Which baby formula is best?

We wanted the best one, not the fanciest tin

That was the question, twice, once for Greece and once for Greece and Dubai together.

And the answer is less exciting than we wanted. First infant formula is regulated to a common nutritional standard, so the floor is high everywhere. The differences between a mid-range tin and a premium one are real but small, and a lot of what you're paying for is packaging and story.

Whether it's whey-dominant or casein-dominant. Whey-dominant is the usual first infant formula and the one to start with — casein-based tins marketed as being for hungrier babies aren't necessary and often aren't helpful.

What fat sources are used, and whether certain optional ingredients are added.

Whether it is cow or goat based. We looked hard at goat formula. It is a genuine alternative and some babies seem to tolerate it better. But it is not hypoallergenic and it is not suitable when cow's milk protein allergy is suspected. That is an important difference.

Papa did the research and decided goat formula looked like the better choice, so we tried Kendamil. Then Ari's reflux entered the conversation and she kept bringing it back up. What followed was a stressful few days of changing formula, changing poo patterns and feeling as though every decision made something else wobble. Her doctor eventually advised an anti-reflux formula. We needed a brand available in both standard and AR versions, then followed her doctor's plan for how to use them. That was the point where formula stopped being a shopping decision and became a medical one.

The practical criteria

Availability where you live, and where you travel. We move between Greece and Dubai, and a formula you can't buy in both places creates a problem you don't need.

Whether she takes it and tolerates it.

And then stop looking. Switching repeatedly in search of a better one causes more unsettled days than it solves, because each change takes time to settle and you never learn anything from any of them.

Where it becomes a medical decision

Hypoallergenic, extensively hydrolysed, anti-reflux and preterm formulas are prescribed for reasons, not chosen from a shelf.

Ari had been on Alfaré in the NICU, and it caused projectile vomiting until it was stopped. That's the kind of thing that gets decided and monitored by a doctor.

If you suspect an allergy or intolerance, that's a conversation before a purchase. Buying a specialist tin to test a theory is how you end up masking something that needed diagnosing.