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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Vegetarian Formula

23 replies

sanfair · 26/05/2010 18:40

Can anyone tell me which infant formulas are vegetarian?
Most of the main brands add fish (which seems very odd to me) and Hipp Organic is no longer veggie for this reason.

It seems the only alternatives are the soy based formulas which seem to be aimed purely at babies allergic to cows milk. Anyone using the soya based formulas?

(Yes, I do know that breast is best but am not able to fully breastfeed due to breast surgery a number of years ago so this is not an option)

OP posts:

sonsmum · 26/05/2010 20:53

oh for goodness sake......vegetarian formula worries........
You need to feed your baby....choose any brand that suits your pocket and which the baby will take.........then let them decide if they want to be a vegetarian, preferably when they are an informed adult.

thisisyesterday · 26/05/2010 21:02

i am not sure there are any now sanfair

personally i would NOT use a soya based formula, they are no longer recommended esp for little boys because of the oestrogen in soya

actually a qujick google suggests that the holle brand might do?
i know waitrose sell some of their products, or obviously you can buy online

Original poster

sanfair · 26/05/2010 21:33

Thanks, thisisyesterday, that's exactly what I was looking for.

OP posts:

Bubbles1066 · 27/05/2010 09:45

Yeah as far as I know none of the mainstream brands are veggie now. They don't literally have fish in them, they add DHA which is derived from fish oil if you know what I mean (like the DHA fish oil supplements that adults take). SMA used to be the only one but that has fish DHA in it now too. I would advise though that you don't use a brand that maybe too hard to get hold of and you can only get from one place- after all running out/supply problems would be a disaster! We're veggie too and we were not too pleased about this but in the end we decided that it was just one of those things and once he is done with formula we can go back to a veggie diet. DHA actually comes from algae not fish. The fish eat the algae with the DHA in it. So you can add DHA from algae instead which would be completely vegan but for some reason they go with the fish. X

Bubbles1066 · 27/05/2010 09:48

and PS yes I would avoid soya if you can. It can affect baby's sexual development. Soya is fine for adults or older babies as part of a mixed diet as it's not all they eat but is not a good idea as their only source of nutrition.

frasersmummy · 27/05/2010 09:49

i've heard it all now .. vegetarian formula...

rubyslippers · 27/05/2010 09:51

you can get kosher formula which is probably suitable for veggies ... if you have a kosher food shop near you then you should check it out

and why the sneery comments about veggie formula?

would you be rude about kosher or halal food choices?

Bubbles1066 · 27/05/2010 09:53

Here here rubyslippers!!!! Each to their own

Rhian82 · 27/05/2010 09:57

Why are people being so snide? It seems ridiculous that it's seemingly impossible to feed your baby fortified milk without killing an animal somewhere down the line.

mrsgordonfreeman · 27/05/2010 10:10

Rhian, if you give cow's milk formula you are contributing to the dairy industry which kills male calves... I don't know if kosher formula would be free of fish oils as these are not forbidden from being mixed with milk. However, and perhaps more helpfully, could you try the Vegetarian Society? They might be able to point you in the right direction. Your baby's health is the most important factor and some kosher milks have been recalled due to problems with the thiamine levels.

Bubbles1066 · 27/05/2010 10:14

Yes, mrsgordonfreeman is right the dairy industry sucks too Anyways, you can get dairy free non soya based formulas but as far as I know they're only on prescription for allergies.... I suppose you just have to sometimes put your personal ethics aside and do what's best for your baby....

thisisyesterday · 27/05/2010 10:24

yes, you are contributing to the dairy industry, but the OP doesn't really have a choice does she?

well, actually, she could buy neocate which contains no dairy either, but she'd need to remortgage her house to get it!

mrsgordonfreeman · 27/05/2010 10:51

I think nutramigen is cow's milk based, don't know about neocate. They may also have all sorts in them as they were designed for poorly babies, not veggies.

Unfortunately I think the op is going to have to make some compromises. Although fish oil free formula might be available, you also have to consider expense and convenience - are you going to be able to find it at short notice, what about when you are travelling and so forth.

Bubbles1066 · 27/05/2010 11:24

I really would just go with one of the mainstream brands Sanfair. As a fellow veggie it sucks and I feel your pain but ultimately you need to use a brand you can get anywhere in case you're out and about, need a replacement in a hurry etc as the other poster says. I remember the panic I felt when Morrisons ran out of Aptamil when I had a hungry baby! and I only had to run across the road to Boots to get some!

thisisyesterday · 27/05/2010 15:57

in the event that the op runs out though, it isn't actually going to hurt the baby to have a carton of something different for a couple of feeds

I used cow and gate organic with ds1, and I made sure never to run out, because I could only get it from Boots. But if we were out and about I sometimes took a carton of a different make as the organic one didn't come in cartons then

bluebump · 27/05/2010 16:04

In the latest Vegetarian Society magazine it says that Hipp Organic is now vegetarian and they now do the instant cartons like the other brands do.

BikeRunSki · 27/05/2010 16:05

.. if the baby will take something different. My DS was happy to have a carton of a different brand from time to time, but my friend's totally refused anything other than "the usual".

4madboys · 27/05/2010 16:19

hipp organic isnt vegetarian! it used to be, i use it for ds4, but they have recently changed the formula and it now has fish oils in it, or at least the one i buy has.

i think waitrose sells another formula that is vegetarian.

one of the reasons i bought hipp was because it was vegetarian, my first three were all solely bfed, but illness meant i had to bottlefeed ds4 so i had a look around and hipp organic was organic obviously and also vegetarian. i wasnt sure about giving a small baby formula with added fish oils etc hence why i went for the hipp formula.

my ds4 is now 2yrs old and has a bottle of milk in the morning and when he goes to bed, and eats a good balanced diet that includes fish and meat so i dont mind him having the oils in his milk.

but i personally was uncomfortable with the idea of giving a baby under the age of 6mths milk with fish oils etc.

its all personal choice, i hope you find one that is vegetarian, i THINK some of the hipp organic range is vegetarian but i am not sure if their infant milk ie the from birth milk, is.

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 27/05/2010 16:25

This is interesting as I FF DS and he now has a severe fish allergy. I wonder if it was anything to do with the formula - Aptamil. Must ask the consultant at our next appointment....

kesha86 · 17/02/2011 10:27

I am also dissapointed with this..hipp organic was veggie when my 2 were young but now if i have another baby i will have to research and order off internet as there are none on the supermarket shelf.
and for all the snide comments..i actually care what my children drink and eat and just like any religion ,we choose to be vegetarian and not support the slaughter and massacre and drugging of defenseless baby animals.if that bothers you then i am very sorry but I want my kids to respect and love animals and not think its okay to do what they do to them. and i wouldnt have any worries of giving my baby soya milk as it was prescribed from the doctor to my sister when she was a baby and there was nothing wrong with her.although we are not fully vegan my children drink soya milk and have soya butter.
theres too many ignorant people out there who need to go and do some research.go on you tube and see cows and pigs being hung up and electricuted through the head then being chopped up whilst still alive and if you can say you support that then you are sick!!!!

HFBB12 · 22/06/2021 20:40

Wow that was a reeeally helpful comment 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

BertieBotts · 22/06/2021 22:58

Why have you bumped a 10 year old thread to complain about someone's comment? It was completely buried until you bumped it.

Peggy6789 · 19/03/2022 14:23

Or let them decide if they want to eat animals when they are old enough to know what killing means.

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