Regardless of how adamantly you or I may suggest, persuade, or insist that breast milk is the best food for a newborn, the fact remains that about 25% of newborns in the U.S. are not breastfed and 64 % of children are receiving supplemental formula by 3 months. (From the CDC’s 2008 statistics).
Based on these numbers, nearly two-thirds of our newborns are being nourished (or not as the case may be) with synthetic food – at least in part. What I am finding in my practice, is that most moms are getting plenty of education on why they should be breastfeeding and even getting plenty of support in the hospital and beyond to make it happen. But nevertheless, many moms still come to conclusion that formula is the way to go for their little ones.
There is tons of info out there on why breast milk is ideal for babies, and you can read about The Composition of Human Milk here. I’ve written on Increasing Milk Supply, Breast Milk Substitutes, Is Formula Necessary for Underweight Babies?, and even Is Breast Always Best? But the point of this post is not to educate on the merits of breastfeeding or make formula feeding moms feel guilty.
I would like to explain why homemade formula can be far superior to any commercial formula, and how making your own formula is much easier than you may think.
In a nutshell, commercial baby formula is not an ideal food because it contains toxic ingredients and lacks essential living components that can only be created with real, unprocessed foods. These commercial formulas tend to grow babies with far more allergies, eczema, asthma, and behavioral and developmental issues all of which can lead to more severe health conditions in adults. I see this day in and day out in my practice. Thankfully, there are alternatives to both breast milk and commercial formula that provide a happy medium between the two extremes.
The Problems with Commercial Baby Formula
The key to understanding why it is so important to bother making your own baby’s formula is reading the labels of the commercial stuff. Please bear with me. I promise we will get to alternatives, but I’m going to start by showing you the ingredients in one of the top organic baby formulas on the market:
Organic Reduced Minerals Whey, Organic Non-Fat Milk, Organic Lactose, Organic Glucose Syrup Solids, Organic Palm Oil Or Organic Palm Olein, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic High Oleic (Safflower Or Sunflower Oil), Organic Soy Oil, Organic Whey Protein Concentrate. And Less Than 1%: Crypthecodinium Cohnii Oil (Docosahexaenoic Acid), Mortierella Alpina Oil (Arachidonic Acid), Soy Lecithin, Minerals: (Calcium Chloride, Calcium Hydroxide, Cupric Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Bicarbonate, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Selenite, Zinc Sulfate), Taurine, Vitamins: Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Carotene, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, Cyanocobalamin, Folic Acid, Inositol, Mixed Tocopherol Concentrate, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Vitamin E (Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Vitamin K (Phytonadione), Nucleotides: Adenosine-5′-Monophosphate, Cytidine-5′-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine-5′-Monophosphate, Disodium Inosine-5′-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine-5′-Monophosphate.
For starters, it is wonderful that this formula is using organic ingredients. There are a bunch of words I can’t pronounce here, but most of those are synthetic vitamins and minerals which, though not ideal and most likely not being properly absorbed, are the least of my concerns with the list above. Let’s look at the top nine ingredients that make up 99% of the content of this baby formula:
Organic Reduced Minerals Whey – In its natural form, whey is a great source of protein and probiotics. You can read a description of Reduced Minerals Whey from the American Dairy Products Institute here. I’m not sure why you’d want to reduce naturally occurring minerals in an otherwise healthy food. The issue with dried whey is that it is typically dried at high temperatures that denature the proteins and make them toxic. Furthermore, the heating and drying process will negate any probiotic effects of the fresh whey. NOT GOOD.
Organic Non-Fat Milk - Sounds benign enough, but there is NO reason a baby should ever consume non-fat milk. Not only do babies absolutely NEED the milk fat and cholesterol, but the process of making powdered skim milk creates a substance that is not only devoid in nutrition, but is also ladened with oxidized cholesterol and neuro-toxic amino acids. NOT GOOD.
Organic Lactose – A necessary ingredient, lactose is a milk sugar that naturally occurs in breast milk. GOOD.
Organic Glucose Syrup Solids – This is a fancy way of saying sugar made from starch. Most glucose syrup solids in the U.S. are made from corn – making what’s also known as corn syrup! NOT GOOD. A better choice to mimic breast milk would be more lactose.
Organic Palm Oil Or Organic Palm Olein – Not the worst ingredient if it’s coming from a reputable source. QUESTIONABLE.
Organic Coconut Oil- Good choice to provide the special medium-chain fats found in mother’s milk. Should be expeller pressed only. OK.
Organic Soy Oil – Soy oil is not fit for human consumption and should not be in baby formula. It can act as a hormone disruptor among other issues. NOT GOOD.
Organic High Oleic (Safflower Or Sunflower Oil) – Good if expeller-pressed only. QUESTIONABLE.
Organic Whey Protein Concentrate – See issues with Organic Reduced Minerals Whey above. NOT GOOD.
