Are you looking for vegan baby formula in the UK? For those who are not entirely sure, a vegan diet is one where you eat only plant-based food and drinks. That means you avoid eating fish, milk, eggs and any other foods or ingredients that come from the killing of an animal or from agricultural practices that lead to death or suffering of the animal. This also includes honey and foods that contain ingredients like gelatin or animal fats, as well as additives from animals. 

Most mums who would want to use a vegan formula would breastfeed if the option was on the table. It is the safest option and most guaranteed vegan option there is. Unfortunately, some mothers can do this due to various reasons. Sometimes mothers need to top up their breast milk with formula. Finding a vegan baby formula is not very easy. You can opt for rice milk or soya milk. However, it is important that you take the necessary precautions in terms of age and when it is suitable to give your baby the formula. One of your best bets is to find the formula online. This way you also get to read widely about what to expect from the formula.

In a Hurry?

Are you looking to buy vegan baby formula and need a quick guide? Since you are looking for a formula that is ingredient specific, this has to be the first thing that you look for. The formula comes in different forms, so make sure that you check on the type of formula you are getting. You can get ready to use formula, powder or liquid concentrate. You also need to check on the nutrition value tables and know what your baby needs and if the formula will provide that. The whole point is to try to get a baby formula that replicates breast milk as much as possible. You will not find a formula that is exactly like breast milk but you can find good supplements. You just need to be diligent and do some research.

Our Favourite

Baby’s Only Organic Toddler Formula Powder

We have done some digging and found our favourite to be Baby’s Only Organic Toddler Formula Powder. One of the great things about it is that it is Soy Iron fortified. Be careful to read the labels to make sure you are getting strictly vegan options.

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Baby’s Only Organic Toddler Formula Powder

Our first pick is a formula that contains no genetically engineered ingredients. It has been certified to be Non-GMO. Nature’s One, who are the manufacturers of this product list it as being ideal for children that are at least 1 year old. It is intended to step in where breastfeeding or other start formula feeds leave it. This is a product that is made in the US. What sets this formula apart from others is that they do not use glucose, palm oil DHA that is processed or other fish derivatives. 

To ensure that all of your baby’s nutritional needs were met, Nature One engaged the services of a group of paediatricians and other dietary experts. This is a requirement in the US through the FDA. You will also be happy to know that there is no gluten present in this product. What this formula gives your child is soy that is iron-fortified. It also has Alpha-Linolenic and Linoleic Fatty Acids that are converted to DHA and ARA. You will find the same fatty acids in breast milk. They are known to be key to the development of the brain and eyes. 

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Enfamil Prosobee Soy Formula Powder Can

This is a soy-based formula for babies. It was designed to aid those that have sensitive tummies. Right off the bat, you will be pleased to know that this is a product that is lactose-free. It is fortified with iron to meet the baby’s requirements for it. As with the one above this one also has DHA and Choline in it. They are integral to the development of the brain. All of the ingredients of this product are plant source. It is anchored on a plant-sourced soy protein that is designed to deliver key nutritional value for the first year of the baby. You will be pleased to know that it has been deliberately formulated to be easy on the tummy. 

There is no milk present in the product. It is also lactose-free and without any other dairy derivatives. That is what makes this product a perfect alternative for the milk-based formulas that more and more parents are steering away from. It also meets Kosher and vegetarian dietary requirements.

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Earth’s Best Non-GMO Soy Plant Based Infant Formula

Our final pick comes from Earth’s Best. This is a brand that has been around since 1985. They have delivered a product that is suitable for the first 12 months of a baby’s life. It is another soy-based infant formula that is suitable for those that do not want to give animal products to their baby. One of the key selling points of this product is that it is said to be easy for the baby to digest it. This is mainly down to the soy that they use in its development. Your baby will also get all of the nutrients that he/she requires for the first year. Some of the key ones include protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals as well as essential fatty acids (the DHA and ARA) that we have already mentioned. 

Another key thing that is worth noting is that this formula is also lactose-free. There have been no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives used in its development. Even better is the fact that this means no pesticides and herbicides come anywhere near this.  If you have not guessed it already, I will spill it out. There are no GMOs used in this. It is also Kosher. All you need to add to it is water and the baby is ready to be fed. 

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Buyer’s Guide

Vegan diets have grown in popularity over the years. This could be because there is so much material out there that now informs more people of the benefits of veganism. As more people change their diets, some also choose to raise their babies as vegans. The great thing is that this is a healthy option for your little one. However, you will need to pay extra attention to the baby’s diet all round. As you do this, make sure that you are not excluding the nutrients that your baby needs. Vegan diets can be lower in calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, as animal foods are the primary sources of these nutrients for omnivores. A fortifies food source will be necessary for babies on a vegan diet. This is especially because B12 is found mainly in animal foods. 

