NAN HA was the best for us

I have used karicare gold for both bubs.

Some good advice below – hope it helped.

Go down to your chemist and ask their advice, they would have a pretty good idea of what brands are popular and suitable for different age groups.

How did you go, did you find a different formula?

Sorry can’t answer to this one… I didn’t use formula but I hope you find what your looking for

Looks like rach has all the answers

Gold formula has more probiotics in them.
Honestly I think its just getting mums to spend more money on formula.
The normal formula is fine for babies.

Rach has a lot of useful information

Great rach where do u find all this?

Hope you found the answers you wanted Good luck

Hope you found the answer you were looking for. I only ever used a small amount of formula so can’t help here

Hope u get ur answers onere . Wish I could help

Breastmilk is nature’s perfect baby food. But if you can’t breastfeed, or if you’ve chosen not to, formula milk is the next best thing. Scientists and medical experts have spent years developing high-quality formula milks that will provide your baby with the nutrition she needs.

When you’re deciding which formula is right for your baby, you will need to take several factors into consideration. Think about her health and dietary needs, her age, and the cost and preparation time of different formula milks. Our guide to formula milks will help you to choose the right type for your baby.

What types of formula milk are there?
There are three different types of formula:
cow’s milk-based formula
hydrolysed protein formula
soya-based formula
It’s most likely your baby can have cow’s milk-based formula, unless there’s a health or dietary reason why she can’t. Read on to find out more about these types of formula milk.

Cow’s milk-based formula

Most baby formula milks are based on cow’s milk, which is modified to resemble breastmilk as closely as possible. Manufacturers modify cow’s milk for babies by adjusting carbohydrate, protein, and fat levels and adding vitamins and minerals. There are also special types of formula manufactured for premature babies.

The protein in milk can be broken down into curds (casein) and whey. The ratio of casein to whey can vary according to the type of baby formula milk. There are two main types:
First-stage formula. These milks consist of mostly whey, with a casein:whey ratio of 40:60, which is about the same as breastmilk. They are suitable for your baby from birth up to about a year, and are thought to be easier to digest.
Second-stage formula. These milks consist of mostly casein, with a casein:whey ratio of 80:20. They take longer to digest and are often promoted as being for hungrier babies.
Nutritionally, your baby will only need first-stage formula, although you may decide to move your baby onto second-stage formula as she grows.

Be cautious when changing your baby’s milk. Switching from first to second-stage milk too early can give your baby constipation. Although many milk manufacturers market their second-stage milk as suitable from birth, it’s best to wait until your baby is at least four weeks old. If your baby doesn’t seem content with the formula you first started her on, talk to your health visitor before changing formulas.

When your baby’s a year old, you can move her on from first or second-stage formula to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is not recommended as a main drink for babies under the age of one because it’s low in iron and vitamin C. But you can use small amounts in cooking for your baby when she’s started solids, or on her breakfast cereal.

Hydrolysed-protein formula

This is a formula milk which is specially designed for babies with an allergy or intolerance to cow’s milk. If your baby has a cow’s milk allergy, the protein in the milk will cause an allergic reaction. And if she has an intolerance to cow’s milk, she will have difficulty digesting the lactose, or sugar, in the milk.

Hydrolysed-protein formula milks are based on cow’s milk and have the same nutritional value as standard formula milk. But the protein in the milk is hydrolysed, which means it is broken down so your baby is less likely to react to it. These milks are also generally lactose-free, so babies with an intolerance to cow’s milk can digest them easily.

If you think your baby has a cow’s milk allergy or intolerance, see your doctor or health visitor. Your doctor will be able to prescribe a hydrolysed-protein formula for your baby. You can buy these from your pharmacy, too. You can also buy special lactose-free formulas, which your doctor may suggest is your baby has a lactose intolerance.

Soya-based formula

Soya-based formula is made from soya beans. It is modified with vitamins, minerals and nutrients to make it suitable for formula milk.

Only give your baby soya-based formula on the advice of your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician. Even though manufacturers market their soya formulas as suitable for babies from birth, health professionals don’t recommend them for babies under six months.

It’s not recommended that your baby has soya formula if she has a cow’s milk allergy. Babies who are allergic to cow’s milk are often allergic to soya, too.

There is also no evidence that changing to a soya-based formula can help to soothe your baby if she is unsettled or colicky. Your baby may be colicky because she’s intolerant to lactose, and so a lactose-free formula is best if this is the case. Ask your doctor or health visitor for advice if you think your baby has an allergy or intolerance to cow’s milk.

There are no particular health benefits that your baby would get from soya formula compared to other formula milks. In fact, soya formula milks can actually damage your baby’s teeth over time, because they contain glucose syrup. If you do give your baby soya milk, you’ll have to take extra special care of her teeth.

