With today’s shortage of canned, powdered baby formula freaking out moms everywhere, it’s a good time to consider the idea of baby formula to begin with.
Of course there is no arguing that breast milk is usually better than these commercial formulas, almost without exception (read about the harmful effects of commercial formula here). However, the quality of Mama’s milk is completely dependent upon her diet, which often leaves the nutrient quality of her milk lacking. And of course, at times it’s just not possible for Mama to provide this otherwise superior food for her child.
Homemade Infant Formula - A Life-saver for Our Family
Many years ago I found myself needing to provide a supplemental formula for one of my infants, as I became pregnant with his little sister far too soon after birthing him. Said child had been doing just great on breastmilk alone prior to this, but the additional strain of yet another pregnancy proved too much for my body, and so it became necessary to supplement, and eventually completely replace, the breastmilk he had enjoyed and thrived upon.
I looked into options on store shelves and knew that nothing there was good enough, clean enough, nutrient-rich enough for my growing infant. Fortunately for us I had become acquainted with the Weston A. Price Foundation by that time, and was thus able to find a nutrient-dense recipe for homemade formula. Problem solved!
Clean, Nutrient-Dense Ingredients are Key!
This formula provides all of the essential nutrients, including plenty of digestible protein, healthy fats, whole vitamins A & D, and more. But unlike commercial formula, it does not contain any toxic oils (soybean, canola, etc.), chemically-derived nutrients, harmful soy protein or corn syrup. The base is whole, raw milk from pastured animals-a truly wonderful food!*
This formula does require you purchase a few particular ingredients, and to include whey strained from whole, organic yogurt-an easy task (don’t use whey from cheesemaking as it will cause the formula to curdle). One can make up enough formula for a few days at a time and store it, refrigerated, for use as needed. When feeding time approaches simply place the bottle in a hot water bath for a few minutes to warm it up (never use a microwave!)
It is very important to choose glass baby bottles over plastic, to avoid the wide range of plasticizer chemicals which can leach into the formula, and thus be ingested by Baby. There are now, years later, so many options for bottles, some cute, some more functional than others, and with various types of nipples.
The recipes provided below vary according to type of milk or, for an infant with a damaged gut who can not tolerate dairy at all, there is also the meat-based formula. Please make sure to follow the recipe exactly, whichever you choose, so that Baby receives all the nutrients he or she needs!
Purchasing Infant Formula
If making your own formula is completely out of the question, there are better options available online. Look for formulas that are made with low-temperature, dehydrated milk from grass-fed animals. Just be wary of the “organic” label, which is not necessarily trustworthy, and any formula which includes soy or corn syrup. One of our grandchildren was nourished on this particular one, Growth Spurt Goat Milk, for part of his infancy, and he did wonderfully with it! This Growth Spurt formula is labeled as a “toddler” formula but in fact is identical to their “infant” formula, which the FDA does not allow to be imported labeled as such.
Avoid Feeding Infants Grains
And one last note while we’re on the topic of feeding babies: it may be wise to avoid feeding infants cereals for the first year; their digestive systems are not ready to break down this type of carbohydrate, complex or not, and thus these should be avoided until, in my opinion, 14-18 months. Delaying the introduction of grains can help prevent certain digestive issues and food allergies. One can more accurately gauge the readiness for foods in general by observing the emergence of teeth. Typically babies can better handle animal proteins and vegetables before they can grains.
Now, equipped with this information and the recipes below, we hope that you can provide a suitable food for your baby’s first year, and beyond!
Recipes and instructions are taken directly from the Weston A. Price Foundation website, and were developed by Sally Fallon Morell and Dr. Mary Enig. To read the entire article, click here.
Raw Milk Baby Formula makes about 36 ounces
2 cups whole raw cow’s milk, preferably from pasture-fed cows
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below) Note: Do NOT use powdered whey or whey from making cheese (which will cause the formula to curdle). Use only homemade whey made from yoghurt, kefir or separated raw milk.
4 tablespoons lactose
1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis
2 or more tablespoons good quality cream (preferably not ultrapasteurized), more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil
1/4 teaspoon high-vitamin butter oil (optional)
1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons non-GMO nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
1-7/8 cups filtered water
1/4 teaspoon acerola powder
Instructions
-Put 2 cups filtered water into a pyrex measuring pitcher and remove 2 tablespoons (that will give you 1-7/8 cups water).
-Pour about half of the water into a pan and place on a medium flame.
-Add the gelatin and lactose to the pan and let dissolve, stirring occasionally.
-When the gelatin and lactose are dissolved, remove from heat and add the remaining water to cool the mixture.
-Stir in the coconut oil and optional high-vitamin butter oil and stir until melted.
-Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients into a blender.
-Add the water mixture and blend about three seconds.
-Place in glass bottles or a glass jar and refrigerate.
-Before giving to baby, warm bottles by placing in hot water or a bottle warmer. NEVER warm bottles in a microwave oven.
Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folate and is low in vitamin B12, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folate is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B12, if preparing the Milk-Based Formula (above) with goat’s milk, add 2 teaspoons organic raw chicken liver, frozen for 14 days, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.
Makes about 36 ounces.
The liver-based formula also mimics the nutrient profile of mother’s milk. It is extremely important to include coconut oil in this formula as it is the only ingredient that provides the special medium-chain saturated fats found in mother’s milk. As with the milk-based formula, all oils should be truly expeller-expressed.
Ingredients:
3-3/4 cups homemade beef or chicken broth
2 ounces organic liver, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons lactose
1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See below for making whey)
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil
1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon acerola powder
Instructions
-Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through.
-Liquefy using a handheld blender or in a food processor.
-When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients.
-Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container.
-Whey instructions: Set a strainer over a glass bowl and line with cheesecloth. Place organic, whole milk yogurt into strainer/cheesecloth, cover, and let sit out overnight. The liquid whey will drip into the glass bowl below, collect and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. The remaining yogurt in the strainer/cheesecloth is cream cheese - save for making a cheesecake!
*For more information about the safety and benefits of whole, raw milk please listen to this podcast. Contact a Weston A. Price Chapter Leader or go to realmilk.com to find a farm or other resource near you. But if you truly cannot find clean, raw milk, choose a vat-pasteurized (rather than “Ultra Pasteurized”), pastured whole milk instead.
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