Breastfeeding experts confidently declare: any woman can breastfeed her baby. However, sometimes the desire to feed the baby stumbles upon serious obstacles. The main obstacle to breastfeeding are diseases whose treatment is not compatible with HB. Sometimes, having successfully begun, breastfeeding is completed after a few months due to the fact that the mother was unable to establish lactation and correctly organize the feeding process. There are times when a mother, by virtue of her own views and beliefs, does not at all try to breastfeed her baby, giving a mixture from birth. In all these cases, the child grows on artificial feeding. It is important for parents to understand what mixtures are for newborn children in terms of their composition and properties. The fact is that eating a baby at an early age is the key to his health for the future. Of course, nothing could be better than mom’s milk, but if, for some reason, the child grows on artificial feeding, you need to approach the choice of a mixture for nutrition very thoroughly.
Types of mixtures: we study and classify
The baby food market has a wide range of varieties of baby formula, which are consistent with the requirements of GOST and the Institute of Nutrition. In the variety of multi-colored jars and boxes with baby mixtures, it is very easy to get confused. Therefore, to begin with, we offer to figure out who is who on the store shelf and what the numbers and inscriptions on the packages with the mixture mean. In other words, we will consider what are the baby mixes by consistency, composition, age and purpose.
Consistency
According to the consistency, infant formula can be divided into dry and liquid.
- Dry mixes. On the Russian market, this is 90% of mixtures for feeding babies. Such mixtures are powder packaged in a cardboard box or can, which must be diluted with boiled water before use.
- Liquid. Such mixtures are already ready for use and require only heating. They are sold in tetrapack packages and packaged in 200 ml. The only problem is that in Russian stores the proportion of such mixtures is negligible. You can find such mixtures only in large cities.
The most common are dry, they are convenient to store, dispense, easy to transport and have a wide variety of choices. Liquid mixtures in the preparation are simpler than dry, since they only need heating. But they have a short shelf life (only a couple of days).
Composition
Almost all milk mixtures are made on the basis of cow's milk. Since the protein of cow's milk is foreign to our body, it must be present in a modified form in the mixture. Depending on the degree of processing of milk protein, mixtures for newborns can be divided into:
- Adapted. They are made on the basis of demineralized serum of cow's milk, therefore, such mixtures are as close as possible to breast milk in their properties. They are quite light, nutritious, quickly absorbed. Adapted mixtures are designed just for newborns. In addition to demineralized whey, adapted mixtures include polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, nucleotides. Of course, such mixtures are more expensive to manufacture, so by price they can be attributed to the premium class. The most popular adapted blends are:
- Nestle NAN (cost of about 400-500 rub. For packing 400 gr, depending on the availability of additional components);
- Nutricia Nutrilon (prices range from 375 to 650 rubles per 400g);
- Semper (sold in packages of 350g, price range 360-480r.);
Some babies suffer from protein intolerance to cow's milk, so whey mixtures based on such milk do not suit them. For such children, there are adapted milk formulas based on goat milk:
- Nanny's Bibikol (packing 400g. Costs about 1300r.);
- Partially Adapted to some extent, structurally similar to breast milk, they include not only lactose, but also sucrose, they do not have a stabilized mineral-fat composition;
- Subsequent made from dried whole cow's milk, to which sucrose and starch are added, they do not contain whey.
Depending on children's age:Up to 6 months - starting, and older than six months - subsequent.
Liquid mixtures are also adapted. The most accessible of them are:
- Ready milk formula NAN (price about 60 rubles per pack of 200 ml)
- Ready milk formula Agusha (price about 25 rubles per pack of 200 ml)
- Unadapted. These mixtures are made on the basis of cow's milk protein - casein. As additional components, they may contain everything that is available in adapted mixtures. Mixtures are very “poor” in composition: they lack taurine and fatty acids. On this basis, in some sources, unadapted baby mixes They are divided into “less adapted” (casein instead of demineralized serum, the rest of the components as in adapted mixtures) and “partially adapted” (casein and poor composition of additional components). This is not entirely correct, because the degree of adaptability of the mixture is determined by how easily the mixture is absorbed by the child's body, and this depends on what is present in it as a milk base: demineralized whey or cow's milk protein. Casein mixtures, regardless of their nutritional value, are more difficult to digest, therefore, all of them are in any case unadapted, and it is worth giving them only after 6 months. The main "representatives" of casein mixtures are:
- Similac (price from 350 to 650 rubles per standard package);
- Nestle Nestogen (packaging weighing 370g sold on average for 240 rubles);
- Baby (the price per pack is about 210 rubles).
