HiPP PRE vs Stage 1
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The answer
HiPP PRE vs Stage 1 comes down to one ingredient: starch. Both are German Bio Combiotik infant formulas for use from birth, with the same culture and prebiotic, and either can be a baby's only food or go alongside breastfeeding. PRE has lactose as its only carbohydrate. Stage 1 adds a little starch, which HiPP says makes it creamier and more filling. Neither is a step up from the other: both boxes carry the same feeding chart, from the first week onwards.
HiPP German PRE2060-02 · 600 g boxLactose as the only carbohydrate: the simpler of the two recipes.
HiPP German Stage 12031-02 · 600 g boxAdds a little starch, which HiPP says makes it creamier and more filling.Key takeaways
- PRE has lactose as its only carbohydrate; Stage 1 replaces some of that lactose with starch.
- Both are infant formula under EU law, labelled from birth, with the same culture, the same prebiotic and one scoop to every 30 ml of water.
- That Stage 1 is more filling is HiPP's description of its product, not a trial result.
- If you change from one to the other, HiPP advises doing it bottle by bottle and never mixing the two powders.
How do HiPP PRE and Stage 1 compare?
| HiPP German PRE | HiPP German Stage 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | From birth | From birth |
| Size | 600 g box | 600 g box |
| Article code | 2060-02 | 2031-02 |
| Base | Cow's milk: skimmed milk and whey | Cow's milk: skimmed milk and whey |
| Protein | 1.28 g | 1.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 7.0 g · Lactose only | 7.1 g · Lactose and starch |
| Starch | No | Yes |
| Fat | 3.6 g | 3.6 g |
| DHA | 13.2 mg | 13.4 mg |
| GOS | 0.3 g | 0.3 g |
| Combiotik | GOS + L. fermentum | GOS + L. fermentum |
| Scoop | 4.3 g per 30 ml | 4.4 g per 30 ml |
| Price at Organic Life Start, United States | $40.79 · $6.80 per 100 g | $40.79 · $6.80 per 100 g |
Nutrition from each product's panel, fetched 18 September 2026. Prices seen 15 October 2026.
What does the starch in Stage 1 change?
Stage 1 has 1.0 g of starch in every 100 ml, and 5.9 g of lactose against 6.9 g in PRE, so the starch takes the place of part of the lactose and the energy barely moves.23
EU rules let infant formula contain only pre-cooked or gelatinised starch, with a limit of max 2 g per 100 ml, 30 % of carbohydrate.4 Stage 1 sits well inside it.
HiPP describes Stage 1 as creamier and more filling, and puts both down to the starch.1
Should you choose PRE or Stage 1?
The choice is not about age. HiPP labels both boxes for use from birth and prints the same feeding chart on each, week by week into the second half of the first year.23
If you want lactose as the only carbohydrate, PRE gives you that in the German range, as the Dutch Stage 1 does in the Dutch one; if you would rather have the creamier feed HiPP describes, Stage 1 is the one with starch.5
Price does not decide it either. At milkatlas a single box of PRE costs $40.79 and one of Stage 1 costs $40.79.
Can you switch between PRE and Stage 1?
Questions parents ask
Is HiPP PRE better than Stage 1?
Neither is better in general. They are the same German Combiotik formula with one difference: PRE has lactose as its only carbohydrate, and Stage 1 adds a little starch. Both meet the same EU rules for infant formula, and HiPP labels both for use from birth, as a baby's only food or alongside breastfeeding.
Which HiPP formula has no starch?
In the German range, PRE. The Dutch Stage 1 has none either, which is why it takes the place in the Netherlands that PRE takes in Germany.
Is Stage 1 more filling than PRE?
HiPP says so: it describes Stage 1 as creamier and more filling because of the starch. That is the maker's description of its own product, not the result of a trial comparing the two formulas in babies, so treat it as a claim rather than a measured difference.
Can I keep giving HiPP PRE instead of moving to Stage 1?
Yes. Both boxes carry the same feeding chart, into the second half of the first year, so PRE never has to give way to Stage 1.
Do I prepare PRE and Stage 1 the same way?
Yes: one level scoop to 30 ml of water for both, using the scoop from the box you are feeding from, since PRE's holds 4.3 g and Stage 1's 4.4 g. HiPP prints 40 to 50 °C for the water; the WHO and CDC advise 70 °C for babies under two months, so ask your pediatrician which to follow.
Why does HiPP make two formulas from birth?
HiPP does not give a reason on its product pages. It sells both in Germany and describes the difference itself: lactose only in PRE, a little starch for a creamier feed in Stage 1.
Does the starch in HiPP Stage 1 help a baby sleep longer?
Nobody has shown that it does. HiPP's box calls Stage 1 well satiating because of its starch, which is the maker's description of its own formula; neither box mentions sleep, and we know of no trial that measured how babies sleep on Stage 1 against PRE.
Is HiPP PRE the same as the Dutch Stage 1?
On every value this site records, yes: both have lactose as their only carbohydrate, the same panel per 100 ml and a 4.3 g scoop per 30 ml. They are sold in different markets and packs, a 600 g box in Germany and an 800 g tin in the Netherlands, so use the scoop and chart from the pack in your hand.
Which is cheaper, HiPP PRE or Stage 1?
At Organic Life Start, our partner retailer, a single box of PRE costs $40.79 and a single box of Stage 1 costs $40.79, each 600 g, on prices checked 15 October 2026.
Sources
- HiPP Germany, product page for HiPP 1 Bio Combiotik how HiPP describes Stage 1 and the difference from PRE, and its advice to change formula bottle by bottle fetched 18 September 2026
- HiPP pack artwork, HiPP PRE Bio Combiotik 600 g, version 7 (May 2025) composition per 100 ml, ingredients, scoop and feeding chart fetched 18 September 2026
- HiPP pack artwork, HiPP 1 Bio Combiotik 600 g, version 8 (May 2025) composition per 100 ml, ingredients, scoop and feeding chart; the box calls it gut sättigend, well satiating, because of its mild organic starch, and like the PRE box says nothing about sleep fetched 18 September 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2016/127, Annex I section 8.6, the starch that infant formula may contain and its limit fetched 18 September 2026
- HiPP Germany, product page for HiPP PRE Bio Combiotik lactose only; for use from birth, alongside or after breastfeeding fetched 18 September 2026
- WHO/FAO, Safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula, 2007 the 70 °C guidance
- CDC, Infant formula preparation and storage 70 °C for infants under two months fetched 18 September 2026
Corrections (1)
- Corrected the answer on PRE and the Dutch Stage 1: with the Dutch values taken from HiPP's label, the two panels match per 100 ml on every value this site records; they had been described as differing in protein, fat, vitamin D and calcium.