Why is baby formula made form crap?

I read the list of ingredients and what exactly does corn starch have to do with baby formula, along with a bunch of other poopoo stuff.


Does anyone know of any truly HEALTHY baby formula?

Please no lectures on breasfeeding, i know its best but i cant do it (medical reasons), and i am fine with that, so i am doing formula research.

Corn starch is probably there as a thickening agent (interesting, considering human milk is quite thin for newborns) and to promote fat gain (I would say "weight gain", but we all know that corn starch doesn't do anything but make you fat)

Have you considered buying human milk from a milk bank? Much healthier than any formula.

If that's not possible, there is "elemental" formula. Nutramigen and Pregestamil are two. They are very expensive. They do not contain lactose or milk proteins, and they are not soy-based, so it's easier for babies to digest this. Most formulas are cow's milk based, so if your baby has a dairy allergy (unfortunately, usually not known until you start the formula), your baby could suffer from reflux and gas.

You can also try buying an organic formula from a health food or whole food store.

I thought they put corn syrup in formula, not corn starch.

I know I've seen recipes for homemade infant formula- some people swear by the homemade formula, others say it's horrible and dangeous to use anything other than commercial formula. You'll need to make your own decision based on your own research. This may or may not be something you're comfortable with.

If you can get human milk from a milk bank or a friend who's willing to pump for you, that's the absolute best, especially for a newborn. If there's any way you'd be able to produce even a small amount of milk, even if you'd need to supplement and/or wean after a few days, then it's worth trying. Even a little bit of breastmilk can boost the baby's immune system.

Good luck with your formula research and congrats on your baby to be!

I looked into elemental and that is what i am leaning on, but corn starch IS an ingredient in elemental formula. Neocate is what i want to use but i question the necessity of it in an otherwise healthy child with no milk allergies, (which i am hoping is what i get)

I looked the route of homemade formula, but non the less it requires obtaining some raw ingredients that i am not willing to seek out, or deal with, nor do i actually find them safe.

Wet nursing is expensive and not routinely done in US so its hard to find a well refrenced safe wet nurse and i dont really trust milk banks, not to mention that unless you have a premie or a child in need of milk, getting a script for breastmilk is very very hard for a healthy baby.

Then it sounds like you've tapped out all of my own personal knowledge about infant formula. I was fortunate enough not to need to use it. You may do better asking on a general baby-care message board, from parents using formula, to get a better idea of the ups and downs of various available brands.

Not that this helps for Malishka's quesiton per se, but I'll still add my $.02 for the benefit of someone at some point who likes this suggestion...

Because formulas seem to be (and MUST be according to the FDA) so consistent across the board and purportedly good nutritionally (though certainly not what we'd like of them with some ingredients, they've managed to feed and keep many children sufficiently) I opted to go with a generic brand because budget is an issue for us. I appreciate anyone who can pay through the nose for something far better quality, but we can't, so my thinking is that I'll do the best I can for the first year because I plan to have my child on solid food as soon as is reasonably allowed. To that end, finding one that agrees with his tummy is the first line of business. Also, I found an ORGANIC generic, which I figured would at least mitigate some of the issues. Currently my child is strong and healthy and I'll promote that with activity while feeding him formula and then once I choose what FOOD goes in him I'm confident things will be much better.

Here are some links about homemade baby formula and breastfeeding that are interesting.

FAQs on homemade baby formula
FAQs part 2
Recipes for Homemade Baby Formula
Successful Breastfeeding and successful alternatives

That's great how he is thriving! He sure looks healthy.

May I ask how much the organic generic is? I am almost sure I will need formula when I go back to work . Don't really want to go back so soon.

Ask away! It's from Walmart...called Parent's Choice...

http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/

Here is the link (which they have on their site) to a calculator that shows your savings...

http://www.parentschoicesavings.com/

Lisa - I think I'm going to try some of that Parent's Choice to see if my munchkin will take it. I started out supplementing with Enfamil Lipil cause that's the samples they send. I tried to feed her Nestle Good Start because that's what WIC will give you vouchers for but she hates it. She gets such bad gas, the scoops for it are twice as big as enfamil (taking twice as much to make the same amount), and it doesn't mix very well. I can't really afford to buy the Enfamil though...geez at 24 or 25 bucks a can plus the lovely sales tax around here of almost 10 percent and it gets pricey..quick.

I wonder how much money Nestle spent to snag the contract to be the exclusive provider for WIC formula?

We've tried a couple different ones so far because at first it's wise to experiment and see before going crazy with the most expensive soy-based specialty formula, ya know? (We had friends whose pediatrician told them what to use and they are paying through the nose for this stuff.) Believe me, before Ian was born I read labels and compared notes so I know it's the same damn ingredients...possibly with the exception of a few proprietary combinations. But still, the nutrients are the same. Period. It IS all a matter of what works with the child's tummy.

We started with Enfamil Lipil because I had a sample and we hadn't gotten the other kind yet. Parent's choice and their Sam's club equivalent both have comparable options:

Parent's Choice milk-based regular and organic and Member's Mark infant formula have DHA & ARA plus Iron. I've noticed the Organic version of Paren'ts Choice mixes a little foamier, which was a bit disconcerting to me. But I suspect that is where the bottles come in (in terms of keeping the gas down). I didn't notice a difference and my little guy didn't have issues with any of them. Sam's club also has a "Gentle" infant formula with partially broken down whey protein for fussy/gassy infants. So there are options. It also depends on if you have Sam's club and a membership. The great thing about Parent's Choice, though, is that Walmart is everywhere. And even though I don't like it on principle, heh, I can't argue with the fact that the price is SO much better.

Note: For all the types I've mentioned, we put warm filtered tap water in a bottle (Avent bottles, which I love- I purchased the microwave sterilizer, which has become my insurance policy for cleanliness - it was worth every penny) and put the dry formula in and then shake 'em up. I do 6 bottles at a time (which is what the sterilizer holds) and put them in the fridge. I've also discovered our good eater takes them cold without issue, so warming them isn't necessary. I will often take the bottle out of the fridge about a 1/2 hour prior to feeding and if we have the time (and he isn't starving) I will use the warmer or just do a homemade "warmer" by putting water in a big mug up to the formula level line (when the bottle is submerged). Take the bottle out, microwave the water for a couple minutes until really hot. Set the bottle in and let the water distribute the heat evenly. (It's never recommended to microwave the actual bottle of formula, though I know some do it.)

As you can see, I've gotten this whole formula thing down to a science.

Ask me about how we created a cooler from our insulated free Similac diaper bag by using ice packs so we can keep a set of bottles upstairs for nighttime feedings.

WIC will usually provide vouchers for a different brand of formula if you can get your doctor to write a note stating that the baby can only have that type.

Ditto to previous post

I had my pediatrician write me a 'scrip for the enfamil because the nestle makes her very irritable and spit up, but they wouldn't let me sub. "I'm sorry hon we've got a contract with Nestle and we can only provide vouchers for that." So, I told them to keep the formula vouchers cause I wouldn't be needing them in that case. I felt like telling them to shove 'em. And that was a lie on her part because I've been to the health dept. website and they DO let you substitute with a 'scrip so I'm going to write the Health Dept. Director for my area. So, while I can't really afford to buy formula I guess I'm going to have to figure something out.

Meanwhile your little one is going hungry because the wic office will not comply with their own rules. That is such a load of crap they are feeding you. When I had my son, he needed the nutramigen (VERY expesive) and they subsituted that no problem. Substitutions should be no problem provided you have a script.

I would most cirtanely be filing a greivance letter.