This weekend I ran out of the Earth’s Best formula that I have been using for the past three weeks since my little guy has stopped nursing. In these past three weeks, he has gone through about 6 large cans of the Earth’s Best formula. While this may seem like a lot, he is only in the 10th percentile for weight, so I have to imagine that there are other little babies out there that are eating equally as fast through formula. My thought was to go online and find a place to buy it in bulk and save myself a few bucks. In doing so, I found an enormous amount of information about this formula and the fact that they changed the ingredients about a year ago. This is a quote that I found on a popular Go-Green Mommy Blog, www.thedailygreen.com:
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I just bought three of the 25 oz cans (I used to buy the 13 oz) and I noticed the first ingredients listed are no longer Organic Lactose, Organic Nonfat Milk. The ingredients are as follows: Organic Reduced Minerals Whey, Organic Vegetable Oils (palm or palm olein, high oleic (safflower or sunflower), coconut, soy,) Organic Nonfat Milk, Organic Lactose, etc. Does this mean that the formula is now predominately whey and oils rather than milk? I am a bit disturbed by the reformulation without any noticeable change in packaging. Could this be some attempt for Hain Celestial to save money while producing an inferior product?”
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/earths-best-formula-55081101#ixzz0erb24bkR
It turns out that they did reformulate the product and milk is no longer the primary ingredient. As a result, I went looking for reviews on alternatives. The most popular alternative was Baby’s Only:
“This company’s website says that their DHA and & ARA fatty acids are derived from egg phospholipids using an aqueous (water) process. They go on to say they have never used processes that involve hexane or sulfur dioxide in their formulas. ”
http://www.organic-baby-resource.com/organic-infant-formula.html
Apparently, Earth’s Best and Similac Organic both derive their DHA from Hexane. On the flip side, I did find that it uses brown rice sugar rather than cane sugar. This is apparently better for the baby, but really hard for them to digest, which is why they market it as a toddler formula.
Bottom line on my research–breast is best, but when that isn’t a viable option anymore, it is a judgement call between these two. Ultimately, we should all be talking to our pediatricians, however, I would love to hear the groups thoughts about why you went with one formula over another. Sound off in the comments–you don’t have to leave your name, just your good ideas:-)!
When Realization Sets In…
Today I was sitting in Sierra Grille when a woman came by and asked how old Hayden was. I smiled and told her that she would turn one next month. Then it dawned on me, Hayden is turning one next month.
I always thought it was weird when mothers would count the age of their children by weeks.
How old is your baby?
29 and a half weeks.
Oh…. So, like seven months?
No, 29 and a half weeks.
Oh. Okay.
I always rounded up, sometimes down. She was a month, then she was six and a half months… but today I realized that soon enough, I would just say that she’s a one year old.
It feels like just yesterday I couldn’t wait for her to arrive. I was about two tons, my feet were the size of cement blocks (that could only fit into huge Uggs), and my fingers resembled sausage links. Then, I blinked, and she was here. And now she’s turning one.
I took a good friend of mine to Buy Buy Baby to register for her baby shower. Her baby is due in June. In the car, on the way, she kept saying that she was nervous. She didn’t know what she needed. I just reassured her that I would guide her. It would be fine. We got there, grabbed the scanner and off we went. I can go through the aisles in that store with my eyes closed. I was amazed that she didn’t know what a Bumbo was. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t know the difference between an excersaucer and a jumperoo. She had no idea that she needed a bucket car seat and then would need a stationary one after the baby was 21 pounds. She was shocked by the amount of things she needed to register for. I was shocked that she didn’t know the amount of things she needed to register for.
Fast forward to today. After my revelation that my baby was just about no longer a baby, I began to think back about my own registry. I must have blocked it out because it was such a difficult time. I didn’t have any friends who could take me to register. I was a brave soul, going at it alone.
I just scanned. If I thought something looked cute, I scanned it. If it was at eye level, I scanned it. I didn’t realize until two weeks before Hayden was due that I didn’t have a single thing to feed her. I had no idea if I would breastfeed or how I would do it. No bottles, no formula. What I did have though was two strollers, three grocery cart covers, and the scariest stuffed animal that would sing strange songs. I panicked. I called my husband Paul and said that we had to go to Buy Buy Baby immediately. Now, I’m sure you don’t normally see nine month pregnant ladies crying in the breastfeeding/bottle section of baby stores, but that day, if you were there, you did. I cried. Paul was horrified. I was devastated and sure that I was going to be the worst Mom in the world.
Needless to say, I figured it out. It wasn’t easy, but my little girl, rest assured, is very well fed.
In retrospect, I still can’t believe that my baby will be one next month, but Lord knows I’ve come so far. I am quite a different woman than the one who burst into tears a year ago. I’m an encyclopedia of knowledge on breastfeeding, the different types of formula and the perks of each brand of bottles. This year has flown and my baby has grown up quickly. I guess I’ve grown up a lot too. I know every Mommy says it, but it couldn’t be truer, the first year flies by. It has been the hardest, most rewarding, grueling year of my life. I plan on enjoying every minute of the next five weeks. As far as I’m concerned, Hayden is still only 47 weeks old.
Anna Sforza-Zapotosky is a first time Mommy to little Hayden who will turn one next month. She is a full time Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate in Norwalk serving all of Fairfield County. She resides in Norwalk with her husband and daughter. Before she had a baby and her life was flipped upside down and inside out, she performed stand up comedy all over NYC, Fairfield County and Westchester County. She can be reached at annazapo@yahoo.com.
