Baby's Only Discontinued: The Best Plant-Based Alternative

Quick Answer

Baby's Only Organic Pea Protein Toddler Formula is permanently discontinued, and Sprout Organic Toddler Drink is the healthier plant-based alternative. Sprout combines pea and brown rice protein to create a complete protein that mimics the nutritional value of dairy or breastmilk. It is low in sugar, 100% vegan certified, and contains DHA and probiotics to promote gut health. Sprout is available in the U.S. online through Grow Organic Baby, the exclusive U.S. distributor.

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What Happened to Baby's Only Pea Protein?

Nature's One, the company behind the Baby's Only range, was acquired by Bobbie in July 2023. The Baby's Only Organic Pea Protein Toddler Formula was subsequently discontinued and is no longer manufactured.

For a lot of families this landed abruptly. Baby's Only Pea Protein had been one of very few widely stocked plant-based toddler options in the U.S., and parents who had built a feeding routine around it were left searching for a replacement with no obvious shelf equivalent.

The brand still has a large online footprint, so listings and reviews continue to surface in search long after the product itself went away. This comparison is for parents who arrive at one of those listings and need to know what to move to.

Key Takeaways

• Baby's Only Organic Pea Protein Toddler Formula is discontinued. Any remaining stock at third-party sellers is old inventory, so check expiry dates carefully before buying.
• Sprout delivers more than three times the protein per serving. 6.6g against 2g, from two complementary plant proteins creating a complete protein profile that mimics the nutritional value of dairy or breast milk.
• Sprout is low in sugar. Baby's Only had 5g of sugar per serving against Sprout's 1.5g, and brown rice syrup was the first ingredient on its label.
• Sprout adds DHA, prebiotics and probiotics. Baby's Only Pea Protein did not contain any of those 3 ingredients.
• Only Sprout is vegan certified. Baby's Only used lanolin-derived vitamin D3, sourced from sheep's wool, which made it vegetarian rather than vegan.

Sprout Organic Toddler Drink vs Baby's Only Pea Protein

Below we list the key choice factors to enable a detailed comparison between Sprout Toddler Drink and the discontinued Baby's Only Organic Pea Protein Toddler Drink.

Protein Source

Sprout contains more than three times the protein per serving and blends organic pea protein with organic brown rice protein to create a complete amino acid profile.

Baby's Only relied on a single source, organic pea protein concentrate, making it low in methionine. That is a real nutritional gap, because a toddler's body cannot fully absorb or utilise the other amino acids in pea protein as effectively without it.

Sprout combines pea and rice protein precisely because rice is rich in methionine, creating a complete protein that mimics the nutritional value of dairy or breastmilk.

Carbohydrate

This is where the two products diverge most sharply, and it is the single strongest reason that Sprout Toddler is a healthier option.

Brown rice syrup was the first listed ingredient on Baby's Only Pea Protein, meaning it made up more of the product by weight than anything else, including the pea protein itself. Brown rice syrup provides rapid, fast-acting glucose absorption.

The complex rice dextrin in Sprout Organic digests more slowly, providing your toddler with steady, sustained energy rather than a spike and a crash.

Baby's Only derived over half of its total carbohydrate from sugars, 5g out of 9g, which served as the primary source of calories and flavor. Sprout Organic contains very little sugar, 1.5g out of 20g, making it a low-glycemic option that will not cause drastic blood sugar spikes.

If reducing added sugars is the reason you were looking at plant-based options in the first place, this is the comparison that matters most. We cover the wider picture in our guide to avoiding added sugars in US baby formula.

Micronutrients and Fortification

Sprout directly fortifies its formula with plant-based algae oil to provide immediate DHA for brain and eye development, 13mg per serving. Baby's Only chose not to add pre-formed DHA at all.

Sprout also carries double the iron per serving, 3mg against 1.5mg, alongside 15mg of vitamin C against 10mg. Vitamin C is included with iron because it aids iron absorption.

Sprout actively fortifies its blend with a plant-based prebiotic and probiotic to assist sensitive toddler tummies with digestion. Baby's Only contained no added pre or probiotics.

Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that populate your toddler's large intestine, and keeping that population well established helps reduce gas and keep bowel movements regular.

Oils

Both avoid controversial palm oils, choosing a very similar baseline blend of plant-based oils to deliver essential fatty acids. Sprout uses organic canola, high oleic sunflower, sunflower and coconut oils.

Vegan Certified

Baby's Only was not certified vegan because its vitamin D3 was extracted from sheep's wool lanolin. That is the standard vitamin D source across most of the formula industry, and it is the single ingredient that most often stops a plant-based product from being certifiable as vegan.

Sprout uses plant-derived vitamin D and carries Vegan Australia Certification. 

Shop Plant-Based & Vegan Formula

Making the Switch

Toddlers transitioning from Baby's Only Pea Protein are switching between two plant-based products, which is generally a smoother transition than switching protein bases entirely. Even so, it is worth introducing a new formula gradually rather than all at once.

One practical difference: rice-based formulas need warmer water than dairy-based formula to dissolve properly. Sprout mixes at 4 scoops to 200ml, and the water should be at 50 to 70C when you mix, then cooled to feeding temperature. Preparing it with cool water is the most common cause of lumps.

Our guide to switching to plant-based toddler formula covers the transition in more detail.

A Note on the Can

Sprout Organic transitioned to Berdie Organic branding in the U.S. and Canada, and the can is now 800g rather than 700g. The recipe, organic certification and manufacturer are unchanged. If the can you receive looks different from the photos you remember, that is why. We explain the change in full in Sprout Organic re-branding to Berdie Organic.

If Your Baby Is Under 12 Months

Sprout Organic Toddler Drink is formulated for 12 months and up, the same age range Baby's Only Pea Protein served. If you have a younger baby, the Sprout infant product is the appropriate formulation and can be found via this link: see Sprout Plant Based Formula for 0 to 12 months.

For a wider view of what is available, our complete guide to non-dairy and vegan baby formula ranks the options, and Sprout Organic vs Soy compares Sprout against the U.S. soy formulas most parents are offered in stores for plant-based options.

Sprout Organic Vegan Infant Formula, 0 to 12 Months

Buying Sprout in the U.S.

• Exclusive U.S. distributor of Sprout. Grow Organic Baby is the only U.S. source for the range.
• All U.S. import duties, taxes and tariffs prepaid. The checkout price is the final price.
• Shipped once, directly from the manufacturer's warehouse. No third-party warehousing.
• U.S.-based customer service in Los Angeles, contactable by phone or text, with domestic returns and same-day local pickup for LA and OC formula emergencies.

Conclusion

Sprout Toddler Drink is a healthy, 100% plant-based formula made with organic rice and pea protein for clean, natural, delicious tasting complete nourishment for toddlers 12 months and up.

Baby's Only Organic Pea Protein Toddler Formula is no longer manufactured and there is no direct shelf replacement for it in the U.S. Sprout is the closest available equivalent and is superior on the key decision factors that drew parents to Baby's Only in the first place, such as the two complementary proteins instead of one, more than three times the protein per serving, a third of the sugar, added DHA and probiotics, and 100% vegan certification rather than vegetarian status.