s/o of BF/not BF - question about infant formula

[StaceyinLA]

This is NOT to personally attack anyone who chooses to FF. I am certainly a BF advocate, but I don't think FF makes anyone a bad mother.

 

I am curious about formula being a truly healthy substitute since the first ingredient in most formulas is corn syrup solids. I honestly did not realize this until recently. I had never really had a reason to notice. In fact, I think one of my daughters pointed it out when looking up something for a friend.

 

Are there formulas on the market that are better/healthier options? I realize babies thrive on formula all the time, but I truly wonder about the long-term health effects of feeding something that has so much sugar in such large quantities at such an early age (and yes, I realize that breast milk is very sweet as well, but have to believe there is a big difference in the type of sugars).

[StaceyinLA]

Well if it's the first ingredient in formula, it seems like that would be higher than 7%, but I don't know if there is a way to figure that out. I guess I was just wondering if there might be better, healthier brands that were available, or if the homemade recipes out there would be a better option.

 

I had a cousin who adopted her granddaughter. She did a homemade formula with raw goats' milk, carrot juice, some probiotics and one other ingredient I cannot for the life of me remember. Now obviously I am not sure if this would be considered as a viable option, but the baby did well on it (other than turning a little orange after a few months). ;-p

 

[ktgrok]

I agree with you. Formula used to be made with lactose, the same sugar as in breastmilk. Now it is corn syrup. Those are NOT the same thing, and different sugars are metabolized differently. It's a cost saving measure, corn syrup is cheaper than lactose. There are a few left with lactose instead, but I can't remember which ones. 

[ktgrok]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/09/09/infant.formula.jampolis/index.html?eref=rss_latest

[maize]

Formulas have a lot of sugar because they are trying to mimic breast milk. One of the things that sets breast milk apart from, say, cow's milk is that human milk has a very high sugar content. I've breastfed a couple of my kids until they were about 3 years old, and when I asked them what my milk tasted like they both happily told me it tasted like ice cream. No wonder they weren't eager to wean...

[maize]

Posting this just because I found it interesting: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_breast_milk

types of oligosaccharides vary depending on the mother's blood type. Fascinating!

[Liz CA]

I am still battling guilt feelings over feeding my son soy formula after three months of BF. He was intolerant to the regular milk formula. Now it has been found that the phytoestrogen in the soy plus a host of other ingreds are less than ideal for human consumption.

 

The Weston Price Foundation has a recipe you can make at home for formula and bottle feeding. Those ingredients sound a lot better than what one reads on the formula cans. For instance "lactose" is on the ingredients in this recipe. The radiant life people have all ingredients on their website to make this homemade formula. It's under "Baby & Child." I just checked this last night because of Abba's thread.

[maize]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/09/09/infant.formula.jampolis/index.html?eref=rss_latest

I found this quote amusing: "It is not likely as big a concern with regards to obesity because infants are not in a metabolic state to be impacted by things such as too much sugar or the glycemic index of foods since they are using every calorie for growth, unlike adults who use excess calories for fat."

 

I don't worry about obesity in babies, but my (breast fed) babies most certainly put some of those calories towards fat--no mystery about what those massive rolls on my 20lb 4 month olds are made of. They outgrow the baby fat in time, but fat it is... :)

[mommymilkies]

Luckily there are many different brands now.  Ds needed a special kind because of his issues.  I was pushed to stop bf him due to bad advice from a doctor.  :glare:   I knew more when bf my next child with the same problem.  I believe donor milk should be a more affordable and viable option in this country, but I also believe there should be safe and healthy formula alternatives.  

[SKL]

Sure, there are other options.  However, kids can and do grow up very healthy on plain old ordinary formula.  :)  The alternatives are pricey and not everyone can afford them.  Formula is healthy enough, honestly.  It's not perfect, but neither is city air or water .....

[Mom-ninja.]

I've seen organic formulas, but I've never read the ingredients.

[SKL]

People who feel strongly about this are encouraged to donate their own milk after their babies no longer need so much.

[Mergath]

I don't see that it makes much of a difference.  Within my own family, I know adults who were ff and are healthy and skinny as rails, and I know adults who were bf and are overweight and sick constantly.  And it's not as if there's some magical filter that keeps toxins out of breast milk.  Yes, there are toxins and less than healthy things in formula, but traces of all the toxins in the mother's body end up in the breast milk as well.  There's no immaculate infant nutrition source, and there are so many factors that go into a person's development that something like formula vs. breast milk isn't going to make or destroy a person in the long run.