Do formula-fed babies gain weight faster?

Breastfed babies seem to grow faster in the first few months of life, but then this growth seems to slow down as they approach one year. Formula-fed babies, however, seem to gain more weight as they grow older. One reason for this may be that when feeding on the breast, they stop feeding when they’re satisfied, unlike formula-fed babies who may be coaxed to finish a bottle and end up getting more food than they need. The other reason is also that formula has a different nutrition composition in comparison to breast milk and this can cause changes in the body’s metabolism. It is not a clear cut result. Sometimes it could be that the babies have different genetic makeup. It could be that babies who are wired to grow slower than others are satisfied with breastfeeding alone whilst those that are wired to grow faster, may need more. This means that you may need to give them more formula and in turn, contribute to weight gain.

Are breastfed babies more clingy?

The first thing to remember is that all babies are unique and deserve your attention to discovering who they are. Breastfeeding has its advantages and this includes bonding with the mother. Some have mistaken this for being clingy, but when it comes down to it, breastfeeding is about providing the necessary nutrients. Another aspect of this is that breastfeeding ties with being soothed. You will find that a baby may become accustomed to their mother’s body temperature and touch. In such cases, it would be difficult to put the baby to sleep without providing the conditions that it is used to. That is where the “clingy” narrative begins to rear its head.

Do formula-fed babies sleep longer at night?

Studies have shown that breastfed babies wake up more often than formula-fed ones at night. This means that breastfeeding mothers get more uninterrupted nighttime sleep. The rationale for this probably comes down to more than just the feeding. A breastfed child has more need and dependency on the mother in a physical sense. They seek that frequently seek that contact. Breastfeeding is one way that they get that contact. This is probably one of the reasons why you can have a child want to be pacified by a nipple without actually suckling at it.

Do vegans give their babies milk?

Yes, they do. It will not be animal milk. There are various vegan milk options on the market today. These include rice milk, almond milk and soya milk among others. What you need to do is to carefully read labels so that you know what has gone into it. Check to see that all of the nutrients that would have been derived from animal milk are present the alternative. There is no reason that should stand in the way of a vegan giving their baby milk, as long as it is done right.

Can a baby be a vegan?

The thing about a baby is that they will eat whatever you feed them. This means that you can tailor their diet to be vegan. The ball is entirely in your court as the baby’s caregiver. All you will need to know is shop carefully. You are encouraged to see help from a dietician or medical professional to ensure that the diet does not leave them lacking any nutrients that they require. This is even more important at this formative age. The beauty of it all is that you will often find that children will continue on the path that they have been raised. If you have raised them vegan, chances are they will remain vegan for life. 

Does being vegan stunt your growth?

Studies and field research has shown that children who live on vegan diets weigh less than children who are on non-vegan diets. This also showed up in children who had allergies to cows milk or other animal products. They weigh less than their peers. That is not to say that stunted growth is a uniform characteristic among children that are vegan. If a vegan diet is managed well, the child will grow without any issues. The problem arises when they are not provided with sufficient vitamins and nutrients in their diet. There has always been talk about ensuring that your baby gets a balanced diet. It applies in this case as it does to all others. 

