DHA Benefits for Babies and Toddlers

Because 85% of brain growth complete by age 3.

Explore:

A time to grow. Everything has a growing season. For a baby’s brain, it’s the first three years of life. By age three, brain growth will be 85% complete. A baby’s brain contains Omega-3 fat and most of that fat is DHA, an important building block of the brain. Because his brain will never grow this fast again, DHA is important for your child early in life. Brain development and DHA go together. Nourish him today with DHA-enriched Enfamil A+. Enfamil A+ contains a clinically proven level of DHA, an important building block of your baby's developing brain.

"Mothers need to be aware of the importance of including DHA in their diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding ensuring their infants are getting this important nutrient through breast milk. If a mother is using infant formula, occasionally or exclusively, she should choose a formula that contains DHA." - Dr. Peter Nieman, Alberta pediatrician In fact, 9 out of 10 doctors who would feed infant formula to their own children would use a DHA-enriched formula. Talk to your doctor about choosing a DHA enriched infant formula for your baby.

Your baby’s brain contains Omega-3 fat and most of that fat is DHA, an important building block of her rapidly developing brain.

DHA occurs naturally in breast milk, but the amount of DHA depends on the foods Mom eats. DHA is also found in a few specific foods, especially fatty fish like Atlantic salmon, as well as in DHA-enriched formulas and toddler drinks.

Enfamil A+® has a clinically proven level of DHA, a type of Omega-3 fat, to help support brain development.

* AFSSA (2010). “Opinion of the French Food Safety Agency on the update of French population reference intakes (ANCs) for fatty acids.”; FAO (2010). Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition: report of an expert consultation. Rome: 1-189; Brenna, J. T. and A. Lapillonne (2009). “Background paper on fat and fatty acid requirements during pregnancy and lactation.” Ann Nutr Metab 55(1-3): 97-122; Simopoulos, A. P., A. Leaf, et al. (1999). “Workshop on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.” J Am Coll Nutr 18(5): 487-489.
*FAO (2010). Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition: report of an expert consultation. Rome: 1-189; Brenna, J. T. and A. Lapillonne (2009). "Background paper on fat and fatty acid requirements during pregnancy and lactation." Ann Nutr Metab 55(1-3): 97-122
† Reference: Health Canada. Prenatal Nutrition Guidelines for Health Professionals - Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Available at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/nutrition/omega3-eng

Article

Omega-3 Benefits: What is DHA?

Article

The Benefits of Prenatal DHA: How Much DHA is Necessary?

Article

DHA for Brain and Eyesight Development in Infants

What is DHA?

DHA (the acronym for docosahexaenoic acid) is a type of Omega-3 fat. DHA is found in a few specific foods and occurs naturally in breast milk, but the amount depends on the foods Mom eats. It is also contained in DHA-enriched infant formulas and toddler drinks.

Take our DHA Quiz & receive a $5 coupon!

DHA Enriched Formulas

Enfamil® offers a full line of infant formulas with the same level of DHA as clinically proven Enfamil A+. DHA-enriched infant formulas offer an easy way to add DHA benefits to your child's diet.

In fact, 9 out of 10 doctors agree that DHA-enriched nutrition is a practical way to support normal brain development in children under the age of 3. The maker of Enfamil also offers Enfagrow A+® Toddler Drinks containing DHA.

Watch more videos

Babies get DHA from their mother in the womb and, after birth, breastfed babies get DHA from their mother's breast milk, but the amount depends on the foods Mom eats.

DHA is found in relatively few foods, and the highest levels are in fatty fish. If you’re breastfeeding exclusively, Health Canada recommends that you eat at least two 75 g (2.5 oz) servings of cooked fish per week. But not all fish contain the same amounts of DHA. Atlantic salmon, on average, provides about 5 times more DHA per serving than sole. So, if you eat less than 2-3 servings of fatty fish (150 g – 225 g/week), it is likely your baby won’t get enough DHA. Experts recommend* pregnant or breast-feeding Moms should consume at least 200 mg of DHA per day.

Other Omega-3 fats are found in foods like flaxseed and walnuts, but only a small amount of these fats are converted to DHA when eaten. As you can see, it’s not always easy for your baby to get the DHA that helps nourish her brain. If you have trouble getting enough DHA through your diet, talk to your doctor about taking a DHA supplement.

*FAO (2010). Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition: report of an expert consultation. Rome: 1-189; Brenna, J. T. and A. Lapillonne (2009). "Background paper on fat and fatty acid requirements during pregnancy and lactation." Ann Nutr Metab 55(1-3): 97-122 †Koletzko B et al. J Perinat. Med. 2008;36:5-14.

Sources:
1. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list. Accessed October 2013.
2.www.burnbraefarms.com/consumer/index.htm. Accessed October 2013.

DHA-enriched infant formulas, used occasionally or exclusively to breastfeeding, are an easy way to give your baby DHA. In fact, 9 out of 10 doctors who would feed infant formula to their own children would use a DHA-enriched formula.

Enfamil A+ is the #1 pediatrician-recommended formula brand and also has a clinically proven level of DHA.

Your toddler may not be eating enough DHA-rich foods.

An international expert group* recommends that toddlers have 100 mg/day of DHA. And while there are food sources for DHA, these are foods most toddlers don’t—or won’t—regularly eat, such as Atlantic salmon and mackerel.

DHA-enriched infant formulas and toddler drinks offer an easy way to add DHA to your child’s diet. In fact, 9 out of 10 doctors agree that DHA-enriched nutrition is a practical way to support normal brain development in children under the age of 3.

* European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats, including saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol. EFSA Journal 2010; 8(3):1461. For babies aged 7-24 months.

Previous Next

Choosing a Formula with DHA

When feeding formula to your baby, DHA-enriched formulas are a great way to get him the DHA he needs.

Enfamil A+ is the #1 formula chosen by pediatric hospitals, and has a clinically proven level of DHA.

Join My Family Beginnings^TM by Enfamil A+

How Do I Choose A Formula?

Not all DHA formulas contain the same amount of DHA. Look on the list of ingredients for DHA, which will be listed by its full name, docosahexaenoic acid. Experts recommend† that infant formula contains between 0.2%-0.5% of total fatty acids (approximately 7.2 to 18 mg of DHA per 100 mL).

Enfamil® offers a full line of infant formulas and toddler drinks with DHA to meet your baby’s development needs.
†Koletzko B et al. J Perinat. Med. 2008;36:5-14

Watch more videos

Healthy Recipes for Pregnancy
Recipes for Toddlers

Pregnant and breastfeeding Moms should learn about DHA benefits and include it with other important nutrients in their diet, to build a strong foundation for their rapidly growing baby's development.

Find Healthy Recipes

Recipe

Slow Baked Salmon with tomato, orange and basil sauce

Recipe

French Toast with yogurt and fruit topping

Recipe

Salmon Roll-Up Snacks

You may find it difficult to get your toddler to eat DHA-rich foods like fatty fish. These simple kid-friendly recipes make it easy to add DHA to your toddler’s diet to help your toddler get the balanced nutrition needed for healthy development.

You may not be able to decide what’s more fun—cooking or eating all these scrumptious meals.

Find Healthy Recipes

Video

Feeding Your Toddler

Video

Healthy Snack Ideas for Toddlers

Recipe

Banana Muffins

Previous Next

Take our DHA Quiz and Receive a $5 off Enfamil A+ Coupon!

Now that you’ve learned all about DHA and its benefits, test your knowledge.

DHA Benefits

DHA Benefits for Babies and Toddlers

What are the Benefits of DHA

Because 85% of brain growth is complete by age 3.

DHA Benefits Your Baby’s Brain