 

Today's adults are sick and fat because of what they put in their bodies now, not because they had a different kind of sugar when they were six months old.

[Rachel]

I had a long response and lost it :(

 

Formula companies are all required to meet certain standards but I do think some are better than others.

 

For what it's worth the ingredients in one name brand formula have changed a lot in 6 years. High fructose corn syrup was the first ingredient when my 6 year old was an infant. Corn syrup was the first ingredient when my 4 year old was an infant. When I checked just now it was nonfat milk solids and sugar wasn't in the first several ingredients.

 

When my milk supply dropped I ended up using Natures Only for my third, it was one of the few formulas I could find that didn't contain soy. I may have been able to find something better but the formula stage is so short I chose not to stress about it.

[KrissiK]

Ok, I looked up Similac, which is what I gave my children since they are all adopted, and corn syrup solids isn't even on the list.

[ktgrok]

 

 

Today's adults are sick and fat because of what they put in their bodies now, not because they had a different kind of sugar when they were six months old.

 

Actually, they are finding links showing that a mother's diet during pregnancy may effect the health and weight of the child as an adult, and very likely effect THAT child's future children. 

 

Epigenetics are fascinating. 

 

that said, a milk based, lactose heavy formula is better than a soy or corn based formula, all other things being equal. (and yes, i know they often are not all equal)

[AHASRADA]

I breastfed my 2 older kids exclusively, but my little one had terrible difficulty latching, wasn't thriving and had to be supplemented.  Long, painful story short, I ended up pumping and bottle-feeding her my milk for the first year of her life, and gave her toddler formula after that.

 

I used Baby's Only organic formula.  As much as I hated having to use the stuff, at least it was made from organic milk (avoiding the hormones and antibiotics associated with conventional milk).  As for the sugar source, it contains organic brown rice syrup.  I don't know if it's really better than corn syrup or not, but the organic and brown made me feel better :)

[mommymilkies]

I don't see that it makes much of a difference.  Within my own family, I know adults who were ff and are healthy and skinny as rails, and I know adults who were bf and are overweight and sick constantly.  And it's not as if there's some magical filter that keeps toxins out of breast milk.  Yes, there are toxins and less than healthy things in formula, but traces of all the toxins in the mother's body end up in the breast milk as well.  There's no immaculate infant nutrition source, and there are so many factors that go into a person's development that something like formula vs. breast milk isn't going to make or destroy a person in the long run.

 

Today's adults are sick and fat because of what they put in their bodies now, not because they had a different kind of sugar when they were six months old.

Well, we can all produce anectdotes.  I have probably one of each type with my kids and formula/breastmilk.   :lol:  

 

However, science does back up a lot of benefits that may not be readily apparent on a scale to judge just by one's family.  Make or destroy?  Not for everyone.  For one of my kids, our Ped Endo said that breastfeeding likely saved my daughter.  She had profound Hashimoto's and because of her severe dairy allergy, the soy milk would have been the absolute worst thing. We're lucky she wasn't in a coma as it was. But my oldest I couldn't bf past 8-9 months because of my own health issues, and my son was on formula after 2 months.  They're certainly alive and mostly healthy. But that's like saying "When I was your age, we didn't do xyz and I'm standing here." Well, no duh.  But obviously some are affected.  Thank goodness for formula because there is a real need.  But that doesn't mean that breastmilk isn't superior for most babies (donor or mother) for a number of health related reasons that do extend to adulthood.  Obviously not every person is going to be similarly affected.  

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/5/e1048.short

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/why-breast-is-best/7-ways-breastfed-babies-become-healthier-adults

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1052069/

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/04/lower-birth-weight,-less-breastfeeding-linked-to-adult-inflammation-and-disease.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2099407/Breastfed-babies-likely-grow-angry-irritable.html  (I must be one of those outliers-it certainly didn't help me.   :lol:   )

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/magazine/09TOXIC.html?pagewanted=print&position=&_r=0

"The message from these studies about breast-feeding, however, was not what you might expect. Although the children who were breast-fed had higher PCB levels than children who were exposed only in utero, they consistently performed better than those who drank formula. When researchers controlled for socioeconomic factors, the differences were more subtle but still there. In other words, breast milk appears to be at least partly protective against the effects of toxic chemicals. In fact, the World Health Organization and other groups continue to recommend breast-feeding for all women. At first this sounds reassuring, until you wonder how much better the breast milk would be without the companion chemicals. We'll never know, since an uncontaminated control group doesn't exist."

