According to the World Health Organization and most health professionals feeding your baby with breast milk is one of the best options for mothers.
Breast milk is thus the best type of baby milk that you can serve to your newborn baby. But for varied reasons, the possibility of breastfeeding gets lowered with passing time.
Maybe it is due to the reason that the baby or mother (or both) gets ill after birth.
Or maybe it’s due to working conditions and routine of the mother which doesn’t allow breastfeeding for new moms.
No matter what the reason it is, there are solutions for you! And it is Baby Formula.
Well, if you are planning to bottle feed your baby then choosing the best baby formula should be the most important concern for you.
Out of a whole lot of varieties of baby formula available in the market the two most common forms are milk-based and soy formula.
Now the question arises that which will prove to be the best infant formula that is good for your baby’s health?
Which Is the Better Alternative to Cow’s Milk?
It is always recommended that new parents should not give their baby the actual cow’s milk before the age of a year.
Instead, they should rely on baby formula (if not breast milk) which has been broken down and specially modified for babies so that it gets digested easily by them.
Choosing the best baby formula is not always an easy option for new moms. You should choose a baby formula that is rich in nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for your infant.
But care that if you have a milk allergy history in your family your baby may need to get a baby formula that is lactose-free.
Soy baby formula is one of the best options for those looking for lactose-free baby formula for their infants. This is based on soy or soybean and is rich in vitamins and minerals.
Switching to soy-based infant formula or a lactose-free cow’s milk formula is, therefore, one of the best options for you if you find your child to be lactose-intolerant.
If you are really worried about giving cow’s milk to your baby, you should consult with your pediatrician so that you can decide about providing the most suitable formula for your baby.
The health care professional for your baby can recommend the best baby formula according to the age of your baby.
Is Soy Milk Baby Formula Better Than Milk-Based Formula?
According to babycenter.com soy milk baby formula has nothing special when compared to milk-based formula.
Or simply saying soy milk formula does not have any extra vitamins, minerals, or nutritional value as compared to milk-based formulas.
Basically, the soy baby formula is chosen by parents because their baby is allergic to cow’s milk protein or if they face problems while digesting the lactose milk.
There are few symptoms seen which confirms that your baby is allergic to cow’s milk.
Knowing about these will let you know that they need lactose free milk formula. These symptoms include:
- Baby crying during or after feeding
- Feels irritated while feeding or after feeding
- May suffer from diarrhea after feeding
Switching to soy milk formula is always recommended by your baby’s doctor when they are found allergic to normal milk.
Thus soy milk proves to be a better option due to allergic reasons but not due to extra nutritional values it may have for your baby.
It is essential to remember that some of the babies who are allergic to cow’s milk protein are also found to be allergic to soy milk protein.
Well, if this is the case with your baby you should consult your doctor about the same.
Can Baby Soy Milk Formula Prove Dangerous to Your Baby?
Generally, a baby who is allergic to both milk and soy formula is advised to breastfeed which seems to be the only option for parents.
But as there are many baby formula without milk or soy available you may also consider switching to other brands of baby formula according to your baby’s need.
It may be possible that you need to try changing brands more than once or twice to find that which is best suited for your baby.
Corn allergy in babies is a growing problem in the U.S. which makes the baby allergic to all types and brands of baby formula.
Breastfeeding your baby, once again, is one of the best options for you in that case and it cannot replace any of the formulas.
There have been regular controversies seen for baby soy milk formula which is many times seen as dangerous for infants.
Although there are mixed thoughts about the same many parents love feeding their infants with organic soy milk formula.
This is the reason brands such as Enfamil, Similac, Gerber, Nestle, and many more are manufacturing these baby formulas for society.
On one hand, where a recent study showed not much difference seen in the long term health benefits for infants fed with soy formula and cow’s milk formula, on the other hand, there are many who believe that there can be many hazards of using soy-based milk formula for infants in long term.
Overall, if you are much doubtful about the above discussion, it is best for you to stick with the baby formula made from cow’s milk.
