When it comes to feeding babies, mother’s milk is the best. This should be fed until the sixth month of life. Starting from the sixth month, we can start with supplementary food, in addition to breastfeeding. However, not every mother is able to do this. The substitute food was developed for such cases.

If breastfeeding does not work

There are several reasons why a baby is not breastfed. In such cases, the baby is given a replacement milk. This initial food is also called pre – food. This is suitable from birth on and is perfectly co-ordinated with the not yet matured stomach – intestine – tract of the baby. This infant food is continuously developed and optimised. For some time now, probiotics and prebiotics have been buried in pre-food, but not by all manufacturers. These should help to build up a mature intestinal flora and strengthen the immune system. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven.

HA – Food for allergy-prone children

If the siblings or parents are already suffering from allergies, it makes sense to feed the baby an HA food if it is not breastfed. The abbreviation HA stands for hypoallergenic food. The cow’s milk protein components are further broken down in the HA food. This prevents it from being detected as foreign protein. Due to the splitting, the food tastes somewhat bitter. As a rule, however, babies do not have any problems with this if the food is used right from the start. The hypoallergenic food is also available as follow-on milk, which can be given as a supplementary food. Whether this has an effect on allergy prevention has not yet been scientifically proven.

The follow-on milk as a sensible supplement?

The baby grows and the urge to move increases from week to week. At the age of four to six months, the baby is in supplementary food. About the Food must now be absorbed much more nutrients and energy. Most parents ask a lot of questions at this time. One question that belongs to this is the question of the formula milk. The parents want the baby to be able to sleep better at night and be well saturated. Since follow-on milk contains starch, this naturally saturates better than the pre – food. However, maltrodextrin or sucrose is often added to the follow-on milk, which is nothing more than sugar. The mineral and protein content is therefore higher than in the initial milk. However, it would be sufficient to pass on the initial milk next to the supplementary food, if necessary.

From initial milk to cow’s milk

Basically, it is not necessary to change from the initial milk to the follow-on milk – 2 or 3 – food. The Pre – food can also be passed on in the Beikostalter. But many parents are soon stressed when the pre-food is demanded several times during the night. If the baby also demands more and more pre-food during the day, then a change to follow-on milk can be considered. In principle, however, it is possible to offer the pre-food until the change to cow’s milk, at the age of one year.

The Myth of Milk Food and Sleep Through

Many parents assume that it is related to the formula that the baby sleeps through early. Sleeping through, however, does not only have something to do with milk nutrition. Although formula milk contains more starch, which makes it more satiating, babies who are fed formula milk can also suffer from sleep problems. Sleep problems do not only depend on food. If the parents are restless, so is the baby. In addition, all experiences of the day are processed in the night. If a lot happens during the day, then the baby will be too. restless of the night. Growth spurts and tooth scarring are also possible causes of babies’ sleep problems. Far too often, however, the parents still use follow-on milk. Care should be taken that this does not happen too early. After all, follow-on milk is only suitable from about the sixth month of life. In the fourth month, the babies are not yet able to process the minerals and proteins that occur in the follow-on milk. Rather, it would burden the baby and, in the worst case, lead to health problems, as the kidneys would be overburdened.

1, 2 and 3 formula milk

When the parents are standing in front of full shelves in the shop, it is easy to overtax them. Different manufacturers offer different foods. The choice is large. Beside the pre – food there is also the following milk, which is to be obtained as 1er, 2er, and 3er. According to packaging information, the follow-on milk saturates the baby better and should thus contribute to a better sleep, as it contains maltodextrin, maltose, or starch. The Pre – food and the 1 – follow milk hardly differed in the energy content. They can be fed in addition to the supplementary food as required. On the packaging there is always a list to which the parents strictly adhere. However, this is not necessary, because every baby is different. The quantity and frequency of meals are determined by the baby. The information provided is for guidance only. Therefore it is important to know the signals for hunger and satiety.

Ingredients of the follow-on milk

As already mentioned, the follow-on milk contains additional starch. This means that the milk stays longer in the stomach, which increases the intervals between meals. A further addition is provided by the sugar, which makes the follow-on milk a little sweeter. You should make sure that the follow-on milk does not contain any sugar additives. A look at the label can be helpful here. Glucose and maltose have no place in follow-on milk. One reason why people often switch to the 1-series food is the lower price. In addition to the 1 – there are also the 2 – and 3 – follow-on milk. However, you should limit yourself to the 1 or 2 foods, as the 3 foods contain too much starch and sugar, but too little calcium.

The small print

Especially when the babies wake up more often at night, the parents doubt the nutritional value of the pre – food, especially because it looks so thin compared to the formula milk. However, it is not necessary to switch to a follow-on milk. There can be many reasons for the restless nights. Hunger is rarely the cause, unless the baby is in a growth spurt. If you look at the small print on the packaging of the follow-on milk, then you will surely notice that it does not make sense to switch to follow-on milk. Due to the many additives there may even be health risks, as the follow-on milk is less well adapted to the nutritional composition of breast milk. Although the protein composition and the protein content are increased, the total calorie quantity is almost as large as that of the pre – food. However, the babies are not dependent on an increased protein content. In the context of rapid brain growth, other nutrient compositions are important in this case. An increased intake of protein can also lead to late effects such as obesity. The follow-on milk may therefore are introduced into the diet only as a supplement, but not as a substitute for breast milk.

Follow-on milk not recommended by experts

Nutritional experts who examined the formula physiologically do not recommend the formula as it contains unwanted additives and can cause late effects. Ultimately, however, it is up to the parents to decide whether they want to use the follow-on milk as a supplement.

Overstraining in the baby food jungle – a help for orientation

Everybody has their own opinion about follow-on milk. The fact is, however, that it contains many unnecessary additives that are not good for the baby in the long run. To create a small overview of the baby food jungle, here is a short summary for orientation.

– The initial milk, or breast milk substitute, is the pre-nutrition. This can be fed from birth to the change to cow’s milk.
– Babies with a high risk of allergies should receive HA food. In the complementary food age can then be changed over to the conventional Pre – food.
– The initial milk and the follow-on 1 milk are fed according to the baby’s needs.
– Another follow-on milk, 2 or 3 is not necessary. If parents do not want to do without this follow-on milk, care should be taken to ensure that the follow-on milk contains as few additives as possible. In addition, the follow-on milk should only be fed according to the recommendation. The baby should be at least six months old.
– Anyone who is still unsure should ask their midwife for help. The costs of these are covered by the health insurance until the end of the ninth month of life, for up to eight discussions / consultations.

Disadvantages of

formula

It can be noted that a follow-on milk has no significant value for the healthy nutrition of a baby. It is sufficient to feed the baby with the pre – food, which can be replaced by cow’s milk at the age of one year. Follow-on milk has the disadvantage that it strains the digestive system and in the long term even leads to a changed metabolism. In addition, frequent use can lead to overweight.