Overview
A low-lactose formula may decrease crying and flatulence in colicky infants by as much as 85%. (1) With 95% less lactose than standard milk-based formulas, Earth’s Best Sensitive Formula can be an ideal choice for your baby.
Infant colic, fussiness, and gas are common even if your baby is healthy. Sometimes, episodes of intense crying might last for several hours and can cause significant stress to you and your baby. (2)
What Is The Best Formula For Babies With Sensitive Stomachs?
Choosing the right baby formula may help manage their discomfort.
Gentle infant formulas for sensitive tummies include:
- Similac Pro-Sensitive
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Baby Food Recall Infant Formula Sensitive
- Gerber Good Start SoothePro
But if you’re looking for a non-GMO, USDA-certified organic formula, you can pick Earth’s Best Organic Sensitive Infant Formula.
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) may cause the following: (3)
- Growth failure
- Allergies
- Autoimmunity
- Autism
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
That’s why some pediatricians, such as California-based Dr. Michelle Perro, recommend choosing a non-GMO, certified organic formula. (3)
But it’s still important to consult with your pediatrician about which formula may be suitable for your baby.
What are the ingredients and best features of this sensitive, organic formula? Can it provide your baby with complete nutrition, or will they need supplements? How can I tell if my baby is lactose intolerant? How is a sensitive formula different? Continue reading to find out.
Earth
Pricing/Packages
- 21 oz can: $27.54
- 32 oz can: $38.98
Best Features & Safety
- Non-GMO, USDA-certified organic formula that can provide your baby with complete nutrition from birth to 12 months
- Gentle powder infant formula that contains 95% less lactose than standard milk-based formulas
- Reduced lactose powder formulation that may promote easier digestion (4)
- Contains omega-3 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and omega-6 ARA (arachidonic acid) (5)
- These fatty acids help support your baby’s brain development and eye health. (5)
- It’s fortified with iron (1.8 mg), higher than the FDA’s minimum requirement of 1 mg per 100 calories. (6)
- The FDA considers infant formula as baby food. (6)
- Because baby formula might be your baby’s sole source of nutrition, especially during the first six months, it must have enough iron content. (6)
- Iron is important to help prevent iron-deficiency anemia, a condition that can lead to cognitive and functional development outcomes. (6)(7)
- Babies with this condition may show poorer performance in cognitive tests for object permanence and short-term memory. (6)(7)
- This infant formula also contains lutein, which can help improve your baby’s eye health. (8)(9)
- Prebiotic fibers to support digestive and immune system health (10)
- DHA from water-assisted extraction (11)
- Many parents are concerned about the toxic chemical hexane used in DHA extraction. So, DHA from water-assisted extraction may be a healthier alternative. (11)
Is Earth’s Best Organic Formula FDA Approved?
The brand claims that this formula meets all the FDA requirements for proper infant nutrition.
This organic dairy formula is free from:
- Artificial flavors and colors
- Prohibited synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
- Preservatives
- GMOs (genetically modified organisms)
- Growth hormones
- Antibiotics
- Steroids
Certifications
- USDA-Certified Organic
- A multi-ingredient product can only use this label if 95% of its ingredients are certified organic, excluding water and salt.
- Also, the non-organic ingredients should be from the USDA’s list of approved additional ingredients. (12)
Is Earth’s Best Formula OK For Newborns?
- It’s formulated for babies up to 12 months old. Your baby might already need a toddler formula if they’re one year old and up.
Ingredients Can Include:
- Organic whey protein concentrate
- Organic milk protein concentrate
- Organic glucose syrup solids
- Organic palm oil or palm olein
- Organic soy oil
- Organic coconut oil
- Organic high oleic (safflower or sunflower) oil
- Mortierella alpina oil (ARA source)
- Crypthecodinium cohnii oil (DHA source)
- FOS (fructooligosaccharides) prebiotics
- Organic soy lecithin
Does Earth’s Best Have Probiotics?
This formula has prebiotics but doesn’t have probiotics. Both can help promote gut health, but probiotics are the ‘good bacteria’ while prebiotics are the carbohydrate fibers that can be their food.