As the child grows, his digestive system develops. If mixtures based on demineralized serum are better suited for a newborn, then for children older than six months you can use casein mixtures or mixtures based on dried cow's milk (these are mixtures of the second and subsequent levels).
Age indicator
The formula of the baby formula greatly depends on the age of the baby for whom it is intended. This is due to the fact that as the child grows and develops, the child’s digestive system improves and the body’s nutrient requirements change. This is a completely natural process, because breast milk also changes its composition with the growth of the baby. The formula number for the milk formula is always indicated on the package. Behind each digit and designation there is a certain age range.
The gradation of mixtures by age is as follows:
- «0» or the prefix "pre" in the name - the mixture is intended for newborns premature or small babies;
- «1» - a mixture for children from birth to 6 months;
- «2» - mixture for babies from 6 months to 1 year;
- «3» - a mixture for children over one year old.
As we said earlier, as the age formula of the mixture changes, its milk base changes: the amount of unadapted proteins of cow's milk increases. In addition, the content of vitamins and minerals increases, as the need for these substances is getting higher. It is also believed that mixtures for older children are more satisfying and high-calorie.
Specialized and medicinal mixtures
Sometimes the characteristics of the body and the state of health of the baby impose special requirements on milk mixtures. In such cases, the child needs specialized or therapeutic mixtures. Depending on what plan the crumbs have the problem, the following infant formulas can be distinguished:
- Mixtures intended for premature babies:They have a lot of protein, vitamins and whey protein in the composition and have great energy value. Manufacturers designate packages with this feed value. «0» or another prefix "Pre-" in the name.
- Sour-milk mixes. They are used for digestive problems (for colic, constipation, during the recovery period after taking medication, for the treatment of dysbiosis). Such mixtures include lactic acid and bifidobacteria. If babies have colic, vomiting, diarrhea, regurgitation, it is effective to use antireflux food containing substances (gum or starch) that act as thickeners. For example: Nutrilon AR, Enfamil AR, Nutrilak AR, Frisovoy.In case of constipation, nutrition is applied, enriched also with gum, which has the characteristics of dietary fiber, or lactulose. Lactulose is a disaccharide that activates the growth of bifidobacteria. Lactulose contains Detolact Bifidus, Semper Bifidus.
More common and most popular mixes:
- Nutrilac Dairy (price about 400 rubles)
- Nutrilon Sour-milk (price about 410 rubles)
- NAN Sour-milk (the price is about 450 rubles).
- High iron mixtures. Such mixtures are prescribed for babies older than 4 months for the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia. A signal for prescribing a mixture with a high iron content is low hemoglobin in the blood of the child. Of course, it is impossible to normalize hemoglobin with just one mixture, and the pediatrician will prescribe iron preparations. Mixtures with a high iron content themselves are not marketed as medicinal on the Russian market, they simply have a richer composition and the proportion of iron in them is greater than in other mixtures.
- Enfamil Premium (price about 390 rubles)
- Similac Premium (price about 350 rubles).
- Hypoallergenic mixtures. Such nutrition is necessary for babies prone to allergic reactions. Protein of cow's milk is a strong allergen; therefore, hydrolyzed, i.e. already partially digested, enzyme-digested protein. Hypoallergenic infant formulas often have the abbreviation “ON” in the name.
- Nutrilon Hypoallergenic (price about 550 rubles)
- NAN Hypoallergenic (price about 550 rubles)
- Lactose-free and soybean mixtures. Used for intolerance to cow's milk protein. This is a pronounced form of food allergy, in which even hypoallergenic mixtures will not help.
- Nutrilon Soya (price about 560 rubles)
- Frisosoy (price about 450 rubles)
- NAN Lactose-free (price about 690 rubles)
- Similac Isomil (price about 410 rubles)
- Antireflux mixtures. Needed for often spitting babies. These mixtures contain special thickener components: carob gluten, rice or corn starch. The packaging of such mixtures often has the abbreviation “A.R.”
