Baby formula can seem like a mysterious magic potion. Depending on how your baby tolerates it – it can be a wonderful potion resulting in a happy growing baby or a black magic brew that brings stress and anxiety into your home.
Despite all the mystery around formula, all baby formulas follow the same basic recipe: start with fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and then add vitamins minerals, and “extras” (like probiotics) in much smaller amounts. Different types of formulas end up very different because they use different sources of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Here we’ll be focusing on the carbs – and talk about the different types of carbs found in formula, and which you should be looking for …. Or avoiding.
Sugar in Formula
Sugar is a carbohydrate – and that’s why sugars end up in baby formula – because they are a simple easy-to-digest carbohydrate. And, as you can imagine, it’s pretty important that the carbohydrate in baby formula is easy-to-digest because babies’ intestines aren’t mature enough to handle lots of complex carbs and fiber. That’s why we see sugars.
So, the first take-home is: It’s not as scary as it initially seems to see lots of sugar in baby formula.
Glucose, Galactose, and Fructose
However, not all sugars are created equal, so let’s look at all the options you may see on a label. ALL carbohydrates are made up of 3 tiny building blocks: Glucose, galactose, and fructose.
Lactose
Pretty much all of the carbohydrate in breast milk (and cow’s milk) is lactose, which is 1 glucose and 1 galactose stuck together. This is the type of carbohydrate human babies are designed to eat. It’s easy to digest. It helps the good bacteria in babies’ intestines grow, and it does not increase blood sugar as much as other sugars.
In fact, lactose has a glycemic index (a measure of how much a food increases blood sugar) of 45. Pure glucose has a glycemic index of 100. It’s also not uber sweet. On a scale of 100, where 100 = table sugar, lactose gets a relative sweetness score of only 16.
Sucrose
Another sugar in baby formula you’ll see is sucrose. This is the chemical name for table sugar … like the white stuff you put in your coffee and in your cookies. Sucrose is 1 glucose and 1 fructose stuck together. It has a glycemic index of 65 (higher than lactose). It’s also the sweetest sugar you will find in any baby formula, with a relative sweetness score of 100.
You often see it in soy and lactose-free formulas. I am wary of baby formulas that ONLY have sucrose as the carbohydrate. This is because, sucrose is broken down into it’s pieces: glucose and fructose … meaning 50% of baby’s carbohydrate intake is fructose. That’s a lot! There’s a lot of research out there (all in older children and adults) that shows that diets high in fructose are really harmful (1-3), so I worry about that much fructose in a baby’s diet.
Corn Syrup & Corn Syrup Solids
The next most common type of sugar is corn syrup, or corn syrup solids. All corn-sugars are made up of a bunch of glucoses stuck together. Corn syrup is made from corn starch that has been broken down a bit into short chains, or single glucoses stuck together. Depending on how much the corn starch was broken down, the relative sweetness score can range between 23-40 … so more than lactose, but less than sucrose.
Maltodextrin
Another common type of corn sugar is corn maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is made up longer, chains of glucose. In fact, corn maltodextrin would become corn syrup if it were broken down just a little bit more … that’s the difference between the two! This means corn maltodextrin is a little less sweet than corn syrup.
It has a relative sweetness score of between 6-21. However, even though the chains of glucose in maltodextrin are longer than the chains of glucose in corn syrup … it’s still all glucose, so the glycemic index of both corn syrup and maltodextrin is 100.
Some baby formula companies have wised up to the fact that parents don’t like to see “corn syrup” on their baby’s formula label, so they have started using the term “glucose syrup”. It’s the same thing! It’s possible that the syrup was extracted from a different sweet plant than corn – but it’s still a processed bunch of glucose … don’t be fooled!
I want to make a side point here – corn syrup is NOT the same as high-fructose corn syrup. As the name implies, high-fructose corn syrup has a bunch of fructose in it. Plain corn syrup has only glucose. This means a formula with corn syrup will have a high glycemic index (way higher than lactose formulas and breast milk), but it won’t be providing potentially harmful amounts of fructose.
