Mother's milk - a product recognized as the "gold standard" for feeding children up to a year, doctors agree that the transfer of the baby to artificial feeding is recommended only in cases where the entire arsenal of lactation-stimulating agents was ineffective. If this all the same happened, the question of choosing the optimal nutritional composition for their baby arises before parents.
Why can artificial feeding cause colic?
When switching to a mixture, the digestive process can cause significant discomfort to the infant and members of his family: colic, regurgitation, constipation - common problems among “artisans”.
The culprits, as well as a factor in the development of constipation and regurgitation, may be the alpha-S1-casein protein - the protein component of cow's milk based mixtures. The presence of alpha-S1-casein provokes the formation of an indigestible clot in the pediatric stomach, when a large amount of gas is formed in the intestine when it is broken. The result, in addition to colic, is regurgitation, constipation and other manifestations of digestive disorders.
Mixtures with a predominance of whey (light) proteins in goat milk without alpha-S1-casein - a solution to the problem
The most similar to breast milk is goat milk. Goat milk mixtures are favorably different from cow milk milk mixtures by the following factors:
- whey proteins are better and faster absorbed than casein proteins, therefore, nutrition with a predominance of whey proteins helps prevent constipation, regurgitation, colic;
- whey proteins stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in the intestines of the child;
- goat milk protein does not contain alpha-S1-casein.
A mixture in goat milk during digestion forms a softer clot in the baby’s stomach than a diet based on cow’s milk. A soft clot breaks down faster and easier in the digestive tract, minimizing the risk of developing intestinal colic and other digestive disorders in infants.
In addition to the prevention of digestive disorders, it is important that the mixture for artificial feeding is saturated with biologically active substances necessary for the full development of the baby. In addition to vitamins and microelements, their list contains nucleotides and taurine.
Nucleotides
Nucleotides are responsible for the formation of the nervous and immune systems, they are the building material for DNA cells and are especially important for weakened children during illness. Also nucleotides:
- play a key role in energy exchange;
- participate in the synthesis of protein fats and carbohydrates;
- increase immunity.
Nucleotides in the nutrition of infants:
- increase weight gain;
- improve indicators of physical and neuropsychic development;
- stimulate the maturation of nerve tissue;
- contribute to the development of organs of vision;
- contribute to the strengthening and development of the child’s immunity.
The mixture for feeding infants up to one year should contain no more than 3.50 μg / l of nucleotides.
Taurine
For children under 3 months of age, taurine is a valuable biologically active substance responsible for the processes:
- development of the retina and brain tissue;
- maturation and differentiation of tissues of the nervous system;
- increase the body's immune forces.
Numerous studies of foreign and domestic scientists have proved that taurine deficiency in infancy can subsequently cause a decrease in the child's intellectual abilities, the development of hearing loss, and poor vision. The optimal content of taurine in the mixture for artificial feeding of the baby is from 3.5 to 8 μg / l.
To compare the main characteristics of the most popular mixtures intended for babies of the first year of life, you can visually, using the table:
| The ratio of whey protein% | Casein Alpha Content S1 | Prebiotics | Nucleotides | Taurine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast milk | 80/20 | - | + | ||
| MD Mil Goat 1 | 60/40 | - | + | 3.20 | 5.50 |
| Nanny 1 | 20/80 | - | + | 1.30 | 4.30 |
| Mamako 1 | 50/50 | - | + | 2.70 | 4.82 |
| Cabrite 1 | 60/40 | - | + | 2.63 | 5.30 |
| Similak Premium 1 | 50/50 | + | + | 2.5 | 3.80 |
Focusing on the data in the table, you can choose a milk mixture, which is not only as close as possible to mother's milk, but also enriched with the substances necessary for the growth and full development of the child. For example, the milk mixture based on goat milk “MD Mil Goat”, produced at a high-tech factory in Spain, in addition to provoking colic of goat's whey protein, is additionally enriched with taurine and nucleotides. In addition, the composition of this mixture includes a complete set of micro-, macrocells and vitamins, which ensure the full development of the child, strengthening and development of his immunity.
The right mixture for artificial feeding of the baby is the key to its health and harmonious development!
Author: Dubinina Anna Gennadievna, Head of the Pediatric Department, Pediatrician, Asteri-Med Multidisciplinary Medical Center, Moscow
We have been on IV since birth, so we had complementary foods earlier, about 4.5 months later I started giving juice 2-5 spoons after the mixture. Vegetable purees, but the child didn’t eat meat, I’m joking))))) We live in Moscow, my husband and I have relatives in the village and our farm, we took chickens, rabbits from them, our hens, rabbits without any chemistry, now eats a little (6 months), but the fact that the banks do not. She loves rabbits very much. And at night, the milk mixture, of course, I don’t give either kefir or milk, I’ll only introduce it from the year on, or maybe replace it with a milk drink. But we were lucky, we picked up a good milk mixture, it has both pro- and prebiotics, so there was somehow no problem with digestion. There were colic, but for a very short time the first three weeks and not because of the mixture)) We are on Materna (we take it in baby1care). And the vitamin composition is good.Everything is fine with sleep now))) The first three months were very difficult. Maybe due to the fact that on IV, without breast milk, but the baby did not sleep well, with it, regardless of whether next to me fell asleep next to me or separately