- Enfamil A.R.(price about 670 rubles)
- Frisovoy (price about 610 rubles)
- Nutrilon Antireflux (price about 680 rubles)
It's important to know! There is also such a thing as "breastfeeding." Feed Mix used when the baby is not enough mother's milk. Then highly adapted mixtures are used (they can be called breast-milk substitutes).
Choose a mixture for the newborn
The choice of food for artificial feeding of the child must be carried out after consultation and examination of the baby by a pediatrician. In addition, each careful parent must be familiar with the fundamental principles that will help to choose the right mixture.
In order to choose a mixture for a newborn baby, you need to remember what requirements a high-quality infant formula meets.
- For newborn babies, you need to choose only adapted mixtures. They are most close in composition to breast milk, are easily digested and absorbed by the infant body.
- When choosing a mixture, you must strictly adhere to age recommendations. It is possible to start artificial feeding of a newborn baby only from the initial stage of mixtures, it is impossible to switch to a mixture of a different level before 6 months.
- If the baby has any health problems or has difficulty digesting, choose specialized or therapeutic mixtures. By the way, it is not at all necessary to completely transfer the child to the treatment mixture. In some cases, it is enough to replace it with 1-2 feedings per day.
- Do not blindly follow the advertisement, always independently study the composition of the mixture, compare it with other variants of the mixtures. If possible, choose a mixture that does not contain palm or canola oil, is rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Pay attention to the expiration date of the mixture. Do not buy a mixture with an expiration date.
- Buy baby food only in specialized stores.
- The presence of carnitine, linoleic acid, taurine is useful - they are involved in fat, protein, vitamin and energy metabolism, tissue generation, and the formation of internal organs.
- Watch the baby’s reaction to nutrition. If you have allergies or digestive problems - consult a pediatrician for advice. Perhaps the selected mixture is not suitable for your baby and needs to be replaced.
How to understand that the mixture is not suitable
As the experience of mothers, whose babies grow up on artificial feeding, shows that finding their “own” mixture does not always work out easily and quickly. The only search method is the trial and error method. In order not to make a breakdown in digestion and health problems, mom needs to carefully monitor the baby's reaction to the mixture. Some tips will help mom to navigate and understand whether the selected mixture is suitable for the child. So, you should think about a new mixture if:
- Appear signs of allergy in the form of a rash and redness of the skin;
- The child has frequent loose stools with white spots (undigested particles of the mixture);
- The baby is anxious, screams and cries after feeding, does not maintain the desired interval between meals;
- The child does not gain weight well (about baby weight);
- At night, the baby sleeps very restlessly, often wakes up.
Prepare the mixture only in accordance with the cooking method indicated on the packaging, observe the proportions of the components.
Artificial feeding is an expensive pleasure. Parents using the mixture note that the baby’s nutrition is becoming a very tangible expense item for the family budget. However, saving on mixtures, choosing cheaper and low-quality options is not worth it. The best option is to save money and to be sure that the baby has enough for growth and development - this is breastfeeding, so try to establish lactation and feed, and take a bottle only in cases when HS is really impossible.
Read in detail about artificial feeding >>>
What is important to know when choosing a baby formula?
We feed on a dry adapted Nuppi mixture. I am so glad that we were immediately advised. We are gaining weight well. The skin is healthy. We were sometimes poured out if I ate something wrong while we were at the GV. I take the mixture in Esky.
how good it is if you have your own milk ... it’s a storehouse of nutrients, and for the baby’s immunity it’s the very best thing ... oh, and you will never guess when the milk is gone. There are all sorts of recommendations - to feed there more often, on demand, so that the milk stays all the time, and a couple more tricks ... but in fact, it seems to me that nothing helps
Mashunya, yes, you’re absolutely right! there is a wide variety on the market, different pediatricians give their recommendations, and mothers also recommend something of their own, but then, when there is a suitable mixture, you can live peacefully !! when choosing a mixture we were very attentive to the composition - we wanted the mixture to be maximally the composition was similar to breast milk, with the same useful components.I won’t say that they immediately found their mixture, but at some point they bought a new mixture of nuppies (it seems to me that it is new, because so far not everyone knows about it). by age - from 6 to 12 months. the little one likes everything, eats actively, with an order of the gastrointestinal tract, so don’t give up if there is no milk - modern mixes help out a lot and help development))
Cabrita solved our problems. Infinite constipation in a child, gases and all the attendant passed without a trace. We have been eating for a year and a half, no complaints. My little son is good, but as a mom, I like the fact that the mixture is diluted without lumps and easily. And the smell is pleasant.
