Formula

Parent Q&A

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  • Infant Formula from Europe

    Jul 27, 2021

    Hello, would you have any advice on how to find organic infant formula made in Europe, e.g Holle, Hipp, Tofter ?  I have found some rare distributors selling them however there are hugely expensive compare to others US brand e.g  organicformulanet; babybestfood. I am looking for a European brand because the food regulation for infants is stricter.  Thank you!

    We buy Holle from Little Bundle: https://littlebundle.com/

    I think I can send you a promo code if you want (or google for one).

    Hi! I was also thinking about European formula and ended up deciding that the complications around shipping, supply and cost were too much to handle as a new parent. I’ve been very happy with Nature’s One (out of Ohio). We use the Organic Gentle (whey dairy) formula and I have given it to my two kids from birth- you can order it directly from them. If cost is no issue www.hibobbie.com is a new brand that’s “European-style”. Happy to talk more about why I picked Nature’s One after TONS of research on the European brands (because I can’t breastfeed and care a lot about food!) 

    You can get Holle at Whole Foods now!

    We ordered Hippe from Formuland, which we found to be almost always in stock and reliable. Yes, it's expensive -- didn't really find a way around that one.

    European formula brands are not approved by FDA, so the sellers here in US are technically selling them illegally. We use Holle, and I buy them directly from Germany. I found that, if you're not particular about having English language packaging(the preparation method can be easily googled, or google translate on the packaging works just fine), it's cheaper than UK packaging ones. Shipping is still very expensive, and buying in bulk would make the most sense. I usually order enough for 2-3 months at once.

    Since US sellers here are operating illegally, many of their shipments are confiscated by customs because the formulas are not approved by FDA, this is one of the factors that drive up the price for purchasing in US. As individual consumers, there's a little bit of a leniency from customs, and these overseas sellers are typically quite helpful in resolving this (afterall, our credit card company's refund is our last resort). 

    If you're just trying out to see if it works for you, I'd still recommend buying directly from a US seller. For small quantities, US seller would still be cheaper than ordering from Europe. But if you've found what you want and want to order bulk, then the sellers in Europe would offer much better overall pricing. Happy to share the websites I use for ordering.

    We generally bought from www.formulasrus.com, which was reliable and reasonably priced, but Similac Pure Bliss is pretty good (grass fed, European-style formula, but not organic) and often cheaper. 

    hello! i used European formula for my daughter when she was an infant and many of the websites I used to buy from have recently been shut down. Generally speaking, it can be tough to find a reputable online source to buy the formula from. There is a store in SF called 'Natural Resources' that typically carries some in store. Outside of that, I've used https://littlebundle.com/ to buy formula in the past (but also ran into shipping delays/customs with that website too). There is a new formula called Bobbie that is a European recipe formula made in the US and FDA approved. I plan to use this for my next kid and have heard wonderful things about it. Pros: easy to buy since it's made and sourced in the US, women run and owned, FDA approved (so no concern for whether or not it meets the nutritional requirements), and the same type of recipe that is used in the European formulas. Their website is https://www.hibobbie.com/.

    Good luck!

    Hi there! Gimmethegoodstuff.org has a good overview on all the organic infant formulas and also links to shop for them.

    Hope this helps

    I believe I've ordered some Dutch Hipp from anyorganics.com Have you tried them yet? It was fairly quick. Not sure about the price in comparison to other sites you've visited. 

    There are some issues with using the European formulas here since it is illegal--the issues are mostly with cold chain storage and with contamination so that is part of the reason it is difficult. for a couple of articles on it, see https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/paren…

    and

    https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/us-parents-european-baby-formul…

    We supplemented with German formula - Holle - for both of our kids. Ordered from - babykindmarket.com, organicbabyshop.com, and huggable.com - depending on who had availability. Also recommend Hipp which I feel is a bit gentler on the stomach. 

