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Breast milk substitutes

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Breast milk substitutes

When breast milk isn’t an option and cows’ milk isn’t suitable, infant formula milk is the only accepted substitute for babies aged 0-6 months

Breast milk is the gold standard for babies up to six months of age, but infant formula milk does have an important role to play when a mother cannot or chooses not to breastfeed or to rely on breastfeeding entirely. Cows’ milk (as a drink) is not recommended for babies under 12 months, so infant formula milk is the only accepted breast milk substitute. Infant formula milk is based on cows’ milk, but has been modified to make it nutritionally appropriate.

Modifications include:

  • Altering the whey:casein ratio to be closer to mature breast milk. Note: this will be different in milks for hungrier babies
  • Increasing the lactose content by altering the carbohydrate concentration
  • Removing the fat from cows’ milk and adding vegetable oils to increase the absorption of essential fatty acids
  • Reducing the sodium (salt) content as this is too high in cows’ milk for an infant’s immature kidney function
  • Adding vitamins, minerals and other key ingredients (e.g. nucleotides, alpha-lactalbumin, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) and oligosaccharides such as FOS and GOS).

Even today, we are still unable to replicate certain substances found in breast milk (e.g. hormones, antibodies and enzymes), but research continues to try to identify their role in the hope that they can be included in infant formula milks.

The Healthy Start scheme

Healthy Start is a Government scheme that provides weekly vouchers to eligible parents with children up to four years of age for infant formula milk suitable for babies from birth, cows’ milk, or fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables. Follow-on milk, soya formula and ready-made weaning foods are not included in the scheme. All pregnant women under 18 years of age qualify, along with pregnant women or families with children under the age of four who are on certain benefits. Further information can be found via the Healthy Start website.

 

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0-6 months

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