[mommymilkies]

I breastfed my 2 older kids exclusively, but my little one had terrible difficulty latching, wasn't thriving and had to be supplemented.  Long, painful story short, I ended up pumping and bottle-feeding her my milk for the first year of her life, and gave her toddler formula after that.

 

I used Baby's Only organic formula.  As much as I hated having to use the stuff, at least it was made from organic milk (avoiding the hormones and antibiotics associated with conventional milk).  As for the sugar source, it contains organic brown rice syrup.  I don't know if it's really better than corn syrup or not, but the organic and brown made me feel better :)

I used to <3 Brown rice syrup.  http://consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm

 

That really bites.  But, your child turned out fine and obviously we all do the best we can.  I really wish there was more oversight and testing for things like this in what we feed our children.  

 

ETA:  Finding formula for allergic babies is sooooo hard.  My 9 yo had such bad allergies.  My choice was to keep a pretty strictly regulated diet, or find a kind she could tolerate that cost over $142 a can and that was before her other allergies came up.  Talk about ridiculous.  Some insurance will cover it, but not all.  Breastfeeding her was hard sometimes with my diet so restricted, but definitely worth it for many reasons including economic.  

[Mergath]

Well, we can all produce anectdotes.  I have probably one of each type with my kids and formula/breastmilk.   :lol:  

 

However, science does back up a lot of benefits that may not be readily apparent on a scale to judge just by one's family.  Make or destroy?  Not for everyone.  For one of my kids, our Ped Endo said that breastfeeding likely saved my daughter.  She had profound Hashimoto's and because of her severe dairy allergy, the soy milk would have been the absolute worst thing. We're lucky she wasn't in a coma as it was. But my oldest I couldn't bf past 8-9 months because of my own health issues, and my son was on formula after 2 months.  They're certainly alive and mostly healthy. But that's like saying "When I was your age, we didn't do xyz and I'm standing here." Well, no duh.  But obviously some are affected.  Thank goodness for formula because there is a real need.  But that doesn't mean that breastmilk isn't superior for most babies (donor or mother) for a number of health related reasons that do extend to adulthood.  Obviously not every person is going to be similarly affected.  

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/5/e1048.short

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/why-breast-is-best/7-ways-breastfed-babies-become-healthier-adults

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1052069/

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/04/lower-birth-weight,-less-breastfeeding-linked-to-adult-inflammation-and-disease.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2099407/Breastfed-babies-likely-grow-angry-irritable.html  (I must be one of those outliers-it certainly didn't help me.   :lol:   )

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/magazine/09TOXIC.html?pagewanted=print&position=&_r=0

"The message from these studies about breast-feeding, however, was not what you might expect. Although the children who were breast-fed had higher PCB levels than children who were exposed only in utero, they consistently performed better than those who drank formula. When researchers controlled for socioeconomic factors, the differences were more subtle but still there. In other words, breast milk appears to be at least partly protective against the effects of toxic chemicals. In fact, the World Health Organization and other groups continue to recommend breast-feeding for all women. At first this sounds reassuring, until you wonder how much better the breast milk would be without the companion chemicals. We'll never know, since an uncontaminated control group doesn't exist."

 

I'm not saying there's absolutely no impact when it comes to bfing, just that there are so many dozens of things that have an effect on a person's development that in the overall scheme of things, it's not a huge deal if a person can't bf.  Of course, I have my own take on this, having been told when dd was a baby that because I couldn't breastfeed her for more than a couple weeks, she would have been better off dead because that's how nature intended it.  The whole "formula is poison" undertone that these kinds of threads can sometimes take makes me want to throw my computer against the wall, not only because it's cruel to the mother's who can't bf, but because it's simply not true.  Breast milk being better doesn't mean that formula is automatically bad.  It's like telling someone that if they can't give their child organic produce, they shouldn't give their child any fruits and vegetables at all because non-organic produce is poison.  (Which is a whole different mommy war, I know, lol. :P)  Yeah, there's probably more nasty stuff in the non-organic produce, but it's still a healthy and nutritious thing to feed a child.