Nutritional Facts
Each serving (5 fl oz) contains:
- Calories: 100 calories
- Total fats: 5.3 g
- Total carbohydrates: 10.6 g
- Proteins: 2.2 g
- Vitamin A: 300 IU
- Vitamin B6: 63 mcg
- Vitamin C: 9 mg
- Vitamin D: 60 IU
- Vitamin E: 2 IU
- Vitamin K: 8 mcg
- Iron: 1.8 mg
- Calcium: 63 mg
- Copper: 71 mcg
- Pantothenic acid: 315 mcg
- Niacin: 750 mcg
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 150 mcg
This formula also contains other nutrients:
- Lutein
- L-carnitine
- Beta-carotene
- Mixed tocopherol concentrate
- Biotin
- Choline
- Inositol
- Zinc
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Selenium
- Taurine
- Nucleotides
Product Recall
- None
Pros
- This USDA-certified organic formula contains prebiotics, essential fatty acids, and lutein. These nutrients can help your baby have a healthier immune system, brain, and eyes. (5)(8)(10)
- It’s made with non-GMO ingredients.
- It’s certified Kosher.
- It’s free from corn syrup.
- It’s also free from artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones, and potentially harmful pesticides or herbicides.
Cons
- Potential allergens: milk and soy
- Certain proteins from milk and soy can cause wheezing, itchy eyes and lips, hives, sneezing, and trouble breathing. Avoid this formula if your child has milk protein or soy allergies. (13)(14)
- This product also contains palm oil. (15)
- It has soy oil. Highly refined soy oil may be free from soy proteins (allergens). But it’s best to speak with your pediatrician before giving any formula with soy or soy oil to your baby. (16)(17)
- It contains added sugars in the form of glucose syrup solids. (18)
- It also has questionable vegetable oils.
- Although it contains 95% less lactose than traditional formulas, it’s not totally lactose-free. If your child is lactose intolerant, consult your doctor before choosing this formula.
What Customers Say
Positive Reviews
“I decided to go the organic way for my newborn since breastfeeding doesnt work out for me (medically diagnosed). Upon comparing ingredients between this and 2 top national brands I feel better about the ingredients.” – Reviewer on Earth’s Best website.
“I am super relieved to share that little A has been loving the taste+smell plus has had no tummy concerns! Also, it is beset with Lutein (for Eyes), Probiotics (for Immunity), DHA & ARA (for Brain & Eye development), along with being USDA ORGANIC Certified! Definitely 100% recommended!” – Reviewer on Earth’s Best website.
“Tried the Original formula (red can) gave her some extra gas and spitup so we ended up back to this one. Doesn’t smell fishy like the red can either. Baby girl is super healthy and in the 85%tile for her age.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
Negative Reviews
“I am very disappointed in this product as it is impossible to prepare milk without having dry lump of formula in the bottle. I have been dissolving it in a cup before pouring in the bottle but it’s time consuming especially when your baby is crying so hard in the middle of the night.” – Reviewer on Earth’s Best website.
“My son just wasnt interested-probably due to the fishy smell. Im sure this is a great option for some, it just didnt work for us.” – Reviewer on Influenster.
“My baby tried this new formula and he is now constipated and now gassy. He woke up at night screaming for bloody murder, started crying inconsolably and couldn’t be comforted for a while.” – Reviewer on Earth’s Best website.
Summary & Recommendation
Is Earth’s Best Organic Sensitive Infant Formula good for your baby and worth your money?
In choosing your baby’s formula, it’s important to consider what your child needs. Here are our recommendations to help you decide:
Choose Earth’s Best Sensitive Formula if you prefer:
- An iron-fortified, gentle infant formula with 95% reduced lactose
- A non-GMO, USDA-certified organic infant formula with prebiotics, essential fatty acids, and lutein (for a healthier brain, eye, and immune system) (5)(8)(10)
- A certified Kosher formula
- A formula free from corn syrup, antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones, potentially harmful pesticides or herbicides, and artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
- A formula with DHA from water-assisted extraction (11)
Don’t choose Earth’s Best Sensitive Formula if:
- Your baby has milk protein or soy allergies (13)(14)
- Your child is lactose intolerant because this formula may still have some lactose
- You want a formula free from palm oil, added sugars (glucose syrup solids), and questionable vegetable oils (15)
Remember to always seek your pediatrician’s approval before starting a new formula, especially if your baby has lactose intolerance or allergies to its components.
