The parents of a seven-month-old baby claim his health deteriorated and became malnourished after switching to new plant-based baby formula which had the wrong dosage labelled.

The Melbourne family turned to Coco2 – an Australian company which claimed to be ‘the world’s first coconut-based infant formula’ – after learning their little boy was lactose intolerant to cows milk.

The parents claimed their son began showing worrying symptoms a few weeks after he started on the formula. 

‘He wasn’t reaching any of his seven-month milestones, he wasn’t sitting up,’ the father told 7News.

‘He’d look sick, he’d get up, he’d drink, he’d go to sleep and then wake up again in half an hour because he’s hungry and we’d feed him again.’

By February, the baby was lethargic, losing weight and had ‘lost all his colour’.

‘His lips started to crack. He was rashing all around his nose and eyes and so we just went to the GP and he suggested some blood tests,’ the father said.

However, the tests did little to ease the family’s panic and they went to the Royal Children’s Hospital in their desperate quest for answers.

A Melbourne baby boy suffered symptoms consistent with malnutrition after using a plant-based formula

A Melbourne baby boy suffered symptoms consistent with malnutrition after using a plant-based formula

They boy's parents switched to Coco2 formula after learning he was lactose intolerant

They boy’s parents switched to Coco2 formula after learning he was lactose intolerant

Their worst fears, including blood cancer, were ruled out but doctors struggled to narrow down what was wrong.

Eventually, they recommended the family try a new formula and the baby quickly recovered. 

‘One we got off that formula, he almost improved day one,’ the father said. 

‘Our kid’s fine now, he’s OK

‘We don’t think there’s any long-term issues,’

An report from doctors at The Royal Children’s Hospital suggested the baby’s illness was likely caused by the formula.

‘The Coco formula they were previously consuming had made an error in their scoop size and was not delivering adequate nutrition per feed — this is the likely cause for their significant weight loss and malnutrition,’ the report stated.

Coco2 recently updated its serving recommendations after rectifying the error in its scoop size.

‘We’re reaching out with an important update regarding the Coco2 Baby Formula batch you purchased,’ an email to customers stated.

‘Due to natural variations in bulk density, we discovered that the included scoop holds slightly less powder than usual.’

The company recommended parents add 50 per cent more formula to their baby’s bottle. 

Coco2 has recently updated its serving recommendation to add 50 per cent more formula to each bottle (stock image)

Coco2 has recently updated its serving recommendation to add 50 per cent more formula to each bottle (stock image)

‘This adjustment is simply to ensure that your baby receives the proper serving size and all the nutrients they need,’ it said.

‘We sincerely apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.’

A sticker with the updated serving recommendation has also been added to in.

Coco2 has assured that its formula is safe after the company launched an internal investigation into its manufacturing and compliance teams.

‘There have been no medically confirmed reports of babies becoming seriously ill due to Coco2 formula,’ it said.

‘Coco2 was developed by infant nutrition specialists and remains unchanged and safe when used as directed.’ 

The company also insisted a recall was not required as the issue was related to dosage rather than the formula.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coco2 for further comment.

Developed in Queensland, Coco2 was hailed as the world’s first coconut-based formula and ‘a breakthrough in plant-based nutrition for babies’ when it was launched seven months ago.

The $42 formula is described on the company website as a ‘clean, coconut-based option’ for babies with ‘milk protein allergies or sensitive tummies.’

Coco2 recently updated its serving recommendations after detecting an error in its scoop size

Coco2 recently updated its serving recommendations after detecting an error in its scoop size

It comes in three products – a stage one formula for 0-6months, the second for 6-12 months and a ‘toddler drink’ for babies aged one and over.

But the new formula prompted a warning from experts for parents to check with their GP before switching.

‘I would be waiting, as a professional, for [a] growth study to come out before I went out and recommended this formula to a family who wanted to feed that to their baby,’ paediatric allergy dietitian Ingrid Roche said.

‘Some babies have really high nutrition needs and we know (certain) formulas are good for growth for some children who have really high nutrition needs.’

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk