There are different choices among the organic formula that might closely resemble breast milk, but there is no right or perfect choice. Some might be USDA certified, and others might be mentioned as made from organic ingredients which are USDA accredited. If your family follows an organic lifestyle, it’s right to choose amongst them. But if you’re choosing one because you don’t trust standard formulas, you should reconsider because organic formulas are pretty expensive. It depends on your infant’s likability and digestion. Some parents also prefer European formulas for they believe them to be of better quality.
When switching, most parents wish to choose the closest possible formula that resembles breast milk.
Choosing the best for your child means going organic as they’re GMO-free and don’t have preservatives, flavors, or other additives.
But even amongst organic, the biggest concern is whether they resemble breast milk. Another matter is buying certified organic formula or one made with organic ingredients.
Due to the wide variety available, choosing the perfect formula for your baby makes all the parents nervous. But today, we’re going to look at the best formulas that closely resemble breast milk and how you can choose the best for your child.
What’s in organic infant formula?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all formulas are made to adhere to certain nutritional standards. The organic formulas must meet specific federal guidelines to get the certified stamp.
Organic formula is created with certified organic ingredients and processing aids.
Most parents wish to go for organic to protect their baby from exposure to pesticide residue and other chemicals used to produce general formulas.
It’s better for babies with weaker immune systems or other health problems if the organic formula can help them prevent health issues. But choosing to go organic will definitely take a toll on your pocket as they’re a bit expensive, and your infant can go through many cans each month.
When looking for an organic formula that resembles breast milk going for a milk-based organic formula is your best choice.
It’s made with cow’s milk and altered to resemble mother’s milk to provide the proper nutrition to the baby. It’s available in both organic and general formulas.
Organic formulas are also made with milk proteins that have been partially broken down. It might help babies recover from their colic or gas issues.
Another way is to make them from soy proteins, popular for babies with lactose intolerance or digestive issues.
Soy-based formulas are mostly recommended by the pediatrician and aren’t a popular choice amongst parents unless recommended.
Benefits of organic formula
- It doesn’t contain synthetic ingredients. Babies with sensitive stomachs with issues like diarrhea and constipation do well with this formula as there’re no added artificial ingredients.
- They have the right blend of vitamins and fulfill all your baby’s nutritional needs, such as vitamin E. It helps in the healthy functioning of the organs, immune system, and red blood cell production.
- It has a higher concentration of nutrients and contains polyunsaturated fatty acids and Omega-3 fatty acids. The nutrients aid in your baby’s mental development and physical development and are needed for brain development and eye development. With enough fatty acids in their diet, they can be more protected from cerebral palsy, ADHD, and autism.
- Many babies suffer from gastrointestinal issues such as having reflux or GERD. It becomes all the more important to feed them with organic formula.
- The most popular reason for going organic is because it’s GMO-free. Out of all the products you see on the shelf of a supermarket, more than half of them contain GMOs. It’s barely suitable for an adult, let alone for your baby.
The organic formula be it any brand, can be considered better than your standard formula compared to the health factor and how closely it resembles breast milk.
Labeled organic vs. organic ingredients
Looking at the ingredients is something parents do to verify what they’re feeding their baby is the best for them.
So when it comes to organic formulas, some might get confused between labeled as certified organic and others saying it’s made with organic ingredients.
The difference is that those certified by the USDA have ingredients grown in pesticide-free soil and meet USDA regulations for processed foods.
These ingredients are free from artificial flavors, colors, growth hormones, and preservatives.
Compared to a brand that claims to be made from organic ingredients contains at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients, and the other 30 percent is produced without prohibited practices like genetic engineering.
This product will have a USDA accredited certifier.
The best organic infant formula
There’s no correct answer to finding the best organic formula for your infant which resembles breast milk. There’s only so much you can do when choosing the formula for your baby, and it can never replace your milk which is the best for your infant.
It depends on your infant and what they like. Even if you do your best in choosing a formula for them, they might not like the taste or face an issue such as constipation. Below is a list of the best organic formulas that resemble breast milk.
Take your time and maybe do a sample trial for your infant to see which suits them the best.
Earth’s Best Organic Dairy Infant Formula
The key selling point of this organic powdered formula is that it claims to be the closest formula to breast milk and provides complete nutrition to your baby’s needs.
DHA and ARA are naturally found in breast milk and are known for eye and brain development. This formula uses water to help extract them rather than chemically, which leaves chemical traces.
Another benefit of this brand is that this formula contains lactose from grain and grass-fed cows. The brand is known to produce a variety of non-lactose or low-lactose options.
It’s also one of the more affordable organic formulas out there, as they tend to be costlier than your average formulas.
While there’re pros, it’s not the perfect organic substitute out there as it also comes with a few cons. There are some synthetic nutrients and palm oil.
