Where Can I Buy Baby's Only Organic Formula
This in-depth and easily understandable parent guide will help you find and buy the best baby formula brands made in the U.S. You will learn the differences between U.S. vs. European baby formulas, the top 10 recommended baby formulas, what ingredients to avoid, what brands and types to avoid, and where you can purchase the best baby formulas in U.S.
where can i buy baby's only organic formula
Similac Organic has recently reformulated their infant formula, and now their formula has no sugar or syrup solids as the primary carbohydrate! They use organic nonfat milk and organic lactose only. They include prebiotics as well. Similac Organic does have soy oil and a few synthetic ingredients. Costs $28 for a 23oz container.
Most baby formulas made in the US are full of unhealthy ingredients for your baby. Some of these ingredients include added sugars/syrup solids, preservatives, GMOs, and synthetic ingredients. European Baby Formulas (especially organic European baby formulas) are more similar to breast milk than most of their U.S. counterparts in the make-up of carbohydrates and fat, and European formulas are held to higher organic standards. This post focuses on the best baby formulas for parents who are looking for a US-made formula that meets the high standards set by European baby formula companies.
Here are our top 5 recommended organic baby formulas, followed by reviews of over a dozen options. Once your little one begins transitioning to solid foods, be sure to check out our list of the best organic baby foods!
Infant formula comes in dozens of brands and varieties, and figuring out what's best for your baby can be a daunting task, especially for discerning parents who want the best for their babies. The best organic formulas contain all-natural and non-GMO organic ingredients, plus they are sourced from farms that feed their cattle high-quality foods without traces of pesticides, herbicides, steroids/hormones, antibiotics, or other harmful additives.
In the United States, USDA-certified organic products must contain at least 95% organic ingredients; that's a decent criterion, but not the most stringent. By comparison, European baby formulas must meet the EU Bio (organic) certification process, which has a more stringent 98% organic content criterion.
Non-organic formulas, in contrast, are more likely to contain scary trace chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, antibiotics, growth hormones, and heavy metals. They also tend to contain unhealthy ingredients such as corn syrups and corn syrup solids, starches and fillers, partially hydrolyzed whey protein, soy, canola and palm oils, and omegas extracted using hexane. These aren't the best ingredients to have in any food, but never mind in your baby's first energy source!
Kendamil stands out as one of the only organic, whole-milk baby formulas available on the market! Founded in 1962, Kendamil is one of the longest-running baby formula companies in Europe. Kendamil has a long and reliable history of producing very high-quality baby formulas, and they first launched this organic formula in 2018. Monde Selection awarded Kendamil with a Gold Metal as the world's best organic baby formula, and you might recognize the name from its use by the Royal Family (the Duchess of Cambridge fed Kendamil to Prince Louis)! What makes it so great? It is the only whole milk formula on our list, and it doesn't contain any of the nasty ingredients we prefer to avoid - no gluten, soy, palm oil, sucrose, corn syrups, or maltodextrin. What does it have? Whole milk as the first ingredient, Omega-3 (DHA, ALA), Omega-6 (LA), amino acids, prebiotics (GOS from milk), inositol, and choline. Oils are from sunflower, coconut, and rapeseed, without any palm or soy. Also, we love the fact that it contains milk fat globule membranes (MFGM) just like breast milk, which are associated with healthy brain development and cognitive outcomes in children.
In our testing, we found that the formula mixed very well with warm water without any clumping, bubbling, or excessive foaming. You can see more details about our testing in our full review of Kendamil organic baby formula. We fed the Kendamil to three infants and two toddlers, and all of them readily accepted it and drank their usual amounts. Only one of the four babies, the 4-month-old breastfed one, developed a bit of gas. Her mom didn't attribute it to Kendamil, noting that the same happens when she tries any formula. It is important to note, however, that whole milk baby formulas can be a bit more difficult to digest, especially for infants with the most sensitive tummies. For them, we would try out the HiPP option, below. The only other small drawback is price, with Kendamil topping out our list at about $1.75/ounce. We do have a 5% off "mommyhood101" coupon code you can use here to help stomach the price! Overall, we love the new Kendamil organic baby formulas, available in Stages 1-3, and we're happy to feature Kendamil here on our list. Here's a good bit of recent news: Kendamil is partnering with the U.S. FDA to bring Kendamil formulas to the US as part of Operation Fly Formula, and their non-organic version is now available at Target. Interested? You can check out the Kendamil Organic formula here!
