What is Holle Stage 3?
Holle Stage 3 is a German organic follow-on formula for babies from about 10 months to their first birthday, made from Demeter biodynamic skimmed milk. This listing is one 600 g box, which makes about 136 fl oz of prepared formula — roughly twenty-seven 5 oz bottles.
It carries the same dual certification as the rest of Holle's German line: EU Organic and Demeter biodynamic. Demeter is a stricter, whole-farm standard sitting on top of organic, and Holle is the only brand in this catalogue that holds it. At a stage where a lot of parents start buying on price, it is the one thing that genuinely separates this box from a cheaper EU-Organic-only follow-on.
A straight answer to the question underneath this one: by 10 months, formula is a complement to a varied diet of solid food, not your baby's main source of nutrition. Stage 3 is a convenient, fortified milk drink for the last stretch of the first year, not something a baby eating well must have. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling.
Where it sits in the feeding journey: Stage 3 follows Holle Stage 2 at around 10 months. From about 12 months you can move to Holle Stage 4, the growing-up milk, or to cow's milk on your doctor's advice. Like the rest of the German line, it uses maltodextrin and starch alongside lactose — normal for a follow-on milk at this age, and worth knowing before you compare panels.
10–12 moFollow-on formula
600 gOne box
~136 fl oz≈ 27 × 5 oz bottles
GermanyDemeter biodynamic milk
What is Holle Stage 3 made of?
Holle Stage 3 is built on Demeter biodynamic skimmed milk and a whey product, organic vegetable oils, a carbohydrate blend of maltodextrin, starch and lactose, and DHA from fish oil — plus vitamins A, C, D and E and a mineral premix suited to a baby approaching their first birthday.
| Ingredient | What it is there for |
|---|---|
| Demeter biodynamic skimmed milk | The protein and calcium base, from farms certified to the Demeter biodynamic standard. |
| Whey product | Keeps the protein profile appropriate for a baby in the last months of the first year. |
| Maltodextrin, starch and lactose | The carbohydrate blend. Starch makes the bottle thicker and more filling than a first infant formula. |
| Organic vegetable oils | Palm, rapeseed and sunflower oil supply fat and essential fatty acids. |
| Fish oil | The DHA source — an omega-3 for brain and eye development. This is not a vegetarian formula. |
| Vitamin and mineral premix | Vitamins A, C, D and E plus the mineral blend for this stage. |
The box declares milk and fish oil as allergens. If there is a fish allergy in the family, that is the line to read before you buy.
The vegetable oil blend contains palm oil, as it does in almost every European follow-on formula.
Holle prints a full nutrition panel on the side of every box. We have not reproduced per-100ml figures in this description because we only publish numbers we have checked against a current box — read the panel on the box you receive, and get in touch if anything on it does not match what you expected.
What does Demeter biodynamic certification actually mean?
Demeter is a farming certificate that sits on top of EU Organic rather than replacing it. EU Organic mostly sets out what a farm may not use — no synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertiliser, no GMO feed. Demeter adds rules about how the whole farm has to work: it must run as a closed cycle, growing its own fodder, composting its own manure back into its own soil, and keeping no more animals than that land can feed. Holle is the only brand in this catalogue that carries Demeter certification — HiPP, Kendamil and Aptamil are all EU Organic only.
In plain terms: an organic farm can buy in organic feed and organic fertiliser from somewhere else and still be organic. A Demeter biodynamic farm has to close that loop itself. The grass the cows eat is grown on the same land their manure is composted back into, and the size of the herd is capped by how much that land can actually support. Demeter also sets animal welfare conditions that go beyond the EU organic minimum.
Holle has been working this way for a long time. The company was founded in Switzerland in 1933, took the world's first Demeter processing contract in 1951, and moved its whole infant formula range onto full Demeter quality in 2009. The formula itself is manufactured in Germany. This is not a badge Holle added recently for marketing — it is the reason the company exists in the shape it does.
Demeter biodynamic
The farm runs as one closed cycle
- Fodder grown on the farm itself
- Manure composted back into the same soil
- Herd size limited to the land that feeds it
Whole-farm standard, not just an input ban
Organic only
A list of inputs the farm may not use
- Feed and fertiliser may be bought in
- Rules cover what is not used
- No closed farm cycle required
Meets the organic rules, no cycle required
Both figures are schematic drawings of how the two farming systems are organised. They are illustrations of the standards, not photographs, maps or scale drawings of any particular farm. Demeter certifies the farm and the milk it produces; the vitamins, minerals and oils that EU law requires every infant formula to contain are added during manufacture, exactly as they are for every other brand.
What is not in Holle Stage 3?