    Have you considered Bobbie? It is EU formula but made in the USA. Their website is https://www.hibobbie.com/.

    There is a 10% discount if you use the code #sendhelp

    I was ordering Kendamil and Holle from Little Bundle but has since switch to Bobbie. It has the same strict food regulation, minus shipping delays and unknown recalls.

  • I was wondering if anyone has experience with either HIPP or Holle formula. They are European formulas that are not FDA approved so not available through typical channels in the US but meet the much more rigorous European standards for formula. They're purported to be much better than the standard American formulas so I was wondering if anyone had used either of them and what their experience was. Also, I would love any recommendations on where to purchase these formulas. Thanks in advance. 

    I spent a month in Germany (both formulas are German) with my then 6 month old daughter and fed her Holle formula all the time (and actually took some home since it is a lot cheaper than American formula). In the US we use Earth Best and supplement it with Gerber Good Start as she has digestion problems. She had no problems with the switch and I actually think she liked the formula more than others. Holle is bio dynamic (Dementer) and you may think that is a bit over the top or not but it is certainly good. Hipp is not and therefore also a little cheaper. From friends in Germany (I am German) I know though that it works equally good as well. Hope that helps.

    I did a lot of research with these two brands and it proved difficult to order them online. My son is breastfed, but on occasion needs more milk, so I wanted to have a back up option around that I felt good about. I ended up going with the HiPP liquid. The powders are made with (albeit organic) palm oil and I really wanted to stay away from that and I felt the shelf-stabilizers used in the liquid were the better tradeoff versus the palm oil. I happened to be in the UK a few months back and shipped back several to myself. It does get stuck in customs for a day or so as they verify that its for personal use, but this is the only way I figured out to get it here. My son has seemed to like the formula's taste well enough too. 

    We tried HIPP (liquid) for a bit but it became a huge issue to find - it was just okay for my LO.  We ended up switching to Baby's Only toddler formula at 3 months. It's much easier to find (Whole Foods) and my LO has thrived off this formula. It organic, non-gmo & does not have DHA - I highly recommend looking into this one as well just in case you find youself in a pinch like I did so many times ordering online & my order being stuck or delayed. Good luck!

    We mainly breastfed, but used Holle to supplement on occasion.  The instructions to make it area a bit ridiculous (in my opinion), but my daughter liked it and we haven't had any issues.   My milk supply has dwindled so we've had to supplement a bit more and have started using some HIPP.  No issue there either.  I know moms in NYC who would order from here https://www.organicbabyfood24.de/holle-organic-formula-stage-1-starter-….  You are never quite sure how much to order.  I usually bought the extra boxes that other mom's were trying to get rid of.

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Best Infant Formula

March 2010

Hello, My partner and I will be welcoming two newborns into our home in a few months. I've done a little research on infant formula, but was wondering whether anyone has specific recommendations. Please note that this isn't a question about whether formula is as good as breast milk--I understand that it is not, but it is not biologically possible for me to breastfeed and I am not going to try to get breast milk from a third party. Thanks! Mom2b


Earth's Best organic infant formula. We were thrilled with this formula (not the price tag, though). This is the only one I was willing to give to my baby. ~~formula supplementer


Congrats on being a new mom soon! Good for you for making the effort to get breastmilk. I had problems with producing enough with my first child and had to supplement. During that time, I used Similac because that's what the hospital gave me. BUT if you do the research and read the labels you'll find (much to my horror) that MOST baby formulas have corn syrup in it and it's one of the first 3 or so ingredients! There is enough evidence out there to suggest this is NOT healthy for children (especially those of women who had gestational diabetes like I did, since the child could be at risk for diabetes later in life). And, of course, we all know that there's no way corn syrup is in breast milk. My suggestion: BABY'S ONLY formula. You can google it and see. It's the only formula that I know of that does not use corn syrup and as a bonus it's organic. Granted, it is meant to be a toddler formula because the company that makes it wants to encourage breastfeeding in the first year BUT if you do further research, you'll find that it is suitable for infants. I hope this helps you (and others) searching for the best alternative to breastmilk that is freely available. Anon.


