Which Baby Formula Has the Least Amount of Sugar?

Are you concerned about the amount of sugar added to baby formulas? Does Similac have more sugar than Enfamil? Which baby formula has the lowest sugar content? After all, overconsumption of sugar promotes tooth decay and leads to unhealthy eating habits and various chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. If you’ve been wondering which baby formula has the least amount of sugar (or which baby formula has the most sugar!) so that you can start your baby on the right path, we’ll get to that in a moment. But first…

Before we compare the sugar content of various popular baby formula brands, here are a couple of things to keep in mind regarding the sugar content in baby formula:

#1 Why is there sugar in baby formula?
#2 The best sugar source in baby formula

Sugar isn’t a random ingredient in baby formula. Quite the opposite! Babies need carbohydrates for proper development, and sugar is just that – a carbohydrate source. Take breast milk, for example, which packs nearly half the total calories in the sugar content alone.

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Still, just like too much sugar can’t be good for the baby, it’s also a good idea to pay attention to the type(s) of sugar used.

Commonly used sugars in baby formula include:

• lactose
• corn syrup
• corn syrup solids
• glucose syrup
• glucose syrup solids
• maltodextrin
• sucrose (table sugar)

The optimal carbohydrate source for most full-term babies that have no dietary restrictions is lactose, which is also the principal sugar in breast milk.

Compared with other sugars used in baby formulas, lactose isn’t overly sweet and is slow to metabolize, which helps maintain stable blood sugar. Most babies can easily digest lactose, although some premature babies may have temporary lactose intolerance which usually clears up shortly after birth.

As for the rest of the carbs, here is a quick summary of how they compare to lactose (you can find the full scope on lactose vs. other baby formula sugars here):

• Corn syrup and glucose syrup (and their solids) are sweeter than lactose and have a high glycemic index, meaning they can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar.

• Maltodextrin is barely sweet but has an even higher glycemic index than glucose syrups.

• Sucrose has a milder effect on the blood sugar compared with corn syrup, glucose syrup, or maltodextrin, but it has a much sweeter taste which conditions your baby to crave more of that.

Which baby formula has the least amount of sugar?

Let’s put some of the most well-known brands of baby formula in the spotlight so that you can see which baby formulas have the least amount of sugar and which ones pack the most sugar, together with the type of sugar they contain.

In this comparison we’ll go over 4 groups of formulas:

• Enfamil infant formulas
• Similac infant formulas
• Various other formula brands
• Organic infant formulas

>>> Then… scroll down to the next section where we’ll compare the amount of sugar in baby formula with breast milk to answer another popular question: Does baby formula have more sugar than breast milk??? Stick around to see how the two measure up in the sugar content…

The carbohydrate content is listed by quantity – from highest to lowest amounts. (The first carb is the primary carbohydrate.)

ENFAMIL	Carbohydrates per 100 Cal	Carbohydrate content
Enfamil Infant	11.3 g	lactose
Enfamil Gentlease	10.8 g	corn syrup solids, lactose
Enfamil NeuroPro	11.3 g	lactose
Enfamil NeuroPro Gentlease	10.8 g	corn syrup solids, lactose
Enfamil NeuroPro Sensitive	10.9 g	corn syrup solids (+ traces of lactose)
Enfamil Enspire	11.2 g	lactose
Enfamil Enspire Gentlease	10.8 g	corn syrup solids, lactose

SIMILAC	Carbohydrates per 100 Cal	Carbohydrate content
Similac Advance	10.7 g	lactose
Similac Pro-Advance	10.5 g	lactose
Similac Pro-Sensitive	10.9 g	corn syrup, sucrose, (+ traces of lactose)
Similac Pro-Total Comfort	10.7 g	maltodextrin, sucrose, (+ traces of lactose)
Similac 360 Total Care	10.5 g	lactose
Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive	10.9 g	corn syrup, sucrose, (+ traces of lactose)
Similac Pure Bliss	10.7 g	lactose

If we were to compare Enfamil vs. Similac sugar content, Similac baby formulas tend to be lower in carbs.

