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Kendamil is a well-known organic formula that can accompany your baby from the first days of life until they are ready to get off the formula completely. This European brand attracts parents to its fully organic ingredients, but sometimes people struggle to understand which specific product is the best for their kid. Our Kendamil stages guide will help explain each so you can make an informed decision.
A good formula will cover your baby’s daily needs of nutrients, vitamins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. Of course, choosing the right product is essential. This can, however, be sometimes quite difficult, especially if you’re a new parent with zero experience. Fortunately, Kendamil is one of the brands that make picking the right product quite easy. The individual stages have pretty self-explanatory names, making it easier to decide which one to choose.
But let’s start with a general overview of Kendamil’s most important qualities and benefits.
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Why Use Kendamil
Kendamil is currently considered to be one of the most premium formulas in the world. The brand comes from Britain, and it will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary on the market.
If you ever wondered which type of formula is used by the bottle-feeding mothers from the British royal family, it should reportedly be Kendamil. After all, the brand boasts various prestigious awards and certifications that further confirm its leading position on the market.
Here are just a few more good reasons why you should consider trying it out too:
Whole Milk From Safe Sources
If you ever questioned what sets European milk-based food products apart from the rest of the brands on the global market, it’s all about the greatest emphasis on quality and organic farming in Europe. The milk used in these formulas comes from cows that are fed exclusively on bio-quality grass, so it doesn’t contain any residues of harmful pesticides and other potentially dangerous substances.
Moreover, while most of the formulas nowadays use skim milk, Kendamil is one of the very few brands using whole milk instead. This provides your baby with more natural nutrients and helps them grow stronger and healthier.
Organic Ingredients + GMO-Ffree + Palm Oil-Free + Soy-Free
Not only the milk itself but also all the other ingredients in Kendamil formulas are of organic quality. Moreover, the “Organic” certification, in this case, comes from the European authorities, which apply considerably stricter rules and standards in comparison with their American counterparts.
Kendamil also does not contain any genetically modified ingredients, which could be linked to a potential risk of allergies, immunity disorders, and growth issues.
If your baby is sensitive to artificial substances in their food, or if you are determined to provide them with the cleanest and most natural food, these products are a great choice. This formula is also free from palm oil which makes it an environmentally friendly solution too. It doesn’t even contain any soy, which can sometimes cause allergies and is not, in general, recommended to small babies.
Plant-Based Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Unlike most of the other formulas on the market, Kendamil does not derive its Omega 3 fatty acids from animal sources (e.g., fish oil), but it uses plant-based sources instead. This might be especially important to vegetarian parents who would like their child’s diet to stay as plant-oriented as possible (note: keep in mind that Kendamil is NOT vegan-friendly, as it does contain other animal-based products, including cow’s milk).
But plant-based healthy fats can also be considered cleaner and easier to digest and absorb. After all, they come from the same algae that are eaten by fish whose oil is later used to produce animal-based DHA. These essential acids are critical to the healthy development of the brain and some other important organs.
No Added Sugar
Many brands add some form of sugar to their products so that kids would react better to the taste of the formula. These substances can include glucose syrup, corn syrup, maltodextrin, brown rice syrup, sucrose, or even a standard beet sugar that we use in our kitchens.
Nevertheless, artificially added sugar is not considered to be very healthy, as babies should get their daily doses of carbohydrates from natural lactose instead.
Since Kendamil uses whole milk instead of skim milk, it naturally contains enough lactose to avoid the necessity to add sugar artificially. In addition, the formula has a natural mildly sweet taste and tempting creamy consistency, so babies usually react to it very well.
It Tastes and Smells Nice
Although you might think that a perfectly balanced content of baby formula is much more important than its texture, smell, or taste, once your baby refuses to eat the formula altogether, everything else doesn’t really matter.
If you ever experienced a formula that tasted like cardboard or had a distinctively fishy smell, you certainly know exactly what I am referring to. Fortunately, as I’ve already mentioned above, Kendamil has a naturally sweet taste, mild, milky smell, and lovely creamy consistency that most babies and parents alike should appreciate.
