Bobbie vs HiPP: Which Baby Formula We Recommend?

About
Latest Posts

Keith Lindner is a devoted dad, doting husband, tech nerd, a research expert and a certified Infant Feeding Technician. With 10+ years of consumer research and product management experience, he became passionate about finding and building products that improve his family's life and fit their lifestyle preferences. He loves sharing this info with other parents to help make life a bit easier during those first few years of life.

The verdict: Bobbie vs HiPP – which one is better?

If you’re looking for a quality formula that will provide your baby with all the nutrition and care they need, both Bobbie and HiPP formulas are great options. You really can’t go wrong. Their ingredients are all organic, sensitive, and easy to digest, so unless your baby suffers from some serious allergies or intolerances, they should get used to both of these formulas with ease.

When comparing the two formulas side by side, they are extremely high quality so we’re not going to pick a winner on this front. You should be proud to feed your baby either of them.

If we had to pick one though, we would choose Bobbie simply because we love everything else that Bobbie is doing as a brand to try to push the formula industry to be better. Our beliefs about the formula industry align with theirs so we have thrown our support behind them and have made them our #1 formula recommendation.

Main Differences between Bobbie vs HiPP

The main differences between Bobbie vs HiPP are:

Bobbie is a relatively new (2019) American baby formula brand, whereas HiPP is a European brand with 100+ years of history.
Bobbie currently has two products, their flagship Bobbie Organic and their newer Bobbie Organic Gentle. HiPP produces a larger range of formulas, including goat milk and hypoallergenic options.
Bobbie is slightly more expensive, whereas HiPP is a bit more affordable.
Bobbie is FDA-approved and HiPP is approved by the European Commission. This means HiPP cannot officially be sold at retailers in the US at the moment.
Bobbie is free from palm oil, whereas HiPP formulas contain some palm oil.

What we’re looking for in a baby formula

According to many parents I’ve met in my life, finding a good formula for their baby was one of the most challenging things they ever had to accomplish. I cannot blame them. After all, you’re trying to pick the best product to replace breastmilk, a pure natural perfection, so your expectations should be high.

A good strategy to hold onto is looking for a product that would mimic breast milk as closely as possible. This will undeniably bring you to articles like this that compare products like Bobbie vs HiPP, which both strive to replicate the amazing qualities of human breast milk.

Moreover, these formulas are also rich in vital nutrients and use organic ingredients, including bio-quality cow’s milk. So, which one should you try first? First, let’s focus on each of these formulas in detail to uncover their greatest qualities and possible drawbacks.

In-depth review: Bobbie

Bobbie is one of the newest formulas on the American market. Moreover, it’s the only American formula that was actually founded and created by moms – for moms. Laura and Sarah, the co-founders of Bobbie, built their brand around their personal quest for a better, fully organic formula that would provide the best solution for parents and babies.

Did they succeed? Is this really the best formula for your little one too? Let’s evaluate Bobbie’s features and qualities in detail.

Ingredients

Bobbie stands out from other American formulas by using the so-called “European” recipe. What does that really mean?

In short, this formula complies with somewhat stricter regulations imposed by the European Commission on all EU-produced formulas, which, among other things, prohibits the use of corn syrup and GMOs, restricts the amounts of sucrose, insists on purely organic ingredients, requires certain amounts of DHA, and so on.

Of course, this doesn’t automatically mean that standard American formulas are inferior – in fact, many of them do comply with plenty of these regulations too. They are just not officially obliged to do it by the authorities.

So, what kind of ingredients can you find in the Bobbie formula? Here’s a brief summary:

Lactose is Bobbie’s main source of carbohydrates (and energy). It is the same carb that can be found in natural breast milk, so most babies will react to it very well. Of course, carefully watch out for the signs of possible lactose intolerance (which is very rare).
Cow’s milk protein in Bobbie formulas comes from organic pasture-raised milk free from hormones and antibiotics. Grass-fed cows also produce milk that is richer in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Kids with a cow’s milk protein allergy should use a hypoallergenic baby formula instead.
Added whey is included to mimic the natural composition of breast milk (60/40 whey to casein ratio). Whey also makes formula easy to digest and prevents painful colics, gassiness, and constipation.
DHA is a healthy omega-3 fatty acid, which is extremely important for babies’ healthy brain and eye development. Although all modern formulas do contain some amounts of this crucial ingredient, Bobbie has higher levels of DHA than most of them, and it also uses DHA extracted naturally (water-based process instead of using hexane solvent).
Organic vegetable oils (soy, sunflower, coconut) are a healthier and more eco-friendly alternative to palm oil. In addition, they provide the formula with fat and calories, which are essential to help your baby feel full and active.

