Understand the difference between powdered milk, dairy compound and infant formula
Parents may need to use some of these products to supplement their child's diet. Find out when to offer each one!
From birth until the sixth month of life, health organizations recommend that babies be fed exclusively on breast milk, due to the many benefits it offers for their development.
Experts still recommend that breastfeeding continues until at least the second year, but we know that for many mothers this is not always possible - either because of the physical complications of breastfeeding or for other reasons, such as allergies, which lead to weaning.
So that the child continues to be nourished and enjoys the important components of milk, supplementation can be recommended by the pediatrician. Here, we've separated the three names that raise the most questions and that are quite different from each other: infant formula, dairy compound and powdered milk.
Infant formula
It is the product most recommended by pediatricians when breastfeeding is not enough. This is a category of products designed to feed babies up to one year old. "On the market, you can find formula 1, to be consumed from birth to six months, and formula 2, for the second half of life - from six months to ten months or one year," says pediatrician and nutritionist Prof. Dr. Fábio Ancona.
According to him, these supplements try to be as close as possible to mother's milk, and to this end their content is modified in terms of sugar, fat and proteins, and vitamins and minerals are added in such a way that it tries to have - from the point of view of quantity - a composition similar to the mother's own liquid. Regulated by Anvisa, it is also free from colorants and gluten.
But what if my baby is allergic to some of the ingredients? The interesting thing about formula is that it has several variations to meet every nutritional need. "A number of adaptations are allowed, including for special situations, when the child is allergic to milk protein, for example, and rice protein is used," says Fábio.
"Other formulas are modified to prevent reflux and are called 'AR'. They contain substances which, in the stomach, make the product thicker and more difficult to reflux. They can be made with starch or carob flour," adds the doctor.
Fábio is keen to stress that formula should only be used when breastfeeding is absolutely impossible. "We must give absolute priority to mother's milk in the first year of life - exclusive until the sixth month. From then on, supplementary feeding begins, but still with breastfeeding," he emphasizes.
Regarding its administration, the pediatrician replies that the formula should be offered to the baby every time he or she shows a desire to suckle. The ideal, dads, is to let the little one drink the liquid until there is a little left in the bottle, without forcing them to swallow it all the way.
Milk powder
Powdered milk, on the other hand, is nothing more than the solid residue left over from the cow's milk after the water has evaporated. "For every 100 ml of milk, 12.5 g of powder are left over and there is no change in composition," explains the expert.
Although cow's milk is consumed by all age groups - mainly because it's easy to transport and more affordable - it's not the best choice for little ones, as it has a number of conditions that make it a nutritionally precarious product for children.
"It makes it difficult to absorb iron, due to the large amount of calcium, and it has a lot of fat," says the nutrologist and adds: "It's better to leave it until after the age of three, considering the advantages of dairy products."
Dairy compound
With attractive labels showing the addition of vitamins, minerals and other additives, many parents end up buying the dairy compound believing it to be a more nutritious product. That's why it's worth pointing out that this ultra-processed food is not like formula, nor is it like milk.
"To be called a dairy product, it needs to contain at least 51% of milk. The industry can also use fats that are easier to digest and some that are beneficial for children's brain development - such as polyunsaturated acids - as well as vitamins and minerals," explains the nutritionist. And it's important: the compound, which may contain sugar and colorings, is not suitable for babies under 1 year old.
We would stress that it is always advisable to have a pediatrician monitor the child's diet. "We hope that doctors will encourage breastfeeding and only recommend formula when there is an obstacle in the process," concludes the doctor.