So just for comparison, here are the ingredients for an organic soy formula advertised to be the only soy formula free of corn syrup (yikes!):
Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Soy Protein Concentrate, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Soybean Oil, Calcium Phosphate, Organic Vanilla, Organic Soy Lecithin, Potassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Ascorbate (Vit. C), Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Citrate, Choline Bitartrate, L-Methionine, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Inositol, Zinc Sulfate, Natural Vitamin E Acetate, L-Carnitine, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vit. B1), Riboflavin (Vit. B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit. B6), Copper Sulfate, Folic Acid, Phylloquinone (Vit. K1), Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenate, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12).
I do not recommend feeding a baby brown rice syrup (basically all sugar and potentially arsenic), and I have already mentioned the dangers of soy (soy protein concentrate, soybean oil, and soy lecithin) above. Not to mention the synthetic vitamins. Next…
Here are the ingredients for a common hypoallergenic formula that is given to babies having a difficult time digesting regular formula:
Corn Maltodextrin (35%), Casein Hydrolysate [Derived from Milk] (18%), Sugar (15%), High Oleic Safflower Oil (10%), Medium-Chain Triglycerides (10%), Soy Oil (8%). Less than 2% of the Following: C. Cohnii Oil, M. Alpina Oil, Calcium Phosphate, DATEM, Potassium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Chloride, Monoglycerides, Salt, Ascorbic Acid, L-Cystine Dihydrochloride, Calcium Carbonate, L-Tyrosine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Tryptophan, Taurine, m-Inositol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Niacinamide, Mixed Tocopherols, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Potassium Hydroxide, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Sodium Selenate, Vitamin D3, and Cyanocobalamin.
Just looking at the first eight ingredients, does that look like something that you would feed a BABY?
And finally, here are the ingredients for a standard newborn formula commonly given as samples to new mom’s in the hospital:
Nonfat Milk, Lactose, Vegetable Oil, (Palm Olein, Coconut Oil, Soy Oil, High Oleic Sunflower Oil), Whey Protein Concentrate, Galactooligosaccharides, Polydextrose, Less than 1%: Mortierella Alpina Oil, Crypthecodinium Cohnii Oil, Soy Lecithin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E Acetate, Vitamin K1, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavi , Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, Inositol, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Cupric Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Citrate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Nucleotides, (Cytidine 5′-Monophosphate, Disodium Urdine 5′-Monophosphate, Adenosine 5′-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine 5′-Monophosphate), Taurine, L-Carnitine
Personally, I think it is UNACCEPTABLE that our medical institutions are sending new moms home with samples of this stuff.
Keep in mind that analyzing these lists of ingredients only begins to explain the problems with these formulas. What’s not mentioned is what’s excluded (such as probiotics, adequate saturated fat and fat soluble vitamins, and more) and how many of these ingredients (such as the synthetic vitamins) are not well absorbed. But, onto the solutions…
Healthy, Doable Alternatives to Store-Bought Formula
Homemade formula is not only so much healthier for your baby, but it can be (relatively) cheap and easy too!
Here are the ingredients to two homemade formulas suggested by the The Weston A. Price Foundation:
Raw Milk Formula Ingredients: Filtered water, whole raw cow’s milk, homemade liquid whey, good quality cream, lactose, bifidobacterium infantis, fermented cod liver oil, high-vitamin butter oil, expeller-expressed sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes, Gelatin
Bone Broth (aka Liver Based) Formula Ingredients: Homemade beef or chicken broth, organic liver, lactose, bifidobacterium infantis probiotic, homemade liquid whey, expeller pressed coconut oil, fermented cod liver oil, unrefined expeller pressed sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, acerola powder
When I mention homemade formulas to most moms, their eyes tend to widen in disbelief and doubt.
Homemade Formula??? Who’s got time/money for that?
Well, when it comes to your baby’s health, I am confident that you and your partner can make time for this. Once you have gathered the ingredients – most of which you can get online - the actual time to make a few days supply should take about 10 minutes. You can also freeze some to have in a pinch, just like you would do with breastmilk. Plus, according to the WAPF calculations, the homemade formula actually costs less than even the most expensive store-bought formulas.
What are all of those strange ingredients?
I don’t know about you, but to me those ingredients look a lot less strange than the science lab ingredients found in the store-bought formulas. The cool thing about these Real Food ingredients is that they each multi-task, not only providing the macro-nutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol) but also providing vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc in bio-available form for your baby’s ease in absorption.
