Holle Dutch Stage 4 is a Dutch-labelled European toddler growing-up milk for children from 12 months, made from organic cow's milk with DHA from microalgae rather than fish oil. It is EU Organic certified. Unlike Stages 1 to 3 in this line, it does not carry Demeter biodynamic certification. One 800 g tin makes about 215 fl oz — roughly 43 servings at 5 oz.
We want to be plain about that certification, because we had it wrong on this page until recently and because you will see it stated wrongly elsewhere. Holle's Dutch Stages 1, 2 and 3 carry both the EU Organic leaf and Demeter biodynamic certification. This Stage 4 tin carries EU Organic only — more than 95% of its ingredients are organically sourced, which is a real and audited standard, but the biodynamic tier stops at Stage 3. If Demeter is the reason you buy Holle, Holle Dutch Stage 3 is certified from 10 months and is the tin to stay on.
The second thing to be clear about is what this product is. Stage 4 is not infant formula. It is a toddler growing-up milk: a fortified milk drink for a child who is already eating a varied solid diet. It is not a sole source of nutrition and it is not suitable for a baby under 12 months. It goes in a bottle, a sippy cup or over cereal, and most families use it for one or two drinks a day rather than on a feeding schedule.
So why not just give plain cow's milk? For a great many toddlers, plain whole cow's milk from 12 months is perfectly fine, cheaper and simpler — and we would rather say that than sell you something you do not need. What a growing-up milk adds is fortification that plain cow's milk does not carry: 1.0 mg of iron per 100 ml, 1.6 µg of vitamin D, 74.3 mg of calcium and 13 mg of DHA. Cow's milk is naturally very low in iron and has no added vitamin D or DHA at all. That gap matters most for a picky eater, for a toddler whose iron intake from food is low, or for a child who drinks a lot of milk and eats comparatively little. If your child eats a broad diet, ask your pediatrician whether this is worth the money before you commit to it.
12+ moToddler growing-up milk
800 gOne tin · Dutch line
~215 fl oz≈ 43 × 5 oz servings
EU OrganicNot Demeter certified
Nutrition
What's in Holle Dutch Stage 4 per 100ml?
Prepared as directed, every 100 ml provides 64 kcal, 3.4 g fat, 1.3 g protein and 7.0 g carbohydrate, with 74.3 mg calcium, 1.0 mg iron, 1.6 µg vitamin D3, 1.8 mg vitamin E and 13 mg DHA from microalgae. There is no ARA at this stage — Holle includes it only in Stages 1 and 2 of this line. The iron and vitamin D are the reason to choose this over plain cow's milk.
Carbohydrate 7.0 g
Fat 3.4 g
Protein 1.3 g
Per 100ml prepared
Amount
Energy
64 kcal / 266 kJ
Fat
3.4 g
— saturated
0.9 g
— monounsaturated
1.8 g
— polyunsaturated
0.6 g
Linoleic acid (omega-6)
544 mg
Alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3)
54 mg
DHA (from microalgae)
13 mg
ARA
None at this stage
Protein
1.3 g
Carbohydrate
7.0 g
— lactose
4.6 g
— starch
0.5 g
Calcium
74.3 mg
Iron
1.0 mg
Zinc
0.48 mg
Vitamin A
56.1 µg RE
Vitamin D3
1.6 µg
Vitamin E
1.8 mg
Prebiotic
None added
Lactose and starch are itemised as the manufacturer publishes them; the balance of the 7.0 g carbohydrate total is maltodextrin, which appears in the ingredient list but is not broken out numerically on the published panel. Percentages in the chart are shares of macronutrient grams, not of energy.
Clean label
What is not in Holle Dutch Stage 4?
No fish oil, no GMO ingredients, no artificial colours and no artificial flavours, and the drink is gluten-free. More than 95% of the ingredients are organically sourced and the DHA comes from microalgae. What it does contain: palm oil in the organic vegetable oil blend, plus maltodextrin and starch in the carbohydrate. And to repeat the point from the top of this page — EU Organic yes, Demeter no.
95%+ organic ingredients
Fish-free algae DHA
No GMO ingredients
No artificial colours
No artificial flavours
Gluten-free
Comparison
How does Holle Dutch Stage 4 compare to Holle Dutch Stage 3 and HiPP Dutch Junior?
These three are not quite the same product, so read the age row first. Holle Dutch Stage 4 starts at 12 months and carries EU Organic certification only. Holle Dutch Stage 3 starts at 10 months and is the last stage in this line that is also Demeter certified. HiPP's Dutch Junior toddler milk is EU Organic, keeps a prebiotic and a live culture and has noticeably more calcium — but it is labelled from 24 months, so it is not a substitute for a one-year-old.
