Has anyone ever tried organic infant formula? Is there really any difference between the organic formula brands like Bellamy or Hippp and the standard brands, like Nestle Nan, Danone, Friso, etc?

My friend, who is an organic foods advocate, claims that standard formula has more artificial “chemicals” in it and this equates to a healthier option. Honestly, I think that is a shallow way of looking at the matter. I've read that fundamentally, both organic and standard formula serve to nourish babies and nutrition-wise, there is no difference. The "chemicals" in standard formula might be synthetically created but they are similar to the "chemicals" found in organic formula. According to studies, the one area where organic formula differs from standard is in terms of its sweetness. Organic formula makers supposedly avoid the standard corn syrup used in regular formula. This makes organic formula significantly sweeter, and babies are already predisposed to like the sweetness of breast milk. This might lead to weaning and weight issues later in life, but there’s no solid research to back that up. Additionally, sucrose was the primary sugar used in organic formulas, but it was banned in Europe in 2009 due to obesity concerns, and American formula makers have since moved away from it. Another reason I can think of is that the ingredients used in organic formula come from sources that are ecological and environmentally friendly. Here is an interesting article about whether organic baby formula is any better than standard formula. The writer does not seem to think so: https://skeptoid.com/blog/2014/11/11/do-you-need-organic-baby-formula/

Found these two links which you may find helpful: http://alphamom.com/parenting/baby/organic-vs-regular-formula/ This mother fed her elder son with standard brand (Similac) and the younger one organic formula. She did not find any difference in their preference for sweet stuff and both are within healthy weight range. The main benefit of choosing organic formula will probably be that there is no pesticides, growth hormones, or genetically modified ingredient (in the cow or soy milk used) used. The trade off (as mentioned in the article) would be the use of corn syrup. This other article is a review of a few different brands of organic formula she has tried for her baby: http://triflethoughts.blogspot.com/2009/01/organic-formula-earth-best-vs-babys.html In all, I think the most important thing would be that your baby enjoys what he/she is drinking. You can perhaps try different brands and make your decision based on his/her reaction? Or you can also check with your PD for recommendations. Hope these helped!

We went with holle over Bellamy for three main reasons 1. Holle divides its formula to step 1 and step 2. Step 1 is for 0-6 months and step 2 is for 6-12 months. This is unlike Bellamy - where it is the same formula for 12 months 2. Holle is made in Germany vs Bellamy made in Australia 3. Holle is packaged in a box vs Bellamy packed in a tin with a plastic lid. This is both for recycling reasons as well as to expose baby to less plastic which may not be BPA free

This is the packaging