Your mission as a parent is to provide the best life for your newborn. You do everything possible to keep them clean, warm, and comfortable as they develop. Feeding your baby the necessary nutrients to keep them satiated and assist in their growth is essential. However, not all babies are the same—and neither are their parents.
It’s common for parents to feel intimidated when considering adding baby formula to their little one’s feeding schedule. They often wonder if baby formulas contain toxic ingredients, if their baby will develop an allergy, or if they will not gain enough weight. Luckily, here are six debunked baby formula myths you should know about so you can make an educated decision.
“Formula Lacks Complete Nutrients”
It’s often believed that “breast is best,” but that isn’t always the case. Some mothers can’t produce breast milk, and some babies can have specific allergies to breast milk, so switching to a formula is the best route for babies. Moreover, no one should ever feel ashamed of formula-feeding their little ones, as many baby formulas in the market contain beneficial ingredients to help their babies grow.
Baby formula contains the necessary minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats essential to closely resemble breast milk. Some primary ingredients in baby formulas derive from nature, including lactose and whey from animals, maltodextrin from potatoes, DHA from fish, and fat and omega-3s. Furthermore, baby formulas are stringently tested and regulated, so they’re 100% safe for consumption.
“Formula Can’t Build Brain Health”
When baby formula first entered the market, there were differences in how formula-fed and breastfed children developed. Thankfully, baby formula has improved considerably as people and manufacturers gained a better understanding of human breast milk composition. As a result, there’s now a better and more accurate approach to nutrition types and ratios to contribute to healthy baby growth.
Critical brain-boosting ingredients, such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), come included in modern-day baby formula. Moreover, studies have shown that breastfeeding has little to no effect on intelligence in children, so you can rest assured that your formula-fed baby will be no less intelligent than a breastfed child.
“Formula Decreases Bonding Time”
When you’re breastfeeding your baby, there is an immediate bond and connection that the mother and baby create. Through the exchange of pheromones, the act itself creates a physical closeness with their little ones; it also amplifies a symbolic relationship that allows the baby to rely on their mother for nutritional needs. However, many parents believe that feeding their babies formula decreases that bond.
Thankfully, feeding your child baby formula doesn’t sever the bond between you. Bonding with your children requires two essential factors: facial recognition and skin-to-skin contact. So as long as you are physically there to feed your baby, you aren’t removing or lessening the bond between you and your child.
“Formula Increases Obesity”
Another common baby formula myth that has been debunked is that it can cause obesity in infants. Many studies have shown that baby formula isn’t the cause of obesity in their early years and later life. Objectively, obesity in infants comes from choices made by the family, such as overfeeding.
So, parents must monitor their babies as they’re fed to prevent overeating. Moreover, it’s more common to overfeed infants with formula than breastmilk. Look for signs of satiation, including your baby turning their head away from the bottle or showing a lack of interest in sucking the bottle nipple. One additional step to prevent overfeeding is using a slow-flow nipple or speaking to your pediatrician regarding your baby’s nutritional needs.
“Formula Can Lead to Nipple Confusion”
It’s a common myth that babies develop nipple confusion when alternating between breastfeeding and formula feeding. Rather than nipple confusion, all babies have nipple preferences. In addition, many babies need artificial nipples or pacifiers for varying health reasons and don’t struggle to differentiate between the two. You can help your baby figure out which nipple shape they prefer through experimentation.
There are many artificial nipples to choose from, especially for bottle feeding. You can start with a slow-flow, wide-mouth nipple shape to mimic the human breasts’ natural production and flow. Over time, you’ll learn which type of nipple they prefer and which assists them best for formula feeding.
“Supplementing With Formula Dries Up Breast Milk”
Many mothers believe that breast milk production will completely dry up by feeding their baby exclusively baby formula. However, breast milk can only scale back in production if you supplement your breast milk entirely with baby formula. So, if you wish to continue pumping breastmilk whenever you supplement baby formula for your baby, you can maintain breast milk production.
However, if you exclusively feed your baby formula, your body will signal to the brain, making it think it will have all the milk it needs to grow. Therefore, it’s crucial to breastfeed your baby in the first six months of their life; then, you can start supplementing baby formula into their diet. Until you and your baby are ready to step away from breastfeeding, you should continue to pump to maintain breast milk production.
The Benefits of Baby Formula
When incorporating baby formula into your infants’ life, many benefits come with it. As mentioned prior, baby formulas go under extensive testing and adhere to strict, established regulations to prevent harm to your baby. Moreover, you can more easily monitor how much your baby consumes per feeding session to better understand the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients they consume.
Another pro to baby formula is that your baby can stay fuller longer and have more time to plan and package their food throughout the week. Formula tends to break down slower in the stomach, making your baby feel fuller longer and giving you time to get things done throughout the day. This also impacts scheduling their feedings more accordingly, especially if you have plans to leave the house. Because your baby is fuller for longer, you can also have more time to unwind and take a break from your hectic schedule.
Babies deserve the best ingredients possible when consuming baby formula. At Formuland, we understand and support you. We offer European-based baby formula that suits your baby’s needs, from colic and reflux to lactose intolerance. Our Nannycare infant formula contains organic goat milk, supporting your baby at every step of their development. Ask us about our baby formula today for more information.