Dear Mom2b, The choice of infant formula really depends on the child. Formula is regulated by the FDA and therefore pretty much all of it is safe and healthy. However, different kid’s digestive systems may react differently. Once I had to stop breastfeeding, I experimented a bit with various formulas. I have twins and both of them are very different. For example: Enfamil made my son poop so frequently he ended up with diaper rash, while Gerber Soy made my daughter constipated. We ended up finding that Similac and Kirkland brand (Costco) both worked very well for both kids. Since Kirkland was significantly cheaper, that is what we usually go with. I would recommend talking about this with your pediatrician since they may have specific recommendations. If they don’t, you might want to try a little of each of the major brands and see what works for your children. Mom of Twins


Congratulations! I had breast fed my first, and for four months with my 2nd, when wham I ended up in the hospital and could no longer breast feed. My husband and I very quickly had to do research into formulas and here is what we found and tried: First we tried out all the major brands in both dairy and soy versions, my son did not like the taste of most of them, we tried Earths Best and it was ok, but it did not mix as well as the others, then we found ''Baby's Only'' brand we felt good about the Ingredients and that it was 100% organic and made in the usa. Check out their website: http://www.naturesone.com/ All the best. All kinds of milk mama


Just wanted to chime in, as I saw Baby's Only recommended a couple of times. I saw on the news last month that formula with Organic Brown Rice Syrup as one of its main ingredients has very high levels of arsenic, and unfortunately this is the main ingredient in Baby's Only formula. Here's a link to a news article about this issue: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/arsenic-organics-rice/story? id=15642428#.T1pG1vGJc6w My baby doesn't drink much formula, but when we run out of pumped breastmilk for him he drinks Earth's Best (the dairy one). Seems fine for him - no bad reactions of any kind, and I hear he drinks it happily - and it doesn't have Organic Brown Rice Syrup as an ingredient. Victoria P


Just want to add that MSG is present in infant formula under different names which can be found in this list: http://www.msgmyth.com/hidden_names.html Some of the formulas that were recommended previously contain ingredients listed as MSG (rice syrup, hydrolized protein, etc). Anyway, I didn't know this at the time and I used the Safeway Baby Organic with my son and he turned out just fine (now 3). It's a rather cheap formula with the benefit of having the USDA Organic label... anon


Where is best place to buy baby formula?

Dec 2007

Where have you found the best prices to buy Enfamil baby formula? A 24 oz can of powedered at Babies R Us is $25. (no need to comment on benefits of breast feeding -- that is not possible in my case). thank you anon


Initially, i would have never considered this, but costs ruled out...we buy our formula at Walmart, and have even begun using their Parents Choice brand, MUCH CHEAPER. If you read the can, it compares them to regular brands, so felt comfortable going generic...and I am an organic-only-mommy:) Baby seems to enjoy just as much as name brand...good luck.


If you are choosing formula for a medical reason - please consider getting breastmilk from the San Jose Milk Bank. The AAP recommends breastfeeding or breastmilk feeding for at least the first 6 months of a baby's life - insurance will pay for the breastmilk - it can be overnighted to your house. All donors are carefully screened, their doctor must fill out a questionnaire, the donated milk is tested, pasteurized, then tested again. Though it loses some properties in the freezing process, it is still a much superior food than formula. There are even many older children and adults using breastmilk for diseases such as Crohn's and cancer. anon


Hi - My baby used Similac Advance formula and we bought it at Costco which was cheaper than grocery/drug stores. It was also offered in a bigger can. Hope this helps. Angela


Go to diapers.com. They have the cheapest diapers and deliver for free and no sales tax, I have never ordered formula, but I bet they have great prices on formula considering their great prices on diapers. Susie