No corn syrup, no added table sugar, no soy, no gluten, no GMO ingredients and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The carbohydrate comes from lactose, maltodextrin and starch rather than from added sugars.
- No corn syrup
- No added sugar
- Soy free
- Gluten free
- Non-GMO ingredients
- No artificial additives
Being straight about what is in the box: like every follow-on milk in Holle's German line, Stage 3 uses maltodextrin and starch alongside lactose, the oil blend contains palm oil, and the DHA comes from fish oil. None of that is unusual at this stage, and none of it should be a surprise you find on the panel after the box arrives.
How does Holle Stage 3 compare to HiPP Stage 3 (German) and Holle Stage 4?
Holle Stage 3 and HiPP Stage 3 are both German 600 g follow-on boxes from 10 months. Holle carries a Demeter certificate HiPP does not; HiPP carries a prebiotic and a live culture Holle does not. Holle Stage 4 is the same 600 g box, same Demeter milk, for babies who have passed 12 months.
| Stage 3 · 10–12 months | Holle Stage 3 | HiPP Stage 3 (German) | Holle Stage 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | EU Organic + Demeter | EU Organic | EU Organic + Demeter |
| Age on the box | From 10 months | From 10 months | From 12 months |
| Milk base | Skimmed milk + whey | Skimmed milk + whey | Skimmed milk + whey |
| Carbohydrate | Lactose, maltodextrin + starch | Lactose, GOS + starch | Lactose, maltodextrin + starch |
| Palm oil | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DHA source | Fish oil | Fish oil | See product page |
| Prebiotic / probiotic | None | GOS + live cultures | None |
| Pack size | 600 g box | 600 g box | 600 g box |
Being straight with you: HiPP Stage 3 is the box with the extras — a GOS prebiotic and a live culture, neither of which Holle adds at any stage of any line — and we stock it. For once the pack sizes make this easy: all three boxes here are 600 g, so the shelf prices compare directly without any per-ounce arithmetic. What Holle has that HiPP does not is Demeter on the milk. One more honest note, because it is the question most parents are really asking at 10 months: a follow-on formula at this age is a fortified milk drink alongside meals, not a nutritional requirement. If your baby is eating a varied diet, this box is a convenience and a top-up. Buy it for the Demeter milk and the convenience, not because you have been told your baby needs it. If your baby has already passed twelve months, Holle Stage 4 is the right box instead.
How many boxes of formula will my baby need per month?
One 600 g box of Holle Stage 3 makes about 136 fl oz of prepared formula — roughly twenty-seven 5 oz bottles. Most babies between 10 and 12 months are down to two milk feeds a day, around 10 fl oz, which comes to about 300 fl oz a month, or a little over two boxes. A baby still taking three bottles a day will get through three to three and a half.
The arithmetic, so you can redo it with your own baby's numbers: boxes per month = (fl oz per day × 30) ÷ 136. Two 5 oz bottles a day is 300 fl oz a month, which is 2.2 boxes. Three bottles a day is 450 fl oz, which is 3.3 boxes.
You may see a figure quoted elsewhere of 30 to 35 bottles from one box of this formula. We have not repeated it here, because it does not reconcile with a 600 g box at any sensible bottle size, and we would rather show you the working than pass on a number we cannot make add up. Use the yield above and the arithmetic in this section.
This is also the stage where the number stops being predictable at all. Two babies of the same age eating different amounts of solid food can be a whole box a month apart. Treat this as a budgeting range, never as a target to hit.
Estimates for a baby whose milk feeds all come from formula. Every baby feeds differently — use these for planning, not as a target.
How do you prepare Holle Stage 3?
Boil fresh water and let it cool to about 122°F (50°C), pour the measured water into a clean, sterilised bottle or cup first, then add the number of level scoops the feeding chart on your box gives for that amount of water, shake until no powder is left, cool to a comfortable drinking temperature, test it and serve within the hour.
122°F / 50°CWater temperature
See the boxScoops per bottle by age
3–4 weeksUse an opened box within
1 hourDiscard after feeding starts
1
Sterilise everything
Wash your hands, then sterilise the bottle, teat, collar and cap before you start. Do this for every single feed.
2
Boil and cool the water
Boil fresh drinking water and let it cool to about 122°F (50°C) — the temperature Holle prints on the box.
3
Water into the bottle first
Pour the measured water into the sterilised bottle before any powder goes in. Never the other way round.
4
Add level scoops
Add the number of level scoops the feeding chart on your box gives for that amount of water, levelling each one with the built-in leveller.
5
Cap and shake
Cap the bottle and shake or swirl until no powder is left clinging to the sides or sitting at the bottom.
