Editor’s Note: We’d like to thank BabyNes for partnering with us to arrange this interview to discuss childhood nutrition with Dr. Tanya Altmann, a UCLA-trained pediatrician practicing in southern California. Altmann is also the associate medical editor of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ best-selling parenting book Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 and author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents’ Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers.

Breast milk

NYC Dads Group: One of the first questions many parents ask regarding feeding their newborn baby is whether to breastfeed or use formula. For a while now, breast milk has been considered the “best.” Why?

Dr. Tanya Altmann: Breast milk has always been considered the best for baby because it is. Breast milk provides a baby with immunity against bacteria and viruses. It is easy to digest. And, it is uncommon for baby to be allergic to. From day one, the nutrition in breast milk (protein, carbohydrates, healthy fat and other nutrients) is exactly what a baby needs. It continually changes over time as a baby’s nutritional needs change for proper growth and development.

NYCDG: For some families, breastfeeding is not possible for physical or health reasons or because their baby is adopted. Some of these families buy breast milk from a willing and able mother. How does breast milk from a non-biological mother compare? Are there any concerns people should consider?

Altmann: Donor breast milk is an option for families who do not have their own breast milk. All breast milk contains important antibodies to help protect a baby from infections as well as the nutritional benefits that breast milk contains. The risk of donor breast milk, if it is not purchased from a certified breast milk bank that thoroughly tests and treats the breast milk, is the risk of infection or contamination. There have been cases of “breast milk” being sold over the Internet where it wasn’t even breast milk, or the breast milk was diluted — both dangerous situations. This can be avoided by using a reputable milk bank. (For more information, visit the Human Milk Banking of North America at www.hmbana.org.)

In addition, for those who are unable to produce breast milk, formula feeding is a very viable option. The BabyNes Advanced Nutrition System, for example, was created to closely emulate the varying nutrients, proteins and carbohydrates found in breast milk.

Baby formula

NYCDG: How do today’s baby formulas compare? Are some formulas better than others?

Altmann: All major baby formula manufacturers are using technology and science to try to make their formula closer to breast milk, which is good for infant nutrition. Some formula companies are adding important nutrients, such as DHA and ARA and probiotics. More recently, formula companies are making “staged formula.” This more closely mimics the evolution of breast milk over time as a baby grows and matures. The BabyNes Advanced Nutrition System most precisely stages their formula so that the protein, carbohydrate, fat and nutrient composition changes over time, similar to the way breast milk evolves as a baby grows.

NYCDG: We have both had the opportunity to work with the team behind the new Gerber® BabyNes® system. Why do you as a pediatrician recommend this system?

Altmann: This is the first time that a formula company has staged a formula as precisely so the fat, protein and calorie content changes throughout six stages as your baby grows to more closely mimic the evolution of breast milk. Each stage comes in capsules that are inserted into the BabyNes machine, mix with water and out comes precisely measured nutrition for your baby at the temperature you desire all under one minute. There are no messy powders to deal with. It’s also Wi-Fi enabled. This helps parents who desire to keep track of the number of ounces their baby drinks or know when it’s time to reorder more formula pods.

NYCDG: If parents are using formula, at what age do you recommend a switch to cow’s milk (or some other type of milk)?

Altmann: After age 1, there are options! Parents can continue formula designed specifically for toddlers over age 1. They can start whole milk or 2 percent milk. Or use any combination those. Toddlers don’t need more than 24 ounces a day of formula or milk combined. Some parents may offer formula at home, but order milk when out or vice versa. Talk to your pediatrician. Depending on your toddler’s diet and growth, he or she may have a preference as to the beverages your toddler drinks. Either way, make sure you also offer plenty of plain water and avoid juice and other sweet tasting beverages.

Healthy eating

NYCDG: You have a new book coming out this month. Tell us about it.

Altmann: My book is called What to Feed Your Baby: A Pediatrician’s Guide to the 11 Essential Foods to Guarantee Veggie-Loving, No-Fuss, Healthy-Eating Kids. It is my formula for feeding babies from birth and beyond.

As a pediatrician and mother of three boys, I know firsthand that good nutrition is essential for healthy kids. However, parents today are bombarded with confusing and sometimes harmful information.

In What to Feed Your Baby, I cut through the noise with a simple program that follows the safest, best practices for feeding babies and young children. I begin with my foundation foods critical to brain development. These are: eggs, prunes, avocado, fish, yogurt/cheese/ milk, nut butters/nuts, chicken/beans, fruit, green veggies, whole grains, and water. Those should be the basis of every child’s diet in their early life. I also offer guidance for introducing them into a daily diet with delicious, dietician-developed recipes that will help train young taste buds to enjoy non-processed foods.

NYCDG: You are a practicing pediatrician in Calabasas, California. Have you seen a shift in the engagement of dads in raising their kids?

Altmann: Definitely! It takes a village and many dads in my practice are just as involved as moms when it comes to caring for and raising their children. I also have families with single dads, two dads, and very involved grandpas. They all seem to enjoy spending time with their kids and it’s important for young children to have a variety of loving adults to care for them.

My husband and I both try our best to integrate family and work into our day. Some days are more hectic than others, but I couldn’t do everything that I do without his help and dedication to our family.

Editor’s Note: NYC Dads Group thanks BabyNes for partnering with us. The company sent some of our dads its BabyNes Advanced Nutrition System by Gerber and a month’s worth of infant formula in exchange for their opinions.

