Suggestion of organic infant formula without DHA/ARA?

[AnnaR]

Could anyone suggest an organic infant formula without DHA/ARA that's not Baby's Only?

I have been supplementing with Earth's Best due to poor supply, but am concerned about the way DHA/ARA are derived (using hexane process), and their chemical composition which is not identical to what is found in human breastmilk.

Two days after finding and ordering Baby's Only (without DHA/ARA), a Dartmouth study came out claiming that the main ingredient (brown rice syrup) contains high levels of arsenic.  That whole issue is still being sorted out, and we may still consider giving it to our baby once it's sorted out, but until then I'm trying to find an alternative. 

It seems like there's nothing out there which would be a good option, and with the two above it comes down to choosing between two evils.  Is there anything else out there???

[elevena true]

i wish i had more advice for you, and must admit i am lacking knowledge of the arsenic levels in brown rice syrup (something i need to read on! want to post the article link?). i feel like baby's only is the least offensive formula from my perspective. lacking the dha/ara, as well as omitting corn syrup form the recipe are some of the most positive points about this particular formula. for a long time they also left plastic scoops out of their cans because of the chemicals in plastic and not wanting to pollute the powder milk. do you know anyone who has an excess of breast milk who could donate to you? you might think about putting a call out...... i know i was blessed for a few months with a mama who could supplement my lacking supply with her abundant one. i wish that were still the case!!

good luck to you!

[AJandElijahsmommy]

you could make your own formula, many women do! look up goat milk formula online.

[AnnaR]

Elevena,  Below is the link to the article describing the study done at Dartmouth.  It claims organic brown rice syrup is the culprit containing high levels of arsenic, which when looking at the label turns out is the first and hence the main ingredient listed on Baby's Only. 

http://thedartmouth.com/2012/02/20/news/arsenic

It is important to note that since this 'study' came out, Nature's One (maker of Baby's Only) has answered the claim stating that the 2010 WHO Guidelines Conflict with the study's testing method, therefore implying the study is flawed. 

That information can be found here.

http://www.naturesone.com/brown-rice/

Still feel like neither one is that good.  Currently I have Earth's Best and Baby's Only, but feeding more EB because Baby's Only causes constipation.

[Dot-to-Dot]

Bumping

[UGLi]

AnnaR, are you still monitoring this thread?  We've found ourselves with the same dilemma.  It's either worry about arsenic or worry about hexane and chemicals made from genetically modified algae.  Neither of these sounds very organic or usable to us.  It has been several months now, and we'd love to know if you (or anyone else out there) found a solution.

[AnnaR]

Unfortunately, I have not found any solutions aside from possibly making my own, but I could not find any local source of raw cow's milk that I would feel comfortable using in home made formula, though I will admit I did not try that hard either.  I hope and pray that the regular stuff (organic formula with dha) is not doing damage. 

It really bothers me that there are a billion "choices" on the shelves for infant formulas, but there's not one truly organic infant formula worth buying.  By one worth buying I mean: with organic ingredients, without dha/ara, without soy, without high fructose corn syrup, without a bunch of sugar in it, and a few other things. 

[SunshineMama80]

Have you visited the Nature's One/Baby's Only site very recently to see how they are handling the arsenic situation and what the levels actually are?  I personally felt most comfortable with that as our choice out of the options available while we were supplementing with formula, and still feel that it was significantly better than what else is out there.  I saw this study online http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html , which ranks producers of organic dairy in the US on a 5 "cow" rating system (5 is best and 1 is worst) in terms of quality, source, adherence to organic guidelines etc.  Nature's One (company that makes Baby's Only) received 4 out of 5 cows while Earth's Best received 1 cow out of 5.  No formula will ever be perfect and to each their own, of course, but this info was as important to me as the other concerns (brown rice syrup with tiny trace amounts of arsenic vs. hexane/corn syrup/etc).   I was faced with the same difficult decision and for our needs chose the Baby's Only.  But it wasn't perfect, and we did have to give her very small amounts of organic prune juice along with the formula to help her pass her stools (not with every bottle, though, and I was/am also breastfeeding so tht helped).  In the end we decided that shared milk, i.e. donated breastmilk, was the best option for our family.  If you are interested in that, feel free to message me for more info, it has been such a godsend for our family.  Our little one started receiving shared breastmilk in addition to my milk and formula at 3 months, and has been exclusively breastmilk fed since around 3 1/2 months- she is doing beautifully with it!  Best of luck- it can feel like a tough compromise, I know, but you are looking out for your baby's health and best interests and that is what is most important :D
 

[MommyToAllZs]

I was also going to suggest making your own, but I have not researched and now that sometimes certain ingredients are costly and not easy to come by. Have you looked for a human milk bank? I live in Nebraska and we have Human Milk for Human Babies - Nebraska, so I'm sure there are others. I've donated thousands of ounces to women around here just by word of mouth and I also donated to a milk bank. Obviously you would have to buy from a milk bank, however if you have a local LLL or other breastfeeding support group, I would start there asking for donations. Also, have you tried increasing your supply. LLL leaders are completely free of charge and more than willing to help with supply or any other issue you may experience. Good luck!

[LilMomma83]

I make my own with raw goat milk, though when I first started I used processed goat milk and it was still good. I modified a few recipes and it doesn't cost me much at all to make.

[Ryanns Journey]

Hi

Can you tell me your process and ingredients when making your own formula? Thanks in advance. These formulas terrify me.

[JudiAU]

I would really strongly caution you against making your own formula. Homemade formula is basically diary + sweetener and it is very, very difficult to tolerate and strongly associated with health problems. Infants are NOT designed to digest whole milk regardless of the additives like extra sugars. I have an adopted cousin who was raised on homemade raw goat's milk formula with extensive health issues linked to the exposure of whole animal proteins. I think it is the less suitable option. 

Baby's Own uses brown rice because it is considered higher grade sweetener than the ones all of the other organic brands. Earth's Best used to use higher quality too but they cheaper out a few years. I would choose either, still, over homemade because either issue is less problematic than whole, unbroken down animal proteins. 

[LilMomma83]

I respect your opinion, but, in our case, with a baby who has significant allergies and failure to thrive on combo of breastmilk and commercial formula along with reflux which she was aspirating, it its by far the best choice for us.

To R J: I researched extensvely and modified several recipes according to my baby's needs and my comfort level...I'd recommend you do the same. :-)

[JudiAU]

FYI- Wanted to update this thread with Baby's Own response to the arsenic/brown rice syrup issue. They found a new rice source outside of Asia with the lowest detectable arsenic and are using tha tnow. vhttp://www.consumerreports.org/cro/arsenicinfood.htm#A_CEO_reworks_his_toddler_formulas

[ag12345]

HOLLE BABY FORMULA sold in Europe/ Asia/ Australia but you can but it online and ship it here. They have organic grass fed cow milk only in their baby formula. They even have a goat's milk baby formula for the 1% of babies who are really lactose intolerant- many babies can't handle the fake American formulas and the chemicals/ GMO DHA/AHA additives but are diagnosed as lactose intolerant.