For a long time I struggled to restore breastfeeding, nothing came of it (((I had to buy the mixture, and even not any one would work here. I was guided that the mixture was adapted and did not contain palm oil. I bought Nanny, she’s still a big plus on goat milk and not causes allergies. Also in the composition of a lot of all kinds of nutrients. In general, we did not know grief with this mixture, we grew up on it.
Good article! Fortunately, I did not have to learn all the charms of IW - everything is OK with GV !. But my sister is feeding a child on mixtures of mixtures. Breeds Cabrita. The tribe likes it, there are no health problems.
Miracle food-Materna, we have been eating for 3 months. No allergies or stool problems. Friends advised us, they ordered for us through their friend. This is a mixture from Israel. We could not even find her anywhere. And recently I came across a group in classmates Made in Israel and order through them by mail. I advise everyone!
My twins are also on IV. If the first month is Similac Premium. The food was boiling and bubbling in the stomach during the meal, as if acid had been poured. The children writhed in pain, and we thought it was physiological colic that should go by three months. But they could not stand it. We decided to change the mixture. Wool the internet, consult with doctors and choose Kabrita (in goat milk). Very satisfied. They eat with pleasure, the smell and taste are pleasant. Dry Similac smelled badly of fish, but when diluted with the input, there was no smell. It seemed to me that from this smell already in my stomach pricks :))). However, at Similace Premium the chair was also good for children and they gained 1.5 kg each month. As a result, switching to Kabria, the bubbling is gone, and with it the colic. An important point that I reached myself in the process of preparing the mixture is that you don’t need to strongly coward the mixture during dilution, as it is saturated with oxygen from the bottle and becomes whipped like a cocktail, which in turn also causes colic. Kabrita mix is very satisfied. Recommend! If the price doesn’t seem bite, of course.
try ISRAELI baby food - MY MOTHER
My husband and I were categorically opposed to infant formulas. I fed the eldest daughter breast milk for up to 1 year. She believed that this was wrong and condemned mothers who, in my opinion, were lazy at that time and simply simply did not want to feed their babies with milk, because it is much easier to dilute the mixture than breast-feeding for days on end. But, as it turned out, I was wrong. Feeding the mixture is a very complicated process. From birth, we had problems with the tummy, it was unbearable. A small weight gain by two months, sleepless nights and anxiety after eating ... we decided to get tested. It turned out that the baby does not have enzymes to break down milk sugar with lactose. The pediatrician prescribed a low-lactose mixture. It was very difficult to choose a mixture, because I am a technologist by education and know the quality of products in our supermarkets by hearsay. All mixtures on the Russian market with palm or rapeseed oil. I had to spend a lot of time, but the result was not long in coming. I found a mixture without palm oil, a mixture from Israel Materna without lactose. Her composition really surprised me. In addition to the basic components necessary, the food does not contain sugar and is enriched with probiotics, which was very important for my baby. The mixture was ordered very successfully, it arrived in 10 days, Anna explained everything to us. In general, the stool returned to normal after a week, gas production significantly decreased. Very good mix.
Since seven months we switched to the mixture, as my milk ran out, my friend advised me to take the Extra Care Materna. I am very pleased with my choice, the mixture is good, it quickly and easily dissolves, the child eats with pleasure. Since I try everything before giving the baby, I also tried this mixture, I personally liked it, it has a pleasant sweet taste and good consistency. With this mixture we grow well and we have no problems with the tummy!
Why not a word about the NUPPI Gold mix? Although it was a discovery for me, when the doctor recommended it instead of an expensive mixture with a big name (by the way, our digestive problems did not oversleep on it, unfortunately). I found the mixture at the nearest intersection without problems, chose NUPPI Gold 2 by age, and it was much cheaper than the previous mixture, despite its rich composition and European quality. At first I was surprised, and then I decided to try and did not lose: the child improved appetite, a chair has settled, rashes have passed! The composition is no worse than expensive mixtures (probiotics and prebiotics, nucleotides, omega 3, lutein, etc.), I just understand that not all pediatricians know about this brand yet. But I am so glad that our doctor is aware of inexpensive and such high-quality products! Maybe someone my experience is also useful =)
Thank you for the article. I was especially impressed by the tablet - about the digestibility of the mixture by children.Yes, and about non-compliance with the standards friso scares, because many use it ... It's good that we chose the mixture in goat milk (Cabrita), although nothing is said about it. I think that the most popular ones are considered here, and Cabrita is still not so common, but it is gaining popularity.