Here are just some of the nutrients these ingredients provide:
Whole raw cow’s milk and cream from pasture-fed cows – Protein, Saturated fat Cholesterol, Lactose, Vitamin K2, Vitamin A, probiotics
Homemade liquid whey – protein, probiotics
Bifidobacterium infantis – this is a probiotic specific to a baby’s gut
Fermented cod liver oil – omega 3 fatty acids, naturally occurring vitamins D and A in the correct ratio
High-vitamin butter oil – vitamin K2, responsible for distribution of calcium through the body for proper development of bones and teeth
Expeller-expressed sunflower oil and extra virgin olive oil – Monosaturated fats, a.k.a.oleic acid
Expeller pressed coconut oil - medium-chain fats found in mother’s milk
Nutritional yeast flakes (Frontier brand) - folic acid and vitamin B12
Gelatin
Acerola powder – another name for vitamin C which is naturally present in mother’s milk
Ingredients unique to the meat based formula provide:
Homemade beef or chicken broth - Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Gelatin, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Silicon, Sulphur and trace minerals
Organic liver (from a grassfed source) – Saturated fat, Cholesterol , Vitamin A, Omega-3 fatty acids, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic acid, Riboflavin, Niacin
Raw milk for my baby??? Is that safe?
In short, yes. You can read all about raw milk safety and sourcing in this post on milk or at RealMilk.com. Most conventional formulas use milk as their base, and raw milk contains the fat, intact proteins, and living micro-organisms that a baby needs, just like human breast milk.
Liver??? For a baby?
In my office, I refer to this as the Bone Broth Formula because it sounds less intimidating. Many adults are squeamish about liver, so the thought of feeding their babies a liver-based formula may seem out the question, but I submit that it is absolutely worth considering.
Liver from healthy pasture raised animals is extremely nutrient-dense and a perfect first food for baby. Many cultures around the world feed their babies chewed liver in their early days of eating solids.
For those babies who have digestive issues, especially those that have already consumed commercial formulas, it may be necessary to provide baby with a casein-free formula. The liver based formula is therefore not only a safe, nutritious alternative but also preferred to commercial formulas as well as the milk based homemade formula. For babies with severe milk allergies, you may also need to omit the whey and substitute an alternative sugar for the lactose (milk sugar).
The wonderful thing about the liver-based formula is that not only will it allow your baby to grow and thrive, but the gelatin from the broth will help to heal your baby’s gut and may even reverse their digestive allergies over time. The meat-based formula may also be a good alternative for those who do not have access to raw milk.
Where can I get the ingredients for homemade formula?
Conveniently, you can now buy an entire Kit for Homemade Baby Formula here. Once you have this, all you need to source is the filtered water, raw milk and cream, and liquid whey for the milk based formula or grass fed liver and bone broth for the meat based formula.
Rather than go into the details of making the formula here, you can check out all the recipes, videos and more from Sarah Pope of The Healthy Home Economist or directly on the Weston Price website. In particular, Sarah’s videos take the mystery out of the fairly simple task of whipping up your own healthy formula for your baby.
If you are lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, the wonderful and amazing Monica Ford of Real Food Devotee makes and delivers homemade baby formula per the Weston Price recipes to your door. Whoot!
Breast may be best, but if you are using formula, homemade is far superior for your baby’s health and surprisingly affordable and easy too. Have you tried the homemade formulas? Please share your experiences below!
Option c: encourage complete breastfeedobg through social/emotional support, advertising, and political pathways to make it easier. Yes, moms will use formula still, but a little support and encouragement and just seeing other moms breastfeeding goes a long way towards normalizing a normal act.
Yes- absolutely agree with this! But let’s be sure to offer grace to the mama that is unable to breastfeed. I would love nothing more than to bf my newest, but there are hurdles. Namely, she was adopted at 7 mos out of foster care. She has intimacy issues we need to work through. So I’ll keep trying to stimulate my milk production, but in the meantime, until she is most comfortable, we need a formula.
Thank you for posting this. I’ll be honest I usually don’t even read posts by anyone about breastfeeding because I know know know how important it is and I know know know how hard I tried and did everything humanly possible to make enough milk. My girls did not have tongue tie and I nursed on demand, had a very nourishing diet, and never made enough – they were always SO hungry and fussy after eating. I recently learned about Insufficient Glandular Syndrome that I had never even heard of and what I read sounds IDENTICAL to me – so I wonder if I have that. I dried up by 6 weeks with my first and until I found the WAPF recipe she was on formula for a couple months then I made it. With my second I supplemented with homemade formula until enough milk came in which took about 2 months then I could make enough for her. BOTH girls have only had one cold and are extremely healthy and surpassing milestones.
I have IGT too. I’m wanting to try the liver formula as I have damaged my dom’s gut with organic commercial formula. What can I use in place of whey, if anything?
why do you want to leave out the whey? it is not recommended that you change the recipe. whey is really easy to make. the easiest thing is to get plain full fat yogurt from the store. look for yogurt that doesn’t have any thickeners for the best results. the ingredients should be something like milk and live cultures. pour some yogurt into a cloth and hang up over a bowl, the whey will strain into the bowl. I actually have made my own strainer. I took a plastic container with a lid that originally had parmesan cheese in it, and drilled a bunch of hole in the bottom of it with a very small drill bit. then I set it into another plastic container that is the same width but taller, so the smaller container nests into the larger one and it’s a tight fit. I put a coffee filter in the smaller container, pour yogurt into it, put the lid on, then set it into the larger container. they whey drips out into the larger container, the “yogurt cheese” stays in the coffee filter which you can use for yourself or for cooking. definitely use the whey unless you are certain there is a problem with it, like an allergy or something. i don’t know of a substitute for it.