Starch
The last type of carbohydrate you might find is starch – in spit-up formulas. It’s usually rice starch. This won’t be the only source of carbohydrate, but these specialty formulas use starch to thicken the formula so baby is less likely to spit it back up.
Here’s a chart that summarizes the main types of sugars in baby formula and tells you what you need to know about each. They glycemic index is a measure of how much the sugar impacts blood sugar. So, the higher the number, the harder baby’s pancreas will have to work.
| Sugar | Glycemic Index |
Sweetness |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lactose | 45 | 16 | Galactose + Glucose This is the sugar in breast milk |
| Corn Syrup | 100 | 30-40 | Short chains of glucose |
| Corn Syrup Solids | 100 | 23-40 | Dehydrated corn syrup |
| Maltodextrin | 110 | 6-21 | Longer, more complex chains of glucose |
| Sucrose | 65 | 100 |
Glucose + Fructose This is table sugar |
| Rice Starch | 100 | Added to thicken certain formulas. This won’t be a large source of carbohydrate calories | |
| Glucose Syrup | 100 | 30-40 | Likely Corn Syrup – but may come from a different plant, but the end product is the same |
So why is there sugar in baby formula? Well, a few reasons:
- They provide a source of easy-to-digest carbohydrate (important!)
- Corn based sugars are cheap
- Certain sugars (maltodextrin) also serve as a nice thickener
- All the non-lactose sugars are sweeter than lactose, so your baby is more likely to accept the formula right away (and thus you are more likely to keep buying that brand)
- In the case of partially hydrolyzed formulas, some corn-based sugar is usually added because the process of hydrolyzing (or breaking up) the proteins adds a funky odor and taste to the formula. Adding in a sweet sugar (like corn syrup) evens out this taste and makes the formula taste more like breast milk.
So here’s the summary of my thoughts about different sugars in baby formula …. And what to look for.
- Look for lactose on the label – this is the sugar in breast milk
- If you are feeding a partially or fully hydrolyzed protein, there WILL be some other sugar in it – usually a corn sugar (corn syrup or maltodextrin). I prefer maltodextrin over corn syrup since it’s less sweet so your baby won’t become trained to love super-sweet flavors
- If your formula has corn sugar in it, try to find one with lactose in it as well – preferably with lactose first on the list of ingredients. This is because formulas that are 100% corn-sugar have a higher glycemic index and will force the baby’s pancreas to work harder.
- I don’t like sucrose in formula due to the amount of fructose in it. If your formula does have sucrose in it, try to be sure it’s not the only sugar. It would be even better if sucrose was later on the list of ingredients than the other sugars.
I hope that helps clear up some confusion around sugars in baby formula. It’s complicated, right?! To find out more details about carbs in the most common formulas, you can read my article about baby formula carbs in Choosing Formula series.
Have any lingering questions? Leave them in the comments!
My best wishes to your precious family,
xo Dr. Young
References:
- Chung M, Ma J, Patel K, Berger S, Lau J, Lichtenstein A. Fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or indexes of liver health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 XXX 1-17.
- Havel P. Dietary Fructose: Implications for Dysregulation of Energy Homeostasis and Lipid/Carbohydrate Metabolism. Nutrition Reviews. 2005; 63 (5): 133-157.
- Kelishadi R, Mansourian M, Heidari-Beni M. Association of fructose consumption and components of metabolic syndrome in human studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition 2014; 30:503-510.
