homemade baby formula

Homemade Infant Formula - Is it safe to make homemade formula for babies?

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There are a few foods that we feel you should not make at home for your infant; one of these "foods" is Homemade Formula.

While there have been many recipes floating around the internet and spread by other sources as well, wholesmebabyfood.com will not post these recipes. We caution that you do not try to make your own homemade formula. For the non-breastfeeding infant, Infant formula is a baby's main source of nutrition while solid foods are not. There are also breastfed babies that are supplemented with formula and the nutritional balance of formula is important.

 

"Homemade formulas should not be used." says Nick Duy, assistant to the director in FDA 's division of regulatory guidance. "Homemade formulas based on whole cow's milk don't meet all of an infant's vitamin and mineral needs. In addition, the high protein content of cow's milk makes it difficult for an infant to digest and may put a strain on the baby's immature kidneys. Substituting evaporated milk for whole milk may make formula easier to digest, but it is still nutritionally inadequate when compared to commercially prepared formula. Use of soy drinks as an infant formula can actually be life-threatening (See accompanying article).".


Commercially prepared formulas are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as a food for special dietary use.

"Infant formulas are the most heavily regulated food that there is," says Wallingford.  "cow's milk protein that has not been cooked or processed is difficult for an infant to digest. In addition, the high protein and electrolyte (salt) content of cow's milk may put a strain on an infant's immature kidneys. Substituting evaporated milk for whole milk may make the homemade formula easier to digest because of the effect of processing on the protein, but the formula is still nutritionally inadequate and still may stress the kidneys."


Please also keep in mind that soy "milk" is a soy based beverage. Soy beverages are NOT milk in the traditional sense and unless fortified, do not contain proper nutrients for growing infants, toddlers and children. These beverages should NEVER be confused with soy based infant formulas and should not be given in place of infant formulas. Infant formulas are nutritionally fortified, and contain the complete sets of vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins that are necessary for infants. For more information about Soy and Rice Milks  

 

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Editor's Note:

 

We have had a few visitors email to say that we should include homemade formula recipe(s) and not "fearmonger" about the negatives of homemade infant formula.

 

It would be irresponsible of our site to make recommendations and/or offer recipes for homemade infant formula. Solid foods are known as complimentary foods; they are not meant to provide for the total nutrition of an infant. Recipes for sweet potatoes and squash for example, would not endanger the overall nutritional health because your baby's main source of nutrition is not from solid foods.  A homemade formula recipe could very well irreparably harm the health and growth of a baby.

 

During baby's first year, infant formula is a non-breastfeeding baby's main source of nutrition and may also be a complementary source of nutrition to a breastfed baby. We do not feel that it is wise to make homemade formula for this important reason. We will never post or endorse any recipe(s) that may endanger the health of an infant.

 

If you wish to make homemade baby formula for your infant, you should be aware of all the possible nutritional implications. You should consult with your pediatrician and a pediatric nutritionist. You must be absolutely certain that the homemade baby formula that you make will not endanger the health and growth of your baby.

 

Our website is not backed by any commercial entity whatsoever. We do not receive funding from, nor do we advertise for, any infant formula maker or baby food maker.

 

 

Resources & Learning More:

FDA - Breast Milk and Formula

Feeding Baby - Nature & Nurture

History of Infant Formula

 

 

 

Timeline of the Development of Commercial Infant Formula

 



Cow-milk-based formulas

1867 – Formula contained wheat flour, cow milk, malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate

1915 – Formula contained cow milk, lactose, oleo oils, and vegetable oils; powdered form

1935 – Protein content of formula considered

1959 – Iron fortification introduced

1960 – Renal solute load considered; formula as a concentrated liquid

1962 – Whey:casein ratio similar to human milk

1984 – Taurine fortification introduced

Late 1990s – Nucleotide fortification introduced

Early 2000s – Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty-acid fortification introduced

Noncow-milk-based formulas

1929 – Introduction of commercially available soy formula (soy flour)

Mid 1960s – Isolated soy protein introduced


"Human-milk substitutes existed before the modern age of formulas. Because some infants could not be fed by their mothers, humans adopted two methods for substitute feedings. The most obvious was the utilization of a surrogate mother (e.g., wet nurse), who would feed the child human milk. The alternative was to feed the child milk obtained from another mammal. The most frequently used sources were the cow, sheep, and goat (Fomon, 1993). Until the end of the nineteenth century, the use of a wet nurse was by far the safest way to feed infants who could not be breastfed by their mothers.

 

As general sanitation measures improved during the latter part of the nineteenth century, and as differences in composition between human milk and that of other mammals were defined, feeding animal milk became more successful. However few infants survived until infant formulas based on cow milk with added water and carbohydrate were introduced"

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Headlines from our Baby Food Blog

Wholesome Homemade Baby Food News & Updates

 

 

 

 

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To make or not to make homemade baby formula...

ImageSolid Foods for Baby

Useful articles and charts to help you with the fun and folly of introducing baby to solid foods.

 

Breast Milk and/or Formula are THE MOST IMPORTANT sources of nutrition for your infant up to 12 months old. Do NOT replace a nursing or bottle-feeding with a solid food meal and do not feed the solids first until your pediatrician indicates this is right for your baby.

wholesomebabyfood recipes links of interest

MORE HOMEMADE BABY FOOD RECIPES & RECIPE TOPICS

View these pages for more tips & topics on baby feeding & cooking baby foods.

 

 

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