I want to leave out the whey due to a dairy/casein allergy, so I think that’s pretty legit.
sure that is legit, didn’t mean to imply otherwise.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-hypoallergenic-baby-formula/
this is a link to a hypo allergenic baby formula. It is done by Sarah Pope and she is a good authority on the weston a price baby formulas and all else for that matter. she says the whey is ok for a lot of babies because it is the milk protein casein causing the problem, not the lactose or whey. but she also says that you can remove the whey and sub dextrose or sucrose for the lactose. if the allergy isn’t severe, you could try it as written and see if baby is ok with it. if it is severe you probably don’t want to take that chance and should just leave it out.
hope that helps.
Hi Sarah – If you cannot tolerate it, you can leave out the whey. As Rebecca mentioned, if you may also need to substitute organic dextrose or sucrose or lactose.
The problem is that he has a yeast problem, and lactose, dextrose, and sucrose all feed the yeast. He does still get what breastmilk I do make.
if you read the FAQs on the Weston price website:
http://www.westonaprice.org/faq/faq-homemade-baby-formula
There is mention of putting a child on straight goats milk if he is old enough and mature, along with giving cod liver oil, egg yolk, and pureed liver so there is not an iron deficiency. You don’t mention how old you child is.
I would recommend reading the whole page. There are other comments from parents who have situations. Also read all of the baby related pages on the weston a price website. Then, if still in doubt, you can look up the weston a price chapter leaders (found on the website) in your area and contact them with your question. I did that, and found one of the chapter leaders had a facebook group going that I joined. Also, there is a yahoo group for weston a price baby issues that may help.
How old is your baby, Sarah?
He will be 1 next week. We have tried plain raw goat milk 3 months ago and it made his bottom red.
Sarah – Assuming he’s doing a fair amount of solids at this point, I wouldn’t worry too much about perfecting the formula. If I were in your shoes, I would try the broth based formula and just omit the things he cannot digest well, and then include lots of nutrient dense foods in his solid food diet.
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of homemade formula before. Interesting, thanks.
Me likey. I’m currently breastfeeding my 2nd child but if I had a problem with breastfeeding I would definitely do this. I hope more and more people hear about how to make homemade formula. Those poor babies. They are at the mercy of us adults making such important decisions for them.
Yes thank you! I had the same problem as Renee. Saw the “best” lactation people, did jaw exercizes with the baby, finger fed the baby, took all the ‘milk’ supplements, plus homeopathy, pumped and tried to feed the baby ALL day long…all to no avail….no milk. I ended up with severe guilt and panic attacks, and the scariest 3 months of my life, all because of the pressure I felt to breastfeed and judgement I felt on me. BELIEVE ME I wanted to more than anything, but unforntuately wanting it bad enough doesn’t always make it magically happen. If you have the time, money, and patience, I also heard Weston Price recipe is supposed to be the best alternative.
This is what we need more of. People offering choices and education. I was not able to breast feed after having my son but was too ill to think clearly about finding a formula recipe. If there was more education and discussion-perhaps it would have been something I had heard about.
When you know better….you do better
Ditto that on the WAPF formula.
Homemade formula was a God send for us. We found out our son was tongue tied at 8 weeks so I had already fallen behind in my supply. I still breastfeed Hunter, who is 2, but from about 4 months on we started supplementing with raw milk formula. I felt SO much better putting this in his body rather than store bought formula!!!:) Thanks for the post!
the struggle of breastfeeding twins will guilt me until the day I die…and thereafter I am certain. I never made enough, I tried absolutely everything a mommy could do, I spent hours upon hours hooked up to that pump, it was brutal. I breastfed with the best of them, but my babies were not thriving and they were losing weight. I had to supplement. I wonder Holistic Kid: Why expellar pressed Coconut oil? I thought extra virgin cold pressed was best due to the minimal processing???? Please answer. Thanks.
Amy Jo – That was from the WAPF article… I think it’s essentially the same. You just want minimally processed oils, though coconut can hold up to more processing than monosaturated oils like olive or sunflower.
Amy Jo – That was from the WAPF article… I think it’s essentially the same. You just want minimally processed oils, though coconut can hold up to more processing than monosaturated oils like olive or sunflower.
Thanks very much.
It was great making my own formula. My son couldn’t tolerate the STUFF out there anyway and I felt complete empowered even when I couldn’t breastfeed him.
What a great page, thank you so much for posting it! Still pregnant with my first, and of course planning to breastfeed, but just knowing that if all doesn’t quite go to plan, that I can provide a nourishing alternative is a lovely thought! Definitely bookmarking this page!