- Great article on starch hydrolysis
Hi! My baby who is 4months old has been on similac pro sensitive since birth! Our hospital had him on that so I never even looked into the formula ingredients or second guessed it. But since the recall… I switched to something similar which MADE me look at the ingredients. I switched to the enfamil neuropro sensitive. Now… looking back when he was on similac he barely pooped. He would poop about 2 times a week? And i feel like he was un comfy while pooping? Is that normal idk?? I actually thought it was in the moment. Also after a while he started to get fussy, and whine a lot! Now with this new enfamil formula he grunts so bad! He extends his legs and it seems very hard for him to poop. His face turnes super red. Seems like he’s in pain after he drinks this milk. Now I JUST found out about you tonight. I’ve been researching and I noticed that similac pro sensitive has full intact protein (milk protein isolate) and plus no palm oil. In the enfamil it also has milk protein isolate but it does have palm oil. So here is what I believe, I think with this formula since it does have palm oil it’s been worse for him, (I don’t like this formula for this reason plus has so many bubbles that similac didnt have) though when he was on similac he seemed to be “ok” I still wasn’t a fan but I kept on with it because I was afraid of changing also I never thought to look at ingredients. So after all my research… i feel like I’m leaning towards similac pro total comfort or (now after reading this article) the gerber good start gentlepro. Now here’s my question
Since he’s been on similac pro sensitive almost his whole life(lol) it doesn’t have any lactose right? Would putting him on Gerber be to much since it DOES have lactose in the ingredients? And also gerber has “whey protein concentrate(from milk enzymaticlly hydrolyzed, reduced in minerals) palm oil, lactose and corn maltodextrin. So the gerber ingredients confuse me because I believe it has both lactose and corn maltrodextrin and whey protein is the FIRST ingredient? Is this to much after he’s been on similac pro sensitive? Also since the recall I can’t get my hands on the similac pro total comfort so I got one tonight at CVS but it’s their cvs brand complete comfort. That’s it 🙂
Hey Gabriela
This is Emily, Dr. Young’s assistant. I wanted to help you sort through your formulas so you can get a clearer picture.
Similac Pro Sensitive is intact Whey/Casein with a Carbohydrate mix of Maltodextrin and trace Lactose with a fat blend of safflower, soy and coconut oils.
Enfamil Neuropro Sensitive is intact Why and Casein with a Carb mix of Corn Syrup and trace Lactose with a fat blend of Palm, Coconut and Sunflower oils
Semilac Pro Total Comfort is 100% partially hydrolyzed Whey, Corn Syrup and trace Lactose with a fat blend of Safflower, Soy and Coconut Oils
Gerber GentlePro is also 100% partially hydrolyzed Whey with a carb blend of Lactose and some Maltodextrin with a fat blend of Palm, Soy, Coconut, Safflower/Sunflower Oil.
Now that you have a better at-a-glance perhaps that can help you determine your next steps. Also consider this video on switching formulas safely to minimize reactions.
My other suggestion would be to invest in Dr. Young’s formula course or her Switching formula guidebook so you can switch formulas with confidence.
As always, chat with your child’s doctor, take changes slowly and you are doing a great job.
Very nicely written. Thank you for the tips. As a new mom, I am getting lot of knowledge.
THanks Jessica
This is Emily, Dr. Young’s assistant. If you need more help or tips make sure you are following along on Instagram. Dr. Young will occasionally host a webinar with Q&A and of course she offers her Formula Course and private consultation!
Very well written. Thank you for the tips. As a new parent, I am learning a lot!
Belle,
This is Emily, Dr. Young’s assistant. Thank you so much for your kind words! Congrats on being a new parent as well. Not sure if you knew but Dr. Young just launched a formula e course and you can learn all about which formula is right for your little one. It’s like having Dr. Young right beside you guiding you through the process. She is so confident that you will learn from this course that she offers a 30 day money back guarantee.
Check it out if that’s something you may be interested in for your little one’s feeding journey!
Emily
In my opinion, anything that spikes the blood sugars high like maltodextrin, should not be given to anyone. Care needs be given to those infants just as they begin to experience foods and new things. That means no soy estrogens, no sugars as in corn syrups, no sugars,. Take care.
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this and understand this side of your story.
I can’t believe you aren’t more popular since you definitely possess the gift.