[mommymilkies]

I'm not saying there's absolutely no impact when it comes to bfing, just that there are so many dozens of things that have an effect on a person's development that in the overall scheme of things, it's not a huge deal if a person can't bf.  Of course, I have my own take on this, having been told when dd was a baby that because I couldn't breastfeed her for more than a couple weeks, she would have been better off dead because that's how nature intended it.  The whole "formula is poison" undertone that these kinds of threads can sometimes take makes me want to throw my computer against the wall, not only because it's cruel to the mother's who can't bf, but because it's simply not true.  Breast milk being better doesn't mean that formula is automatically bad.  It's like telling someone that if they can't give their child organic produce, they shouldn't give their child any fruits and vegetables at all because non-organic produce is poison.  (Which is a whole different mommy war, I know, lol. :p)  Yeah, there's probably more nasty stuff in the non-organic produce, but it's still a healthy and nutritious thing to feed a child.

Of course not.  :)  And OMG I would have punched that person.  What a freaking jerk.  I've got the same attitude because I breastfed from my in-laws.   :glare:  Oh, and it's "sexual abuse".  What is wrong with people?  And yeah, if we ate only organic we'd either starve from lack of access or lack of money.  :lol:

[MercyA]

I used to <3 Brown rice syrup.  http://consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm

 

That really bites.  But, your child turned out fine and obviously we all do the best we can.  I really wish there was more oversight and testing for things like this in what we feed our children. 

 

I used Baby's Only formula, too, specifically because it was organic and had much less "junk" in it than other brands.  I was horrified when I found out that the brown rice syrup they used reportedly contained high levels of arsenic.  The company's website now says:  "Nature’s One^® is the only company to successfully eliminate inorganic arsenic to undetectable levels in organic brown rice syrup."  If only they had done that years ago.  :(

 

Of course I feel guilty about it, but really, all we can do is make the best decisions we can with the information we have. 

 

[Catwoman]

I found this quote amusing: "It is not likely as big a concern with regards to obesity because infants are not in a metabolic state to be impacted by things such as too much sugar or the glycemic index of foods since they are using every calorie for growth, unlike adults who use excess calories for fat."

I don't worry about obesity in babies, but my (breast fed) babies most certainly put some of those calories towards fat--no mystery about what those massive rolls on my 20lb 4 month olds are made of. They outgrow the baby fat in time, but fat it is... :)

 

I think some babies are going to be chubby and some are going to be slimmer, no matter what they eat. My ds was always a big eater, and he went through a LOT of formula, but he was never chubby. My neighbor's baby probably went through about half as much formula as my ds did, and he was quite chubby. (He's a bean pole now, though!)

 

I don't see that it makes much of a difference. Within my own family, I know adults who were ff and are healthy and skinny as rails, and I know adults who were bf and are overweight and sick constantly. And it's not as if there's some magical filter that keeps toxins out of breast milk. Yes, there are toxins and less than healthy things in formula, but traces of all the toxins in the mother's body end up in the breast milk as well. There's no immaculate infant nutrition source, and there are so many factors that go into a person's development that something like formula vs. breast milk isn't going to make or destroy a person in the long run.

 

Today's adults are sick and fat because of what they put in their bodies now, not because they had a different kind of sugar when they were six months old.

I'm not saying there's absolutely no impact when it comes to bfing, just that there are so many dozens of things that have an effect on a person's development that in the overall scheme of things, it's not a huge deal if a person can't bf. Of course, I have my own take on this, having been told when dd was a baby that because I couldn't breastfeed her for more than a couple weeks, she would have been better off dead because that's how nature intended it. The whole "formula is poison" undertone that these kinds of threads can sometimes take makes me want to throw my computer against the wall, not only because it's cruel to the mother's who can't bf, but because it's simply not true. Breast milk being better doesn't mean that formula is automatically bad. It's like telling someone that if they can't give their child organic produce, they shouldn't give their child any fruits and vegetables at all because non-organic produce is poison. (Which is a whole different mommy war, I know, lol. :P) Yeah, there's probably more nasty stuff in the non-organic produce, but it's still a healthy and nutritious thing to feed a child.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

[Catwoman]

Of course not. :) And OMG I would have punched that person. What a freaking jerk. I've got the same attitude because I breastfed from my in-laws. :glare: Oh, and it's "sexual abuse". What is wrong with people? And yeah, if we ate only organic we'd either starve from lack of access or lack of money. :lol:

Seem people don't seem to know that browbeating and shaming are not the same as politely providing information. :glare:

 

I think new moms and moms-to-be should be given information about both breastfeeding and bottle feeding, but that no one has the right to tell them what they "have" to do if they want to be good mothers, or that their babies will be unhealthy if they choose one method over the other.

