Cow vs Soy formula milk
There are many commercial brands of formula available on the market. All infant formulas sold in Australia (that are specially designed for newborn babies) must comply with quality control standards by law, and should be labelled as 'suitable from birth'. These are appropriate for babies up to 12 months of age. The cost of the formula does
NOTreflect the quality of the formula and buying your formula at the supermarket may be cheaper than the local chemist, so it may pay to shop around.
There are also some 'follow on' formulas available. These are subsequent products developed by formula companies for 'older' babies (for example from 6 to 12 months). You can swap your baby to these after 6 months if you wish, but they are not absolutely necessary. The original formulas 'suitable from birth' are designed to meet your baby's nutritional needs up to 12 months of age. After 12 months of age, babies can have normal cows milk (or soy milk) and a diet similar to the rest of the family.
NOTE:Be aware that normal milk that adults drink, no matter what type - cows, goat or soy substitutes, regular powdered milk or condensed milk- are
NOT suitable for babies as their main drink, until they are at least 12 months old. Milk formulas for babies during their first year of life needs to be designed specifically for newborn babies and labelled as 'suitable from birth'.
There are 4 main categories of baby formulas available. These are:
Cow's milk formulas
Soybean formulas
Specialised formulas prescribed for babies with nutritional and / or health problems
Goats milk formulas
Extensively hydrolysed formulas
Cow's milk formulas. Cows milk formula is the most suitable for newborn babies and the main type of formula recommended by caregivers. The formula milk is made from skimmed cows milk, with most of the Casein protein removed, being replaced by whey protein.