Hi Dr. Young,
Thank you for this extremely informative article! I have twins they are 7.5 months (5.5 adjusted). They were on breast milk supplemented for the first 3.5 months. Then we switch to full time Similac Organic. We thought it was good because it was organic but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I realized the third ingredient is organic sugar. I was mortified and felt terrible that we had been feeding them that. I switched them to Earth’s Best Organic Dairy formula with iron and a milk based powder. But I am wondering if I should switch them to the Gerber Good Start with probiotics? They seem to eat anything overall. I just want to provide them with the best nutritionally.
Hi again Dr. Young,
Thank you so much for your reply to my question a few months ago. The videos and resources you suggested were very helpful! I have two follow-up questions and I will greatly appreciate your feedback if you have a minute.
My baby girl will be 1 year old soon and she is currently on Enfamil Nutramigen formula (the one you suggested too). She’s got no dairy in her diet due to a confirmed IgE immune response to milk proteins. Since my last message when she was 8 months old we introduced Nutramigen formula during her 10th-11th month and now we have weaned her off of breast milk and transitioned to formula full time.
We were advised by our allergist to completely avoid all diary for now and reassess the situation when she turns 2. So I am concerned about her nutritional needs going forward, particularly Calcium and fat, due to the lack of any dairy in her diet and especially whole milk which and cheese as great resources of both Calcium and fat. My questions are:
1) Would Enfamil Nutramigen provide enough Calcium and fat in her diet during her 2nd year of life? The nutritional values per 5oz of this formula are ~100mg of Calcium and ~5mg Fat. Currently she drinks between 15-20oz daily so this totals up to 300-400mg of Calcium and 15-20mg of fat. The rest is all solids and she’s eating a great variety and with great appetite. We plan to introduce calcium-fortified soy milk and orange juice soon, most likely in combination with the formula. Does it make sense to continue with the formula during the 2nd year and is that going to be enough to ensure adequate Ca and fat supplies?
2) Most formulas appear to cover the nutritional needs of babies during the first year of life before switching to milk. But in our case this is not an option. Are you familiar with any hypoallergenic formulas that are developed for toddlers? Do you think Enfamil Nutramigen is a good option beyond the 1st year? If there are other more appropriate formula options would you give us some suggestions? I haven’t been able to find anything on this online.
Thank you in advance for your time!
Best wishes,
Yana
(P.S. I keep recommending your website to all my friends who’ll have a baby soon. It is just such a wonderful resource for new moms! thank you :))
Hi Dr. Young – What an informative article! I am always researching what I put in my babies bodies and there is a lot of junk on the internet that gets in my way.
I could use some advise… I have a 5.5 month old daughter that was exclusively breastfed until last month. I had to start supplementing with formula as my milk supply has completely tanked and by next month she will be formula fed only. I am a little lost in the formula world as I exclusively breastfed my first child and it was something I never had to delve into.
My daughter does spit up quite a bit whether she is having breast milk or formula and was hoping that I could find a good and healthy formula that might reduce some of this. There are so many formulas out there that claim to reduce spit-up or acid reflux and I was hoping you could point out a couple that you would recommend we try.
Thank you and I appreciate your feedback!
Which formula do you recommend for a baby that is on sensitive Similac? Looking to switch to a mode healthier option!!!
Can you use Gerber probiotic soothe drops, in Gerber Gentle formula since it already has a probiotic in it.
absolutely.
absolutely!
Hi Dr. Young,
It is a pleasure to read your website! I am a scientist myself (PhD in molecular biology) and it is so rare to come across such a great resource aimed at a broader public that is informative, detailed, and based on credible science facts and research.
My baby girl is 8.5 months old and has been almost exclusively breastfed so far. She’s been fed with Similac Infant formula on just a handful of occasions in the very first weeks after her birth to supplement breastmilk while we both were getting the hang of breastfeeding and my milk supply got steady. After that, 100% breastfed so far.