[FO4UR]

Well, I heard from someone that the closest food we have to breastmilk is ice cream.   :coolgleamA:

 

 

It evidently has the same calorie/sugar/fat make-up.  NOT that I'm advocating feeding babies ice cream, but I feed it to my toddler without guilt.  

 

 

 

Back to topic:  Formula is SOOOOOO expensive that I simply encourage feeding the baby.  Fancy formula is simply out of reach for most....and for what?

 

 

 

[Mommyof4ks]

I do not like that formula has many terrible ingredients in it, however my formula fed child is healthy as a teen, and my exclusively BF children are an asthmatic and a cancer survivor. We ate organic and never ate out prior to the cancer diagnosis, so I really do not think food has as big of an impact as we want to believe. We still eat organic, but I do not feel guilty about feeding my foster kiddos formula (not that I have a choice), because in the grand scheme of things I do not think we are looking at a life of chronic illness or anything. My opinions on what caused my sons' illnesses are even more controversial than this topic, so I will stop there. :)

 

As for your question, no, I have not found formula that is reasonably priced that has good ingredients in it. Even organic formulas just have organic corn solids.

[SeaConquest]

We use Baby's Only and donor milk.

 

http://foodbabe.com/2013/05/28/how-to-find-the-safest-organic-infant-formula/

[Ravin]

Formula is the best approximation modern food and pharmaceutical science can make to human milk. Human milk is optimized for human infant nutrition. We can't make a substitute equal to or superior to it.

 

That said, when human milk is not available, formula is the healthiest and safest way to go. While I agree with Weston-Price on nutrition for many points, that recipe was frankly a state of the art formula based on what was understood of human nutritional needs a century ago. It's way better than the standard formulas (aka recipes) back then, but it's far less nutritionally complete than modern formulas, even if it sounds healthier. Making it yourself also presents higher contamination risks.

 

If global civilization collapses, a formula like WP's would be good info to have tucked away.

[Catwoman]

Well, I heard from someone that the closest food we have to breastmilk is ice cream.   :coolgleamA:

Well, heaven knows I want to be as healthy as I can be, so I'd better start making up for the fact that I was formula-fed by eating a lot more ice cream.

 

For my health.

 

And because I like you all so much, I don't want those of you who were breastfed to miss out on any important nutritional benefits either, so you should probably eat more ice cream, too, just to be safe. :)

[mommymilkies]

I used Baby's Only formula, too, specifically because it was organic and had much less "junk" in it than other brands.  I was horrified when I found out that the brown rice syrup they used reportedly contained high levels of arsenic.  The company's website now says:  "Nature’s One^® is the only company to successfully eliminate inorganic arsenic to undetectable levels in organic brown rice syrup."  If only they had done that years ago.  :(

 

Of course I feel guilty about it, but really, all we can do is make the best decisions we can with the information we have. 

 

I'm really hoping that it's more of a recent issue.  I used to use tons of that brown rice syrup, so I know a lot of people were upset by it.  But hey, our drinking water is probably worse, ya know? 

 

And yes-education on both bottle and breast feeding.  I have a relative who almost killed her son because she couldn't properly make a bottle.  Like the kid ended up hospitalized.  And what about in an emergency and baby can't get breastmilk?  I had surgery when my youngest was ~4 months old and pumped.  But dh had no idea how to give a bottle if there were surgery complications (my meds & anesthesia were fine for bf-I checked with two anesthesiologists).  He said he just hoped it wouldn't happen and if it did, he'd call his sister.  :lol:   And I know some people who didn't realize what breastfeeding even was.  They'd see me and be like "Oh!  So that's how it works.  That's not what I thought."  Who knows what they thought.  It's not always sunshine and roses.  I won the "bleeding nipples and crying in pain" lottery for the first month or so every time.  But I also bf partly because I'm lazy.  :p

 

Well, heaven knows I want to be as healthy as I can be, so I'd better start making up for the fact that I was formula-fed by eating a lot more ice cream.