Toddler & late-stage milks
Holle Dutch 4
Holle Dutch 3
HiPP Dutch Junior
Suitable from
12 months
10 months
24 months
Organic certified
EU Organic only
EU Organic + Demeter
EU Organic only
Carbohydrate
Lactose + maltodextrin + starch
Lactose + maltodextrin + starch
Lactose only
DHA source
Microalgae
Microalgae
Fish oil
Prebiotic / probiotic
Neither
Neither
GOS + L. fermentum
Calcium per 100 ml
74.3 mg
60.1 mg
120 mg
Iron per 100 ml
1.0 mg
0.58 mg
1.2 mg
Palm oil
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pack size
800 g tin
800 g tin
800 g tin
Prepared yield
~215 fl oz
~205 fl oz
~256 fl oz
Being straight with you: if biodynamic certification is why you buy Holle, this is the tin that does not have it, and Holle Dutch Stage 3 — Demeter certified, suitable from 10 months — is the honest recommendation instead. On fortification, HiPP's Dutch Junior milk is the better-built toddler drink of the two: more calcium and iron per 100 ml, a lactose-only carbohydrate and a live culture. The catch is the age band — it is labelled from 24 months, not 12, so it does not replace this tin for a one-year-old. All three here are 800 g, so comparing them by price per ounce is fair, which is not true of Holle's German range where the same stages come in 400 g and 600 g boxes. And the simplest option of all, for a toddler already eating a broad diet, may be plain whole cow's milk and no growing-up milk at all.
Planning ahead
How many tins of toddler milk will my child need per month?
About 1–2 tins a month. At 12 months this is a supplement, not the meal — most toddlers have one or two milk drinks a day alongside their food, so a tin lasts far longer than it did in the first year. One 800 g tin makes about 215 fl oz of prepared drink, or around 43 servings at 5 oz, the highest yield of any stage in this line.
The step down from four or five tins a month at Stage 2 to one or two here is the single biggest change in the cost of feeding, and it happens around ten months rather than at the first birthday.
Stage 2 · 6+ months
~4–5 tins
Stage 3 · 10+ months
~1–2 tins
Stage 4 · 12+ months — this tin
~1–2 tins
Scale: 0 to 5 tins per month · lighter shading shows the upper end of each range
Estimates taken from the retailer feeding tables published for each stage, assuming one to two milk drinks a day alongside a varied solid diet. Every child is different — use these for planning, not as a target.
Preparation
How do you prepare Holle Dutch Stage 4 toddler milk?
Sterilise the bottle or cup, boil fresh water and let it cool to 40–50 °C, pour the measured water in first, then add the powder at 12.6 g per 90 ml of water — about one level scoop per 30 ml — and shake until fully dissolved. Cool to about 37 °C, test a drop on your wrist, and use within one hour of making it.
40–50 °CWater temperature
12.6 g : 90 mlMakes 100 ml prepared
≈4.2 gPer 30 ml of water
1 hourUse within, once prepared
1
Sterilise the cup
Wash your hands, then sterilise the bottle or sippy cup and its parts following the manufacturer's instructions.
2
Boil, cool to 40–50 °C
Boil fresh drinking water and let it cool to 40–50 °C, the temperature Holle specifies for this stage.
3
Water in first
Pour the measured water into the sterilised bottle or cup before you add any powder — never powder first.
4
Add level scoops
Add 12.6 g of powder per 90 ml of water, roughly one level scoop per 30 ml, levelled with a straight edge.
5
Cap and shake well
Shake until the powder has fully dissolved, with no lumps left around the base.
6
Cool, test, serve
Cool to about 37 °C, test a drop on the inside of your wrist, and use within one hour.
Never use artificially softened water, or water that has been boiled more than once. Make it fresh each time, never reheat, never microwave, and throw away anything left an hour after your child starts drinking. Milk drinks left in a bottle or cup at room temperature are not safe to keep.
A note on water temperature. Holle specifies water at 40–50 °C for this formula, and that is the instruction printed on your tin. It is set deliberately — hotter water damages the heat-sensitive vitamins this formula is built around.
Many health authorities, including the NHS and WHO, advise 70 °C or hotter for any powdered formula, because powder is not sterile and that temperature kills bacteria that can occasionally be present. The difference matters most for newborns, premature babies, and babies with weakened immunity. If your baby is in one of those groups, ask your paediatrician or health visitor which to follow for your situation.
Please read before buying
This is a toddler growing-up milk, not an infant formula. It is not suitable for a baby under 12 months and is not a sole source of nutrition — it is a drink alongside a varied solid diet. It is made from cow's milk and is not suitable for a child with a diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy. Breastfeeding is best for your baby — talk to your health visitor or doctor before starting or changing a milk.
