In partnership with Happy Baby. Editor’s Note: All opinions are our own. We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
As a proud mama of an exclusively formula-fed baby, I’ve learned my way around the formula aisle. From grabbing all of the “free” pre-mixed samples out of the hospital to dealing with some serious spit up, we’ve probably tried 6 brands (at least) over the last few months. I’ve learned a lot in these switches, but ultimately, it has become clear to me that no two formulas are the same. More importantly: all formulas are not created equal. After hearing buzz about it, I recently tried Happy Baby’s newly re-formulated Organic Infant Formula (Stage 2) for my son.
We like
- Premium ingredients, including a patented probiotic and prebiotics blend
- USDA and EU certified organic and made in Europe*
- Widely available at many physical retailers
- Has digestive health benefits
- Helps promote softer poops for baby compared to formulas without prebiotics and probiotics
- Has received the Clean Label Project Purity Award
*With the world’s finest ingredients
We don't like
- Not available yet DTC or in a subscription
- Wish palm oil wasn’t an ingredient
- Slightly higher cost than some other organic formulas
One Big, Happy Family
I love the founding story of Happy Baby Organics. It was founded in 2003, by a mom in business school at Columbia inspired by a conversation with a friend (a new mom of twins) who was having trouble finding healthy baby food for her littles. Happy Baby Organics was born and helped transform the baby food aisle and industry as a whole (they were doing organic ingredients before it was mainstream).
Lately, they’ve been creating foods that run the gamut for babies and tots alike. From bowls to baby purees to pouches to self-feeding snacks to formula, it really seems like they do it all (and it’s all always organic!). I love having one brand I can trust from bottle feeding all the way through self feeding!
As the #1 organic baby food brand*, they just released their new line of organic infant formula! The new Happy Baby formula has a new recipe and look. The reformulation of the formula parents know and love is backed by over 50 years of breast milk research and their own clinical growth & safety study with US babies. The new formulas are specially designed for baby’s belly and their formula is now being made in their very own FDA-registered European facility in Germany!
*Source: Circana Custom Baby Food Data Base L13WE 8/24/2024
All the Good, None of the Bad
Speaking of nutritious food, let’s break down the makeup of the Stage 2 Infant Formula. Most notably, the new Happy Baby formula has a patented probiotic and prebiotic blend that you simply won’t find elsewhere in the market because they are the only USDA organic formula with both prebiotics and probiotics. I know how important gut health is for me and our babies too! Over 70% of the immune system is located in the gut microbiome, so it’s even more critical than I previously had thought. Breastmilk helps nourish baby’s gut microbiome as it develops, and Happy Baby’s probiotic and prebiotic blend is designed to help support gut bacteria to be closer to breastfed infants’*. Plus, the formula’s #1 ingredient is lactose and there is no added corn syrup**, simply because lactose is breastmilk’s first ingredient, too.
*Compared to formula without pre and probiotics
**As a source of carbohydrate
It’s one thing for a brand to toot its own horn about quality and ingredients, but it’s another to have others boast for you. Happy Baby has key certifications like the Clean Label Purity Award, and non-GMO seal. The formula is also both EU and USDA certified organic and Made in Europe* -- something that no other brand on the market can currently say. Speaking of the EU, the formula is now being made there in their very own FDA-registered facility, where it goes through rigorous quality and safety checks during and after processing. While we didn’t always have EU options available in the US, it’s really cool that we now have an option that is both USDA and EU organic actually made in Europe!
*With the world’s finest ingredients
The Teddy Test
There’s nothing like testing a product out on your own kid, right? From the start, I was excited about the thoughtfulness of the product’s design. The packaging is super easy to manage, with a quick click-tight lid and a designated place for the scoop to live. It might’ve been the first formula I didn’t have to dig through to find the scoop, which is a HUGE plus for parents. If you’ve dug for the scoop, you know the grossness that gets on your fingers after. The pack is also designed to be able to be held and opened with one hand, so no problem if you have baby in the other arm!
When I made my first bottle for Teddy, I could tell he knew it was different, but he still immediately took to it and sucked it down. The transition was smooth. Speaking of smooth, his poops were too! In switching to other brands in the past, we had seen constipation, which literally hurts to watch your baby go through. Happy Baby has him more regular and pooping softer, “peanut buttery” poops.
Happy Baby, Happy Family
All things considered, I’m really happy with this switch for Teddy. With a strong ingredient list, wide availability at numerous retailers, and after being thoroughly tested by my son—both in taste and diaper results—it's clear to me why they are the #1 organic infant nutrition brand (per the Circana Custom Baby Food Database). While it is a newer formula they’ve created, it is based on over 50 years of breastmilk research and with 20+ years of organic baby food knowledge, which is nothing to snuff at. After trying formula brand after formula brand, it’s a relief to have everything I want in one product. My only regret, you ask? That he only has two months left of drinking formula and that I didn’t find it sooner! I’ll certainly be recommending it to any parent friends of mine for their littles.
