I can't breastfeed - how valuable is baby milk?

The most important points in brief

• Breast milk is undoubtedly the best food for babies, it strengthens and contains all the nutrients they need.
• But not every young mother can or wants to breastfeed her baby.
• In this case, the babies must be fed with special baby milk.
• Many parents want to know whether this baby milk can be a good or equivalent substitute for the missing breast milk.

For many young mothers it is the most beautiful moment after the birth: the newborn is placed on the breast, looks around a little and then quickly finds the most valuable source of food it can get. But what about those babies who cannot get breast milk because the mother cannot or does not want to breastfeed? Is commercial baby milk able to provide the infant with all the necessary ingredients?

Baby milk from the online drugstore is like breast milk - almost

Many parents have an understandable fear that breast milk substitutes will not give their babies everything they need. On the other hand, there is the phenomenon that not all mothers can or want to breastfeed, and not only recently. Food research has been concerned with baby milk for many decades and has been trying to perfect this food substitute (because it is nothing else).

That is why it is safe to say today that baby milk from online drugstores, such as those available from Kanela, in principle has all the nutrients that newborns would suck up with their mother's milk. The difference, of course, is that breast milk is available at any time of the day or night and baby milk has to be prepared before it is administered. But even that can be solved nowadays without any major fuss.

Milk for babies in powder or liquid form?

Now, however, parents are asking themselves whether liquid baby milk from the drugstore might come closer to the original - the milk from the mother's breast - than powdered baby food. However, this is not the case, as both variants, depending on the manufacturer, each contain the same nutrients.

The powder from which the baby milk is prepared is obtained from milk that has been enriched with numerous healthy ingredients by gently drying the baby milk until all the liquid has been removed. The nutrients remain in the powder. Baby milk, which can be bought in liquid form, contains the same nutrients, but can usually only be kept for one day in the refrigerator after opening. The opened powder, however, can be stored and used for up to 20 days.

When is which baby milk used?

Mothers who do not breastfeed should give their babies what is known as pre-milk during the first six months, which is very similar to "real" breast milk and contains no carbohydrates other than lactose. There is no limit to the amount, pre-milk is very thin. If the newborn will soon drink it, you can switch to 1-bottle baby milk (also suitable for the first six months). This is more filling because it also contains corn starch. Here, however, you should pay attention to the quantities indicated in order to rule out overfeeding.

From the fifth month of the baby's life, 2-pack baby milk, the so-called follow-on milk, can be used. Compared to the other varieties, it contains more calories, different nutrients and different protein structures. In addition, iodine and iron are usually added.

If breastfeeding the baby does not work, parents should definitely consult the pediatrician to find out which milk is best for each individual case.