6 Best Formulas For Gas & Reflux

Best Baby Formula for Gas and Reflux

Last Updated on June 2, 2022 by Ray

The choice of baby formula instead of breast milk can be difficult for many babies. When an infant gets formula, painful gas & reflux are often the result. And when those things happen, everyone hears about it, the only way babies know how.

That’s just one of the reasons why breastfeeding is the best way to go. It is well documented, and highly recommended by the Ray of Solace mom coach team, that breastfeeding is always the best and healthiest choice for a newborn. For a more detailed look at all the reasons a new mom should first opt for breastfeeding take a look at our blog post 10 Reasons Moms Should Breastfeed Their Babies.

While most mothers agree, but not all are able to meet their babies’ demands with breast milk alone and not all women make a choice to breastfeed due to severe pain or the rare case of low milk production. In such cases, moms are left with no choice but to opt for formula and unfortunately, that will often lead to an increased risk for gas and reflux. So what can you do to reduce the amount that you and your baby suffer from sleepless nights and discomfort. 

Reduce baby digestive problems by choosing a baby formula designed for gut health. If looking for the best formulas, avoid the fuss by using this list of the six best formulas for gas & reflux

Some moms don’t want to use formulas, afraid that it may contain unhealthy ingredients, such as processed foods and GMOS. However, many formulas take this into consideration, and you can even find fully organic options. 

Formula and Baby Gut Health

Some babies experience baby gut problems from formula. Most commonly, the formula may result in excess gas and acid reflux that cause extreme discomfort, which will lead to crying and fussiness. The digestive problems tend to develop as a result of synthetic ingredients that their new bodies haven’t adjusted to yet. That’s why it’s important to get formula specially designed to promote positive gut health using probiotics and additional health benefits. 

Baby formula has come a long way in recent decades, and mothers can choose from a huge array of options, including organic and minimally processed formulas. That’s all well and good, but many babies still have trouble processing run-of-the-mill formula. The cause is sometimes linked to additives used to improve the formula’s consistency or shelf life, or to cut down its cost of production. Some babies take longer than others to build digestive systems capable of handling food beyond breast milk. Whatever the culprit, parents now have options. We’ll look at six of the best baby formulas for infants prone to gassiness or reflux, but first let’s take a closer look at why those problems occur in the first place.

Why Some Formulas Fail

Infants are born with a limited ability to process food. This changes over time, as their gut biomes develop, but in the meantime, they can have trouble digesting ingredients that their digestive systems aren’t prepared for. Instead of breaking down those strange ingredients and using them for nourishment, a newborn’s digestive tract might turn them into painful gas or produce too much stomach acid, leading to acid reflux. The more ingredients a particular baby formula includes, the more problems it invites. The same goes for the animals that produce the milk on which most formulas are based: locally produced milk, delivered by a small, stable group of farmers, tends to produce more consistent baby formula.

We’ll take a look at six baby formulas that guard against gassiness and reflux while keeping their ingredients simple.

Related Link: TED Mamas

6 Best Formulas For Gas & Reflux

As a mom, you take special care regarding the things you feed your baby. Instead of reading through ingredients yourself, try our list of the 6 best baby formulas for gas and acid reflux. 

Loulouka Organic Formula

Simple baby formulas tend to be the easiest to digest. Loulouka keeps its list of ingredients brief, but what really sets it apart is the care they take with each of those ingredients. Though based in the Netherlands, Loulouka sources all of its organic, sustainably produced milk in Switzerland, where it also maintains its production facilities.

Loulouka maintains a relatively small product line, but all its products are free of the additives that can make many mass-produced baby formulas difficult to process. Their goat’s-milk formulas are especially suitable for babies who have trouble digesting formula based on cow’s milk. The proteins found in goat’s milk are simpler than those in cow’s milk, and are in some ways more similar to those in human breast milk.

All of Loulouka’s formulas are also free of palm oil, which along with being difficult for some babies to digest is directly responsible for the deforestation of some of Earth’s most important and diverse ecosystems.

Holle Goat Stage 1 Organic Infant Milk Formula

Europe’s first organic baby food manufacturer, Holle has been producing simple, nutritious food for more than 85 years. The company has always favored quality over quantity: it only expanded sales into neighboring Germany 30 years after its founding, and expanded beyond Europe only in the 2000s.

Holle was one of the first companies to be certified under the Demeter standard, and it continues to lead the way as one of the world’s leading Demeter-certified baby food manufacturers. Demeter, established in 1924, is the first labelling system for organically produced foods, and Demeter Biodynamic Certification remains an important benchmark for guaranteeing that food is produced sustainably and regeneratively.

Its infant formula is produced from whey proteins and caseins sourced from certified organic European farmers. Holle’s attention to detail goes right down to the cow: all dairy products that go into Holle baby formula are produced by cows proven to produce only A2 beta-casein protein. A2 is the original type of protein found in cow’s milk. A1 beta-caseins, which developed as cows were domesticated and bred, contain protein structures that may cause gastrointestinal problems in some children. Holle also offers formula based on goat’s milk, whose proteins may be more easily digested by some babies.

HiPP Dutch Stage 1 Bio Combiotic Cow Milk Formula

A German company founded in 1899, HiPP is one of the oldest baby-formula manufacturers in the world. Its products are certified organic by the European Commission, which places stricter limits on the composition of baby formula than the US Food and Drug Administration.

