Getting Off to a Good Start, With Nestle Supreme DHA & ARA Formula
Written: Nov 08 '05 (Updated May 31 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good nutrition levels; Smell not too bad when served; Abundant availability
Cons: Makes colorful waste deposits on diapers; Smelly on the way out
The Bottom Line: This is a good brand of formula with wide availability, but it makes for a smellier diaper and it caused my baby a little bit of stomach irritation.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Nestle Good Start Supreme Dha & Ara |
Feeding a young baby requires constant attention and care. Fortunately, there are many good formulas available on the market to make the process as simple as possible. One such formula is Nestle Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron, a powdered baby formula with added DHA and ARA- two key ingredients that are naturally present in human breast milk.
Facts About This Product?:
This formula is comprised of white- colored powdered and is packaged in an easy to open can. The powder is available in two standard sizes: 12 oz. (340 grams) and 25.7 oz. (728 grams). There is also a pre- mixed variety that is sold in 6 ounce cans and in large 32 oz. (980 ml) cans.
To mix the dry formula, all one needs is a bottle, some clean water, and a measuring scoop, which happens to be included inside the can. To purify the water, the manufacturer recommends boiling it first and then cooling it down to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). The water is then poured into a bottle and the dry formula is added at the rate of one unpacked scoop (8.7 grams) for every two ounces (60 ml) of water. To complete the mixing process, you just attach a cap to the bottle and shake. Once prepared, the formula is good for 24 hours. At that point, if it hasn’t been consumed yet by your baby, it should be discarded.
Ingredients:
Nestle Good Start Infant Formula with Iron and DHA and ARA is made using Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Reduced Minerals, Whey Protein Concentrate, Vegetable Oils (Coconut, Palm Olein, Soy, and High-Oleic Safflower or High-Oleic Sunflower), Lactose, Corn Maltodextrin, less than 1.5% of: Potassium Citrate, Potassium Phosphate, Calcium Chloride, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, M. alpina Oil*, Vitamins (Sodium Ascorbate, Inositol, Choline Bitartrate, Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B12), C. cohnii Oil, Taurine, Nucleotides (Cytidine 5'-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine 5'-Monophosphate, Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine 5'-Monophosphate), and L-Carnitine.
Nutrients:
Each 5 oz. serving offers the following nutrition for your baby:
Protein.......2.2 grams
Fat...........5.1 grams
Carbohydrate..11.2 grams
Water&.........135 grams
Linoleic Acid..900 mg
Calories.......100
Along with the above general nutrition, each 5 oz. (150 ml) serving also has 300 IU of Vitamin A; 60 IU of Vitamin D; 2 IU of Vitamin E; 8mcg of Vitamin K; 100 mcg of Thiamine; 140 mcg of Riboflavin; 75 mcg of Vitamin B6; .33 mcg of Vitamin B12; 1050 mcg of Niacin; 15 mcg of Folic Acid; 450 mcg of Pantothenic Acid; 4.4 mcg of Biotin; 9 mg of Vitamin C; 12 mg of Choline; 6 mg of Inositol; 64 mg of calcium; 36 mg of phosphorus; 7mg of magnesium; 1.5 mg of iron; .8 mg of zinc; 7 mcg of manganese; 80 mcg of copper; 12 mcg of iodine; 27 mg of sodium; 108 mg of potassium; and 65 mg of chloride.
Final Thoughts:
Nestle Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron and DHA and ARA is an easy- to- find baby formula for young children between the ages of zero and twelve months. It is one of several different formulas I have fed to my new baby girl and I have found it to be acceptable, but not the best among the formulas available.
On the positive side of the ledger, this formula does offer some clear advantages. First of all, it includes DHA and ARA- two chemical compounds that are naturally found in human breast milk. These fatty acids are actually titled docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid, but nutritionists and retailers prefer the acronyms DHA and ARA. Some have said that these ingredients are so close to the contents of breast milk that they are almost equal in quality. So close, in fact, that some nutritionists have stated this formula (and others like it) is good enough to completely eliminate any need for breastfeeding. Of course, there are other pediatricians who feel that breast milk is best and there is no good substitution. But even these critics agree that a formula with DHA and ARA is better than one without.
