Formula milks attempt to give a baby everything they’d get from their mother’s breast milk. This is an ambitious goal, as natural breast milk contains around 300 ingredients, and on top of that up to 600 types of bacteria, many of which are beneficial to a newborn.
The reality, however, is that many women turn to formula milk before the baby moves on to solid food because of pain, infections and inconvenience – or to simply top up their baby inbetween breast milk feeds.
So what are the differences between the handful of formulas available in our pharmacies and supermarkets? What about organic, vegetarian and halal options, or even cow’s milk-free brands if your child is intolerant or you want to bring them up vegan? What’s the best value brand that doesn’t skimp on providing your child with the best possible start? And in for parents worried about the environment, are the containers recyclable?
The good news is that baby formula is one of the most strictly-controlled products on the market. This means that the core ingredients of every formula milk are identical, because they all have to provide the same mix of nutrients demanded by the UK Infant Formula and Follow-On Formula Regulations 2007.
How to choose the best baby formula
Is there such a thing as organic baby formula?
Under UK regulations, all formula milks are limited to 0.01 milligrams of pesticide residue content per litre. So if it’s a dislike of putting pesticides in your body that makes you buy organic, rest easy. However, non-organic cattle may also be given antibiotics to prevent mastitis which is often caused by intensive milking.
What’s the difference between standard formula and follow-on milk?
Follow-on milk basically adds in iron and vitamin D, which are required in greater amounts in older babies, but the government advises that follow-on milk is not necessary, as these will be provided by a healthy diet and the infant formula.
Does specific ‘hungry baby’ formula actually make a difference?
Many brands offer milk for babies that aren’t satisfied by standard infant formula. However, the evidence provided in support of these brands comes from small sample sizes and on infants with digestive problems.
Is all baby formula vegan-approved?
No. Babies need vitamin D3, which cannot be provided by a vegetarian diet. Most brands get D3 from lanolin, the oil found in sheepskin, which many vegans see as a small sin in the greater scheme of things.
What’s the closest formula to breast milk?
As mentioned above, the vast and changing number of ingredients in breast milk means that any such claims are meaningless. In addition to this, any ingredients wouldn’t survive in powder form even in the fridge so any claim to be close to breast milk should be treated with scepticism.
For an in-depth breakdown of all the brands mentioned, we’d recommend The First Steps Nutrition Trust’s downloadable booklet, Infant Formula – An Overview, which is an exhaustive but invaluable guide if you want an objective summary of ingredients, analysis of the claims made by various brands and comparisons between them.
The best baby formula to buy
1. Aptamil Stage 1 First Infant Milk Powder
Price: £12.48 900g (£14 per kg) | Buy it from Amazon
Aptamil is the most widely available formula on the market and does the job. The pack is easy to use and comes with a spoon and is foil-packed. It advertises a ‘unique blend of ingredients’ but, as mentioned above, in reality it has what’s required by the state. It comes in a cardboard box with a foil lining.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 900g; Gluten-free? Yes; Vegetarian/vegan-friendly? No; Organic? No; Halal-approved? Yes; Recyclable container? Yes (but must be broken down into card, foil and plastic)
2. SMA Pro First Infant Milk Powder
Price: £10 for 800g for P(12.50 per kg) | Buy it from Amazon
SMA is probably the main competition and comes from the Nestlé company. Again, it has all the required ingredients and promises to be ‘nutritionally complete’, which of course, the law demands it should be. It comes in a metal tin.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 800g; Gluten-free? No; Vegetarian/vegan-friendly? No; Organic? No; Halal-approved? Yes Recyclable container? Yes (steel)
3. Hipp Organic Combiotic First Infant Milk Powder – Best organic baby formula
Price: £15.18 for 800g (£19 per kg) | Buy it from Amazon
Don’t be put off by the rather annoying ‘gentle’ in ‘gentle milk substitute’ or the irritating ‘æ’ in its boast of being ‘Præbiotic™’ as this brand’s heart seems to be in the right place. As mentioned above, all formula milk must be by law 99.9% organic and this product merely makes the last 0.01% organic. The box is cardboard and reusable.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 800g; Gluten-free? Yes; Vegetarian/vegan-friendly? No; Organic? Yes; Halal-approved? No Recyclable container? Yes (card)
4. Holle Organic Infant Formula 1 – Best vegetarian
Price: £17.01 for 800g (2 packs of 400g) (£21 per kg) | Buy it from Amazon
Holle achieves vegetarian status by using vegetable oils rather than fish oils, with seemingly no adverse effects. Like Hipp’s product, it’s also organic ’99%’ organic in their words, and uses ‘biodynamic’ milk, meaning that the cattle-rearing is designed to work with the environment rather than at its expense, antibiotics are only used to treat illness, rather than to optimise milk yield and a biodynamic calendar is used to take into account the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 800g (2 packs of 400g); Gluten-free? Yes; Vegetarian/Vegan-friendly? Vegetarian; Organic? Yes; Halal-approved? No Recyclable container? Yes (card)
5. Aldi Mamia First Infant Milk – Best cheap baby formula
Price: £6.99 for 900g (£8 per kg)
As in so many areas, Aldi and Lidl are simply unbeatable in terms of price, and as you’re guaranteed by government regulations that every formula will have just what a baby needs and will not have any bad stuff in, it’s hard to argue against buying Aldi formula. Expensive does not mean, especially in this case, better. We changed from Aptamil and Aldi's Mamia, and our 10-week old hasn't voiced any complaints yet.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 900g; Gluten-free? Yes; Vegetarian/vegan-friendly? No; Organic? No; Halal-approved? No Recyclable container? No
6. SMA Wsoy Soya Infant Formula – Best for cows-milk intolerant infants and vegans
Price: £17.39 for 860g (£20 per kg) | Buy it from Amazon
In the UK the use of soya-based infant formulas for children under six months is not recommended with medical advice. This is because the state believes there are a number of risk factors associated with soya use. These include allergies, future reproductive health of the infant, tooth decay in later life and higher aluminium content. However, if your doctor agrees with your child having soya milk because of either a perceived cow’s milk intolerance or because you want your child to have a vegan diet, your choice is severely limited. And SMA’s brand is likely the only one you will be able to get. It’s backed up by the might of Nestlé – which may be a good or bad thing depending on your politics, but, as with all the other milks, it does have all the nutrients required by law, so your child won’t miss out on anything important.
Key specs – Form: Powder; Weight: 860g; Gluten-free? Yes; Vegetarian/vegan-friendly? Vegetarian and 99.9% vegan; Organic? No; Halal-approved? Yes Recyclable container? Yes (steel)