The choice of baby nutrition with artificial and mixed feeding is a very responsible matter. Immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, enzyme deficiency, reaction to allergens, and the baby’s delicate health require careful study of the composition of baby food. One and the same food can be perfect for one child and cause an allergic rash or regurgitation in another. Each mother advises exactly the products that are best suited to her child. The price of the product also plays an important role. Therefore, it is difficult to make a rating of infant formulas. Everyone should choose what is most suitable for the child.
The best nutrition for your baby is breast milk.
Given the immaturity of the digestive tract of the baby, breast milk is an ideal food. It is easily absorbed, contains all the necessary trace elements and vitamins that are so needed for the growth and development of the baby, antibodies and white blood cells protect the child from dangerous infections. Surprisingly, the composition of breast milk varies depending on the needs of the baby's body. Scientists still cannot explain the mechanism of this phenomenon.
WHO strongly recommends breast-feeding a baby under 4 months of age. With the right diet for a nursing mother, this will almost completely eliminate problems such as constipation, colic or indigestion. In the future, breast-fed infants are less likely to suffer from asthma and other illnesses.
Reasons for switching to mixed or artificial feeding
All mothers try to give their baby all the best, but there is not always the opportunity for breastfeeding. Often, in young mothers, milk disappears or an insufficient amount is produced due to stress or other negative factors. Therefore, parents are forced to switch to various infant formulas.
The main reasons for switching to mixed or artificial feeding:
- far-fetched fear of young mothers before pain, nipple cracking, mastitis. The myth that feeding spoils the beauty of the breast; unwillingness of a woman to follow a diet in the first 3 months of breastfeeding;
- inability to feed every 2-3 hours (work, business trips);
- poor state of health of a young mother;
- lack of milk.
Mix selection
Baby formulas, the rating of which cannot be called the only true guideline for parents, may suit one child, but not at all another. The body of each baby is very individual, so you should carefully consider the choice of mixture, consult a pediatrician. The doctor may indicate to parents possible allergic reactions, intolerance to certain components, or congenital eating disorders.
The best infant formulas, the rating of which will be given below, are fully adapted to the requirements of the baby, that is, as close as possible to the composition of natural breast milk.
The composition of the mixtures
You can not focus only on the rating of infant formulas. Parents should definitely carefully study the composition of baby food. Most of the mixtures are based on cow's milk, and some brands also produce baby food based on goat's milk. Often, it includes iodine, nucleotides, oligosaccharides, prebiotics, which are important for intestinal microflora. Choline is needed to maintain the normal state of the liver, carnitine and taurine are useful for the health of the child’s nervous system and eyesight, starch is added to give the mixture the desired consistency, polyunsaturated fatty acids for nutrition. Very useful for the child's body when the mixture is enriched with iron.
In case of excess body weight of the child, casein should be part of the diet.
What labeling means
Further it is worth paying special attention to the labeling of the infant formula. If the product is intended for children who are underweight or premature, the packaging is usually marked with the prefix "PRE" or the number "0". For babies of the first half of the year (from 0 to 6 months), products are indicated by the number "1", for children of the second half of the year (from 6 to 12 months) - by the number "2".
Below is the rating of mixtures for baby food.
Mixture "Baby"
According to many surveys, the rating of infant formula is headed by Baby. The advantage of this mixture is that it contains such useful components as prebiotics and nucleotides, vitamins of groups B, A, E, K, D, C, PP, carnitine, many minerals - such as calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, potassium and others. The mixture does not contain preservatives or dyes. With all this, the price of food is reasonably reasonable. Among the minuses, it should be noted the presence of soya lecithin and palm oil in the mixture, it is very foaming and very sweet. The mixture is a kind of compromise of quality and low price, proof that quality is not always expensive.
Nutrilon
Baby formulas, the 2014 rating of which are voiced by pediatricians, are headed by Nutrilon. This is an adapted mixture of Dutch production. It strengthens the baby's immunity, prevents increased gas formation and colic, supports the normal state of intestinal microflora. It contains useful components such as nucleotides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to the development of the brain and support vision, 29 vitamins, minerals, and prebiotics.
Of the shortcomings, the presence of lecithin and palm oil should be noted, and the price is quite high, so the Nutrilon mixture, which according to some sources tops the ranking of infant formula, can be too expensive for many parents.
