<s>[INST] Hi, I am very glad to say that god has gifted a boy baby to me.I am living in Bangalore.Now my baby is 4 - 5 months old.As I have joined my work after maternity leave, upto now I am giving Dexolac Stage 1 milk powder.Now he enters 4th month and neighbours are saying various powders like nestum,ceralac,etc...Kindly guide me which one should i give and there are also many flavours...please suggest me which one and which flavour can i give to my baby and also for furthur months also which flavours can i give? [/INST] Let me first mention that breast milk is the best food for a baby and there can be no alternatives for the same. If feasible, you can express your breast milk and store it in the wall of your refrigerator door so that it can be brought to room temperature later and given to your child while you are not there. Most formula milks are cow milk based and hence hard for the child to digest. If breast milk cannot be procured, any baby formula would do, and I would not place any preference. Carla or nestum are not milk substitutes. They are cereal based and are supposed to be started after weaning the baby to semi solids at 6 months of age. Early weaning can be done at 4-5 months, and it is not totally objectionable. But if you boil rice together with pulses and vegetables and give it in the mashed form to your child, it will be equally nutritious if not more, and I would definitely prefer this to the formula. Flavors are for taste and are just a matter of personal preference and nothing else. I would prefer rice based formula (like nestum rice or Carla rice) compared to wheat based formula (plain Carla). </s>