6
Cool, test, feed
Stand the bottle in a bowl of warm water if it needs warming, test a drop on the inside of your wrist, and feed within one hour.
Always follow the feeding chart printed on your box, and never add extra powder or extra water. Do not use artificially softened water, bottled mineral water high in sodium, or water that has been boiled more than once. Make a fresh bottle for every feed, never reheat a bottle, never use a microwave, and throw away anything left one hour after your baby starts drinking.
A note on water temperature. Holle specifies water at about 50°C for this formula, and that is the instruction printed on your box. 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.
A note on water temperature. Holle specifies water at about 50°C for this formula, and that is the instruction printed on your box. 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
Holle Stage 3 is a follow-on formula for babies from 10 months and is not suitable for younger babies. It is made from cow's milk and is not suitable for a baby with a diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy, and the box declares fish oil as an allergen. At this age formula complements a varied diet of solid food — it does not replace one. Never dilute or concentrate the powder. Breastfeeding is best for your baby — talk to your health visitor or doctor before starting or changing a formula.
Store the box in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Once opened, use within three to four weeks and keep the inner bag folded closed between feeds. Never reheat or microwave prepared formula.
Packaging & pack size
Holle's German range is sold in a cardboard carton, not a metal tin — this one is a 600 g box with the powder sealed inside a foil bag and a scoop included. Cartons can pick up corner knocks in transit. What matters is the inner foil bag: as long as it is sealed and the powder inside is dry and loose, the formula is unaffected.
Holle Stage 3: frequently asked questions
What age is Holle Stage 3 for?
Holle Stage 3 is a follow-on formula for babies from about 10 months to their first birthday. It is not suitable for a younger baby, who needs Stage 1, PRE or Stage 2 depending on age. From around 12 months you can move to Holle Stage 4, the growing-up milk, or to cow's milk on your doctor's advice.
Does my baby actually need a Stage 3 formula?
Not necessarily. By 10 months a baby eating a varied diet of solid food is getting most of their nutrition from meals, and follow-on formula is a fortified milk drink alongside those meals rather than a requirement. Plenty of families use it for convenience and for the extra iron and vitamins; plenty of others do not. Your health visitor or doctor is the right person to ask about your own baby.
Is Holle Stage 3 Demeter certified?
Yes. Holle Stage 3 is both EU Organic certified and Demeter biodynamic certified, like the rest of Holle's German cow-milk range. Demeter is a whole-farm standard layered on top of organic: the farm grows its own fodder, composts its own manure back into its own soil, keeps no more animals than the land can support, and uses no synthetic fertiliser or pesticide at all.
Does Holle Stage 3 contain maltodextrin and starch?
Yes. Holle Stage 3 uses maltodextrin, starch and lactose together as its carbohydrate blend. Starch is what makes a follow-on bottle thicker and more filling than a first infant formula, and it is standard across European follow-on milks at this age rather than something specific to Holle. The box also contains palm oil in its organic vegetable oil blend.
Where does the DHA in Holle Stage 3 come from?
The DHA in Holle Stage 3 comes from fish oil, which means it is not a vegetarian formula, and the box declares fish oil alongside milk as an allergen. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that supports brain and eye development. If there is a fish allergy in your family, read the allergen line on the box before you buy.
What comes after Holle Stage 3?
Holle Stage 4, the growing-up milk, is the next box in the same German line and is labelled from 12 months. It comes in the same 600 g box and carries the same EU Organic and Demeter certification. Some families move to plain cow's milk at a year instead. Both are reasonable, and it is worth asking your doctor or health visitor which suits your baby's diet.
How many 600 g boxes of Holle Stage 3 will I need per month?
A 600 g box makes about 136 fl oz of prepared formula. A baby on two 5 oz bottles a day drinks around 300 fl oz a month, which is a little over two boxes. A baby still taking three bottles a day will use three to three and a half. The figure varies more at this stage than any other, because it depends almost entirely on how much solid food your baby is eating.
Related formulas at Bonpek Baby
- Holle Stage 4 (German)The growing-up milk from 12 months, in the same 600 g box with the same Demeter milk.
- Holle Stage 2 (German)The follow-on box that comes before this one, for 6 to 10 months.
- HiPP Stage 3 (German)The same-size 600 g rival, with a GOS prebiotic and live cultures Holle does not add.
- Holle Goat Stage 3The goat milk formula in Holle's range covering the same part of the first year.
- HiPP Comfort (German)A specialist formula for persistent colic or constipation, on a doctor's advice.
- All baby formulasBrowse every European formula we stock, by brand and stage.
Why parents buy from Bonpek Baby
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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.
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