A. If you are already using cow milk formula, LittleOak may be a suitable alternative for your little one. In fact, new research supports what we have long known: goat milk formulas are not only a beautiful, nourishing option for children, but may also offer benefits for digestion and infant gut health compared to cow milk formulas.  

Specifically, goat milk oligosaccharides (prebiotics) more closely resemble human breast milk oligosaccharides than cow or sheep milk. They also encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus. These good bacteria help protect the gut, support the immune system, aid digestion, and may lower the risk of allergies, eczema, and other skin conditions. In addition, little ones who are constipated on cow’s milk may benefit from switching to goat’s milk. 

Learn more about the beautiful benefits of goat milk in this new research paper which draws from over 50 studies and highlights strong scientific evidence supporting goat milk formulas and their nutritional benefits over cow milk formulas.

A. There are so many reasons we fell in love with the goodness of whole goat milk. Goat milk naturally contains the protein A2, which is gentler on little tummies. It also has lower levels of lactose than cow’s milk, making it easier to digest, and is high in naturally occurring probiotics to support overall health.

A. Most goat milk formulas use 25-30% skimmed goat milk. In contrast, LittleOak contains more than 40% whole goat milk, meaning more high-quality natural nutrition for your baby to help them grow and thrive – just as nature intended.

A. Lactose is a milk sugar, providing energy to support growth. Goat milk has lower levels of lactose than cow milk making it more gentle on little tummies. However LittleOak is not suitable for children with a diagnosed milk protein allergy.

A. Whey and casein are the proteins found in goat milk. The whey to casein ratio for all LittleOak products sits at around 20:80, which is the natural ratio for our goat milk. Goat milk has been scientifically proven to be more easily digested when consumed in its natural balance of whey to casein which is why we fell in love with it – for its natural goodness.

A. We know it can be hard to see your little one experiencing any discomfort, including tummy troubles. The good news is that goat milk is generally easier for babies to digest, and there’s several reasons for this. Goat milk has smaller, easier to digest fat globules, and is lower in lactose than cow milk, making it significantly more gentle on little tummies. Goat milk also naturally contains only A2 casein protein, so it is less inflammatory than cow milk. Lastly, goat milk has better bioavailability of key nutrients such as iron and magnesium and is a rich source of oligosaccharides, or prebiotics, that assist digestion.

When transitioning to LittleOak from breast milk or another formula brand, your bub may experience some gas or constipation. This is generally temporary and will usually subside within two weeks, once their little tummy has adjusted. We find a slow transition can help alleviate some of these symptoms, and we’re absolutely here to support you through this process. You can check out our Transition Guide or contact our Careline Team with any questions, we’re always
here to help.  

A. Most formulas are made by first heating the milk to create a milk powder, then adding in water to turn it back into liquid, then heating it again to blend it into formula. However we don’t do this at LittleOak, because we know the more you heat any food, the more you deplete the natural nutrients. Instead, we have halved the heating process with our new From Fresh approach. We start with delicious fresh goat milk from our farm in New Zealand and only add heat once to our formulas which means we preserve all its natural goodness.

A. While most of the whole goat milk we use is farmed using organic practices, our formulas are not certified organic. It’s quite a process to become an organically certified farm, which is why many of the farms that we source our milk from choose not to pursue certification.
Rest assured, all of our ingredients are as naturally and sustainably sourced as possible, including omega fatty acids DHA and ARA from algae and our cold-pressed flaxseed oil from the South Island in New Zealand.

A: DHA and ARA are omega fatty acids beneficial for babies’ development. We source our DHA and ARA from the most natural algae sources.

You may have noticed a slight change to our ingredient list, but we haven’t changed our formulation. Instead, we have had to comply with new labelling regulations from Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), our local government regulatory body here in New Zealand. The new labelling regulations came into effect on 25 February 2024 and requires ingredients with allergens used in its production, such as milk, to be declared in the ingredient list when they are present. This is a change from previous regulations where an allergen declaration after the ingredient list was all that was required, and this is why you are seeing these differences in the ingredient list.

That’s why sodium caseinate is now on our ingredient list. Sodium caseinate is part of our ARA Powder (which is sourced sustainably from algal). Sodium caseinate is sourced from milk and is used in our ARA in tiny amounts to encapsulate the ARA oil to protect it and keep it stable.

A. At LittleOak, we use cold-pressed coconut and flaxseed oils to deliver the majority of our fatty acids. Manufacturers can decide to use high quality oils like coconut oil and flaxseed oil or mass-produced and cheaper oils including canola and palm oil. Importantly our oils are pressed and do not use any chemicals or solvents, like hexane, to extract the oil from the plant husk.

A. We are the first infant formula in the world to be certified 100% Palm Oil Free by Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP). Palm oil inhibits the absorption of calcium, fats and DHA in babies so for us there was no question that we needed to use alternative, higher quality oils to provide the fatty acid profile in our products. Instead of palm oil, we use cold-pressed coconut oil and blend this with cold-pressed flaxseed oil and sunflower oil.

