Homemade Baby Formula
At around 5 months my daughter went on a bit of a nursing strike (we had always done both boob and bottle of breast milk since she was born but kids sometimes "strike" in favor of one or the other) and at the same time, unfortunately, we got word that my dad had a stroke, my best friend had to have brain surgery, and our dog had cancer ~ literally in the same week! The good news is that everyone is GREAT, the bad news is that my milk went away and never came back. So I got the best possible organic formula I could get (it was the ONLY one at the store and was ridiculously expensive!) to tide her over and then started my research. What I found was so ALARMING!!!
Note: Please consider using organic formula if you are using store bought. Most of the non-organic ones have GMO ingredients (genetically modified organisms) and the thought of GMOs being the building blocks of my baby's body and mind was horrifying to me. If you aren’t aware of the dangers now is a great time to do some research!
I used Earth's Best Organic while I was trying to figure out what I was doing because it’s easier to get since pretty much all grocery stores carry it now. They have a couple choices each with its own problems but all better than regular stuff: Dairy (cow protein is the hardest proteins for humans to digest and causes the most allergic reactions), Soy (acts like estrogen in the body), and Sensitive (which has extra stuff in it for digestion and to help with colic, etc.). Unfortunately, this formula gave her horrible nasty poops - totally changed the color, consistency, smell, everything about her poop - and moms know: the truth is in the poop!
When I’d worn myself out with research I settled on Baby's Only Organic because I learned how the DHA is manufactured in the U.S. for formula and Baby’s Only has the best (least chemical) process. It's really expensive, but she did very well on it and ultimatley we hardly used any of it. There are some very good, even more expensive, options in Europe where regulatory protections against chemicals in food are much more stringent that in the U.S. A good source for more information on that is here.
I used the powdered stuff (Baby's Only) at night because sometimes she woke up screaming for food and it took too long to heat a bottle. With the powder on my nightstand I can have her bottle ready in no time and it was easier when we are out of the house all day to not worry about keeping a bottle cold and then figuring out how to heat it. On this formula her poop was much better but still not breast milk great.
I started looking into making formula at home because I still wasn’t totally happy with the ingredients and our pediatrician and family doctor both recommended that I look into making formula. I was excited by the idea that I could control and research every single ingredient and know exactly what she was getting. I used the basic recipe from the Weston A. Price Foundation and Nourishing Traditions - I got it from my pediatrician also. It's ABSOLUTELY the best safest most healthy thing for your baby. As moms know: all things are judged by your baby's poop right? Well her poop on this formula was exactly the same as on breast milk. For me that was proof enough. Then we SAILED through cold season - even flying to Denver for Christmas - with 1 day of sniffles, 1 day of tummy troubles and that's IT all season. She's so healthy!! She started the formula at 5 months and was on it until she was a year old when we transitioned to raw dairy and solids.
My personal preference is goat based products. Here's some more info on why goat is great if you are interested. I first started using goat's milk from the store (Meyerberg) which comes in liquid but is pasteurized or in powder form. After a lot more research I decided to switch to raw milk. It’s important to find a reliable responsible dairy that you trust. Raw milk is in my humble opinion the absolute best thing - Raw milk is alive and has all the wonderful benefits and enzymes that your baby was getting from YOUR raw milk. We have a great farmer that we work with for all our raw dairy. There’s more info below on raw goat’s milk if you’re interested.
Making your own baby formula is really easy and not too expensive compared to the premade stuff. It does only last 24 hours fresh, but you can freeze it. Here's my recipe and the ingredients that I use:
Basic formula
- 1 C WATER (PURIFIED, DEIONIZED, DEMINERALIZED, DISTILLED, OR FILTERED) - I GRAB IT FROM MY FRIDGE DOOR WHICH IS DOUBLE FILTERED. JUST BE SURE THAT YOU ARE REMOVING THE FLUORIDE FROM YOUR CITY WATER IF IT’S BEEN ADDED - YOU’LL NEED A SPECIAL FILTER FOR THAT.
- 1 TBSP ORGANIC COCONUT OIL
- 1 C ORGANIC ALMOND MILK PLAIN- BE SURE TO FIND AN ALMOND MILK THAT’S JUST ALMONDS AND WATER!
- 2 C WHOLE GOAT'S MILK- EITHER FROM THE STORE OR BETTER YET RAW FROM YOUR FARMER
- 1/4 C WHEY MADE FROM GOAT'S YOGURT
Add for immunity & gut health
- 1 TBSP COLOSTRUM - MAKE INTO A PASTE WITH A BIT OF THE WARM WATER BEFORE ADDING TO BLENDER - YOU CAN BUY POWDERED OR I GOT THIS FROM MY FARMER WHEN IT WAS AVAILABLE
- 1/4 TSP INFANT VITAMINS
- 1 TSP FISH OIL (OMEGA 3)
- 1 TSP PROBIOTICS
- 2 TSP NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES - IMPORTANT SOURCE OF FOLIC ACID SINCE GOAT'S MILK DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH ON IT'S OWN
- 1 DROP of VITAMIN B12
- 1 DROP OF VITAMIN D3/K2
- IF THE BABY HAS REFLUX YOU CAN ADD 2 TSP GELATIN AND IF HE'S CONSTIPATED YOU CAN ADD 1-2 TSP ORGANIC BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES (START WITH 1) THE MILKS AND YOGURT YOU'LL BUY REGULARLY, THE REST OF IT YOU'LL BUY ONCE AND IT WILL LAST YOU FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS.
To make formula
Warm the water in a pot on the stove just until the pot is warm to the touch - do NOT boil.
Add the coconut oil and swirl until dissolved. Pour the warm coconut water into the blender. Add the almond milk first to cool it, then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend for 10 seconds and pour immediately into bottles.
You can also pour into a glass carafe, but I find that only by warming up do you get all the ingredients blended together again once they've cooled and you don't want to warm up the carafe every time.
This will be good for 24 hours (I've gone 30 or so) in the fridge and makes 4.5 cups which is more than the baby is likely eating in a day. To serve, place bottle in warm water - do not microwave. Once warmed must be used within 1 hour (I've gone 2). It can be frozen up to 3 months.
To make whey
Place a fine strainer over a bowl. Line strainer with cheese cloth or coffee filter. Pour container of goat's yogurt (or greek yogurt) into strainer and wrap cheese cloth around it. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit at least overnight and up to 24 hours.
The liquid in the bowl the next morning is WHEY. Pour that into a container and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. Note: the probiotic benefits of the whey start to wane immediately, so it’s best to use fresh whey for formula. However, the protein value of the whey lasts for the whole 6 months so don’t throw it out if you forgot about it in the back of your fridge - just add it to your next smoothie! The solids left in the strainer is cream cheese and here’s some ideas of things you can do with that!
Additional info on Goat's Milk nutrition, safety, preference:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/94/2
http://www.livestrong.com/article/298838-raw-goat-milk-nutrition
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=131