HiPP stands out for its high sensitivity and tolerability for infants who struggle to digest other baby formulas. HiPP is one of the best-selling European formulas (made in Germany and sold in Dutch, UK, and German varieties), and for some great reasons. This review is of the Dutch version, which we think is the best of the pack (see why here). It is a skim-milk and lactose-based certified organic formula that contains both prebiotics (plant fiber) and probiotics for digestibility, Omega-3, and Omega-6 fatty acids, and uses whey powder (and whey protein) along with a mix of vegetable oils (palm, rapeseed, sunflower). Just like breast milk, it has an ideal whey-to-casein ratio of about 75/25 and contains lactic acid bacteria cultures (B.lactis) that can help reduce colic and irritability (according to published research). Even more compelling is what this formula does NOT contain: starch, gluten, maltodextrin, processed sugar solids, artificial preservatives or vitamins/minerals, soy (Stages 1-2), or GMO ingredients. It's a very comprehensive infant formula that is widely respected around the world for its macro- and micro-nutrient profile and is widely recommended by pediatricians and infant feeding specialists for sensitive stomachs. The addition of prebiotics and probiotics makes this the best sensitive baby formula option, while also making it relatively complete in terms of nutritional value, especially relative to US formulas and FDA and USDA recommendations.
In fact, its ingredient profile is a bit more similar to some US brands such as Baby's Only and Happy Baby, but it excels relative to the typical formula in its sensitivity and nutritional composition, making it a great formula for babies with GI sensitivity (gas, colic, reflux) and more complex nutritional needs (of course, always ask your pediatrician first!). We have tested the Dutch, UK, and German versions of HiPP Combiotik (called Combiotic in the UK) in several infants and toddlers, and found very high acceptance rates, with none of them developing any clear signs of gas or discomfort. All of the moms liked the Dutch formula in particular for its consistency, ease of mixing, and lack of bubbles after mixing. Cons? The HiPP formulas do contain palm oil. While this ingredient is very common in baby formula, if we had a choice we would prefer different oils (e.g., coconut, sunflower). Like all the best organic baby formulas, Hipp Combiotik is relatively expensive (about $1.60/ounce) in comparison to Loulouka or US formulas; note that you can save 5% with our Mommyhood101 coupon code at The Milky Box, which helps a lot! For more details on our testing of HiPP formulas, see our full in-depth review of Dutch, UK, and German HiPP Combiotik. Interested? You can check out the HiPP Combiotik Formula here!
Holle formulas (pronounced "hoe-lay") are made by one of the oldest and most widely respected baby formula companies in the world, with over 85 years of experience making non-GMO organic baby food products. Based in Switzerland, they work directly with the best German raw organic ingredient suppliers and carefully track the sourcing, sustainability, and quality of every ingredient they include in their baby formulas. Ingredients are sourced from Demeter biodynamic farms, which hold the highest European certification for sustainable farming without chemicals and synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. This is an organic baby formula that you can truly feel good about. The Holle Bio line comes in two infant formula stages, Holle Pre and Holle Stage 1, both intended for birth onward. It also comes in what the company calls "follow-on milk" (stages 2-4). We've personally tested the Pre and stages 1 and 2 varieties, in both Cow and Goat varieties, and are thrilled with what they have to offer. Each has no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, thickeners, sweeteners, or chemicals. The cow version contains organic whole (Pre) or skim (Stages 1+) milk and whey powder as the first two ingredients, then organic vegetable oils (palm, rapeseed, sunflower), and vitamins and minerals.
Bobbie is making waves among discerning parents with its European-inspired formulation, organic and non-GMO ingredients, and superior nutritional composition. Based in San Francisco and founded by two moms, Bobbie released their first baby formula early last year and we were excited to get our hands on it! For all the details, check out our full Bobbie formula review. The Bobbie formula is designed for infants from 0-12 months and is suitable for both supplementing breastfeeding or exclusively formula feeding. It is made in the USA, which means not only is it certified USDA organic, it is also regulated by the FDA (which European formulas are not). If that doesn't give you peace of mind, the simple and thoughtful ingredients and nutrition facts will. The first ingredient in Bobbie formula is organic lactose and it also contains organic nonfat milk, organic safflower or sunflower oil, organic soybean oil, organic whey protein concentrate, and organic coconut oil. Just like human breastmilk, Bobbie formula uses lactose as a primary carbohydrate and maintains an ideal 60:40 whey to casein ratio. It also meets both US and EU requirements for DHA (Omega 3) content, iron content, and vitamins and minerals. In addition to DHA, it also contains ALA and LA, for additional essential fatty acids. Here's what it doesn't contain: palm oil, gluten, maltodextrin, starch, sucrose, glucose or corn syrup solids, or any other suspect ingredients. 041b061a72