Unlike some of the HiPP formulas, Bobbie does not contain any prebiotics or probiotics. According to their team, they have tried to keep their recipe really simple on purpose. If you feel like your baby needs them, though, you can always talk to your pediatrician about adding them separately as a supplement.

Best US-Based Formula

Why Bobbie is the best

Not only does Bobbie have the highest level of organic certifications in the US, they are also supporting families like no other formula company ever has. They're on a mission to change the formula industry and have earned our top spot for best US formula.

Get Bobbie

Taste and Smell

Bobbie certainly does a lot to make its formula feel in every regard as natural and pleasant as possible. If this effort appeals to you, the formula’s smooth texture, authentic milky color, and mildly sweetish taste shouldn’t disappoint you either.

Unlike some other formulas, Bobbie lacks the weird powdery aftertaste. It also won’t repulse you with the typical fishy smell that accompanies some of the other formulas rich in animal-based fatty acids. All in all, in regard to its taste and smell, Bobbie should suit even the pickiest babies (and moms).

Packaging and Prices

Bobbie formula is currently available only as a single product – an organic powder formula for infants (0 – 12 months). This comes in one type of packaging – a practical 400 g (14.1 oz.) can that should last anywhere between 3 and 7 days (depending on whether you are formula-feeding your baby exclusively).

Regarding its price, Bobbie is a bit more expensive than some other comparable formulas. But besides buying it on a one-off basis, you can also subscribe to its monthly delivery, which is not only more convenient but also more economical. As a subscriber, you won’t pay any shipping fees, and you are free to cancel, skip, or modify your orders at any time.

Reviews

The reviews of Bobbie are about as good as it gets. They are going above and beyond to support parents on their feeding journey compared to other formula brands. They have some incredible content on their website, they host a podcast that talks about all sorts of issues families face every day, they are investing heavily into research and development and are even lobbying in Washington D.C.

The brand is very approachable and the formula is the highest quality we can find in the US. So naturally, the reviews that we’ve read are all pretty glowing. There are always some parents or babies that just won’t tolerate this formula but they are far and few between.

They have a great subscription service that you get can on so you can just set it and forget it and the formula will arrive at your door.

Many of them also agree that their babies seem to be happy with the formula’s taste and smell, which can often be the most problematic part of introducing a new formula.

Bobbie features:

A fully organic formula for infants from 0 to 12 months
Mimics breast milk as closely as possible
FDA-approved product modeled after European formulas
No GMOs, palm oil, or added sugar
Full of essential vitamins and minerals
Enriched with DHA

Pros:

Only American formula that fully complies with the official EU regulations
100% organic ingredients
FDA approved and widely available in the US
Created by moms for modern parents

Cons:

No hypoallergenic version (yet)
More expensive than other similar options

In-depth review: HiPP

In Europe, HiPP is a notoriously renowned brand that has been around for over 100 years now. Besides numerous popular formulas, this brand also produces a whole range of diapers, kids’ cosmetics, and baby food.

The HiPP formulas are mostly acclaimed for their sensitive, organic, and hypoallergenic composition. But since this German formula is not officially approved and sold in the US, it might be quite difficult to find and secure. Let’s see if the effort is really worth it.

High quality European organic

HiPP Organic Combiotic First Infant Formula

Made with carefully selected ingredients and the latest generation of HiPP organic quality milk. HiPP infant formula is specifically tailored to meet your baby’s nutritional needs and contains important ingredients for your baby’s development. Use code 'babyswag' to take 5% off your order.

Shop HiPP