I am considering giving her formula at this point, nearing 9m, to substitute occasionally for breastmilk, and also when I chose to wean her off, to switch to formula. The issue is that to my great surprise, she was recently diagnosed with milk allergy/sensitivity. She got a red rash with hives around her mouth the first time we fed her yogurt at 7m as part of the process of introducing solids. She’s never had any symptoms before that indicating that there was a milk allergy since my diet has plenty of milk, yogurt, cheese and dairy products in it. Still, her skin reacts to yogurt and regular organic formula (I’ve tried feeding her a few teaspoons of Earth’s Best organic formula, the red box). She’s fine with non-dairy solids and completely happy on breastmilk. I just hope that these few occasions of giving her formula in the very first weeks of her life have not triggered this allergy.
Our pediatrician recommended trying Enfamil Nutramigen or Similac Alimentum, and also suggested that there’s no need for me to eliminate milk and dairy from my diet since there have been no prior issues with my baby and breastmilk. I am trying to chose between the 2 formula brands but they seem to have different ingredients in terms of carbohydrates and fats. They both have casein hydrolysate 17% vs 18% which is the main concern here. But regarding the other ingredients, I am not sure what to chose. I don’t want to increase her chances of getting other allergies or feeding her something that’s not healthy just by introducing formula occasionally. I still plan to continue breastfeeding as long as I can, especially now with this issue. Also, I’m still wondering whether I should eliminate dairy from diet after all despite her not having symptoms from breastmilk.
Would you be able to advise?
Alimentum has corn maltodextrin (35%), sugar (15%), high oleic safflower oil (10%), medium chain triglycerides (10%), soy oil (8%), and other less than 2% ingredients
Nutramigen has corn syrup solids (48%), vegetable oil (pal oleic, coconut, soy, high oleic sunflower oils)(26%), modified corn starch (4%) and other less than 2% ingredients
Thanks,
Yana
Hi Yana, what a lovely note – love the details! First off – awesome job making it so long breastfeeding! You two are rockstars! Second – you absolutely did not “cause” an allergy by feeding your baby when she was hungry. Take that guilt right off and throw it away. Since she is not reacting to your breast milk, it’s possible she may still outgrow this reaction to dairy. Your doc will tell you when is a good time to re-try some dairy food. I also agree that you should NOT give up dairy in your diet. Between the two, for an otherwise healthy older baby I would pick Nutramigen. this is because I like to avoid fructose if possible (which is a metabolite of sucrose/sugar), and your little one doesn’t really need medium chain triglycerides, which can be very beneficial for smaller babies with growth issues or intestinal injury (not you). You can also consider Gerber HA – it is a whey based hypoallergenic formula. The carb and fat blend is very similar to Nutramigen. Your doc will be fine with any of these. HEre’s a video breaking down the Hypoallergenic formulas on the market. They are all a but funky tasting (to put it politely), so here’s another video with some suggestions on that front. Keep up the great work!
Hello Dr. Young,
What a helpful, life-saving article/research. I have a concern and hopefully you’ll get to response.
My 2 months old baby girl is mix-fed and I have been supplementing her with Nestle’s Nan Opti Pro 1 because her Pedia said it did not contain milk and it was closer to breastmilk, she hasn’t pooped for 7 days now and her new pedia wants to change her formula to Similac Tummicare and by reading the contents I was worried with the sugar in it. Do you know other brands that do not contain as much sugar?
Kind regards.
Made a mistake there.
I meant, “did not contain any sugar*”
Hi Stevhy, I am so very sorry I can’t be of much help! You are outside the US – and I just don’t know international formulas as well as I know the US options. I can tell you that, in the USA, all our non-dairy based and hypoallergenic formulas are 100% lactose free 🙁 I suggest following your Dr’s suggestion. Then once your angel is moving her poo regularly, you two can discuss a switch back to a formula you feel more comfortable with. Good luck mama!