We had a problem with mixtures, such a doctor that even we did not prescribe an analysis. At three months, we went to a private clinic ourselves and it turned out that we had lactase deficiency, and our doctor treated us for 3 months with allergies ......................
The mixture was found expensive. Israeli, Materna. A week later, as we crossed our redness almost disappeared, and most importantly, as soon as they began to eat gaziki almost stopped tormenting. We do not have it in Siberia, so we ordered it at an online store, they still have a group of their own in classmates. Made in Israel, everything in detail about our mixture is written in Russian.
We eat Materna, we really like it. The baby is suitable, she is steadily gaining weight. For a very long time they could not pick up, there were always some problems, then a rash, then bloating. And after Materna there were no such problems), we take on baby1care.
And here we goat went well, a very good mixture. Firstly, based on goat's milk, and this is a huge plus, you understand. And secondly, we never had any problems with her, in the form of rashes, constipation or bloating. Therefore, I am very pleased that the pediatrician recommended this mixture to us and we definitely won’t change it, so we will eat it.
please help me how to choose food, we really liked nuppies, and there I found palm oil and it is harmful for kids, tell me what to do please!
We found without palm oil - Materna. Highly recommend. In the beginning, they ordered it in an online store in Moscow, the mixture came in a rusty jar (I didn’t even feed my son. Then I didn’t skimp and ordered from Israel to Made in Israel ru.
All delivered, high quality, and most importantly without marriage. We crossed for a long time, the doctor advised that there was no allergy, everything is fine. We’ve been eating for 2 months. The main thing is that the chair was settled, before we had a problem with this.
I have a little daughter, the milk disappeared already 2 weeks after delivery (I had to switch to mixtures, then we tried a lot of different manufacturers, alas, it only caused problems with our tummy. We tried Materna, she came up to us. Now we order her constantly baby1care.com. We like it)
Unfortunately, we had to sort out ... the nutrilon and the nano-tummy rumbled strongly and the rashes were under the knees, ordered Materna, introduced a little bit, now we are not happy. Highly recommend. Ordered in Moscow, and delivered to the bank in rust (. Now we order only at Made in Israel.
I fed the daughter with goat milk mixture, the pediatrician recommended the mixture MD mil Kozochka to us, because her composition is close to breast milk and, as prevention of allergy to cow protein, it’s just perfect for feeding, in my opinion, we really liked it, the daughter’s tummy is excellent mixture perceived.
On the advice of a pediatrician bought a Cabrite. Appetite established, weight gained, regurgitation passed. Now this is our favorite mix!)
By the way, yes, I advise. !!)
Only the Israeli Materna came up to us - oddly enough. I took it with baby1care True, if you compare the composition, it becomes clear why - this mixture has a clear advantage in composition over the others.
I share what suits us)
It’s time to write about Materna in the reviews, we also take it, found it in materna-shop.ru in Moscow, they are the only ones brought and sold in Russia. Very convenient, I do not worry that the child will remain without food.
Yes, I agree about the reviews))) We, too, immediately got to the mother’s shop on Israeli food) In general, they have great mixes, for all occasions, we had a rotovirus, they just got off soy, so I also advise children to feed the kosher !)
I have a son, he is one year old, from 9 months they switched to the Materna Klassicheskaya mix. This is a wonderful baby food, my son really likes the mixture, this food contains all the vitamins that are very necessary for full growth and development, it also helps to strengthen the immune system. We purchase the mixture on baby1care.com
We were faced with the need to abandon the hepatitis B when the baby was 7 months old. Due to the fact that I needed a long and complicated treatment, I had to look for alternative nutrition options. I know that some at this age give children ordinary food, but Arinka is my mother’s dairy girl, and from the general, I ate only apples from the beginning. But the ferment Bifidum of the Bakzdrav company came to the rescue. I use it to make a fermented milk product. It contains lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, which babies usually get from their mother’s milk. In its pure form, you can give it from 6 months., And diluted with water and even earlier. I even know that she was prescribed crumbs as a medicine for problems with stool.