Fab article, very helpful, practical and informative! I really struggle with getting parents out of the fear mode re making homemade formulas vs shelf artificial ones. I find it hard to believe! One of the comments mentioned glandular syndromes with low breastmilk, its called breast hypoplasia here, and it means that there are not enough mammary glands present in the breast tissue to make sufficient milk. Its so sad, so hard on mum and babe! Needs a lot of support!! xx
LOVE the comment “when you know better you do better!” Wish we all could know a year in what we know then vs day one i tell ya!!!
My little girl is now 2 years old. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and she was born with a severe milk allergy. Too exhausted to breastfeed after week 6, we tried the liver based WAPF formula (replacing the lactose powder with rapadura). One problem we had a was getting the liver to fit through the teat of a bottle (despite pureeing and trying freeze-dried liver). Unfortunately while she loved the taste of the formula, she had constant diarrhoea and was not doing well. We had no choice but to switch to a prescription diary-free formula. This was so hard to accept as we are such huge supporters of whole foods. She did well on this for the 1 1/2 years, and we are in the process of weaning her off it. Something to remember is that despite the negative ingredients, there is still enough goodness in these formulas to make a baby thrive. She is now eating solids and loves wild salmon, caviar, fermented vegetables and takes fermented cod liver oil. We still have a distance to go as she is still very allergic to things and has a lot of skin trouble. But I know we did what we had to do and sometimes a compromise is necessary.
Thank you for posting this. I feed my little one dairy/soy free formula because it is all she can tolerate. I cannot do the bone broth formula because she is allergic to 3 of the ingredients and if I were to leave them out it wouldn’t be nutritionally complete. I do everything I can to give her the best foods I can, so I have felt a lot of guilt with feeding her the commercial formula, but it is helping her grow. My pediatrician always reminds me how crazy healthy my kiddo is with the exception of her skin/food issues. I can only do my best, and sometimes my best is the store formula. Thanks for reminding me that it is enough.
(oh, and I know your post is from over a year ago, I just had to say thank you!)
Thanks so much for sharing, Rebecca.Well done for doing the best you can with what you have and not being too hard on yourself. For anyone using store bought formula, there are still plenty of ways to heal and protect the gut/immune system – probiotics, vitamin D, fish oil, and a nutrient dense diet go a long way in improving health for kids.
I am soooo Thankful for this post, and for my sister posting it so I could find it!!! I had no idea about homemade formula!!! Didnt even know you could! My first daughter was breastfed for a very short time but a lot of pressure caused me to formula feed with her and she is very healthy and no problems….my second daughter had GERD sooo bad, and immediately the day after she was born my doctor told me I couldn’t breastfeed because she needed the heaviness of formula etc etc…now I know how much better it would have been
But with my son, after he was born….I dont know if it was the shock of my labor and delivery(didnt go as planned at all…barely made it to the hospital with 9 mins to spare) or what it was but I absolutely did not want him on my breast….and with only a week on the bottle he would not take my nipple 
We tried everything and he just wouldnt…so I pumped and pumped and pumped but when he was 3 months old my supply just diminished even after doing and taking everything possible. I was and am still soooo depressed about it….and no sooner did we start him on formula did he develop a rash 
so he is now on Nutramigen…(what my middle daughter was on) and I hate it. I have just seriously been considering trying like hell to re-lactate but after trying to give him my frozen breast milk….he wouldnt take it and went on bottle strike for a good 2 hours. He is very picky and wont take but 1 kind of bottle nipple…will no longer take a binky and still at 7 months refuses to eat solid food.
Which sucks, because like many, I rely on wic to pay for the 22 dollars a can of formula and they cut us down from 11 cans to 8 and its sooo expensive! I pray to God I can make this formula and feed it to him. And pray I can find the liver ingredients since he has some kind of allergy and is on the meat based formula anyways. I hate feeding him this stuff!!!! It has caused many tears from me. I am sooooo thankful for this!!!! I was just wondering….would it be possible to continue giving it to him after he is one??? It sounds even better for him then whole milk does.
GrowingGreen – I agree that this formula helps empower a mom who can’t breastfeed. I made it to 6 months with my son, but despite much help and much effort, I just had no more milk and the baby was losing weight. I bought organic formula because I couldn’t stand the thought of putting RBST/RBGH into my baby, but realized that I still didn’t like feeding him that. I had 2 friends who had made this formula and we were already getting raw milk, so I switched. I felt so much better and more confident knowing that he was getting real nutrition, not powder and chemicals. He’s done great on it, except that I have had to leave out the coconut oil because it makes him throw up.
Not being able to breastfeed is devastating to an informed mom who is trying so hard. If you know it’s not working, give yourself permission to quit. I never felt guilty because I tried so hard and did my best – just very sad. Making this formula helped me feel that I was again giving him the best nutrition that I could.
Or if plan c doesn’t work used plan d, donor human milk. Human milk for human babies and milkshare are two places to connect with women who can donate milk. Cows milk is not appropriate for human babies, it’s too fatty, and too allergenic. Goats milk is a little closer to ours but best to get the stuff that’s made for our babies.