Store the tin in a cool, dry place and keep the lid firmly closed between uses. Never reheat or microwave prepared milk.
About the certification on this tin
Holle's Dutch Stages 1, 2 and 3 carry EU Organic and Demeter biodynamic certification. This Stage 4 tin carries EU Organic only. We have corrected this listing to say so, because an inaccurate certification claim is not a small thing. If the biodynamic standard is what you are buying Holle for, Stage 3 is suitable from 10 months and carries it.
Questions parents ask
Holle Dutch Stage 4: frequently asked questions
Is Holle Dutch Stage 4 Demeter certified?
No. Holle Dutch Stage 4 carries EU Organic certification only, with more than 95% of its ingredients organically sourced. Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Dutch line do carry Demeter biodynamic certification, but it stops before this toddler stage. This page previously stated otherwise and we have corrected it. If the biodynamic tier is what you are paying for, Holle Dutch Stage 3 is suitable from 10 months and carries both certifications.
Is Holle Dutch Stage 4 organic?
Yes. It is certified to the EU Organic standard, with more than 95% of its ingredients organically sourced — the audited baseline that every organic product sold in Europe has to meet, covering no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers on the crops involved and no GMO ingredients. What it does not carry is Demeter, the stricter biodynamic farming certification that Holle's Dutch Stages 1 to 3 hold.
Does my toddler actually need growing-up milk, or is cow's milk enough?
For many toddlers, plain whole cow's milk from 12 months is perfectly adequate, cheaper and simpler. What a growing-up milk adds is fortification cow's milk does not have — iron at 1.0 mg per 100 ml, vitamin D at 1.6 µg, plus DHA and extra vitamin E. Cow's milk is naturally very low in iron, and iron is the nutrient toddlers most often fall short on, so this is worth considering for a picky eater or a child who drinks a lot of milk and eats comparatively little. Ask your pediatrician about your own child rather than assuming either way.
From what age can my child drink Holle Dutch Stage 4?
From 12 months. It is not suitable for babies under a year, and it is not designed to be a sole source of nutrition at any age — it is a milk drink to go alongside a varied diet of solid food. Most families use it for one or two drinks a day. If your child is under 12 months, Holle Dutch Stage 3 is the right product from 10 months, and Stage 2 from 6 months.
How many servings does one tin of Holle Dutch Stage 4 make?
One 800 g tin makes approximately 215 fl oz of prepared milk, which is about 43 servings at 5 oz each — the highest yield of any stage in this line, because the powder-to-water ratio is lower than it is for infant formula. At the one or two drinks a day most toddlers have, a single tin usually lasts between two weeks and a month.
Does Holle Dutch Stage 4 contain fish oil?
No. The DHA comes from microalgae oil at 13 mg per 100 ml, so there is no fish allergen in the tin and the omega-3 is plant-sourced. This carries through the whole Dutch line, from Stage 1 to Stage 4, and is a genuine difference from HiPP's Dutch range and from Holle's own German cow-milk line, both of which use fish oil. There is no ARA at this stage — Holle includes it only in Stages 1 and 2.
Can I serve it in a sippy cup or mix it into cereal?
Yes. At this age it is a milk drink rather than a feed, so a bottle, a sippy cup or an open cup all work, and it can be mixed into cereal or porridge. Whichever you use, prepare it fresh, sterilise the cup or bottle first, and use it within an hour of making it up. Do not leave a prepared drink standing at room temperature to be finished later.
What is the difference between Holle Dutch Stage 3 and Stage 4?
Age band, certification and fortification. Stage 3 is suitable from 10 months and carries both EU Organic and Demeter biodynamic certification. Stage 4 is suitable from 12 months and carries EU Organic only. Stage 4 has more calcium (74.3 mg against 60.1 mg per 100 ml) and noticeably more iron (1.0 mg against 0.58 mg), and slightly fewer calories at 64 against 67. It also makes a little more per tin, about 215 fl oz against 205.
Explore the range
Related formulas at Bonpek Baby
Holle Dutch Stage 3From 10 months, and the last stage in this line with Demeter certification.
Holle Dutch Stage 2The follow-on milk from 6 months, EU Organic and Demeter certified.
Holle Dutch Stage 1Where this line starts, from birth, with lactose as its only carbohydrate.
All baby formulasBrowse every European formula we stock, by brand and stage.
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Product information last reviewed by the Bonpek Baby team in September 2026 against the manufacturer's current published ingredient and nutrition data. Always check the label on your tin, as manufacturers reformulate from time to time.