 

For my health.

 

And because I like you all so much, I don't want those of you who were breastfed to miss out on any important nutritional benefits either, so you should probably eat more ice cream, too, just to be safe. :)

Ben & Jerry are my doctors.

[DesertBlossom]

It does bother me A LOT that the corn syrup is used in formula. It bothers me that corn syrup is in so much food these days. My oldest was the only baby of mine who got formula because I got pregnant when he was 3 months old and my milk dried up despite taking herbs, etc.  He had chronic diarrhea for years. We eventually figured out that he has a fructose intolerance and he's especially sensitive to HFCS, more so than the fructose naturally found in fruits.  I don't feel like HFCS is good for anyone, but especially my poor DS!

 

I think more can be done to make formula healthier.

[Catwoman]

Ben & Jerry are my doctors.

Wow, you are so lucky.

 

If I could get Ben and Jerry to be my doctors, I'd kick my regular doc to the curb. :D

[Rachel]

I used Baby's Only formula, too, specifically because it was organic and had much less "junk" in it than other brands. I was horrified when I found out that the brown rice syrup they used reportedly contained high levels of arsenic. The company's website now says: "Nature’s One^® is the only company to successfully eliminate inorganic arsenic to undetectable levels in organic brown rice syrup." If only they had done that years ago. :(

 

Of course I feel guilty about it, but really, all we can do is make the best decisions we can with the information we have.

 

They have been using that process for at least 2 years. There was a big blow up about levels of arsenic in rice that prompted it.

[brehon]

I successfully bf 5 of my 6 babies until anywhere from 18 months until 12 months. I also worked full-time (and in fact still work FT). And I work in a profession where it is next to impossible to pump on a regular schedule. The first 5 babes self-weaned, although I was willing to nurse them longer. That 6th wee one, however, weaned at 6 months because my milk supply dwindled to the point that nothing I did improved it. I worked at a very busy station, had almost no privacy except for the bathroom due to the layout of the station, and could not pump frequently enough.

 

So, formula it was for ds. I wrestled with guilt for quite a while over that decision; but, as dh pointed out, the boy needed to eat. Ds was extremely sensitive to dairy and I had removed dairy from my diet while nursing. We simply couldn't afford the hypoallergenic non-dairy formula which left soy. He still at 19 months drinks soy formula because he is so skinny and weighs so little.(Even my ped raised his eyebrows a little and he knows my kids and doesn't overreact.) Ds also usually refuses to eat anything but those pouches of fruit and fruit-vegetable combos. I found an all natural non-soy, non-dairy, GF nutritional drink mix that we mix with almond milk. Ds will drink this, but not consistently.

 

So, I jumped out of the frying pan of not bf-ing into the fire of too much soy. Can't win for losing I guess, but ds is healthy and active. My ped isn't too worried about him right now. So, I guess the take-home message is that I do the best I can with what I've got.

[6packofun]

If I'd been more educated about it at the time as a 21yo new mom, I might have researched a bit more.  But I didn't.  I'd probably be choosier now.  I'm concerned with my children's diet and nutrition NOW, I get smarter all the time, and that's all I can do, so this isn't going to be one of my major parenting regrets.  Unless other people really really want me to be sad and guilty about it and then I'll reconsider.  :001_rolleyes:

[Ravin]

It does bother me A LOT that the corn syrup is used in formula. It bothers me that corn syrup is in so much food these days. My oldest was the only baby of mine who got formula because I got pregnant when he was 3 months old and my milk dried up despite taking herbs, etc. He had chronic diarrhea for years. We eventually figured out that he has a fructose intolerance and he's especially sensitive to HFCS, more so than the fructose naturally found in fruits. I don't feel like HFCS is good for anyone, but especially my poor DS!

 

I think more can be done to make formula healthier.

If it helps to know, HFCS is not the same thing as corn syrup or corn syrup solids the latter have not been processed to increase the concentration of fructose in them, which is what is done to make HFCS.