Have made this. So quick and easy to make.
My friend just told me that she and her sister both couldn’t breastfeed any of their children because they have a condition where their babies are allergic to their breast milk! They can’t get any nutrition from the breast milk no metter how much they drink. Her first son almost died of malnutrition despite feeding regularly, before the doctors worked it out And apparently it’s as common as 1 in 1000. So I’m taking back my judgements of women who are formula feeding, you have no idea why that is what they are doing… And it’s not always their choice.
But it’s great to know that recipes for a ‘good’ formula exist.
Both these formulas contain animal products, gelatin in the first, liver and beef/chicken stock in the second. What would you recommend for vegetarian parents unwilling to feed either of these substances to their child?
I really need some help on these formulas, we have no access to raw cow or goats milk as we live in corn country and they are all grain fed, my children cannot tolerate corn at all. I plan to make the liver based formula but might need a substitute for the whey and lactose, I will make it as directed for the trials but she seems to have a dairy intolerance of some sort, and if I leave these out I know as picky as she is she will not drink it. Are there alternatives and what amount do I use in a standard recipe? What about the high concentration of vitamin A, I am concerned that this will be to much is there a way to lower that without degrading the formula, or are there people that have used this liver based formula that can give me some input as to how it helped their child and how well they did on it? most responses are based on the milk version and I really cannot do this, even a tylenol with cornstarch in it will send her into bouts of miserable screaming so I cannot get donated breastmilk, take care of my health, and she requires supplemental formula and at 6 1/2 months of age she is miserable, doesnt sleep, and requires hours of just carrying her around or driving around to get a sound enough sleep to feel a little better! any info would be great! We suspect she has fructose malabsorption like our 3 yr old who also can tolerate no corn at all and feeding her baby foods has made her even worse as the fructose content is to much just like with him.
I know this reply is much too late to help, but in case any others with similar problems are reading this thread, I thought I’d share. I just saw a formula recipe adapted to use homemade rice milk. For babies who can’t handle cow or goat milk, or when it’s hard or impossible to find these raw, this seems like a great option:
http://www.healingcuisinebyelise.com/2013/03/how-to-homemade-baby-formula.html
malabsorbers mommy: i have a recipe you can use that uses powdered goat’s milk if you are interested. you could use a combo recipe including mine (with goat’s milk) and this recipe. i use the powdered goat’s milk because i don’t have access to raw goat’s milk that i trust, and my babies have all had a sensitivity to the casein (cow’s milk) protein. they DO grow out of it, so that is the good news:) my first 2 boys grew out of it between 9 – 12 mths old. My 3rd baby boy is just now 6 mths and is thriving on this formula. I also recommend you make your own solid baby food. Its not that much of an inconvenience when you get used to it. Just pick up some organic sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, etc and take them home and blend them up with water, or some formula that you have already made. Then your baby will not be subjected to any kind of corn syrup… If you want the recipe, email me at: lpate777@yahoo.com, and put “formula recipe” in the subject line:)
I made this for my 1 month old daughter and she is having trouble with her bowel movements. She has a hard time going. Any thought or tips
Organic blackstrap molasses. That is what controls their bowel movements. If you are already using this, add an additional tablespoon. If you are not using any yet, start with 2 tablespoons throughout the day- one tablespoon in two different bottles for example. My first child needed 4 or 5 tablespoons a day, but my 3rd couldn’t take any more than 2 or he would get diarrhea:( Blackstrap molasses is different than Karo syrup or any of that other junk. Its all natural, and has a lot of things our bodies actually need. You can find it at a health foods store like Whole Foods or sometimes I can even find it at Kroger in their healthy living section. Hope this helps!
When she goes, is it hard pellets, or wet stuff. If it’s hard and dry, try molasses and that sort of thing. If she is just having trouble getting it out but it is normal poop, you can rub her lower abdomen, or try the q-tip trick (lubricate a q-tip and insert just the very tip into anus and swirl, they will go pretty quickly and it could spray you in the face, speaking from experience).
I have to supplement my pumped breast milk and I just started to use the cow’s milk formula above. I got all the products from vitacost and amazon.com which was cheaper than radiant life and also free shipping. The raw milk I got from a farm. check realmilk.org I believe to find in your area. it was hard to find yogurt without thickeners to make whey, but I finally found Straus brand at Sprouts market. It’s really hard to find cream without extra stuff and that hasn’t been ultrapasteurized, but it’s possible.
For anyone out there, I have a question: After making a batch and putting it in a jar in the fridge, it set up like jello. Well, duh, it has gelatin in it. But I wasn’t expecting that and it is a big challenging to get the right amount out of the jar and into the baby bottle with a spoon with it being so gelatinous. Any ideas how to make this easier? Anyone, please?
I have not made the formula myself but would suggest checking our Sarah Pope’s (Healthy Home Economist) video post on making this recipe. There are a lot of trouble-shooting ideas in the comments.