What kind of formula milk does my older baby need?
There are cow’s milk formulas that are marketed for babies from six months, because they are high in iron which growing babies need. However, these milks are not nutritionally necessary. Your baby will be getting the iron and other nutrients she needs from her solid foods. There’s no need to switch to a different milk if your baby is happy with breastmilk or her usual formula.

Milks marketed for older babies include:

Follow-on milks

These are milks with higher protein and mineral content than ordinary infant formula. They are sold as suitable for babies from six months old. Follow-on milks are advertised as more nutritious than cow’s milk, because they contain added iron, vitamins and minerals. However, bear in mind that cow’s milk is not a suitable drink for your baby until she’s a year old anyway.

Goodnight milks

These are follow-on milks with added cereal, which are marketed at parents as helping babies to sleep better at night. However, there’s no evidence that they help babies to settle at night or that they take longer to digest.

Don’t give goodnight milk to your baby if she’s less than six months old because cereal isn’t suitable for younger babies. Also don’t give this milk to your baby if she is overweight.

Growing-up milks

Growing-up milks are marketed at parents as being better than cow’s milk because they contain added iron and other vitamins and minerals. They are promoted to be used for babies from about one year old.

However, growing-up milk isn’t needed, as once your baby’s a year old she can have full-fat cow’s milk as her main drink. She’ll also be eating a varied and balanced diet, which should provide her with all the essential vitamins and minerals, without the need for growing-up milk.

These extra formula milks are not really necessary at all. Your baby can get all she needs as she grows by having her standard formula milk alongside calcium-rich and iron-rich foods. You can then move your baby onto cow’s milk when she’s a year old.

The only reason you may want to change your baby’s milk is if you’re raising her as a vegetarian. When your start her on solids from six months, you may find it difficult to find enough vegetarian foods that are rich in iron. So an iron-rich formula may be a good option.

What’s the cost and preparation time of formula milk?
Formula milk does take time to prepare. Depending on the sterilising method and the type of formula you use, making up one bottle could take around 30 to 40 minutes. So if you give your baby six bottles a day, you could spend up to four hours a day preparing your baby’s formula feeds.

Most formula milks are sold as dry milk powder, packaged in tins. You make up the formula by adding scoops of the dried milk powder to cooled, boiled water.

Some brands are available in pre-measured sachets which contain the right amount of formula for one feed. These can a bit pricier, but they are useful when you’re travelling or when you want to make sure a feed is made up accurately. You can also buy ready-made formula milk, which is more expensive, but very handy for when you’re out for the day or on holiday.

Natricia karicare all the way

This is the info I got from a website when I was trying to figure out the difference and it seemed to apply after looking at many different tins of formula and ingredients!
Gold and Standard Infant Formulas

The difference between Gold and Standard Formulas

There are very strict regulations controlling how formula is made and the nutrients it contains. In New Zealand and Australia, the Food Standards Code ensures this. The aim is to make the nutrition in baby formula as close to breast milk as possible.

Standard Infant Formulas

All standard formulas in New Zealand and Australia are made to a standard recipe specified in the Australian/New Zealand Food Standards Code. Ingredients include:

– Nucleotides are nutrients that exist naturally in breastmilk. They have different function including helping to develop a healthy immune system, as well as overall growth and development.

– Iron, especially in toddlers, for healthy growth, learning and development.

– Zinc & Iodine:

– Vitamin D and Calcium for healthy bones and teeth

Gold Infant Formulas

For Gold Baby Formulas, additional approved nutrients are added to the standard formulations to further assist baby’s growth and development. Additional ingredients include:

– Alpha-lactlbumin (in stage 1) is a whey protein that is naturally found in breastmilk. Babies digest it easily, and it’s a rich source of essential amino acids.

– Probiotic cultures (friendly bacteria) help maintain the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut, protecting the gut wall and enabling the body to extract valuable nutrients and energy.

– Prebiotics can promote the growth of the beneficial probiotic bacteria in the digestive system.

– Omega -3 and Omega-6 LCPs (long chain polysaturated fatty acids) are naturally present and breastmilk and are important for brain and visual functioning, nerve tissue development and various other processes in the body.

Gold Infant formulas and toddler milks are not more ‘rich’ than standard formulas since there is no increase in the total fat content.

As for which is best… We are really loving S26 Gold Comfort it is 100% Whey protein partially hydrolysed (broken down) so nice and easy for bub to digest and also includes specially treated vegetable oil to help soften bubs stools. Our little girl is one very happy bub on this one and we have tried so many!
Hope all this info helps

Have you decided on a formula to go with and how is it going??

I am not sure will be watching this post

I was told that he gold ones are higher in iron…

check label as some of them contain a lot of sugars.