Hi Young,
My son was on Enfamil A+ and breast milk diet since birth. He is 5 weeks now. Recently he started having mucousy poop with very little amount of blood in it. Our Pediatrician recommended to switch to hypoallergic Nutramigen A+, with LGG to avoid cow milk protein. Pediatrician also recommended mother (my wife) to go low on milk and soya diet.
However, my son hates Nutramigen and simply starts spitting it out. We switched to Similac hypoallergic formula and my son liked it better.
Similac contains sucrose and is on a sweeter side compared to Nutramigen which is very blend but has Corn syrup (yup, i tasted it and couldn’t stand it just like my Son).
Question is we want to feed him hypoallergic formula which has better sugar source such as lactose, what formula you can recommend? We dont want to feed him sucrose directly as part of the formula diet.
Hi Malyaj, Well first – it seems like you guys are not in the US, so I may not be familiar with your options. Second, if he really has an allergy then its important he be on a hypoallergenic (fully hydrolyzed) formula, so your options are more limited. By nature, all these formulas will have the same “funky” smell and flavor. Sometimes it becomes a balancing act finding one that he will eat enough of to maintain his growth – and that is of course the most important thing. I would work with your Dr to find the one that your son will eat enough of – and you are comfortable with. Your other options to consider are: Gerber HA, and HiPP HA (if you have access to these). Both are whey based. Gerber is lactose free (but no sucrose), and HiPP HA is lactose based. Please DO NOT switch without talking to your Dr first. Good luck Papa!
Thank you for this article Dr. Young. I love how well rounded it is. When I had my first almost 3 years ago, I had to supplement with formula from time to time. Because she was breastfed, it always hurt her stomach no matter what we tried (I even tried Nutramigen before my ingredient quest🤢) I one day noticed that all of the sensitive formulas were on sale and were really being pushed. This lead to me wondering why all formulas weren’t sensitive. So I looked at the back of the ingredient list only to be mortified that high fructose corn syrup was at the top of the list. It then made sense as to why these were being pushed. I really wish formula companies were held more accountable for this. I was also surprised to find that Organic formulas only had the benefit of sticking the word organic in front of their usually identical ingredients. They had “organic high fructose corn syrup”. No wonder America has such a sugar addiction! And the price of formula really does not make one better. Often, I have found less expensive generic brand formulas that end up having better ingnredients than their competitor that costs significantly more (example- Kirkland vs. Similac). The only way to know what you are getting is to read the ingredients or you will be completely mislead by marketing. I believe that restrictions on what and much sugar can go in baby formula are still not nearly tight enough. I am so glad there are finally experts publishing non-biased informative articles.
A.M.E.N!!
Hi Dr. Young!
Thank you for this article! My 7 month old is being supplemented with sensitive formula because she seems to get pretty severe gas pains from regular formula, but I’m really not a fan of the corn syrup as the first ingredient. Do you know if there are any regular formulas that are generally easier for babies to digest? I saw Earth’s Best makes a gentle formula (not sensitive) with milk and lactose as the first two ingredients and Maltodextrin as the third. It’s just very expensive to experiment! Please let me know if you have any thoughts. Thank you!
Hi Grace, If she does better on a “Sensitive” formula, she may have a lactose sensitivity so replacing some of the lactose with Corn syrup is helping her. Earth’s best Gentle uses a blend of intact (big) and partially hydrolyzed (small) proteins, so it’s sort of in-between with protein. It is also lactose reduced … I have a video with details here. If you want less corn syrup, Honest Co Sensitive is a lactose reduced formula that is not such a reduction…. It has 26% lactose (compared with Earth’s Best Sensitive which is 5% lactose). So that may be a nice compromise for her. You’re right that experimenting is both expensive and hard to do!
