Gimme the Good Stuff

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• Is there anyway to get a list of ingredients for the stage 2 and 3 Lebenswert? From what I can find, I think it still has the maltodextrin. Thanks!

• Yes, Molly, you are correct. Only Stage 1 doesn't include maltodextrin, but in rereading my blog post I didn't make that clear. I've updated it now! Thanks!

• Hey Molly! We just switched to Lebenswert too after our daughter having a bad reaction to two other organic brands. She is on stage 1 no and we are loving it, no reaction she has gained weight and is super happy! Have you tried Stage 2 and 3? Are they just as amazing as Stage 1? Would love to hear your feedback. We are buying it from http://www.organicbabyfood.shop and are super happy with the prices and fast delivery. Such a shame you cannot buy it in stores yet. Anyways thanks for your feedback! Greetings from Cali. Julia

• Hi! We just had our baby earlier this week and are struggling with having our son latch. I did order 2 boxes of Holle Lebenswert but wanted to know if we need to supplement with DHA? Thanks!

• Congrats on the birth of your baby! I personally wouldn't feel the need to supplement with DHA, but that is a question for your pediatrician, and one that I am not qualified to answer.

• We purchase Lebenswert stage 1 and 2 from http://www.organicbabyfood24.com and couldn't be happier with the products received.
  This company is wonderful! I had an issue with delivery of my first order, it was accidentally left outside the wrong apartment, and they reimbursed my entire cost. I was so pleased with their customer service that I felt more than comfortable going back to them for future orders - they follow through on their commitment to offer quality products and ship them to the US with no hassle, and it's made all the difference!
  It's by far the best formula we've tried (and we've tried quite a few organic formulas from the US). It dissolves easilly, and it's friendly on our little one's digestive system. In terms of cost, the total including shipping costs, is quite comparable to what I was paying for organic formula here in the States, so the choice for us to keep going back to Organic Baby was an easy one!

• Did you still need to boil the water before mixing?

• I have been using Lebenswert stage one for several months now and have never boiled the water. However, I do buy purified water. If I were using water from the tap, I would boil it just to make sure there was no bacteria and such. This formula mixes super easy in any temperature. You don't really even have to shake it. I just swirl it around a bit and it mixes great. Very different from formulas I used with my first baby.

• Why is it that the new formula is always cheaper and has 100g more per box? I would think it would be more money?

  Is it safe to say the new formula is better than the old for stage 1?

  What should we buy for stage 2 and 3? Is there a difference between old and new for 2 and 3?

  Thank you! Love the posts!

• Hi Anthony-
  I am not sure why there are the price differences--some of it has to do with the shipping costs, which depends on which European retailer the importer is buying from. I indeed prefer Lewbenswert Stage 1 to Holle Stage 1, and for 2 and 3 I think they are about the same. I personally would feel comfortable feeding my baby Lebenswert Stage 1 (or any stage 1 formula) for the duration of the time they received formula. Here's an article that may be helpful: http://www.hipp.co.uk/Blog/post/Follow-on-milks-e28093-to-feed-or-not-to-feed.aspx

• This link isn't longer available. But from what I gather, you think the Lebenswert stage 1 is appropriate for all age babies? I would use formula up until about 12-16 months old. Will the baby get all the nutrition and calories needed by just staying with Lebenswert stage 1?

• You're correct that I would feel comfortable doing this if it were my baby, but I am not a doctor so I recommend you run this by a pediatrician.

• We used the Lebeswert stage 1 from 2 months on. At five and a half months our son became very disinterested in the bottle, which could have been for several age appropriate reasons. We started our son on the Holle Stage 2 (our choice after careful consideration) after a few weeks of him eating half to 3/4 of his usual bottle, and he immediately was back to his regular number of ounces. This made me think that he may have needed the next step formula, just as Breast Milk adjusts to accommodate the needs of the nursing child. I am not a doctor, this is just my opinion.

• I've been feeding my baby Lebenswert Stage 1 starting 9 mos. old and decided to go with this b/c of the lactose ingredient instead of maltodextrin. He is 10.5 mos. now and he still take the bottle really well. But since he's more active I am currently debating whether or not I should switch to Stage 2 or 3. Does it have more calories or nutrients for an older infant?

• Per my little research, Demeter does not allow its cows to be dehorned whereas Bioland has no such restrictions, which might affect the microscopic structure (Hagalis crystal analysis of milk) of milk and hence the difference in price, I guess.

• Extremely happy with Lebenswert. My baby is is so much happier with it and no constipation! I love that this formula doesn't produce bubbles when shaking it up like US brands. I ordered a couple boxes from a US based supplier first to make sure baby liked it. I then ordered from http://www.maluma-green.com and even with shipping costs saved compared to the US supplier.

• Yes, I am also very satisfied with http://www.maluma-green.com/
  Laura, the customer service manager is so friendly and helpful. My son is doing very well on the Lebenswert formula. All American made formulas contain soy, and I did not want to feed my son that.

• Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I had a hard time to find a reliable source for getting Holle formula for my little daughter. Today I received my first shipment from http://www.maluma-green.com and I am extremly satisfied. My order arrived within 2 weeks and they added a lot of free samples:)

• Advertise much?

