Choosing an infant formula is an important decision. With so many options available, it’s natural for parents to have questions. One difference parents may notice is whether a formula is made with skim milk, whole milk, or both. But regardless of the type of milk included, all formulas are designed to provide complete nutrition for growth and development during your baby’s first year and must meet the FDA's nutritional requirements for infant formula.
Understanding how these formulas compare can help parents have informed conversations with pediatricians and ultimately choose the option that best fits their family’s needs.
"Parents have more infant formula choices than ever, and it’s natural to have questions about how those options differ," says Aundrea Parker, MS, RD, an Abbott nutrition scientist and infant nutrition expert. “Whole milk infant formula is not the same as regular cow’s milk. Like all infant formulas, it is specially formulated with all of the essential nutrients babies need during their first year of life.”
What is different about infant formulas made with whole milk?
The primary difference is that whole milk infant formulas derive a part of their fat content from milkfat, while skim milk-based infant formulas do not. Regardless of which type of milk is used, both require the addition of oils to supply essential fats, such as linoleic fatty acids. In general, formulas made with whole milk can use less added oils because more of the fat content comes from the milk itself.
Neither option is inherently better. Skim milk-based formulas have long provided a nutritionally complete option for families and remain available in both powdered and ready-to-feed formats. Infant formulas made with whole milk provide an additional choice for parents who prefer an ingredient that provides naturally occurring milk fat.
However, Aundrea Parker notes that the milk source is only one part of the formulation. "What matters most is the entire composition of the product —the protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients—all working together to support a baby's growth and development.”
An infant formula that brings it all together in one liquid package
Today’s parents expect more from infant formula. They want products that deliver the nutrition their babies need and simplify the demands of modern family life. Interest in infant formula with whole milk has increased, and many parents also appreciate the ease and inherent reassurance of a commercially sterile liquid formula, especially for overnight feedings or when away from home. Together, these preferences highlight an opportunity for innovation that removes the need for parents to compromise between the ingredients they want for their baby and the convenience they need.
Similac® 360 Total Care® Made With Whole Milk was developed to offer parents more of what they’re looking for in an infant formula: choice, convenience, and commercial sterility.
- Choice. Parents shouldn't have to choose between ingredients they feel good about and ingredients backed by science. Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk combines a fat blend that is more similar to the fat profile of breast milk with 5 human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)* like 5 of those found in breast milk. These HMOs are immune-nourishing prebiotics that help support a baby's developing immune system, giving parents a formula that delivers both thoughtfully selected ingredients and clinically supported nutrition.
- Convenience: Designed for today’s busy families, liquid ready-to-feed infant formulas make feeding simple anytime, anywhere. Whether parents are traveling, heading out for the day, or navigating middle-of-the-night feedings, there's no measuring, mixing, or preparation required.
- Commercial sterility: Parents can feel confident knowing that Similac's liquid infant formulas are commercially sterile, meaning that they go through an extra validated step that uses heat designed to eliminate harmful microorganisms, including the bacterial spores that cause infant botulism.