[Ravin]

I'm really hoping that it's more of a recent issue. I used to use tons of that brown rice syrup, so I know a lot of people were upset by it. But hey, our drinking water is probably worse, ya know?

 

And yes-education on both bottle and breast feeding. I have a relative who almost killed her son because she couldn't properly make a bottle. Like the kid ended up hospitalized.

This, along with risks of contaminated water, is why ready-made, already liquid formula is available. You can even get it from WIC.

[VaKim]

Yeah in fact, in my mother's day (meaning when my mother was a baby) a lot of people fed their babies powdered milk.  And that's it!  No special formula.  I don't know how that worked, but apparently it worked.

Yep. My mom fed us a mixture of evaporated milk and Karo syrup. I have always been very healthy and never fat. Well, except in my baby pictures.  :)

[mommymilkies]

This, along with risks of contaminated water, is why ready-made, already liquid formula is available. You can even get it from WIC.

It costs far more.  Not everyone qualifies for WIC and they don't have the liquid formulations for all types.  When we were on WIC, they did not cover liquid without a valid medical prescription and I don't know anyone who ever got one.  But how do you know the water used in that isn't contaminated, too? 

[Ravin]

It costs far more. Not everyone qualifies for WIC and they don't have the liquid formulations for all types. When we were on WIC, they did not cover liquid without a valid medical prescription and I don't know anyone who ever got one. But how do you know the water used in that isn't contaminated, too?

It's highly regulated for safety. Yes, formula has the occasional recall, but overall they have a very good track record.

 

And if you live where your water supply may be compromised, WIC can and does provide the ready made (regular formula). The hypoallergenic formulas require a prescription for sure.

 

If a parent can't figure out how to mix the powder, their doctor SHOULD prescribe ready made.

 

Income for WIC is set rather high. Much higher than for programs like SNAP. If you don't qualify, you make enough money to buy formula. The expensive ones may be covered by health insurance as well if medically necessary.

[DesertBlossom]

If it helps to know, HFCS is not the same thing as corn syrup or corn syrup solids the latter have not been processed to increase the concentration of fructose in them, which is what is done to make HFCS.

 

My bad. I know a few years ago they talked about changing the name HFCS to something else (because changing the name makes it all better) and I was confusing corn syrup with "corn sugar." Not that I've ever seen "corn sugar" on anything. That's probably why I retranslated that in my mind to just plain corn syrup.   Anyway... regardless, we try to eliminate most sugary processed foods anyway. We make our own popsicles, yogurt, pickles, etc because of it.

[Reefgazer]

If that's a concern, a FF mom can find other formula options that don't contain corn syrup.

[mommymilkies]

It's highly regulated for safety. Yes, formula has the occasional recall, but overall they have a very good track record.

 

And if you live where your water supply may be compromised, WIC can and does provide the ready made (regular formula). The hypoallergenic formulas require a prescription for sure.

 

If a parent can't figure out how to mix the powder, their doctor SHOULD prescribe ready made.

 

Income for WIC is set rather high. Much higher than for programs like SNAP. If you don't qualify, you make enough money to buy formula. The expensive ones may be covered by health insurance as well if medically necessary.

Looks like income caps have gone up.  We didn't qualify a few years ago, though we lived close to the poverty line and had Medicaid.  Plus here they will not (or did not then) allow exchanges for food allergies.  Dd had a dairy allergy and we were required to get dairy milk with no exceptions for soy, etc.  That was a waste, so we stopped doing WIC. IDK, to afford the $140 can of formula it would have been for my daughter, even those income guidelines for our family size would have been a stretch after taxes.  I'm glad they provide ready made in places without safe drinking water (just don't get me started on their violations of the WHO code in developing nations). 

[Guest]

I'm not saying there's absolutely no impact when it comes to bfing, just that there are so many dozens of things that have an effect on a person's development that in the overall scheme of things, it's not a huge deal if a person can't bf. Of course, I have my own take on this, having been told when dd was a baby that because I couldn't breastfeed her for more than a couple weeks, she would have been better off dead because that's how nature intended it. The whole "formula is poison" undertone that these kinds of threads can sometimes take makes me want to throw my computer against the wall, not only because it's cruel to the mother's who can't bf, but because it's simply not true. Breast milk being better doesn't mean that formula is automatically bad. It's like telling someone that if they can't give their child organic produce, they shouldn't give their child any fruits and vegetables at all because non-organic produce is poison. (Which is a whole different mommy war, I know, lol. :P) Yeah, there's probably more nasty stuff in the non-organic produce, but it's still a healthy and nutritious thing to feed a child.