Dr. Bridget Young thanks for the informative article. i’m a 54 year old man getting ready to start baby sitting my new grandson in a few weeks he will be 3 months by then and he is having a very bad time with the formulas very bad gas. we have tried everything for him i have about 300 dollars of formula in the cabinets that he can’t use. we ran across a home made formula that was created for baby’s like my grandson, we tried it and he loves it but it has maple syrup in it and i have read both good and bad about it, do you know if this is safe for him or should we go back to the gasy formulas and try to deal with it. p.s. he does breastfeed this is just for when she doesn’t have enough for him. thank you
Hi Shawn – what a sweet grampa you are too research formula for your precious grandson! I think I am familiar with this homemade recipe. I can’t recommend a homemade recipe ever since there are so many unknowns and variables about the validity of the recipe, and source of the ingredients. I have a video about it that goes into great detail about things to consider with homemade formula recipes. I hope this helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTaV-Ajf3PQ
You are the G.O.A.T! Thank you! I was so nervous because I begin feeding my son Similac Sensitive since 2 weeks, he is now 3 months and I noticed it says corn syrup as the first ingredient. I was going to try and switch him to regular Similac if it was better but if they both are equally beneficial and since he is doing good on Similac Sensitive should I just leave it unchanged?
First off – I had to urban dictionary GOAT. Now I feel very flattered, and very old. ha!! Thank you!!
There is no such thing as a poison formula. If he is doing well on the Sensitive, then I probably wouldn’t mess with it. Sensitive has almost no lactose in it, so if you do want to switch to Advance (or any other formula that is lactose based), it’s important that you make the switch very gradually to give his little intestines enough time to revamp all their lactose-digesting abilities.
I’ve been looking for this information for too long. Really great review. Thank you!
how sweet! you are so welcome!
My baby needs an extensively hydrolyzed formula and insurance covers Nutramigen, whose carb is corn syrup solids. I’ve also bought some German HiPP HA to try – it’s lactose sweetened (and organic) but going to cost me close to $100/week. Does that seem like a good trade off to you, to give baby’s pancreas a break? (I’m not too worried about her getting used to too much sweetness bc the Nutramigen still smells horrible).
Thanks for all your hard work on this site 🙂
Hi Pamela! Thanks for your kind words! I can’t really answer your question 🙁 We haven’t done research to know if there are any long term ramifications to feeding babies lots of corn syrup. But we DO know that it’s safe in the short term and they grow well (all good news!). Plus, as you mention, HiPP HA is extremely expensive! If the $ places a financial (and thus emotional) burden on your family, then that is a real concern that you shouldn’t ignore. So if you need to use the Nutramigen, then do so GUILT-FREE! also remember that lots of little ones outgrow their initial allergy and can transfer to a partially hydrolyzed (and much more affordable) formula around 6 months. It’s never a guarantee, but is worth considering and discussing with your doctor. Another compromise may be to mix the two so you are ending up with a 50{d3431cee00683dd1c43a4eb0fdbd2aadf61cae39541cb3bcdd241b07539079d2} carb blend, and a 50{d3431cee00683dd1c43a4eb0fdbd2aadf61cae39541cb3bcdd241b07539079d2} drain on your wallet. Again – discuss it with your doctor and trust your intuition!
HI Dr Young,
thanks for this article. I have studied food and nutrition and generally avoid sugar and corn sugars so I was a little horrified to see that there is so much low-quality corn sugars going into baby formulas. But, of course, I’m not surprised, so much processed food is full of strange byproducts. I especially worry about genetically modified corn ingredients.
Our family doctor recommends goat’s milk with a high-quality omega 3 fish oil added as well as a teeny bit of Maple syrup to supplement human breastmilk when necessary. I didn’t need to supplement my son’s milk when he was an infant, but I may feed my next toddler more goat’s milk as it is more like human milk and easier for us to digest. I do give my son omega 3 fish oils,, I get the Nordic Naturals brand. I get the lemon flavored capsules and he likes to bite them and pop them in his mouth. Its amazing what kids enjoy sometimes.