• Thanks for always keeping the formula info up-to-date for us! I've read all of your articles about Hipp/Holle. I have been using Hipp Stage 2 because of the probiotics Hipp has and the maltodextrin I didn't want from Holle. What's your opinion about the probiotics in hipp? Are they providing a significant benefit? Thanks again!

• Hi Sarah-
  I do think they probably provide a benefit, but if you wanted to go with Holle for the other reasons it is superior, you could supplement with probiotic drops.

• Hi Maia,

  What is the name of the probiotic drops? or a link ?

  Thanks\Kiran S

• Hi Kiran-
  Here's one: http://amzn.to/1QaEcIG

• Great article! I have heard there is some arsenic in the brown rice syrup base used in Holle and other baby formulas. Have you done any analysis on that? Thanks in advance!

• Hi Allison-
  There isn't brown rice syrup in Holle formula (including Lebenswert). Brown rice syrup is found in Baby's Only formula, but it contains undetectable levels of arsenic. Their new whey formula doesn't contain it at all. Thanks!
  M

• Hi! My six month old son has been on Holle 1 just about since birth and has done great. However, I'd love to transition him to Lebenswert since it does not contain maltodextrin (I know this now thanks to YOU!). My question is whether there's any chance he might be sensitive to the lactose in Lebenswert? He was quite a gassy baby but not so much anymore, so I'm scared to rock the boat. Do you think that if he's done fine on Holle 1 that he would do fine on Lebenswert? I am thinking that if he was truly lactose intolerant that it would have shown up in his digestion of Holle 1? Thanks!

• So sorry for the delay! I just saw this comment. Did you try switching to Lebenswert?

• We're transitioning our son from Holle Stage 1 to Lebenswert... right now we're at 50/50 mixture. He was initially definitely gassier than normal and just a tiny bit fussy but it's normalizing now! His poops are looser but I think that's because, according to our doc, lactose keep things moving through your system (by design... that's why breast milk has lactose...)

  Holle Stage 1 was AWESOME too BTW (everyone commented on how he had so little tummy issues...). I also think the Dr Brown bottles helped with that...

  I hope this helps!

• The use of maltodextrin is so the milk is not too sweet and better for babies with lactose sensitivities. If your baby had only a mild sensitivity to lactose it might not be as evident with Holle, where with Lebenswert it might be. We offer both on our website. http://www.barebottoms.us

• I am trying to purchase lebenswert stage 1 help!!

• I've used Hipp with with now 14 month old and loved it, but I'm expecting another baby this month and considering lebenswert because of aluminum levels found in Hipp. Although I've read that it has less fat content as Hipp and stage 1 Holle. Should this be cause for concern? Also, the study that tested aluminum in European formulas didn't include Holle, so thinking it might be relatively high as well seeing as how the packaging is similar. What are your thoughts on this?

• I would ask your pediatrician about the fat and if he/she thinks it's a problem for your baby. And yes, I agree that there is a good chance HiPP and Holle have similar aluminum levels because of seemingly-identical packaging, although contamination could happen at some other point in the production process. I'm hoping that Holle will do some independent testing at some point and reveal the results!

• Hi,
  I tried to give my 3 weeks old Lebenswert 1 twice in addition to BM. However, on both occasions he spat up, and on the second occasion he cried a lot even after spitting which made me believe his stomach did not take the formula well. Could you recommend an alternative? I hate to say but my son gets Enfamil twice a day and every passing day makes me uncomfortable. I heard that Baby's Only is not that great on stomach either (many reported cases on constipation). Another reason I want to be cautious is that I dont want to be changing formula again and again.

  Thanks a lot.

• I would ask your pediatrician about the stomach sensitivity (and what ingredients might be best for that specific issue), but the formulas that I think are Good Stuff are Baby's Only, Honest, HiPP, Holle, and Lebenswert. Best of luck!

• This is a late reply as i just found this website,but i would try the Hipp organic combiotic first infant milk.My baby was so sick from other organic formulas and this one worked best for her!

• Hello Maia,

  We were fortunate enough to get Lebenswert from the great team at LittleWorldOrganics. Unfortunately, our son has not done well with it. He has quite a bit of gas and is crying all day and constantly straining to push it out. We tried Gripe Water to help him but it didn't work. We spoke to our pediatrician who recommended Mylicon as a first try, that didn't work either. She finally recommended we switch to Similac Alimentum, which we did not want to do but she verified that he should not be crying and straining as much as he does. Out of desperation, we tried the Alimentum and it definitely worked so we're thinking it may be that our son is lactose intolerant. Is there another version of Holle/Lebenswert that you would recommend as an alternative to Alimentum? Thanks!

• Hi Charlie-
  I'm sorry to hear about your son's trouble with Lebenswert! I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, so my only suggestion is to have your doctor look into the ingredients of the other "Good Stuff" formulas (which, by definition are typically not soy-based) and see if he/she thinks the ingredients would be appropriate. Check out the Safe Infant Formula Guide for those brands. (And you could ask about Baby's Only soy formula too). https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/safe-infant-formula-guide/