All HiPP baby formulas feature a protein balance that closely resembles human breast milk, and all contain prebiotics to aid digestion. Its standard formulas are simple and straightforward, but HiPP also offers a wide range of formulas for babies with sensitive stomachs.

Its all-whey Anti-Reflux formula adds maltodextrin in the form of locust bean gum. This lends the formula a heavier consistency, helping babies keep it down while giving their digestive tracts extra time to work. This formula also adds probiotics. Otherwise, HiPP Anti-Reflux follows the company’s tradition of delivering simple, organic, GMO-free formulas.

HiPP also makes a line of hypoallergenic formulas, which contain hydrolyzed milk proteins. These hydrolysates make proteins easier to process and break down, reducing the likelihood of excess gas or reflux.

Still have more questions about health for both babies and new moms? Contact Ray of Solace today to learn more and set up a personalized plan to keep both mom and baby healthy. 

Kabrita Infant Formula Stage 1 Goat Milk

Goat’s milk contains a smaller range of proteins than cow’s milk, and those proteins themselves are smaller. For this fundamental reason, goat’s milk can be easier for infants to process. Kabrita is a Dutch company specializing in goat’s-milk baby formulas and beginner foods. Its parent company, Ausnutria, has been manufacturing high-quality, organic dairy products for nearly 100 years.

Along with the natural advantages of goat’s milk, Kabrita puts quite a bit of thought into developing formulas that aid digestion. It adds prebiotics to go along with the naturally occurring oligosaccharides in goat’s milk, helping babies process complex proteins now while building healthier, more diverse gut biomes for the future. Its balance of whey and casein resembles human breast milk far more closely than either cow’s or goat’s milk.

Kabrita’s manufacturing processes also guard against the introduction of potential irritants. For example, it is the only baby formula be certified as free of glyphosphate, a toxin common in herbicides. By limiting its sourcing to a handful of reputable Dutch goat farms, Kabrita is able to guarantee the purity of its entire supply chain, right down to the grass and feed eaten by the goats who make it all happen.

Like most other baby formulas, Kabrita’s line includes the full spectrum of recommended vitamins and minerals, along with DHA and ARA from organic, non-GMO sources.

Kendamil Classic First Infant Milk

Some baby formulas tout their organic credentials. Kendamil goes quite a bit further, offering fully vegetarian formulas that still supply high quantities of DHA, which other companies typically source from fish oil. They do offer an anti-colic formula, but all Kendamil products are good choices for babies prone to gassiness or reflux.

Kendamil has been producing dairy products, including baby formulas, for nearly 60 years. Its primary ingredients are carefully sourced from farms near its headquarters in England’s Lake District. Kendamil’s baby formulas are among the simplest and purest available, featuring no maltodextrin, palm oil, gluten, soy, or GMO-derived ingredients. This makes the entire line of Kendamil products especially attractive to parents of infants who have trouble processing other dairy-based formulas.

UK regulations prohibit the addition of probiotics in baby formula, but prebiotics matter more to infants, since they support gut health at a more fundamental level appropriate for developing digestive systems. Kendamil formulas provide prebiotics to support growing gut biomes and intestinal function.

Kendamil formulas also deliver natural milk fat globule membranes surrounding each bit of fat. This seemingly little detail promotes the absorption of healthy fats and may be linked to healthy cognitive development. Speaking of which, Kendamil derives its DHA from algae, which is exactly where fish find it, too.

Related Link: Ray of Solace Blog

Nanny Care Formula First Infant Goat Milk

The UK’s first provider of goat milk-based baby formulas and still its leading brand, Nannycare took an interesting route to prominence. The company got its start in the early 1990s, when a UK family learned of the world’s first baby formula based on goat’s milk…being sold in New Zealand. After some careful study and some conversations with New Zealand farmers, the Nannycare brand was born. But UK law required baby formula to be based on proteins from cow’s milk or soya: until 2014, Nannycare was forced to market its products as Nannycare Goat Milk Nutrition.

The UK finally caught on to the advantages of goat’s milk, and so has the rest of the world. Goat milk forms smaller curds than cow’s milk when eaten, which are more easily processed by infants’ systems. To convey the full benefit of goat’s milk, Nannycare is minimally processed, even by the standards of other premium baby formulas. Only lactose, vitamins and minerals, and a palm-free blend of vegetable oils are added to the full-cream goat milk at the heart of all Nannycare formulas, and the resulting blend is gently heated. That’s all.

Nannycare keeps things just as simple when it comes to sourcing its milk. A 71-farm collective in New Zealand still provides the basis of all Nannycare products, and Nannycare formula is produced in a purpose-built manufacturing facility also in New Zealand.

Conclusion

One of the main differences between breastfeeding and using baby formula involves excess gas and reflux caused by certain formulas. Naturally, you want to give your baby the best nutrients possible. 

Many experts connect gut health to a list of other health benefits, including:

  • Weight management 
  • Smooth digestive system 
  • Inflammation reduction
  • Allergy management
  • Improved immune system 
  • Less anxiety/depression

Get your baby off on the right foot when you switch to formula by using the right formula, as the right formula can reduce the negative effects that are expected by the inability to breastfeed. Any of these 6 formulas should make a good selection for your child. 

Interested in learning more about Ray of Solace life coaching? Reach out via our website or visit our Facebook page!

Related Link: Baby Allergies: Symptoms and How Mothers Can Help

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