The sensitivity formulas of this brand have lots of soy, and the lo-lactose versions include added corn syrup solids.
Some parents might feel it smells or tastes more on the metallic side and even create an issue of constipation in their infant.
Some babies might adjust to this brand quite quickly and not face a single issue, but others might not like it so much.
Similac Organic With Iron
Similac is another famous powdered formula, and most parents jump to get this one from the shelves. The organic formula with iron is known to be recognized for using ingredients that make it similar to breast milk.
While it steers away from artificial growth hormones, some parents might not prefer this brand because of the way they extract DHA present in their organic formula.
Happy Baby Organic Infant Formula
This formula brand parent finds works like a charm when switching from breast milk to formula for the infant. Source of nutrition include vitamin D, DHA, ARA, and prebiotics, and it has USDA certification.
The dual prebiotics present is similar to those found in breast milk. Even the consistency is relatively identical to that of breast milk.
Parent’s Choice Organic GMO- and Gluten-Free Powder Baby Formula
It’s known for its affordability and still has all the essentials an infant needs. It’s made with organic milk and is packed with DHA, AHA, lutein, and Vitamin E. it’s also USDA certified.
But it’s not popularly available in all the stores and can only be found at Walmart, and most people have to buy it online via Amazon.
Bobbie (European formula)
All parents must be familiar with the current shortage of formula. It’s become challenging to find even average brand formulas as the popular ones are mostly sold out in all the stores.
Facing this difficulty, parents are switching to European formulas. Bobbie is one such European formula for infants made in the U.S., so you don’t worry about the FDA guidelines.
It’s USDA certified, uses pasture-raised dairy, and sources key ingredients like whey protein and casein from small organic family farms across the country. It also contains essential nutrients, including DHA and arachidonic acid (ARA).
If you’re worried about European formula and still wonder if it’s safe even after it has received FDA approval, this brand formula recently received Clean Label Project Purity Award and Pesticide-Free Certification. It was evaluated for substances like industrial and environmental toxins and containments.
But currently, only existing subscribers will receive their formula, and they’re not accepting new customers due to increased demand. However, you can visit their website to know more details about when you’ll be able to subscribe.
Burt’s Bees Baby Ultra Gentle Organic Formula
It’s known for being a gentle formula for your baby, specially designed for babies with sensitive tummies.
It can help with the baby’s fussiness, gas, and crying while providing the nutrition they need.
The formula has the right source of nutrition for your baby, including DHA, calcium, iron, and Vitamin D, E, and K. But it might be more on the expensive side.
FAQs
Why do parents choose European baby formula?
There’s a significant shift of parents from U.S.-based formulas to European-based formulas because of all it offers.
Some parents go for European formulas because it offers them a variety of formula options, such as those made with goat milk or milk from pasture-raised cows, which are nonexistent in the U.S. People believe the European formula is of higher quality because their regulation is stricter.
Although it’s illegal to buy and import European formula to the U.S. as the FDA disapproves, they find it generally meets all the FDA guidelines and even more when parents compare.
Like E.U. bans specifically added sugars like corn syrup solids and requires at least 30 percent of the carbohydrate source to come from lactose found in human milk.
What’s the difference between organic and regular formulas?
The organic formula could be milk-based, partially hydrolyzed, or soy-based. Made exclusively with organic ingredients, which minimizes the use of synthetic materials and substances approved by the USDA.
When studied about the long and short-term benefits of the two, there’s not much difference. Both are good for your baby as long as you can afford them because organic formulas are expensive, and a growing child uses cans after cans.
If you believe in an organic lifestyle or your baby has issues that can only be solved by feeding them a specific organic brand formula recommended by your pediatrician, go for it.
How to choose the best organic baby formula?
A few tips can help you make an informed decision, and the topmost would be to discuss it with your pediatrician first. They would know your baby’s health condition and what would suit them.
Make sure the formula is USDA certified or USDA accredited. Plus, look at the ingredients list and see if it meets your requirements of the essential nutrients you wish to feed your baby.
Is it okay to alternate between breast milk and formula?
It’s fine to alternate between breast milk and formula. Some mothers might not be able to produce enough to feed their baby, and in such cases getting help from the formula is needed to keep the baby full and provide for all their nutritional needs.
Supplementing with formula is quite alright, and when transitioning, even then, some mothers like to gradually bring the change by interchanging between formula and breast milk.
To summarise
You can choose the best organic closest formula to your breast milk in taste, smell, or consistency, but ultimately it depends on your infant’s taste buds and how well they can digest it.
Sometimes, we can do the best for our children, but it might not be suitable for them. You might only get to know this after they’ve tried a particular brand. There’s no right or wrong when choosing the best formula.
So before investing in a large box of a brand formula, it’s best to get samples to get your infant to try and find which they’re suited to!