OMG – that is awesome that he bites open the capsules… love it! I am glad your kiddos are doing well on Goat’s milk – it is often super helpful for toddlers who don’t do well with cow’s milk. I never recommend goat’s milk for babies under 12 months since they should be getting a “formula” (as opposed to straight milk) before 1. There are a couple goat milk formulas on the market that are great!
Thanks so much for sharing! I know the “engineered” ingredients can seem scary. I’m so glad you have something that is working for your family!
Hi Bridget,
Thank you for the very informative article. My son has lactose intolerance and we are feeding him lactose-free formula. I am concerned on the amount of sugar contained in these formula. Right now we use the Enfamil A+ Lactofree which has corn syrup and also the Similac LF Lactose-free which has sucrose. Which one do you think would be a better choice? Sucrose is deathly sweet but has a lower glycemic index than corn syrup, which I suppose would be healthier? Also do you have any suggestions on other Lactose-free formulas? We tried the A2 formula but it gives him the runs as well. Thank you!
Thanks for your kind words! I have to be honest – you guys are clearly outside the US and I am not nearly as familiar with international brands. In general, I would say choose whichever he does better on. If both are the same, my personal opinion is to prefer corn syrup over sucrose because sucrose provides such a large amount of fructose which is metabolized very differently than glucose. There is little to no fructose in breast milk. Now, there’s no corn syrup in breast milk either, but corn syrup digests all down to glucose which is certainly not new to a baby’s system. This is JUST my opinion – research shows both are perfectly safe.
My son has just turned one and so I am no longer pumping during the day and have switched to formula (still breast feeding in the evenings and weekends)
Since he was 6 months there have been a few times we had to give formula because of pumping mishaps we used a formula which has lactose as its number 1 carb followed by fructose and maltodextrins (it also contains taurine 😮 WTF).
I first bought an organic formula which was lactose and soya based. But my son wasnt into it. He went from 2 feeds of 4 oz down to 2 feeds of 2 oz.
Could reduction be due to taste and does a formula based on lactose but with fructose and maltodextrins seem ok?
Hi Katrina, way to make it to a year breastfeeding – rockstar!! I always say, there is no such thing as a “poison” formula. Everything is approved by the FDA to meet requirements. Fructose and maltodextrins aren’t my first choice for carbohydrate, but lactose subsitutes like these are necessary for babies who have a hard time with lactose, so it really depends on your individual guy. You’ve got lots of options for various carb blends in organic formulas. Here’s my article that breaks down all the US organic options. Lastly, if your little man is now 1 – you literally have the world of food open to you! You can always feed him more solids if he is hungry and offer him water from a cup to hydrate. For healthy babies – after 1 year, they don’t need formula any more since they should be able to consume all of their nutrients from solid food. Obviously continuing to breastfeed as much as you/he want is a bonus!
Lastly to answer the taste question – yes! Babies often have taste preferences with formula, especially at 1 year. His little tastebuds are very active and I am sure he is starting to have firm opinions about all kinds of things! 🙂
Healthful breastfeeding needs to be more heavily promoted rather than sugar-laden formulas, which serve to benefit multinational companies. In cases where breastfeeding is unhealthy or impossible, formulas will suffice. But the immunity and nourishment that a child receives from mother’s milk is the best option and must always be the first choice to consider.
Hi Daniel, I agree – Mom’s milk is always the first recommendation. When that isn’t an option, this info is to help parents feel really educated and confident about their formula choices!
You article was very informative. I appreciate your comments and insight. I am writing a similar article and I will definitely quote and give credit to this article. I am afraid some of this “sugar” may lead to baby bottle tooth decay in underserved and disadvantaged communities.
Hi Kathrine, thanks so much! I agree with you that this may be a problem in older infants. Check out this recent research article which suggested that formulas containing sucrose (table sugar) were associated with early stage tooth decay.
Hinds Et al. Effect of Infant Formula on Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Formation. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2016; 40 (3): 178-185.
Great and easy to understand, thank you! =)
You are welcome Grace!