Infant milks to avoid for your child's wellbeing

Choosing the right infant milk is a crucial step in your baby's diet. With the multitude of options available on the market, it can be difficult to know where to turn and make the right choice for your infant. This article provides some guidance to help you identify the infant milks to avoid, ensuring a healthy and balanced diet for your child.

Infant milks containing added sugars

Many infant milks contain added sugars such as lactose, sucrose, or glucose syrup. Although these sugars may be present naturally in milk, having them in excessive quantities can pose a risk to your baby's health. Excessive sugar consumption in young children notably increases the risk of being overweight, obesity, and tooth decay.

How to spot infant milks that are high in sugar?

Before buying an infant milk, take the time to check the list of ingredients and the carbohydrate content of the product. Favour milks whose carbohydrate content is below 5g per 100ml and that contain no added sugars (sucrose, glucose syrup).

Infant milks based on unmodified cow's milk proteins

Cow's milk proteins can be difficult for some infants to digest, notably due to the differences between bovine proteins and those found in breast milk. Infant milks containing unmodified cow's milk proteins should therefore be avoided for children who have an intolerance or allergy to cow's milk proteins.

Opt for partially hydrolysed proteins

There are infant milks available on the market whose proteins have been partially hydrolysed, meaning they are pre-digested. This modification makes it easier for young children to digest the proteins and reduces the risk of allergies. It is therefore recommended to choose an infant milk containing partially hydrolysed proteins if your baby has digestive difficulties or shows signs of an allergy to cow's milk proteins.

Organic infant milks: a guarantee of quality?

More and more parents are turning to organic infant milks to ensure a healthy and environmentally friendly diet for their child. Whilst this is a commendable approach, it is important not to be misled by "organic" labels to the point of overlooking other essential aspects of a good infant milk. Indeed, an organic milk is not necessarily free from added sugars or unmodified cow's milk proteins.

Checking the ingredients and composition of organic infant milks

Just as with "standard" infant milks, take the time to check the list of ingredients and the carbohydrate content of organic infant milks. Some organic milks do in fact contain added sugars or unmodified cow's milk proteins that can be harmful to your child's health. Do not blindly trust labels — always check the composition of the product before purchasing it.

1. Rule no. 1: avoid infant milks that are high in added sugars
2. Rule no. 2: favour infant milks with partially hydrolysed proteins
3. Rule no. 3: do not trust "organic" labels without checking the product's composition
4. Rule no. 4: always check the list of ingredients of the chosen infant milk

In summary, choosing a suitable infant milk for your child requires particular care at the time of purchase. It is essential to avoid infant milks that are high in added sugars, as well as those containing unmodified cow's milk proteins if your baby has an intolerance or allergy to these proteins. Finally, do not blindly trust "organic" labels — always check the composition and ingredients of the product before buying it.