Similak
One of the best infant formulas, experts consider Similak (Denmark). It contributes to the formation of a normal stool, prevents constipation, helps the body absorb calcium better, which is very important for the development and strengthening of the bone tissue of a growing body. The mixture does not contain palm oil, but there is coconut oil, which is no better. Therefore, parents should carefully monitor the baby's reactions after feeding this mixture.
Nan
Baby formula Nan (Netherlands) takes pride of place in the ranking. Different types of mixtures are intended for each age category of children. A feature of the mixture is that it contains fish oil, taurine, a sufficient amount of iodine. But among the components there is still palm oil, which negatively affects the absorption of calcium. Prebiotics and maltodextrin were also not found. The mixture quickly dissolves in water. It should be noted that the cost of such a mixture is quite high.
"Unstable"
"Nestogen" (Switzerland) - a mixture of children from birth, whose rating is quite high, according to pediatricians. They recommend it for feeding children up to a year. The composition includes standard components: prebiotics, lactose, demineralized whey, taurine. Among the pluses, it should be noted that it tastes good, gets divorced well, quickly, no sucrose was found in it, the cost of the mixture is reasonable. Beneficial substances contribute to regular stool and improve digestion. The disadvantage is that maltodextrin is found in the composition - molasses, which manufacturers add to increase the child’s satiety period, and this substance can adversely affect the baby’s health. The mixture also tastes sweet, which can lead to tooth decay.
Agusha
In the ranking of infant formulas it is worth noting the nutrition of Agusha. It contains the necessary number of prebiotics, probiotics, casein, nucleotides, docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids, which significantly increase the immunity and protective forces of the child's body. There is also lutein, which is very useful for vision, inositol, useful for lung tissue, but the amount of iodine and whey proteins is very small, it does not meet the daily norm and does not satisfy the needs of the child. The amount of maltodextrin in Agush is large. No pathogens were found. The mixture is poorly soluble in water.
Hipp
"Hipp" (Germany) - a good and safe infant formula. It tastes good, is highly soluble in water, does not contain maltodextrin and toxins. There are many lactobacilli, carnitine, selenium, taurine and other additional components that help the normal development of the bone, muscle and endocrine systems. A distinctive property of this mixture is that it is perfect for feeding babies with anemia, because it contains folic acid, ascorbic acid, and iron.
Its significant disadvantage is the high price.
Nutrilak
Nutrilak is also considered one of the best infant formula in the ranking. It is perfect for children with digestive problems, with intolerance to lactose, cow's milk, for children who suffer from allergies. The perfect combination of price and quality. Mixtures have a natural taste of a neutral shade. But the composition still has maltodextrin. It should be noted that the mixture contains many useful components - galactooligosaccharides and fructooligosaccharides, nucleotides, lutein, selenium, zinc, vitamins C, E, A, group B, no sucrose and starch.
Frisolac
Next in the ranking of infant formulas is Frisolak. It contains fatty acids, beta-carotene, dietary fiber, which contribute to good digestion. The mixture is well suited for babies who can not tolerate iron, because it is very small in its composition. There are prebiotics and nucleotides, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids for brain development, beta-carotene, which protects the body from free radicals, the optimal ratio of vitamin C and iron. No probiotics were found; there is a very small amount of maltodextrin. The mixture is based on goat milk.
Humana
"Humana" - many believe that this is the best infant formula. Her rating is close to high positions. Without a doubt, Humana is a high quality blend. Pediatricians note that it is as close as possible in composition to natural breast milk. This is a therapeutic mixture, which is prescribed for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract: with constipation, diarrhea, colic, with fructose intolerance, with iron deficiency anemia, with rickets. It is easily digested, does not contain gluten, sugar, preservatives and dyes. It has a mild effect on digestion, helps maintain immunity. However, its price is quite high, and many parents cannot afford to feed their child this mixture.
"Nanny"
Baby formula brand "Nanny" (Bibikol) made only on the basis of milk from goats from New Zealand. They are rich in “soft” proteins, which are better absorbed by the body and contain the maximum amount of all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the baby. Manufacturers emphasize that baby food "Nanny" - an environmentally friendly product. There are no glucose and sucrose in the composition, but there is lactose. The mixture is perfect for diet food.
The baby formula described above, whose rating is high, takes care of the baby's health from the first days of life. Parents should do everything so that their child does not bother anything, that the baby grows strong and enjoys every day. Therefore, we should not forget that the nutrition of the child is one of the most important factors in his future health.