Goat Milk Alternative Available
Besides the standard range of formulas based on cow’s milk, Kendamil also comes with a range of goat-milk-based alternatives. It comes in three stages – Stage 1 is good from birth to 6 months, Stage 2 suits babies between 6 and 12 months of age, and Stage 3 will satisfy toddlers from 12 months onwards.
Goat milk formulas are easier to digest, they are believed to be much less allergenic, and they also contain some unique nutrients your baby can benefit from. Check out our in-depth Goat milk vs. cow’s milk formulas comparison for more details on this topic.
Major Ingredients of Kendamil Formula
We’ve already mentioned numerous valuable ingredients that can be found in Kendamil formulas above, but let’s summarize them once more.
Lactose
Unless your baby suffers from lactose intolerance (which means that you need to feed them with lactose-free formulas exclusively), lactose should be their primary source of carbohydrates and energy. Kendamil contains 107g of whole milk per 100g, so it will provide your little one with plenty of natural lactose.
Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids
Fatty acids are some of the most important ingredients in your baby’s food.
European authorities even recently implemented a regulation that requires all baby formulas produced within the region to contain some specified amounts of these essential nutrients, which is another reason why European formulas are so popular with American parents too.
Kendamil formula contains both Omega 3, which is particularly important for eye and cognitive development, and Omega 6, which is crucial for proper brain and muscle development.
Vitamins and Minerals
Kendamil is also full of various minerals and vitamins – all are derived from natural organic sources and specifically target the key functions and aspects of your little one’s growth, development, and metabolism. The long list of nutrients includes Vitamin C (great for immunity, bones, and vascular system), Vitamin A (fights infections), Vitamin K (minimizes bleeding and hemorrhages), a whole range of B-type vitamins, iodine, folic acid, etc.
One important downside of this British formula is that it, according to the FDA, doesn’t contain a sufficient amount of iron. This could, potentially, lead to iron deficiency-related anemia – especially in the case of prematurely born babies. If you have any worries regarding this matter, discuss the topic with your pediatrician.
Kendamil Stages
Kendamil formulas come in three different stages. Choosing the right one for your kid is very easy – just pick the product that is marked with the appropriate age range. Here’s a brief description of how these products differ:
Stage 1
When your baby comes to this world, everything is completely new to them, including the manner of feeding. Naturally, however, they should already be pretty well adapted to the consummation of natural breastmilk. Stage 1 Kendamil formula tries to mimic mother’s milk qualities as closely as possible, providing newborns with just the right amount of nutrients and vitamins including MFGM, Iodine, Iro, Calcium, Vitamin D, Zinc, DHA, etc.
Stage 1 Kendamil uses lactose as its exclusive source of energy and carbohydrates. There are no added sugars and no artificial ingredients in this formula. Fats come only from coconut, sunflower, and canola oils. One Kendamil 1 package will allow you to prepare about 31 bottles of baby formula. You can use it between 0 and 6 months of your baby’s age.
Stage 2
Kendamil Stage 2 is what we call a follow-on formula. It is suitable for babies from 6 to 12 months old, being a great supplement to the first solid food your baby will start eating around this age.
If you take a closer look at its content, the Stage 2 formula by Kendamil stands somewhere in the middle between breastmilk and cow’s milk. Its whey to casein ratio is 50/50, which helps your baby’s digestion with the transition to new types of food. Moreover, Stage 2 also contains increased doses of essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. These are important to healthy growth and development of your baby’s bones, nerves, senses, and brain.
Stage 3
Kendamil Stage 3 is the most advanced product from this range. It is intended for babies 12 months and older, so we can also call it toddler milk. Although most kids at this age are already adjusted to solid food quite well, Kendamil still has many benefits to offer.
Stage 3 milk, for example, closely mimics the content of cow’s milk (80% casein and 20% whey), so it should be very easy for your little one’s digestive system to get used to standard milk once you’re ready to get off formula completely.
