When faced with the need to find the right food for the baby, parents will have to choose an adapted formula. Among the entire assortment, it is necessary to separately highlight products based on milk from a goat. What are their properties, what are their benefits, and when are they recommended for feeding a baby?
Application features
- They are not medicinal. They are recommended for feeding babies from birth.
- Their taste is pleasant, delicate and creamy.
Why is goat milk better than cow's milk?
The main difference is the lack of cow's milk proteins. Since the structure of proteins from goat milk is completely different, these formulas can be used in case of allergies to conventional adapted formulas.
With a mild cow's milk allergy, replacing the food of the crumbs with a mixture of goat's milk will eliminate bloating and other digestive disorders, as well as a rash. At the same time, goat milk mixtures are not classified as hypoallergenic, since the proteins in them can also cause an allergic reaction. That is why the change should be done gradually and very carefully.
In the stomach, the mixture in goat's milk turns into a loose clot, which is digested more easily than a very dense clot formed by cow's milk proteins, and also does not irritate the walls of the digestive tract. For this reason, they are recommended for children who have frequent regurgitation.
Benefit
- Goat milk has a lot of similarities with breast milk, especially in the composition of the fat component.
- The fat in this type of milk is represented by smaller drops of fat than in milk from a cow.
- Drinking this milk can help heal wounds and get rid of infections.
- Goat milk is high in calcium, a mineral that is important for building bones.
- For greater benefit, probiotics and nucleotides are added to the goat milk mixture, which increase the immunity of the crumbs.
Harm and disadvantages
- May cause an allergic reaction.
- Compared to adapted cow's milk formulas, the cost of goat milk products is higher.
- According to the ratio of protein fractions, goat milk (like milk from a cow) is referred to casein products, and there are more albumin (whey proteins) in human milk.
- Due to the excess content of phosphorus and calcium in milk from goats, the production of mixtures from it involves an artificial correction of the mineral composition.
Review and comparison
Not so long ago, the Russian market for goat milk mixtures was represented by only two brands - New Zealand's Nenny and a mixture from the Spanish manufacturer MD Mil Kozochka. Since 2012, Dutch mixtures of Cabrita and Mamako of Spanish production began to be sold in the country.
Nanny's mixes were the first to be sold in Russia. They are made from whole goat milk and come in 4 types for different ages. The mixture "classic" feeds a child from 0 to 12 months. Since 2007, MD Mil Kozochka, which is produced from skimmed goat milk, has been imported into the country. They are represented by a mixture of 1 (for babies under six months), 2 (for babies from 6 to 12 months) and 3 (for babies over a year old).
Kabrita mixes have appeared on the Russian market since 2012. They are represented by the same age range as MD Mil Kozochka. Mamako mixtures appeared later than the others - in 2013 and are not yet widely known.
Conclusions
Nanny
In Nanny's blends, the ratio of whey proteins to casein is increased towards casein, which prevents the development of constipation. However, in terms of this parameter, it is significantly inferior to human milk and other mixtures from goat milk. Also a feature is the lack of palm oil. The lactose content is reduced.
MD Mil Goat
The advantage of the MD Mil Goat mixture is the absence of starch, so that the digestion of such a product does not lead to bloating and colic. In addition, it has the lowest osmolality, so it does not load the baby's intestines and kidneys. In terms of the ratio of Omega fatty acids, it is as close as possible to mother's milk. It also wins in terms of lactose content.
Cabrita
The main advantage of Cabrita blends is the different ratio of whey and casein proteins for different ages. This leads to better digestion. Also, the undoubted advantage is the content of probiotics, represented by lacto- and bifidobacteria. Since Cabrit does not contain maltodextrin, such a mixture is approved for use in children with diabetes.
Mamako
The MAMAKO® Premium natural goat milk mix does not contain palm oil. Contains IQ-complex with lutein and fatty acids (ARA and DHA). This mixture has a lower calcium content, but the undoubted advantage is the presence of pre- and probiotics for comfortable digestion.
According to the analysis, the best line-up was shown by MD Mil Kozochka and Kabrita. Because Cabrita contains beta palmitate instead of palm oil, we chose Cabrita.
Selection criteria and how to determine quality
- The choice of food must necessarily be carried out taking into account the age of the baby. Age recommendations for a particular formula are listed on its label.
- Be sure to evaluate the composition. Before doing this, carefully study the "controversial" ingredients.
- For children of the first six months of life, the composition should contain: iodine, taurine, polyunsaturated fatty acids and nucleotides.
- It is also important to carefully examine the shelf life of the product.
- The taste must be natural.
- Before choosing a mixture for feeding the crumbs, this issue should be discussed with a pediatrician.