What Others Have to Say

hi everybody melissa here this show is
 about the basics of bottle feeding with
 formula
 there are really three different main
 types of formula and you're going to
 talk to your doctor and figure out which
 one is the right choice for you but I'm
 going to quickly run through them here
 okay number one cow's milk formula I've
 got some examples here I have Similac
 and I have Enfamil you can also find
 lactose free formulas here's one that is
 a soy-based infant formula and you can
 get lactose free formulas that are based
 on cow's milk so talk to your doctor
 figure out which one you want to use
 when it comes to what type of formula
 again three main types powdered formula
 and then you can also get liquid formula
 or concentrated liquid formula now most
 people I know use the powdered formula
 for a couple reasons number one it's
 very easy with powdered formula to make
 smaller or larger quantities and not to
 waste it it's also good storage wise
 because it doesn't take up as much space
 and it does tend to be cheaper however
 if you're going on a long trip or
 something like that and you don't think
 you're going to have access to water you
 might want to consider one of the liquid
 formulas it's sort of a nice option so
 in terms of how to prepare and store
 powdered formula first make sure you use
 an iron fortified infant powdered
 formula per the recommendation of the
 american academy of pediatrics during
 your baby's first year of life always
 check the expiration date on the formula
 kin formula can go bad and can be unsafe
 for your baby once a kin is open it's
 good for one month
 lastly formula actually has a very short
 shelf life after the powder is mixed
 with water so do not leave powdered mix
 formula room temperature for more than
 an hour and always throw out what your
 child does not drink good reason not to
 make more than you need once you mix the
 powder with water it will keep for up to
 48 hours in the refrigerator okay now
 can I use tap water in making formula
 this is something on which you should
 check with your
 doctor I did talk to my doctor about
 this and he said in New York City it's
 fine but you have to make sure because
 in some cases actually fluoride levels
 can be too high and doctors will want
 you to alternate between using tap water
 and using other types of water so this
 is something you should check out okay
 so let's now get down to the mechanics
 of how you're going to prepare your
 formula now the first thing you want to
 do you want to make sure you have a very
 sterilized bottle and nipple and that
 your hands are clean so wash your hands
 carefully and Here I am I've got my
 bottle I'm going to use a born free
 bottle and born free actually has these
 nice inserts these all of course have to
 be clean too and the first thing I'm
 going to do is I'm going to put my water
 in my bottle not the other way around
 because that can skew the measurements
 of the formula so I'm just for for
 demonstration purposes I'm going to pour
 up to four ounces and I'm using my Brita
 so this is tap water but it's it's
 sterilize tap water so I go right up to
 the four ounces on the bottle and then
 I'm going to add my formula I'm going to
 use the one that I've already opened
 wait like that one I got to get the
 similac okay so typically with formula
 one level scoop of the formula is equal
 to two ounces of water so we have four
 ounces here not being a great
 mathematician but that's going to tell
 me I need two scoops of formula and I'm
 going to make sure that they are quite
 level all right so I round it out like
 this and then I use my clean index
 finger to just just like that just like
 you were making you know just like you
 make your cookies when you don't want to
 overdo it on the salt or the sugar okay
 so there I go and --duck --duck --duck
 nice smooth rounded scoopful it's really
 really important that you don't
 underestimate it in terms of the
 quantity of formula you want to make
 sure your baby's getting all that
 nutrition and you cannot under do it
 that's very very important it's better
 to use room-temperature water because
 that's going to dissolve more quickly
 and more easily in your bottle so now
 I've attached my little of Born Free
 piece I'm screwing on the top of my
 bottle make sure you get this on level
 and tight sometimes when I'm in a hurry
 it goes on slanted and then it will leak
 then I'm going to put on my top and I'm
 just going to shake and I'm going to
 wait and those clumps are going to go
 away and I'm going to
 wait until the formula is completely
 dissolved into the water do not give it
 to your baby before it's completely
 dissolved into the water okay I'm not
 drinking this on camera guys you're
 gonna have to imagine how good it is for
 the baby I'm not going to go that far
 but I'm going to make sure it looks
 totally incorporated okay looking good
 shake it back and forth looking good
 okay let's talk a little bit about
 warming up your baby's bottle and how
 you're going to want to do that do not
 warm bottles in the microwave this can
 cause unevenness and temperature the
 best thing to do is to take your
 prepared bottle of formula out of the
 fridge one hour prior to use or place
 your bottle in a pan of hot water then
 test a few drops on the back side of
 your hand to make sure it's not hot but
 just lukewarm when it comes to bottle
 feeding your baby and I'm a big fan of
 back position but make sure that you're
 sitting in a way that's very comfortable
 for you and the baby is nicely propped
 up and you want to make sure that her
 head is over her tummy and then when you
 give her the bottle I'm going to keep
 the top on here because otherwise it's
 going to start to leak down you want to
 make sure that there's no air at all in
 this nipple area so that there's not any
 excess air that your baby is ingesting
 because this can cause colic or gas and
 a very very fussy fussy baby so you're
 going to sit like this you're going to
 prop up your bottle it's going to be
 kind of coming from up above and you're
 going to start giving your baby the
 bottle in that way so I hope that these
 little tips will help you and give you a
 formula to your baby and I'll see you
 next time

Final Thoughts

There are many reasons why adults are vegan and you may have chosen to raise your baby vegan. There are some benefits and some demerits for going this route. When it comes to feeding your baby, you want to give them the utmost best. This will need you to take up research as a second hobby. Babies need you to be diligent in knowing what is good for them. Don’t be gullible and fall for every new marketing technique. Find out why it is good or bad. We hope that this article and review of products, help you choose a formula that suits you and your baby. Happy shopping!