Another positive point to mention is the aroma of this formula. Baby formulas are known for their less- than- pleasant aroma and spilling some on your baby’s clothing or your own usually means a required change of attire to eliminate the bad smell. However, the smell of this formula isn’t quite as nasty as others and I can tolerate the smell caused by a small amount dripping on my clothing more easily than with other baby formulas.
Good Start has the usual problem with dissolving properly that other formulas have. If the water you use isn’t hot enough or if you don’t shake long enough, the powder will not dissolve completely. I use filtered water when I prepare my baby’s bottles and I heat the water in the microwave until it is very hot- not quite at the boiling point but close. This ensures the powder will have the best chance to dissolve properly. Then, the formula has to be cooled before it can be served. Some people place the bottles of mixed formula in the refrigerator for quick cooling. This is fine, but if the formula then gets too cold, your baby will likely not want it. My little girl will not drink cold formula. I have to warm it up- usually by placing the bottle of formula into a large bowl filled with warm water- before she will drink.
Like I said before, this formula doesn’t smell as bad as others. But one thing I noticed immediately about it is that it makes for a very unpleasant smell with it comes out in my baby’s diaper. Not only that, it can also come out in different colors depending on the baby and the baby’s eating habits. I learned this the hard way one day when, after feeding my baby girl a couple of bottles, I went to change her diaper and to my surprise, her poopy was……green! Having little prior experience with newborns, I thought my baby had come down with a serious illness or viral infection. I didn’t know this could sometimes happen when switching formulas. Oddly enough, it doesn’t happen when I switch to other brands of formulas. It only happens with Good Start. Every baby is different, so what happened to me isn’t necessarily an accurate prediction of what will happen to everyone else. But beware that your baby’s diaper could end up looking like a St. Patrick’s Day practical joke if you feed him/her this formula.
This formula retails for about $12 (12 oz. size) or $24 (25.7 oz. size). This is one thing that really bugs me about baby formulas: The lack of a good discount in the per- ounce cost when you purchase a larger quantity. This is a little bit less expensive than some of the other brand names, but I wish there was some more incentive to purchase the larger size. As you can see from the above prices and sizes, there is almost no difference in per- unit cost between the smaller and larger size cans. The negligible difference makes it a waste of time to bother buying the larger size. I tend to buy whichever one my wallet allows me to buy at the time. Or, if I have a coupon, I tend to buy the smaller size because it reduces per- unit cost down to where the smaller size and larger size are almost equal in economic terms.
Good Start products are easier to find than other brands of formula. Also, if you search through the internet, you can find places to sign- up to get a free can of this formula each month (actually, it’s an $11 off coupon, which may or may not result in a free smaller size can). I cannot recall where I signed up for this deal. It could have been the main web site for this product, which is verybestbaby.com. But it might be someplace else, too. It can probably be found by using a search engine.
Nestle Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron, DHA, and ARA is a pretty good formula for infants. I don’t like it quite as much as some of the others, due to the smell and the color changes that is causes in my baby’s diaper and because it seems to upset her stomach a little more than the others. This product, like other Nestle Good Start products, contains “Comfort Proteins” that are supposed to make it easier to digest, but this doesn’t seem to matter with my baby. Even so, the level of nutrition in this formula is good and the smell of the mixed formula isn’t as bad as some of the others. Remember, however, that every baby is a little bit different. What I experienced won’t necessarily hold true for everyone else, and vice versa.
Overall, this is a good formula for your baby boy or girl, offering good nutrition, amino acids, and DHA & ARA for good health. It isn’t my favorite baby formula, but it is a good brand and one worth sampling with your new family member.
For More Baby Product Reviews, Be Sure to Click on the Links Below:
Baby Formula:
Similac Advance DHA/ARA
Enfamil Lipil with Iron
Similac Advance Soy Formula
Bright Beginnings with DHA/ARA
Baby Diapers:
Huggies Supreme Diapers
LUVS Diapers
Pampers Baby Dry Diapers
Huggies Diapers
Baby Foods:
Gerber Finger Foods
Gerber Multi- Grain Cereal
Baby Merchandise:
Graco Snugride Baby Car Seat- Windsor
Kolcraft Cuddle ‘N Care Rocking Bassinet
Cosco Alpha/Omega Elite Baby Car Seat
Graco Open Top Three- Speed Swing
Baby Cleanup:
Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion, Bedtime
Huggies Baby Wipes with Shea Butter
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
Johnson’s Bedtime Bath
Recommended:
Yes
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