 6 months and 2 years of age that has a higher iron content that regular cow’s milk
Soya milk For babies who have been identified as being intolerant to cow’s milk - should only be used after advice from a health professional
Some milk companies advertise the presence of nucleotides in their formula, which are important to the development of your infant’s growth, development and immune system.
Others contain Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids or LCPs, which are naturally present in breast milk and may be important for brain and visual development and these often are labelled as ‘gold label’ and cost a little more.
Be aware that baby milk advertising is very powerful – you should obtain individual advice from your Plunket nurse or midwife if you are unsure about which formula to choose.