Could preparing a “just right” serving of infant formula be as quick, easy and clean as brewing a single cup of coffee?

That’s one of the premises behind the BabyNes Advanced Nutrition System by Gerber, which we tested recently. You drop a pod (called a “capsule”) of BabyNes powdered milk into the BabyNes Machine and in a minute or so you have up to eight ounces of infant formula, warmed to a temperature you set to your child’s preference.

Another benefit the BabyNes people tout is nutrition customization. BabyNes infant formula capsules comes in age stages that “evolve” like breast milk does with changes in calorie, fat and key ingredient levels to meet specific needs of your child’s stage of development. This is done by producing seven different types of formulas, the most of any brand on the market, according to the manufacturer. Six are based on your child’s growth needs from birth to age 36 months and the seventh is a special “soothe” formula to help calm colicky wee ones. Each capsule is BPA-free, hermetically sealed and contains a built-in filter to trap water impurities.

Used with the BabyNes machine, you can not only create temperature- and portion-perfect nutrition for your child, but you can also get all the information a data-driven mom or dad needs to monitor your kid’s development. The BabyNes machine features built-in WiFi that pairs with an app on your computer or mobile device to let you:

• create charts of your baby’s nutrition and growth online;
• receive personalized nutritional advice;
• manually or automatically place orders for more formula capsule; and,
• even let working parents receive alerts when the caretaker at home has used the system.

While the BabyNes machine and infant formula are optimally designed to work together, toting an electric dispenser is not always an option for parents on the move.  For travel or just afternoons out, an on-the-go capsule opener that comes with your BabyNes system lets you empty the powder directly into a bottle of water without spilling a grain.

Our dads: Easy but expensive infant formula

So, if you are going the infant formula route, is the BabyNes Advanced Nutrition System by Gerber right for you?

Our test dads were generally impressed during their one-month trial period of the product. All lauded the system’s ease of use but also expressed concern about the formula’s cost. Here’s their feedback:

John Duncan, 35, a real estate professional who used the system with his 1-year-old son.

• “Really easy, the formula doesn’t clump like it can do if you use powder from a carton. My son had no problem downing these one after the other.”
• “Machine (to my knowledge) can only do one size of bottle. It’d be cool if they could do a half pour (without wasting the pod) or a shallower pod.”
• “The pods are pretty expensive. I haven’t calculated the comparison to tubs of formula, but for a box of 24 pods, it’s just shy of $60. That seems pricey when a gallon of organic whole milk is $6.”
• “The machine tends to drip after it’s finished. Kind of annoying to have to clean up every time.”
• “All in all, I’d buy this again. Just for the ease. It saves on time and it takes the task away from you when you’re trying to get out the door.”

Donnie Myers, 45, used the BabyNes machine and infant formula with his 7-month-old daughter:

• “I love this machine. It has made my life so much easier. No burning your hand testing the temperature of milk. No having to run bottle under the faucet to cool.”
• “The clean-up is super easy.”
• “I love the app that tells me when baby has had a bottle prepped.”
• “Wish … was more affordable. It’s a bit expensive for what I’d like to pay.”
• “Overall, a life changer.“

Oswaldo Luciano, 35, a registered nurse, and Jon Damon, 50, an attorney, used the system with their 5-month-old son a nighttime supplement to breast milk. The comments from Oswaldo:

• “BabyNes is so easy to use and practical. … Nothing better than not having to warm up milk in the middle of the night. As soon as our son wakes up for his night feeding we go to the kitchen, press the button, and in less than 1.5 minutes we have warm milk.”
• “We wholeheartedly believe that because of the different stages it has been much easier for our son to transition from breast milk to formula. When it comes to the formula we are very happy.”
• “The machine is larger than what we expected.”
• “The website and all communication are completely geared to moms/women. I would think that this would be a great product to make dads more present in childcare. We happen to be a same-sex male couple with an amazing son. It is disappointing that there is no mention of ‘parents,’ ‘dads,’ etc.
• “Pods are super expensive.“

BabyNes offered these responses to our testers’ feedback:

Price point: The retail cost of BabyNes formula is comparable to a parent buying ready-to-serve formula. However, using BabyNes formula with the BabyNes machine adds greater convenience by prepping the formula to the exact temperature of your choosing every time and in less than a minute. And, unlike less expensive powdered brands, BabyNes formula is the only one on the market with so many stages of formula to meet the evolving needs of your maturing baby.

Portion size: Although each pod is designed to a produce a specific amount of ounces to create a single serving full of nutrients for your baby, you can refrigerate, reheat and reuse unused BabyNes formula the same as you would with any other formula/milk product over a certain amount of time. BabyNes also offers a toll-free 24/7 hotline for parents to call and ask a registered dietician nutrition questions — including whether they should reuse formula after a certain time.

Mom-centric advertising: One of the reasons BabyNes sought the input of NYC Dads Group is to find out how we can better address the fact that dads are equally as capable and important as moms in a baby’s growth and development. With this feedback, we hope to better show that infant care-giving knows no gender.

Are our dads still using BabyNes?

Here’s the real test — now that the one-month trial period is over, are our dads still using their BabyNes machine and formula?

• Oswaldo and Jon: Yes. They use the BabyNes machine and formula to supplement their son’s nutrition while they transition to solids.
• John: No, but only because his child has graduated to regular milk and solids.
• Donnie: No. He switched to a popular powdered infant formula instead over concerns about cost and the inability to find the pods in many stores in case he ran short on-the-go or between online orders.