Carnation Infant Formula

Carnation Infant Formula Today

Physicians specializing in the care of children still say that breast milk offers the best primary nutritional source for at least the first year of a baby's life. However, when breast feeding doesn't work out for a mother, Carnation infant formulas offer a wide selection to meet your infant's nutritional needs. Today Nestle's formulas have expanded to include:

• Good Start Natural Cultures
• Good Start Supreme DHA & ARA
• Good Start Supreme
• Good Start Supreme Soy DHA & ARA
• Good Start 2 Supreme DHA & ARA
• Good Start 2 Supreme Soy DHA & ARA
• Ready to Feed Convenience Packs

Choosing the Right Formula

When the time comes that you must wean, supplement breast feeding or have to make the choice to exclusively use formula, today's selection of Carnation infant formulas can help you rest in the knowledge that today's iron-fortified infant formulas are patterned as close as possible after breast milk. With all the possibilities, it's a good idea to talk with your infant's doctor to help you choose the formula that best suits your baby's needs. Some of the differences to consider include:

Milk-based Formulas

If dairy allergies may be a factor, it's important to know that milk-based infant formulas are made from cow's milk protein along with supplementary carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. The milk-based Carnation infant formula Good Start Supreme is specially formulated and contains gentle 100 per cent whey comfort proteins. These proteins have already been broken into easy-to-digest smaller pieces. To better understand comfort proteins, Nestle offers an online video on the subject.

Beneficial Cultures

One of Nestle's most recent innovations in its line of carnation infant formula includes the addition of beneficial cultures which help support your infant's immune system. Research shows that these beneficial cultures are abundant in the digestive tracts of breastfed babies and so Nestle developed Good Start Natural Cultures. It stands alone as the first and only infant formula to offer this balance in formula-fed infants.

DHA and ARA Enriches

Other ingredients added to formula to try and copy breast milk includes fatty acids or lipids known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid). Research has shown these components to play an important part in the development of healthy brain and eye tissues.

Soy-based Infant Formula

Soy formulas offer an alternative for babies at risk to dairy allergies. Studies have shown that for most babies on formula, a soy formula is one of the best selections to help prevent or to treat allergies. Carnation infant formula soy products are milk-free and lactose-free. Soy formulas also make a good choice for families who embrace a vegetarian diet.

It offers the perfect nutritional balance for your baby—including protein, carbohydrates, fat, and other nutrients—in forms your baby’s developing digestive system can easily handle to help your baby develop in so many ways including a healthy immune system to help protect her/him against common childhood illnesses. However, if you decide to supplement your breastmilk with formula or offer formula exclusively, talk with your doctor about your feeding choices. You can feel good in knowing that iron-fortified infant formulas are patterned after breastmilk and provide all the nutrition your baby needs.

Cow-based vs. Soy

Some controversy surrounds the use of cow-based products versus the use of soy products. When it comes to infant formulas, the types of sugar and protein they contain differ. Iron fortified formulas like Nestle Good Start Supreme have cow's milk-based proteins and are made with lactose. Many doctors recommend such formulas for infants not breastfed.

On the other side, soy infant formula like Nestle Good Start Supreme Soy is a good choice for infants who can't tolerate lactose or milk proteins. These soy-based formulas offer a better choice for babies born into families with a history of food allergies or formula intolerance. Currently, formulas made from soy are recommended for infants with galactosemia, primary and secondary lactase deficiency and for families choosing a vegetarian lifestyle.

Infant feeding tends to be a controversial area even among the experts. While most hold that breastfeeding is best during the first year, the various choices of infant formulas fuel the controversy for the second best choice. Talk things over with your doctor, and rest assured that if you choose a baby formula there are pros and cons on each side of the soy vs. cow milk-based issue; however, the formulas are designed to follow health standards which will specifically meet your infant's needs.