I just started my baby on the homemade formula (Weston A. Price recipe) as described on this website. I used raw cow’s milk from pasture fed cows. Since giving my baby the homemade formula, he has been extremely fussy (he’s had 5 bottle of it so far). What should I do? Should I take an ingredient out? Should I try to find raw goat’s milk instead?
Sarah…YES!! A lot of babies are diagnosed as “colicky” when really they are insensitive to the proteins in cow’s milk. They grow out of this, but for some reason around 4-8 weeks, babies can’t handle cow’s milk dairy anymore. As soon as I switched mine to goat’s milk, (I have 3 boys) they were like brand new babies within 7-10 days! Its worth a shot, right? And, if you can’t find raw goat’s milk, I have a recipe for using powdered goat’s milk. Read my comment above and good luck!
Hi Sarah – If you decide to try goat’s milk, make sure follow the WAPF recommendations to modify it, as goat milk does not have the same nutritional profile as cow’s milk. I don’t recommend using powdered milk unless you can ensure that the milk was dried at a low temperature. If I were in your shoes, I might try to broth based formula instead. Good luck!
Love the post. My son has been on the WP raw milk formula since 3 months old when I couldn’t pump anymore (we had serious latch problems). It took me a couple minutes to get over the guilt but after seeing how well he’s thrived I couldn’t be happier. Weight and height normal and he’s super robust and started walking at 8 months old- now he’s into EVERYTHING! He’s very in tune and fun loving. He will be 1 year on March 11th and he will be graduating to just raw milk- mainly meats, sweet potatoes/yams, raw butter, broth, and some fruits and occasionally lara bars or such for his sweet tooth. I hope this recipe is allowed to spread and more women become aware and btw I can’t tell you the countless times doctors and other people told me I was putting my sons life in danger. Its truly sad because I almost let that persuade me.. However, I will say I would have totally preferred to BF and next time my husband and I have planned out a course of action for our next child.
Also as a side note I’d like to add I always added 1-2 tsp of organic molasses. It helps with any possible constipation and it has great trace minerals..
Hi there,
I’m making goats milk formula for my son and am trying to find the best things to substitute for lactose and gelatin. (I’ve read that organic maple syrup may be a good choice for the lactose.) He can’t tolerate either. Thank you.
Hi Harper – You can use organic dextrose or sucrose in place of the lactose. As for replacing the gelatin – I think this is a bit more challenging. My guess is that you could leave it out and test it again when he’s a bit older.
hey harper, if you email me, i can send you my recipe for the goat’s milk formula i used for all my boys. i used black strap molasses for my sugar/iron. my email is: lpate777@yahoo.com
Thanks for jumping in here, Lora!
How long does the raw cows milk recipe last in the refrigerator ? Freezer ? Just wondering how much I can make at once. And how much does 1 recipe make ? Thank you ! Look forward to trying this! I’ve had a really rough week, my 8 month old has just decided to stop nursing all together. I’m going to keep pumping as long as I’ll produce, but happy to have a back up if needed!
In our state, the milk has a sell by date that the farmer’s have to sell it by that date or they can’t sell it. But it lasts longer than that. It lasts from 7 to 14 days approximately depending on how long ago it came from the cow. If it starts to taste a little sour, it’s still ok to drink and will actually give even more nutrients. Once it’s gets a little sour you may want to leave it on the counter until the curds and whey separate, then strain through a cloth and you have the whey you need for the baby formula. You can freeze it in the gallon, it will last for at least several months in the freezer. I buy three or four gallons every week and drink some fresh, and rotate through the freezer with the other ones. They have only been in there up to about three months before we use them. But since there is really no quality lost still at that point, I’d imagine they could last even longer. This is a chest freezer we are using. Keeping them in the freezer in the kitchen that you open all the time, the limit would probably be three months to freeze. That’s also about what the guidelines are for breastmilk, interestingly.
Also, one batch is 36 ounces. I make two batches at a time because my son drinks a lot, so I end up making another two batches about every day and a half. But you should plan on making it at least every two days for freshness, if not every day. Also, I have made a batch and frozen it in small amounts to pull out in emergencies if I really can’t make any fresh formula, I’ve used it twice. Also a tip, buy all the ingredients in bulk, buy a lot of lactose because that will get used up the fastest. You can order it all on amazon and vitacost.com (that’s where i get my stuff). go to the weston a price website and read everything, that’s the source of the formula and they have a lot of FAQ there.
My daughter will be 18 months old in a couple of weeks. I breasted her until she was six months old, but I also supplemented her with the raw milk formula because I didn’t make enough breast milk since she was about three months old. My daughter is a COMPLETE WESTON PRICE BABY, and I must say that she is bigger, stronger, more advanced and intelligent than any other baby she has been compared to. This formula is a GOD-SEND and so is the Weston A. Price Foundation. I could never eat any other way or feed my children any other way than by the Weston Price guidelines… An if Ur smart, U would do the same!!
