3 Best Goat Milk Formulas for Babies and Toddlers

For the first 12 months of any baby, it’s vital they get all the nutrients they need from feeding.

The best and most recommended way to feed your little one is through breast milk. You can either feed your baby through direct breastfeeding or use a breast pump and transfer it to a bottle.

However, if for any reason you can’t or prefer not to feed your baby with your breast milk, going for a nutritious milk formula alternative is your best bet.

Cow’s milk formulas are usually the go-to alternative, but some babies can have an intolerance to cow’s milk.

In this list, we picked the best goat milk formula you can find in the market.

These milk formulas are not as common compared to cow’s milk formulas, so rest assured that these are the best goat milk formulas out there!

3 Best Goat Milk Formulas for Infants & Toddlers

1. Kabrita Goat Milk-Based Toddler Formula

Kabrita is a Dutch company that has over 100 years of dairy expertise. If you live in the USA, this is one of the more accessible products for you.

Kabrita USA operates in the country and provides these great products for all families to try!

What makes Kabrita stand out from other goat formulas is its more complex ingredient list.

This might sound intimidating, but what they try to do is to make their formula as close to breast milk as possible!

It contains 22 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, and fatty acids like DHA and ARA. These give additional benefits and promote a healthier digestive tract and nervous system for your baby!

Another way they try to imitate breastmilk is with the lactose content.

The carbs source of this baby formula uses 100% lactose, which is much more beneficial to your baby compared to goat formulas with reduced lactose content.

They also took the whey and casein ratio of their protein into consideration. This is the only goat milk formula that has a 50:50 ratio of whey and casein proteins.

This is the nearest to the 80:20 ratio of breast milk!

All the other formulas have the standard goat milk ratio of 20:80 whey and casein. The nearer it is to breast milk, the easier it will be to digest without experiencing any baby stomach issues.

Kabrita also avoids using GMO ingredients and instead uses vegetable oils like sunflower oil, soybean oil, and palm kernel oil. Some of you might be wary of palm oil, but you don’t have to worry about that for this formula.

Kabrita uses special palm oil that doesn’t carry all the negatives that can make it harmful. This fat blend can actually be beneficial to babies with constipation!

You’ll find NO artificial and harmful substances like sweeteners, hormones, antibiotics, and heavy metals too!

On the downside, this formula is intended for toddlers aged 12-24 months. It will give infants enough nutrients, but it might not be the best solution.

It would be best to consult with your doctor first before trying this for your newborn.

You can get this formula in a 14 oz or 28 oz container. This product is also the most affordable goat milk formula you can get your hands on!

You can also get this on Amazon for lower prices and discounts! There’s a single count, 3-count, and 6-count for their 14 oz variant.

2. Holle Goat Organic Milk Formula

This formula is known to be a top-rated goat milk formula for good reason, and it’s from a company that’s known to be trustworthy and reliable!

Holle is a European brand that sets high standards for using a few key organic ingredients, sustainable agriculture, and proper animal welfare.

Furthermore, this company is one of the first organic goat milk formulas on the market, and it’s also the best organic option you can find!

This milk formula uses certified organic ingredients that are gentler and safer for babies compared to inorganic substances.

You won’t find any synthetic ingredients like pesticides, hormones, and GMO ingredients. They also don’t use artificial dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives.

Holle goat milk has three formulas for different age groups. Stage 1 is for 0-6 months, Stage 2 is for 6-10 months, and Stage 3 is for 10 months and above.

To get the best nutritional results and benefits, it would be best to follow these age recommendations as much as possible.

Holle is the only product that uses half lactose and half maltodextrin for its carb source, meaning it might work better for your baby if lactose intolerance is an issue.

Maltodextrin isn’t anything harmful, so it’s nothing to worry about!

For its whey to casein protein ratio, it has the standard 20:80 for goat’s milk. This isn’t a negative, so rest assured that the digestive system of your baby won’t necessarily act up just because of this ratio.

This formula also has a few ingredients that are simple to follow, which makes it easy to trust for any mom.

Some noteworthy ingredients are calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin D. It also has DHA, which is a great plus.

It also includes goat milk cream in its fat blend. This type of cream has healthy fatty acid and natural cholesterol that’s similar to breast milk!

This product isn’t the most affordable, but it definitely isn’t the most expensive! You can get this in a single pack, 8-pack, or 12-pack.

3. Nanny Care Growing Up Goat Milk Formula

If you’re looking for a goat milk formula that’s more suitable for older babies, then Nanny Care is one of the best options to look at.

While other brands also offer variants for different age groups, what makes Nanny Care different is that their toddler formula is made for babies who are 1-3 years old.

This gives you an additional year of nutritious goat formula compared to other toddler goat milk formulas!

Nanny Care is a popular brand from the United Kingdom that contributed greatly to the testing and trials of the safety of goat milk formula.

Without them, it’s possible that the other brands on this list wouldn’t exist!

This formula uses 100% lactose as its main carbohydrate source. It doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners like corn syrup or glucose syrup, so that’s great!

It also doesn’t have additional whey protein, which means it has the standard 20:80 whey and casein ratio.

Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s still worth noting.

In addition to its milk fat from goat milk, it also has a simple fat blend of sunflower oil and rapeseed oils. This formula doesn’t have any palm oil, which can be great for babies suffering from hard stools.

On the other hand, this formula doesn’t contain any additional prebiotics/probiotics or fatty acids like DHA and ARA.

These aren’t essential for a goat milk formula, but it would’ve been nice to get these added benefits for your baby.

Nanny Care is definitely a brand you can TRUST, so you won’t go wrong with this pick-up. If you’re looking for a goat milk infant formula, they also offer Stage 1 and Stage 2 variants.

At first glance, these might look very expensive, but it’s actually because it has more amounts of the formula inside each container.

If you cut the price and amount in half, it still stands next to Holle in terms of price and value.

Is Goat Milk Formula Safe for Babies?

Babies have delicate digestive systems, so it’s important they consume food that won’t upset their little tummies.

It’s also important to note that breast milk is the BEST WAY to feed your little one if they’re younger than 12 months.

This is why you should always consult with your doctor first and figure out if a breastmilk alternative like baby formula will be safe.

Some doctors might prescribe powder infant formulas like Gerber Gentle and Gerber Soothe.

When it comes to goat milk formula, it’s just as safe compared to cow’s milk as a breast milk alternative.

These formulas are made to resemble breast milk as much as possible, which is the same goal that a cow’s milk formula tries to achieve.

The right proportions of carbohydrates, protein, fats, plus added nutrients from vitamins and minerals are all important factors that make these formulas safe for your little one.

Some of these even have additional nutrients like DHA, ARA, probiotics, and prebiotics!

There are a lot of similarities between cow’s milk and goat’s milk, which is unsurprising.

However, this means that if your baby has an intolerance to cow’s milk, they probably have an intolerance to goat’s milk too.

This isn’t always the case, so the best way to know for sure is to consult with your pediatrician and see if goat milk is a good alternative you can try out.

Is Goat Milk Formula Better Than Cow Milk?

Goat milk isn’t necessarily better than cow’s milk.

As long as they’re both formulated safely to be a great breastmilk alternative, you have nothing to worry about. Both options will be great for most babies!

However, goat milk formula does have some properties and benefits that could make it a better choice.

What makes goat milk formula different from cow’s milk formula is that the proteins are smaller and produce softer curds.

This means it’s easier to digest for babies. It’s also less likely to irritate your baby’s sensitive digestive system.

Goat milk is also naturally homogenized and has smaller fat molecules and globules. This also makes it easier to digest compared to cow’s milk!

If your baby has a delicate tummy, then this is a great way to avoid unpleasant symptoms like gas, constipation, bloating, and spit-ups!

Milk Protein Allergy

Goat milk is almost the same as cow’s milk, so if your baby has a milk allergy, then it’s likely that switching to goat milk won’t solve the problem.

Milk sensitivity can be a real bother, so even a little amount of it can cause digestive issues, skin problems, fever, and a harsh allergic reaction.

However, if your baby shows clear signs of allergies to milk protein, there’s a slight chance they would be more tolerant of goat’s milk.

Goat’s milk contains a little amount of casein protein known as alpha-s1. This milk protein is responsible for triggering a lot of cow milk allergies.

The best way to know for sure if goat’s or cow’s milk formulas for your baby are safe is to consult with your pediatrician.

If your baby is cleared to be safe from consuming goat milk formula, know that the products listed above are the best ones you can find!

Choosing the Best Goat Milk Formula

#1 Age Recommendation

Before going into the details of any of these products, you should first consider the age recommendation.

You should make sure that the product you use is designed for the age of your baby.