OTHER FORMULA BRANDS	Carbohydrates per 100 Cal	Carbohydrate content
Gerber Good Start Gentle Supreme Stage 1 (formerly “A2”)	11.4 g	lactose
Gerber Good Start GentlePro Stage 1	11.2 g	lactose, maltodextrin
Gerber Good Start GentlePro Stage 2	11.9 g	lactose, maltodextrin
Gerber Good Start SoothePro Stage 1	11.2 g	maltodextrin, lactose
Mama Bear Infant Milk	11.3 g	lactose
Mama Bear – Advantage	10.7 g	lactose
Mama Bear – Gentle	10.8 g	corn syrup, lactose
Mama Bear – Sensitivity	10.9 g	corn syrup, sucrose, (+ traces of lactose)
Up & Up/Parent’s Choice Infant Formula	11.3 g	lactose
Up & Up/Parent’s Choice – Advantage	10.7 g	lactose
Up & Up/Parent’s Choice – Gentle	10.8 g	corn syrup, lactose
Up & Up/Parent’s Choice – Sensitivity	10.9 g	corn syrup, sucrose, (+ traces of lactose)

ORGANIC	Carbohydrates per 100 Cal	Carbohydrate content
Bobbie Organic Infant Formula	11 g	lactose
Burt’s Bees Organic Infant Milk	10.6 g	lactose
Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Sensitive	10.6 g	glucose syrup solids, maltodextrin, lactose
Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Ultra Gentle	10.4 g	lactose
Earth’s Best Organic Dairy Formula	10.6 g	lactose
Earth’s Best Organic – Sensitivity	10.6 g	glucose syrup solids, (<5% of lactose)
Earth’s Best Organic – Gentle	10.8 g	lactose, maltodextrin
Enfamil Simply Organic	11.1 g	lactose, maltodextrin
Happy Baby Organic (Stage 1/2)	12 g	lactose
Happy Baby Organic – Sensitive	12 g	maltodextrin, glucose syrup solids, lactose
Similac Organic	10.4 g	lactose

To summarize, here is a list of baby formulas with the least sugar and most sugar, using the formula brands in this comparison and the nutritional information provided by the formula manufacturers at the time of publishing this article.

[carbohydrate content per 100 calories]

> Baby formulas with the least sugar

• Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Ultra Gentle (10.4 g; lactose)
• Similac Organic (10.4 g; lactose)
• Similac Pro-Advance (10.5 g; lactose)
• Similac 360 Total Care (10.5 g; lactose)
• Burt’s Bees Organic Infant Milk (10.6 g; lactose)
• Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Sensitive (10.6 g; glucose syrup solids, maltodextrin, lactose)
• Earth’s Best Organic Dairy Formula (10.6; lactose)
• Earth’s Best Organic – Sensitivity (10.6 g; glucose syrup solids, <5% of lactose)

> Baby formulas with the most sugar

• Happy Baby Organic – Stage 1/2 (12 g; lactose)
• Happy Baby Organic – Sensitive (12 g; maltodextrin, glucose syrup solids, lactose)
• Gerber Good Start GentlePro Stage 2 (11.9 g; lactose, maltodextrin)
• Gerber Good Start Gentle Supreme Stage 1 (11.4 g; lactose)
• Enfamil Infant (11.3 g; lactose)
• Enfamil NeuroPro (11.3 g; lactose)
• Mama Bear Infant Milk (11.3 g; lactose)
• Parent’s Choice Infant Formula (11.3 g; lactose)
• Up & Up Infant Formula (11.3 g; lactose)

> Low-lactose baby formula VS. high-lactose baby formula

Here is a comparison of the sugar content of baby formulas containing 100% lactose as an energy source starting with baby formula with the least sugar to formula with the highest sugar content:

• Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Ultra Gentle (10.4 g)
• Similac Organic (10.4 g)
• Similac Pro-Advance (10.5 g)
• Similac 360 Total Care (10.5 g)
• Burt’s Bees Organic Infant Milk (10.6 g)
• Earth’s Best Organic Dairy Formula (10.6 g)
• Mama Bear – Advantage (10.7 g)
• Parent’s Choice – Advantage (10.7 g)
• Similac Advance (10.7 g)
• Similac Pure Bliss (10.7 g)
• Up & Up Advantage (10.7 g)
• Bobbie Organic Infant Formula (11 g)
• Enfamil Enspire (11.2 g)
• Enfamil Infant (11.3 g)
• Enfamil NeuroPro (11.3 g)
• Mama Bear Infant Milk (11.3 g)
• Parent’s Choice Infant Formula (11.3 g)
• Up & Up Infant Formula (11.3 g)
• Gerber Good Start Gentle Supreme Stage 1 (11.4 g)
• Happy Baby Organic Formula – Stage 1/2 (12 g)

Does baby formula have more sugar than breast milk?

Does baby formula have more sugar than breast milk, or less sugar than breast milk? Let’s find out!

Mature breast milk (the milk produced from about 2 weeks after birth) contains around 7-7.5 g of lactose per 100 ml on average. When you go deeper into various sample groups, the reference range for lactose in mature breast milk hovers around 6.5-8.5 g/100 ml. [source: 1,2,3]

That’s about 10.4-11.1 g of lactose per 150 ml (5 fl oz), which is the measurement unit used on the nutritional label of baby formula (also equal to 100 calories). Or, 9.6-12.6 g/150 ml (5 fl oz) using the wider range.

If you scroll back up, you’ll see that all of the formula brands listed contain between 10.4-12 g of carbs per 100 calories (150 ml/5 fl oz). In conclusion, all are within at least the wider end of the range of breast milk carbs, and most fit within the average values (10.4-11.1 g/150ml/5 fl oz).

The two formulas with the least amount of sugar on this list are: Burt’s Bees Organic Formula – Ultra Gentle, and Similac Organic (10.4 g/5 fl oz – the lower end of the average values for sugar content in breast milk).

Related: Is Palm Oil in Baby Formula Safe for Your Baby?

Happy Baby Organic Infant Formula has the highest amount of carbs on this list (12 g/5 fl oz). I haven’t gone over all available baby formulas on the U.S. market, so I can’t say whether this is THE baby formula with the highest sugar content overall or if there are others that use as much carbs or more than Happy Baby. Either way, if you’re set on finding baby formula with the least sugar, this brand isn’t cutting it, however, on the plus side – it’s all lactose – except for the sensitive version.

In a strict comparison of Enfamil vs. Similac sugar content next to breast milk, none of the Enfamil versions are among the baby formulas with the least sugar, although in all fairness, the two Similac formulas lowest in sugar are on the lower (but still healthy) end of the averages when compared with breast milk which increases the gap in the sugar content between the two brands.

Looking for baby formula with the least sugar

I hope this detailed comparison helps you with your search for baby formula if your goal is to find baby formula that doesn’t use too much sugar or if you just wanted to see where your current baby formula stands in the sugar content.

If your baby doesn’t have a medically indicated need for lactose avoidance, I would highly recommend starting with one of the lactose-based options. Lactose is the main source of carbs in breast milk. Among the split-carb formula options, some lactose is better than no lactose.

Sometimes it’s warranted to use a lactose-reduced or lactose-free formula milk to keep your baby happy and thriving, but many babies are started on the lactose-altered versions just because the labels sound nicer (gentle? sensitive? less fussiness and crying? …who wouldn’t want that for their baby!?).

…Or, when a baby seems to have a hard time digesting a standard lactose-based formula, the switch to a lactose-reduced formula is often made without a consideration for other culprits in baby formula that are more likely to cause digestive upset than lactose alone, at least in some situations, and those are:

• the protein content
• the fat blend

If your baby has dietary needs and requires a specific type of infant formula, please consult your options with your healthcare provider.

Any questions regarding the topic of which baby formula has the least amount of sugar? Let me know in the comments below!