A. We are the first formula company in the world to use cold-pressed flaxseed oil instead of canola oil.

When making formulas, manufacturers can decide to use high quality oils like coconut oil and flaxseed oil or moremass-produced and cheaper oils including canola and palm oil.

At LittleOak, we use cold-pressed coconut and flaxseed oils to deliver the majority of the fatty acids in our formulas. In addition, we must utilise sunflower oil because it delivers essential oleic and linoleic fatty acids.

A. Our beautiful cold-pressed flaxseed oil is from New Zealand’s South Island, while our coconut and sunflower oil is sourced from a number of other countries.

A. Our recommended age brackets are based on the nutritional requirements for different stages of growth:

Stage 1 - 0-6 months of age

Stage 2 – 6-12 months of age

Toddler Drink – From 12 months of age

However, should you choose or need to, Stage 1 Infant Formula is also fine to continue using up to 12 months of age.

A. It is important to transition slowly from breastfeeding to LittleOak or from a different brand of formula to LittleOak. Changing food source too quickly can cause your baby discomfort to their immature digestive system. Our qualified team are here to help, support and guide you around the best transition plan that suits you and your little one. Download the LittleOak transition guide below.

LittleOak Transition Guide

A. As it is from a milk source, it is not recommended to freeze the formula powder.

A. We recommend using the formula powder within 30 days of opening, but it can last up to 60 days if stored correctly (in a cool, dry cupboard away from excessive heat) and the formula scoop is handled appropriately (no moisture).

A. To prepare LittleOak formula on a Baby Brezza machine, the best setting is number 5. However, the Baby Brezza settings change with different models. Please check the Baby Brezza website for the correct settings.

A. We are proud to do our part to help Mums and Dads with multiples in the little way we can. We offer a 20 percent discount to support parents of twins, triplets (or more). Reach out to our Careline team before placing your order and we'll set this discount up for you.

A. Please contact us immediately if you’ve noticed you have made an error when placing your order. On some occasions, if we can intercept the order within the first hour, we may be able to make the necessary changes. However, on most occasions we cannot make changes if your order has already been dispatched.

Estimated Delivery Times

Standard: 2-5 business days

Express: 1-2 business days

Our United States based warehouse partner operates on business days only. 

All orders placed before 11:30am (Central Standard Time) on any business day, will be dispatched the same business day.  Orders outside of this will be dispatched the following business day.

Our transport partners operate on business days only, 7am – 7pm (Central Standard Time). They do not operate on weekends or public holidays.

Please contact us immediately if you’ve noticed you have made a mistake when ordering, on some occasions if we can intercept the order within the first hour we may be able to make the necessary changes.

*For consumers based in Hawaii or Alaska, please allow additional time for your order to arrive.

LittleOak Toddler Drink is milked and made in New Zealand, packaged and shipping from within the United States.

We have been absolutely overwhelmed with the support we have received since we announced we would be voluntarily stopping supply of our Stage 1 and Stage 2 products to U.S. families via our global online channel, at the request of the US Food and Drug Administration.

We would like to thank everyone for their kindness and understanding during this incredibly difficult time. We have been blown away by the level of support we have received and consider ourselves extremely blessed to have such a wonderful community behind us.

To recap, American families sought out LittleOak during the infant formula crisis and since then have been buying our product via our LittleOak website. And while the FDA technically do not have jurisdiction over where or how our American families buy formula, they have asked us to cease this distribution channel while we undertake our FDA pre-market approval.

This was not a decision that we made lightly but is one that we respect and will mean it will allow us to serve more US families over the long-term.

Understandably there some things that we would like to clarify to put all families at ease:

We've answered the key questions from our families below.

No, this does not affect any other market other than the USA. We continue to sell and serve families with no issue or interruption in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. LittleOak has been nourishing children for many years and feeds millions of infant and babies across the globe each and every day, and will continue to do so.

Absolutely not. This is not a safety or quality issue, but rather part of a USA regulatory process we must abide by, specifically in relation to compliant labelling, and one that we voluntarily agreed to. LittleOak is proudly manufactured in New Zealand to the highest production and quality standards anywhere in the world, and meets all nutritional and regulatory guidelines required in all markets in which we serve.

The FDA mention there are two ingredients they are reviewing - fresh whole goat milk and flaxseed oil. These are two wonderful and nourishing components of our formula that have been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested and approved for use by other governments around the word including Australia and New Zealand, but not in the US.

We are proud to be the first and only formula company in the world to use these ingredients and will never compromise on our quality of our ingredients or processes, or change our formulation, no matter what.

As part of our FDA approval process, these two innovations will be reviewed, and we hope to be approved so that American families have access to much better and much more natural formula, like millions of other families are afforded around the world.

Yes. This product is for children aged 12 months plus and therefore does not require the same FDA approval as our infant formula products. As such, supply of our Stage 3 Toddler Drink product continues as usual.

It’s also full steam ahead on our efforts to secure FDA pre-market approval so we can get back to what we do best – nourishing little ones with the most natural formula available on the market.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please get in contact with our Consumer Care team. We are always here.