Best Organic Baby Formula: Top 5 Healthy Choices For Infants, Most Recommended By Experts
When it comes to baby formula, making the right decision for your infant can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Choosing the best formula, let alone a backup if your first choice is out of stock can be overwhelming. To help you in your quest for the healthiest choices, StudyFinds sought out the consensus best organic baby formula per expert reviews.
Of course, you want the most nutritious and healthiest option for your little bundle of joy. And a lot of times, digestion is another consideration. Thankfully, all baby formulas sold in the U.S. must meet firm regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so any brand you choose will meet essential safety requirements.
But why consider organic? One study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health revealed that kids consuming an organic diet had higher intelligence. Results showed the greatest positive influence on problem-solving skills and working memory appeared to be consuming an organic diet. And nearly half of parents worry about their infant’s cognitive development and health, according to a survey.
This survey also showed that due to various factors, 67 percent of parents feed their baby infant formula, and of those, 85 percent do extensive research on the brand. Specifically, they analyze the ingredients and their benefits before choosing a formula. So, while organic formulas can be pricier, some parents opt for the extra cost.
Committed to or curious about choosing organic versus conventional? You’ll love this list. We searched 15 expert websites for the five best organic baby formulas in the U.S. Read on, and let us know if you agree with the pros’ picks in the comments!
The List: Best Organic Baby Formula, According To Experts
1. Earth’s Best Organic Formula
What To Expect recommends this formula as its first choice: “This brand is easily a favorite of What to Expect community parents when it comes to organic formulas, and it’s easy to see why. Made from organic milk without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, this USDA-certified organic formula offers up all the nutrition your baby needs, plus nutrients like DHA, ARA, lutein and prebiotic fiber, which help support brain and vision development, plus immune and gut health.”
The New York Times says, “If you want to feed your baby a formula made from USDA-certified organic ingredients, we recommend Earth’s Best Organic Infant Formula. It’s the least expensive organic formula we found that has lactose as its only carbohydrate, and it includes added whey (making this formula’s protein 30% whey and 70% casein), as well as the extra nutrients DHA and ARA, lutein, taurine, L-carnitine, nucleotides, and a prebiotic (fructooligosaccharides).”
Healthline recommends this formula highly: “Earth’s Best organic formula contains lactose from cows that are grain- and grass-fed. This formula takes pride in using water to help extract DHA and ARA, which promote eye and brain development, instead of other more common extraction measures that can potentially leave chemicals behind in the formula. Parents give Earth’s Best good reviews for digestibility — and did we mention it’s kosher?”
2. Happy Baby Organics Infant Formula
Will this formula make your baby happy? Let’s see what the experts say.
“Happy Baby’s four-pack organic infant formula is created with organic lactose, the main carbohydrate in breast milk, and other carefully chosen quality components. This formula is tailored to offer essential vitamins and minerals naturally present in breast milk, with two prebiotics and fibers that promote the child’s healthy digestive system,” Mom Junction writes.
It’s there for your baby’s life stages, according to Good Housekeeping: “Happy Baby Organic offers different types of 100% USDA Organic formulas. Stage 1 formulas are modeled after breastmilk, and they also offer a sensitive formula variety. Both are packed with prebiotics and are suitable from 0-12 months. Its Stage 2 formula is appropriate for children ages 6-12 months and features higher levels of key vitamins and minerals to support your growing baby.”
“Happy Baby organic baby formula is a cow’s milk-based infant formula modeled after breastmilk. It has an added prebiotic blend to support the growth of friendly bacteria in your baby’s digestive tract. Meanwhile, there are no added sweeteners besides lactose, which is the main carbohydrate found naturally in breastmilk. Besides the presence of lactose and prebiotics, it also mimics breastmilk in other ways. For example, it provides a source of DHA, the fatty acid essential for brain development. It also contains whey and casein, which are the same protein sources found inside breastmilk,” The Tot says.
3. Bobbie Organic Infant Formula
The Everymom recommends Bobbie, writing, “Bobbie is the only female-founded and mom-led infant formula company in this country. It contains high-quality ingredients such as lactose — the primary carbohydrate found in breast milk — as well as DHA, which supports brain and eye development. It is also made from high quality grass-fed, Organic Valley Milk. It is free of palm oil, corn syrup, cane sugar, gluten, maltodextrin, heavy metals, and pesticides.”
Baby Foode compares it to EU baby formulas: “Bobbie Organic Infant Formula uses a European-style formulation with quality ingredients and nutritional composition. The company’s website has incredibly helpful feeding charts and offers a monthly subscription service.”
And LeafScore is impressed by its quality, saying. “Bobbie is one of the only U.S. formulas to meet EU standards for DHA content (derived from algae) at 20 mg/100kcal. This female-founded formula was also awarded the Clean Label Project Purity Award and Pesticide-Free Certification for containing safe ingredients.”
4. Baby’s Only with Whey
“Baby’s Only with Whey is also a lactose formula, but made with organic skimmed cow’s milk, and organic whey. It has no added sugars, and is free of synthetic ingredients, but lacks pre and probiotics. The DHA in this formula is derived from eggs, so it’s naturally extracted. Lastly, this is marketed as a toddler formula but it meets the nutritional requirements for an infant formula,” The Picky Eater says.
Motherhood Community lists the best features of this formula, writing: “It’s made with A2 milk components similar to human breast milk. The proteins may be easier to digest.”
And Experienced Mommy raves about Baby’s Only, saying, “This brand tends to fly a little more under the radar. Hands down, this formula has the best ingredient list that I’ve ever seen. Because the manufacturer sources the organic milk from family farms. They also leave out any corn ingredients (I’m looking at you, corn syrup!), processed palm oils, or gluten. But, best of all, there are no GMOs. Because the company so strongly supports organic integrity, you can feel confident that every single ingredient is organically sourced, including the extensive list of added vitamins and minerals.”
5. Burt’s Bees Baby Organic Infant Milk Dairy Formula
The Quality Edit vouches for Burt’s Bees: “This organic powdered formula is modeled after breast milk and contains organic lactose as its first ingredient. It contains all of the nutrients needed to support your baby’s growth and development throughout the first year of life, including iron and omega-3 DHA (which is important for brain and eye development).”
Pregnant Chicken adds, “This formula contains prebiotics to help promote a healthy gut, aid in digestion, and support the immune system. With both Ultra Gentle and Sensitive options, you can tailor your choice to suit the unique needs of your growing baby.”
Burt’s Bees Baby Organic Ultra Gentle Infant Formula with Iron, White, 136 Oz, Pack of 4
Finally, Asher & Lyric wraps up the list with this recommendation: “Burt’s Bees makes all kinds of healthy, organic alternatives to baby products, such as soaps, lotions, and shampoos. They’ve recently started producing all organic baby formula to give parents a high-quality, organic option. This formula was modeled after breast milk and was researched to make sure that your child would get all the nutrients needed to support their growth and development. This option includes prebiotics, which help support the immune system, keeping your baby healthy and strong.”
What do you think of the experts’ picks for the best organic baby formulas in the United States? Leave us a comment with your words of wisdom.
Sources
- What To Expect
- The New York Times
- Healthline
- Mom Junction
- Good Housekeeping
- The Tot
- The Everymom
- Baby Foode
- LeafScore
- The Picky Eater
- Motherhood Community
- Experienced Mommy
- The Quality Edit
- Pregnant Chicken
- Asher & Lyric
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. Study Finds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Source: Study Finds
Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash
