Breast is best and is the gold standard in feeding your baby. Why? Because breast milk contains nutrients and other factors that promote growth and immunity. Breastfed babies typically have healthier immune systems compared to formula-fed infants. That’s why breastfed babies tend to get fewer infections and recover more quickly when they do get them. Sometimes breastfeeding/breastmilk is not always an option and that is when you feed a baby formula. You will find many different types and brands of formula are on the market these days. Infant formula is now available that contains probiotics. This new formula adds Bifidobacterium lactis, a key type of probiotic microorganism present in a healthy breastfed baby’s digestive system. While this newly available formula doesn’t provide the full benefits of mother’s milk, it is designed to increase a formula-fed baby’s digestive bacteria to a level closer to that of breastfed babies. Probiotics have shown a benefit in reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea, acute gastroenteritis, and lowering the risk of food allergy, and improving colic.
So the next time you are shopping for infant formula take a look at the label and see if it has the probiotics added!
This information came from http://www.healthychildren.org/