I feel the same way. My mother, like most mothers of her generation, did not breastfeed her first four children. (My "baby" brother was late in life and the tide had turned by him. He alone was breastfed.) Anyway, point being, I have fortunately been quite healthy, never obese, had excellent teeth and a decent IQ - you know, all things that Breastfeeding Nazis warn will not happen on formula. We didn't even have formula half so well-developed as what is now available.

 

I support bfing. Also, I am frugal (cheap!), so free baby nutrition was a major perk in my eyes. But I really hate demonization of formula. Obviously, many a child is raised on it with no ill effect.

[MotherGoose]

Actually, they are finding links showing that a mother's diet during pregnancy may effect the health and weight of the child as an adult, and very likely effect THAT child's future children.

 

Epigenetics are fascinating.

 

that said, a milk based, lactose heavy formula is better than a soy or corn based formula, all other things being equal. (and yes, i know they often are not all equal)

Is it possible that a mother who has a poor diet during pregnancy passes along her habits of eating a poor diet to her children and grandchildren, and the habits, not the actual diet consumed while pregnant, is what causes the health effects?

[Ravin]

Looks like income caps have gone up. We didn't qualify a few years ago, though we lived close to the poverty line and had Medicaid. Plus here they will not (or did not then) allow exchanges for food allergies. Dd had a dairy allergy and we were required to get dairy milk with no exceptions for soy, etc. That was a waste, so we stopped doing WIC. IDK, to afford the $140 can of formula it would have been for my daughter, even those income guidelines for our family size would have been a stretch after taxes. I'm glad they provide ready made in places without safe drinking water (just don't get me started on their violations of the WHO code in developing nations).

The last few years they have expanded and changed a few things. I know my nephew gets soy milk and Here you can get tofu.

 

There is some variation between states, they have a bit of latitude in administration.

 

When my DD was little, the things DD couldn't eat at least offset the budget so we could buy the substitute foods just for her.

 

If you qualified for Medicaid, the WIC office messed something up to say you didn't qualify.

[MomtoCandJ]

Yes, income limits are high for WIC. Dh makes about 32,000 a year and we qualify as a family of 4. I know they are making more changes to include yogurt and more non dairy options in the coming months.

[mommymilkies]

I feel the same way. My mother, like most mothers of her generation, did not breastfeed her first four children. (My "baby" brother was late in life and the tide had turned by him. He alone was breastfed.) Anyway, point being, I have fortunately been quite healthy, never obese, had excellent teeth and a decent IQ - you know, all things that Breastfeeding Nazis warn will not happen on formula. We didn't even have formula half so well-developed as what is now available.

 

I support bfing. Also, I am frugal (cheap!), so free baby nutrition was a major perk in my eyes. But I really hate demonization of formula. Obviously, many a child is raised on it with no ill effect.

Please don't compare lactivists to Nazis.  It's really not a kind term.  I have family who died in concentration camps and really it upsets me to see people use that term lightly.  

[KidsHappen]

Yep. My mom fed us a mixture of evaporated milk and Karo syrup. I have always been very healthy and never fat. Well, except in my baby pictures.  :)

 

I was fed this same formula, as was my mother and her mother before her. I would say that any of us were extremely healthy though.

[abba12]

I haven't read the other responses but I am just chiming in to say I'm surprised to hear the first ingredient in most (american?) formula is corn syrup solids! I have not checked too many formula's here in Australia so I don't know if it's the same here, I know a number of things which are made with corn syrup in america are made with real sugar in australia. But I just checked the ingredients in my preferred formula, the only goat milk formula available here, and found the following.

 

Goat Milk Solids (43%), Lactose, Vegetable Oils, Acidity Regulator... and then 6 other additives which I assume are for nutrition. Nonetheless, the first 4 ingredients are all recognizable at least, and the milk solids are the first ingredient instead of the sugar, which is good I think.

 

Point being, you'll probably find there are formulas which don't use corn syrup or which have less sugar, they are probably just the slightly more expensive brands. 

 

Compared to what was used in our grandparents day as 'formula', I figure these ingredients can't be too bad.