Healthy Alternatives to Baby Formula

When it comes to your kids, you want to feed them the best that there is to offer right? I’m assuming all of you have said “Absolutely yes! I want my kids to get the best there is to offer!”

When starting or adding to your family, one of the important decisions that needs to be made is how you are going to feed your newborn(s) when they enter the world. Children should have the best, healthiest start to life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for at least the first year of a child’s life. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least two years of age, and then for as long as the mother and child are comfortable.

Studies have shown that over the years, the percentage of women breastfeeding, at least initially, has risen to 74.6%. However, after six months, just a mere 1 in 6 women is still breastfeeding due to work schedules, stress, and inconvenience, and so turn to baby formula for help. Many doctors and nurses are even turning women away from breastfeeding before they even leave the hospital. However, many mothers are now learning what king of ingredients are actually being used in baby formulas and are reconsidering.

If this is you, and you have either been considering formula, or have been feeding your child formula, but would like to know more about it and possibly find an alternative, that is what this article is going to cover.

Did you know that arsenic has been found in most baby formulas? Actually there is six times the federal limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for total arsenic in bottled or public drinking water. This is particularly worrisome for babies because they are especially vulnerable to arsenic’s toxic effects due to their small size and the corresponding arsenic consumption per pound of body weight. It’s crazy that it’s even allowed at all. A few other scary ingredients included are BPA from plastics, and many genetically-modified ingredients like soy.

No one reads the labels of something as simple as baby formula. We trust manufacturers to produce healthy, safe products, especially for our infants. But even if arsenic (rat poison) wasn’t in your baby formula, what about the chemicals, sugars, preservatives and growth hormones? These products have been proven to increase the likelihood of many common childhood sicknesses like allergies, asthma, childhood diabetes, and so many others.

We adults can survive the side effects of all of these toxins and poisons because of the quantity of these chemicals in proportion to our body weight, not to mention that our immune system is already developed. But when the same chemicals go into a baby’s body, they affect their small bodies in ways that can have lifelong disabling consequences. The development of some of your baby’s organs is not complete until he or she is about 2 years old. The liver and brain are two such organs that are still developing and can get severely impacted by chemicals. Toxic food exposes the brain to irritants and results in malfunctioning of the brain. And all of this is happening to a small system that hasn’t even completely developed yet.

Baby formula simply isn’t appropriate for babies. Before my first one was born, before I knew exactly how everything was going to work out for us, this all bothered me so much that I had to find an alternative. Please read Carrie Vitt’s blog for more information on what is really in baby formula.

For many women breastfeeding just isn’t an option. Maybe your baby won’t take your breast milk for one reason or another. Maybe you have sort of condition that doesn’t enable you to breastfeed your child, or maybe you simply can’t produce at all. What about those mothers that are adopting children that don’t have milk for their babies not having been pregnant?

Many healthy women that should be able to produce plenty of breastmilk for their babies are not able to, or have some sort of disorder that doesn’t allow them to, due to all of the chemicals and preservatives in their own diets. Consider reading labels on your food or reading some of the research on the real ingredients of the food most of the United States is putting into their mouths. You’d be horrified.

Related Articles:
Normalizing Breastfeeding
Causes of Colic in Infants
Causes, Treatment, and Prevention of Acid Reflux (GERD) in Infants

I am certainly not a vegetarian, a vegan, or an environmentalist. My husband and I are just normal people living like the rest of the US, but our baby-making efforts really brought a lot of information to light that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Either way, new mothers should know their options, especially if they are not able to provide breastmilk to their little ones, or need a supplement for one reason or another.

There are other options for you! I realize this is a sensitive topic and I am not the most sensitive person to be discussing this. For that I am sorry. But I feel like parents are entrusting companies with the health of their families and are being duped every day. It’s not your fault and you shouldn’t feel guilty at all. Science and new discoveries happen all the time, and society is constantly changing its mind about what is right and what is not. I know you are doing the best you can for your children. I just want to provide you other options so you can make the absolute best decision.

Great question! You can make your own formula, just like you could make your own baby food. The Weston Price Foundation has been a serious contributor to solving the issue of baby formula for new mothers. They have some great recipes for homemade baby formula. They also include a nutrient comparison chart, a price comparison chart, and other tips on how to feed your baby a nourishing diet. In fact, it’s actually cheaper to make your own formula than it is to buy it from the store; 50% cheaper! When you check out this website, you’ll be surprised!

They teach you how to make “baby formula” the healthy way, made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or even liver, using eggs, cream and other REAL ingredients that haven’t had the GMOs, growth hormones, arsenic or other chemicals added. I know this sounds a little fruity and super environmental, but we’re talking about what you put into your infant’s body. If it can’t be your milk, wouldn’t you want to know that it was the absolutely best possible ingredients you could offer?

The Weston A. Price Foundation provides you with several different baby formula recipes with various ingredient switches to accommodate, lactose intolerance, allergies, fussiness, and even constipation. However, each and every recipe uses whole, real ingredients without antibiotics, chemicals, preservatives, hormones, or other poisons.

They take the time to walk you through the formula creation process for each recipe showing you how to make them, and explain how to easily get ahold of each ingredient and the necessity for each ingredient in the final recipe. I love that they tell you exactly what physical benefits your child is receiving from the individual ingredients, rather than just giving you a recipe and tell you to make it.

It may take a little bit of time on your part in the beginning, but most mothers that use these recipes have gotten it down to a mere ten minute process. The website will walk you through exactly how this is done, even in your likely sleep-deprived state. Less money, not much time, and healthy ingredients; isn’t your baby worth it? If you’re not convinced that you’re saving time and money, consider the doctor’s visits, medications, and medical bills in the future and that should convince you.

I don’t know about you, but I simply can’t trust commercial baby formulas.

For more information, visit The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action’s report, The 21 Dangers of Infant Formula. There is also the option of sites like Human Milk 4 Human Babies and Eats On Feets to find donor milk. There are plenty of options available to those of you concerned about what your brand-new infant is eating.

Do yourself and your baby a favor, and read the ingredient list on the back of the formula containers. I really hope this helps!

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