Some goat milk formulas are suitable for babies who are 0-6 months or 0-12 months old. However, some brands also have toddler formula variants, which are designed for much older babies.

A toddler formula usually has more nutrients and content compared to infant formulas.

This is perfect for bigger babies who need more nutrients to be healthy, but it can be inappropriate for the feeding of infants.

Make sure to follow the age recommendations strictly to know which one will be best for your little one!

#2 Organic

This is a huge plus, but not a lot of goat milk formulas are organic.

Products with this kind of baby formula use a bunch of truly organic and unprocessed ingredients. Although, this doesn’t necessarily mean that inorganic formulas are bad or unhealthy.

Certified organic formulas just have an edge when it comes to reliability and trustworthiness because you know that these ingredients aren’t artificial or processed.

This is perfect for parents who prefer going for organic options to feel more at ease!

#3 Non-GMO

If the baby formula isn’t organic, you should at least make sure it doesn’t contain any GMO ingredients.

Some common GMO ingredients you should AVOID are corn and corn-based products, soy and soybeans, and canola oil.

It’s likely that these ingredients are genetically modified, but it’s still possible that they aren’t.

Make sure to always look at the ingredient list and check for more product information. You should also check if the manufacturer states that the product is non-GMO!

#4 No Synthetic Substances

Related to being organic, the best formulas have NO synthetic nutrients, synthetic preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.

Anything synthetic can be hard to distinguish if it’s truly safe. These can be harmful to your baby, so it’s best to avoid them as much as possible!

#5 Lactose

This substance is the main source of carbs inside milk. These are essential to give your babies the energy and nutrients they need daily!

Breast milk contains much more of this compared to cows’ and goats’ milk, which is one of the reasons why it’s the BEST feeding source for your baby.

However, if your baby is lactose intolerant, then switching to goat’s milk from cow’s milk won’t make much difference.

Although, some goat milk formulas have reduced lactose content, like Holle’s Goat Organic Milk Formula.

This might be more tolerable for your baby, but it’s always best to consult with your doctor first just to be safe.

Most products on this list use 100% lactose as the main source of carbohydrates, with Holle being the only exception using half maltodextrin.

Maltodextrin is a tasteless complex carbohydrate that’s used to balance out the sweetness of lactose. These aren’t as nutritious, but it’s still a safe substance you don’t have to worry about.

#6 Prebiotics/Probiotics

This isn’t essential, but some goat milk formulas add prebiotics or probiotics to give added benefits to your baby.

These promote better immunity and a healthier digestive system!

If your baby has a more sensitive stomach and experiences digestive tract issues, then going for a goat milk formula that has prebiotics/probiotics will be a good idea.

#7 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids like DHA and ARA help promote a healthy nervous system, including the brain and the eyes.

These are also not essential, but they’re great additions that will benefit your baby even more.

#8 Whey and Casein Ratio

Milk proteins are mainly made up of two different types of protein which are whey and casein.

For breastmilk, the whey and casein ratio is 80:20. Cow’s milk has a ratio of 60:40, which is a bit nearer, while goat’s milk has a ratio of 20:80.

The nearer the ratio to actual breastmilk, the easier it will be for the stomach to digest. This is why adding more whey to goat’s milk isn’t a bad idea!

Kabrita is the only product on this list that adds more whey to mimic the ratio of breastmilk. This evens out the typical goat milk ratio from 20:80 to 50:50.

Does that mean the other products will cause digestive problems like gassiness and constipation?

Not necessarily.

At the end of the day, babies have their own digestive systems that can lead to different results. No matter what kind of goat milk product you go for, you should always consult with your pediatrician first!

Conclusion

Kabrita’s Goat Milk-Based Toddler Formula has the most complex goat’s milk formula on this list, but it’s still our pick for the best baby formula product.

It has 22 vitamins and minerals, additional fatty acids and prebiotics, and it’s also formulated to closely imitate breast milk!

A fan-favorite and classic, the Holle Goat Organic Milk Formula is impossible not to recommend.

This is the only organic option on this list, and it has a good reputation for being one of the best organic baby formula brands you can count on!

For the Nanny Care Growing Up Goat Milk Formula, this product is perfect for those who have older babies.

This brand is known to pave the way for the research of the safety of goat’s milk formula. It also has a simple formula that delivers all the nutrients your baby needs!

FINAL TIP: If you’re still searching for good options to store your baby’s goat milk in, check out our article on The Best SAFE and Organic Baby Bottles.