Formula FAQs
Are Organic Formulas Better Than Traditional Formulas?
Organic formulas may contain the same amount of nutrients as traditional formulas. (19)
Some parents prefer organic formulas because they’re free from toxic chemical residues from pesticides and herbicides, even if they have similar nutritional values. (19)
Regular consumption of organic food or infant formulas may help reduce the risk of babies developing eczema (a painful skin condition characterized by red, itchy, and painful cracked skin). (19)
Organic food consumption may also reduce the risk of the following: (20)
- Infertility
- Allergic sensitization
- Otitis media (ear infection)
- Metabolic syndrome
- Pre-eclampsia (dangerous pregnancy complication)
- Obesity
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a type of cancer)
Still, some nutrition experts like Rebecca Fett believe that choosing a formulation with contents similar to breast milk is more important than a formula being organic or not. (21)(22)
Fett explains: (21)(22)
“The scientific evidence indicates that it is more important to choose a formula with the key ingredient shown to support brain and immune health, rather than choosing organic.”
The recommendation makes sense, considering that breast milk is considered as the best baby food that can provide nearly all the nutrients your child needs for optimum growth and development. (21)(22)
But it’s important to ask for your pediatrician’s recommendations before giving your child any new formula.
How To Find A Formula Closest To Breast Milk?
In her book, Brain Health from Birth, Fett recommends choosing a formula with the following top ingredients that are naturally found in breast milk: (21)(22)
- Whey proteins
- Lactose for the primary carbohydrate source
- Prebiotics
- MFGM (milk fat globule membrane)
If your little one has sensitivities or allergies to these ingredients, you may choose other formulations to suit their needs. But always seek your pediatrician’s approval before giving the formula to your child.
What Other Brands Offer Sensitive Formulas For Babies?
The following are gentle infant formulas you can pick for your little one:
- Similac Sensitive
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Happy Baby Organic Organic Infant Formula Sensitive
- Gerber Good Start SoothePro
But make sure to seek your pediatrician’s approval before getting a new formula for your child.
Symptoms Of Lactose Intolerance: How Do I Know If My Baby Needs Sensitive Formula?
Your child might have lactose intolerance if they develop these symptoms that may appear 30 minutes to two hours after drinking or eating formula or baby food with lactose: (23)
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Bloating
- Gas
Lactose intolerance may happen because your child’s body doesn’t produce enough lactase, an enzyme that digests (breaks down) lactose.
Babies born prematurely are more prone to lactose intolerance because the lactase-producing cells usually develop late in the third trimester. (23)
How Is A Sensitive Formula Different?
Fett suggests choosing a partially hydrolyzed, 100% whey-based formula if your baby has reflux, colic, lactose intolerance, and other food sensitivities. (21)(22)
Certain milk proteins can trigger these reactions. So, formula manufacturers created partially hydrolyzed formulas by breaking down these milk proteins into tinier pieces that may no longer trigger a reaction. (13)
Many of these formulations may have reduced lactose or are lactose-free.
These gentle infant formulas may still contain whey or casein (milk proteins). Check with your pediatrician whether you can choose these sensitive formulas if your baby has milk protein allergies or sensitivities. (4)
REFERENCES
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3084395/
(2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colic/symptoms-causes/syc-20371074
(3) https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/downsides-gmo-infant-formula-we-asked-pediatrician
(4) https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/formula-options-for-infants-with-food-allergies.aspx
(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29413359/
(6) https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/able-groupe-recalling-products-labeled-infant-formula-formulas-have-insufficient-iron-levels
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3235644/
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801838/
(9) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4107217/
(10) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4615227/
(11) https://www.cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_QuestionsAnswers.pdf
(12) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880
(13) https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/milk-allergy.html
(14) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/soy-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20377802
(15) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16582027/
(16) https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/soy-allergy.aspx
(17) https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/soy-allergy-diet
(18) https://starchinfood.eu/question/what-are-added-sugars/
(19) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32519524/
(20) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019963/
(21) Fett, R. (2019) Brain Health from Birth: Nurturing Brain Development During Pregnancy and the First Year.
(22) https://brainhealthfrombirth.com/formula/
(23) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lactose-intolerance/symptoms-causes/syc-20374232