Eternally Grateful & Thankful
I have to stop breastfeeding due to an illness I have. I am extremely upset about it but I have to start taking medicine and can’t do so while breastfeeding. I am feeling a little better now that I have found home made formula. I have some questions and was wondering if anyone could help. I live in Australia and it is illegal to sell or buy raw milk. Can I use pasteurised milk? I have found a small farm that pasteurises the milk at the lowest temperature. What do you think? Also do you just use one formula or can you feed your baby both the milk and the meat formula? Thanks
Hi there. You just use one formula. The cows milk is where you start unless you already know your child wont tolerate it. If you can’t find raw milk, then you need to use the best pasturized milk you can, make sure it is whole milk only. Then you need to get milk kefir grains and culture the milk. You can look up how to do this online, you have to buy the grains online or someone you know, etc. It is an easy process that puts live enzymes back in the milk. As far as the whey goes, you can get some pure whole fat yogurt with no additives and strain it, the liquid part is the whey. You could also try getting whey out of the milk that you cultured with kefir, not sure if it will work but worth a try. anyway, the cows milk is the most ideal. if baby has a problem with it then you move to goats milk, then if that doesn’t work then the meat formula is last. I buy the rest of the ingredients that are not dairy based on amazon.com and vitacost.com, if you have those websites. buy it in bulk, and get a lot of lactose since it gets used up fast in the recipe. one last thing, try to make sure the cream you get is just pure cream with no additives like carrageenan. hope that helps. i’m still getting emails when people leave comments here so if you have another question i would be happy to help. I’ve been making it for my son for about at least four months now and he has gone from a two month early preemie not on the growth charts to a solid healthy boy who is a little bigger and taller than his one year old cousin, and he’s very happy. I understand not being able to breastfeed and being able to make this formula for us has helped me feel a LOT better.
Hi Rebecca – You can certainly use lightly pasteurized milk as long as your little one’s tummy can handle it. If not, transition to the broth-based formula. Wishing you the best!
Hi Kim, where in Australia do you live? I am in WA & my youngest (now 18 months) has had WP formula since about 3 months although we have just weaned him to straight milk in the last couple of weeks – I’m sort of missing the routine of making his formula & realising that my little guy is no longer so little
He absolutely thrived on it, so very healthy, strong & happy. I could not recommend giving it a go enough xx
It is definitely worth trying to get the milk. … If you are in WA I might be able to help, but know some of the other states do have availability as well. Also, I found the artic ice is worth getting from US rather than Australia (we actually get most of our vitamins from there now) we bought lactose from brewing stores as pretty much impossible to get here anywhere else less than $25 a pound (brewmart $10 for 500g…. They loved they had their brew baby!) & the suggested probiotic is not only very expensive here but must be imported in such a way it doesn’t get to include what it even has in it. .. rather than $30 for 15 days we get metagenics for kids (recommended by my chiro) which does my 3 boys for a month for about $25.
Let me know if I can help & good luck!
Hi there-
I was wondering if you have any feedback for me on the ingredients of the “babys only” dairy formula (the one w/out dha and ra added) by natures one?
In the instance of adopting and therefore not having breastfeeding as an option, im looking to see what the healthiest alternative to making my own formula is. In my research i felt that the babys only dairy by natires one seemed to be the best choice but eanted to see if you would give me your input?
I greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
http://naturesone.com/dairy/ingredient-quality/
http://naturesone.com/pdf/N1-LeadingDairyBrands.pdf#view=FitH,0
Hi Terri – I really don’t have an opinion on specific brands, but this is my list – best to never – on what to feed infants.
http://holisticsquid.com/is-breast-always-best/
My wife and I are adopting a newborn, and we’re doing our research also, breast feeding obviously isnt an option, so is the homemade recipe safe for a newborn? We have looked at organic formulas but they have more than a few questionable ingredients in them, and I have also read they are not best suited to newborns either. HELP! Now we’re totally confused.
I say YES! The question is actually is commercial formula safe for a newborn, and I believe the answer to that is no. Look at WestonA price website and thehealthyhomeeconomist blog also as good resources. Also this blogger has a list of foods acceptable for baby in the above comments. Also there is a yahoo group about this that you can join to ask questions http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/newwaphb/
I use it for my son, he was two months premature and he is doing amazing. He is 7.5 months now and caught up and beyond on growth charts, healthy happy no problems or sicknesses even through the RSV season. I also buy the water for the formula to avoid giving him fluoridated water. The ingredients of the homemade formula are as pure as you can get. The commercial formula ingredients are scary and artificial, and the processing of the formula is so harsh that any good things that may have been there are killed in the process of making it. I had so many questions when I made the decision to start making the formula myself, so I just have to share with people how good it is.
I also want to mention that I calculated the costs of the homemade versus commercial formula and the homemade came out to be roughly $3 per batch. the commercial formula is $22 plus per same sized batch. How often does it happen that you save a ton of money with real foods? Buy everything in bulk online, and source the fresh ingredients locally and you will be set.