Breastfeeding your baby means that you are providing your baby with the best, most natural form of nutrition that humans can provide for their young. It has everything your little one needs, and it all comes from nature. Breastfeeding is strongly encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the exclusive food for babies in the first six months. With strong endorsements from all experts, researchers, and mothers, it is truly the perfect food for newborns.
For physical or personal reasons, there are a number of parents who turn to formula closest to breast milk as a supplementary or primary source of nutrition for their babies. They still want all of the goodness that mother's milk offers, just from a different source. With all of the brands, types, forms, enhancements and fortifications, there are so many options when all you want is one that is closest to breast milk. One that stands above the rest is organic formula.
What Makes Breastfeeding Better Than All of the Rest?
Pure Goodness in a Complex Liquid
Your baby needs protein, sugar, fats, vitamins and minerals for a well-rounded choice of food. When you baby was born, the digestive system was still developing. This takes time, so breast milk is simple and easy for your baby to digest. This means that there is less gas or bloating that causes your little one discomfort.
Protection From the Inside Out
From the first feeding, a breastfed baby is getting the antibodies that protect them from many illnesses and infections. Research has shown that, over time, breastfed babies are less likely to have chronic illnesses including certain cancers, diabetes, asthma, and even obesity.
Adapts to Your Baby's Needs
The first few days, the baby takes in colostrum, a nutrient-rich form of breast milk. After a few days, the consistency is more like milk. After a few weeks of exclusive feeding, your body adapts to your baby's appetite. The more you nurse, the more milk you produce.
What Makes Organic Formula Closest to Breast Milk?
All baby formulas have to meet a strict nutritional standard in order to be on the store shelves. Competing against breast milk is not an easy task. Organic baby formulas such as Hipp, Holle, and Lebenswert strive to come as close to breast milk as possible. The difference that organic has over conventional formula is that is naturally derived with high quality ingredients that come from farms that follow the best farming practices.
High Quality
Organic farming is not a new concept. In fact, the leaders in European baby formula Hipp and Holle have been in the business for over 80 years each. Their organic guidelines even surpass the standards established by the European Union. If your baby cannot have mother's milk, then the best cow's milk is the next best thing.
Same or Similar Ingredients
Organic formula is not identical to breast milk, but the manufacturers use ingredients that are organic and are often found in breast milk. Breast milk contains lactose as the sugar/carbohydrate that babies need to thrive. While conventional baby formulas may use lactose, only organic formulas use organic lactose.
Advantages of Organic Formula
Breast milk can have its risks. This includes iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, and exposure to environmental toxins. Both iron and vitamin D deficiencies can be remedied with a supplement, but these nutrients are already incorporated in the nutritional content of baby formula. As for environmental toxins in breast milk, this can refer to anything such as a food allergy to infectious diseases. A formula-fed child that is having an allergy to something in baby formula can change to a baby formula that does not have the allergen or has smaller amounts of the allergen so there is less of a reaction.
Overall, breastfeeding is clearly the best choice for a baby. When that option is not possible for whatever reason, you want the next best thing. Baby formula has been nourishing infants for generations, but organic baby formula is a better choice that is closer to the real thing.
