"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just scored a major a win for moms (and babies). The FDA recently pledged to ensure that there is “ongoing quality, safety, and nutritional adequacy” for infant formula sold in the U.S. “Operation Stork Speed” was announced by the FDA on March 18, 2025 after Consumer Reports showed that among 41 types of powdered formula, “about half of the samples [that were] tested contained potentially harmful levels of at least one contaminant.”
Because your registry isn’t just a checklist, we’re here to help you choose what’s best for you. From moms and experts who have been through it all, these are our winners for The Everymom’s 2025 Baby Registry Awards.
Finding the right formula isn’t always clear-cut. Depending on a baby’s nutritional needs or other factors, like allergies and sensitivities, one formula may be recommended over another. But how do parents decide which formula is “best?” And what formulas are good options if your primary one is down for the count? (We can’t forget to mention the 2022 U.S. formula shortage.) And are all formulas safe? We’re discussing what the “contaminants” are from the Consumer Reports, a list of the safest baby formulas, and what a pediatrician wants parents to know.
Editor’s Note: The information is not intended to replace professional diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice.
Why Formula Matters So Much
The 2022 Breastfeeding Report Card released every two years by the CDC showed that the number of infants breastfeeding declined over time based on the age of an infant. In 2019, 78.6% of infants at 1 month of age were receiving breast milk, while the percentage decreased to 55.8% by the age of 6 months. Not all moms can or choose to exclusively breastfeed and some may run into problems with breastfeeding along the way. Formula is an alternative to breast milk that “contains vitamins and nutrients that breastfed babies need to get from supplements.” Other pros to formula feeding include convenience and flexibility. So, it is important to know which formulas are best when it comes to picking the right one for you and your baby.
Why Consumer Reports Tested Baby Formulas
Over the past few years, the topic of heavy metals in items like baby food and fruit juice has parents concerned over PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) or “forever chemicals.” When it comes to everyday essential foods, like baby formula, parents may want to know whether or not their baby’s formula is safe for consumption. Consumer Reports tested well-known baby formulas out there for arsenic, lead, PFAS, and other concerning chemicals that are “known to be harmful to babies’ health.” While heavy metals have increased due to “intensive agriculture,” Consumer Reports shared, “Just because consuming toxins is to some extent a fact of life does not mean that food manufacturers cannot and should not do better.”
The Safest Baby Formulas
The good news? The report shared the top choices for parents based on formulas that had the least amount of “contaminants” in the testing completed by CR. Here are the results of baby formulas categorized by “top,” “good,” and “worse” choices.
Top Choices
- Aptamil First Infant Milk
- Baby’s Only Organic Complete Nutrition
- Bobbie Organic
- Bobbie Organic Gentle
- Bubs Stage 1 Easy-digest Goat Milk
- Bubs Stage 1 Organic Grass Fed
- Dr. Brown’s GentlePro
- Earth’s Best Organic Dairy
- Enfamil A.R.
- Enfamil Enspire Optimum
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Enfamil NeuroPro
- Enfamily NeuroPro Gentlease
- HiPP Dutch Organic Stage 1
- Holle Bio Organic Stage 1
- Kendamil Whole Milk
- Kirkland Signature (Costco) ProCare
- Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club) Advantage Premium
- Parent’s Choice Advantage Premium
- Similac Advance
- Up&Up (Target) Premium
Good Choices
- A2 Platinum
- ByHeart Whole Nutrition
- Happy Organics Sensitive
- Kendamil Organic
- Neocate Hypoallergenic
- Parent’s Choice Infant
- Similac 360 Total Care
- Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive
- Similac Sensitive
- Similac Soy Isomil
Worse Choices
- Dr. Brown’s SoothePro
- EleCare Hypoallergenic
- Enfamil Nutramigen
- Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based
- Kabrita Goat Milk-Based
- PurAmino Hypoallergenic
- Similac Alimentum
- Similac NeoSure
- Similac Total Comfort
- Up&Up (Target) Soy
How the FDA Will Keep Baby Formulas Safe
The FDA stated it is “committed to infant formula safety and nutritional quality.” Some actions included in the pledge are to start a “comprehensive update and review” of the nutrients in infant formulas. Testing for heavy metals and contaminants will increase, as well as collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and “other scientific bodies.”
Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician and mom of two, shared common questions and answers that may arise among parents when it comes to whether or not they should switch their baby’s formula.
How concerned should parents and caregivers be about contaminants in infant formula?
Dr. Bayo emphasizes, “Don’t panic.” While the report found that some formulas contained contaminants, many others tested at “much lower” levels or none at all. An important first step is to make an appointment with your family physician to walk you through finding a formula that is safe and meets your baby’s needs.
Do you have advice for parents who may want to switch formulas?
Dr. Bayo shares that it may be a good idea to switch your baby’s formula if your baby is “always fussy, needs more iron, or has certain food allergies.” She says to transition slowly and increase the amount of “new formula” into the bottle as you decrease the amount of “old formula.” Again, consult your pediatrician to come up with a “formula” that will work for you and your baby.
How do you know if it’s time to change your baby’s formula?
Dr. Bayo states that parents may want to change their baby’s formula if their baby starts to show signs of intolerance, such as excessive crying and fussiness after a feeding; loose or very watery stools; dry, red, and scaly skin; extreme fatigue; weakness; or forceful vomiting.
Should parents switch their baby’s formula based on Consumer Reports’ results?
“It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before making any sudden changes to your baby’s diet,” says Dr. Bayo. It depends on the specific formula you are using and your baby’s needs.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.
Feature graphic images credited to: Bobbie Organic Infant Formula | Amazon, Good Start Dr. Brown’s Gentle Pro Powder Formula | Target, Earth’s Best Organic Baby Formula for Babies | Amazon, Enfamil NeuroPro Baby Formula | Amazon, Similac Advance Infant formula with Iron Powder | Target, Kirkland Signature ProCare with Dual HMO’s | Costco