All Kendamil formulas from stages 2 and 3 come in convenient recyclable metal cans (they can also be creatively reused in so many ways!) with 800g content. This will last you for about 30 bottles of ready-to-eat formula (of course, depending on your baby’s individual needs, this can also be slightly less or more).
Kendamil Alternatives
Not entirely sure about Kendamil? Here are some alternative formulas you can try instead:
Earth’s Best Organic
Earth’s Best Organic baby formula is a dairy-based powder infant formula enriched with iron, Omega-3 DHA, Omega-6 ARA, and many other nutrients. This brand uses all-organic ingredients exclusively with no genetic modification.
Again, this formula’s content stays as close to breast milk as possible. That is particularly important for newborns, but you can also choose a follow-on or toddler formulas from Earth’s Best wide range of products. You will also surely appreciate a rather affordable price of this formula – it will cost you only about 1 dollar per ounce of powder. Find more details on these products in our Earth’s Best Sensitive range review and guide.
HiPP
As its name suggests, Hipp is an acclaimed hypoallergenic formula of European origin. This brand comes with easily digestible components, natural alternatives to artificially sourced nutrients, and a vast range of products that should accommodate most needs and preferences.
Hipp’s Combiotic range contains 100% organic ingredients, Hipp Anti-reflux is good for babies who suffer from reflux, and Hipp Goodnight is created particularly for evening feeding.
This German manufacturer tries to imitate natural human breast milk with his products as much as possible, and most babies seem to appreciate it. Our Hipp review will provide you with more information. Also, check out our recommended hypoallergenic formulas in one of our recent articles.
Similac
Similac is one of the most popular and renowned formula brands on the global market. Although it is not as natural, organic, and sophisticated as Kendamil, it is generally considered a safe and reliable choice for most babies and parents. Similac contains 2′ -FL Human Milk Oligosaccharide or HMO (breast milk prebiotic that boosts immunity). It also has a milk protein isolate that serves as an easy-to-digest milk-based ingredient.
Similac formulas are widely available and come in many forms and stages, which is very convenient. Nevertheless, they also contain some controversial ingredients, including maltodextrin, palm oil, soy, and starch.
Check out our detailed comparison of Kendamil vs. Similac for more details.
FAQs
Answer: Combine 1 scoop of formula powder with 30ml of plain fresh water. Each of the packages contains detailed instructions with recommended daily dosage for your baby. Do not use less or more formula than recommended – it can cause discomfort to your baby or even harm their health.
Answer: Constipation is one of the most unpleasant conditions that can occur with bottle-fed babies. Kendamil, however, uses ingredients that should reduce the risk of it significantly.
These formulas avoid soy, fish oil, palm oil, starch, and other ingredients that are often linked to constipation. Unless your baby suffers from some serious colics, they should adapt to Kendamil very well.
Answer: Kendamil Stage 1 in a newborn formula is specifically recommended to babies between 0 and 6 months of age. It contains choline, inositol, amino acid L-carnitine, and some other nutrients that are particularly beneficial to the smallest babies.
Stage 2 formula, on the other hand, should be used between 6 and 12 months. It contains more lactose and also a little bit of fluoride.
Final Thoughts
Kendamil is a great choice for parents who prefer organic, natural, and easily traceable ingredients in their little one’s diet. This British formula is certainly a sensible pick if your baby suffers from allergies or weaker immunity. Furthermore, it also boasts nice taste, smell, and consistency, so your baby will most likely adapt to it fast and easily. Kendamil also comes as a goat milk-based alternative that should suit even some of the babies who don’t tolerate cow’s milk well.
Some of the downsides of Kendamil include its somewhat uncertain accessibility (it is a British formula that is available more or less only online), lower doses of iron, and higher price. If, however, none of these issues matter to you though, it is pretty hard to hold anything against Kendamil.
I hope that this article provides you with all the information you were looking for. Crave to see more options before choosing the right formula for your little one? Check our detailed analyses of the Holle formula stages next!
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