Homemade baby formula

This article was written by Dr Lawrence Wilson

This article is about how to make homemade baby formula, which is much better than any store-bought formula of which we are aware.  However, before discussing baby formula, we want to review how babies ideally need to eat.

I. REMEMBER, BREASTFEEDING IS BEST

The best food for nourishing a baby is breast milk, provided that the mother is very healthy or on a mineral-balancing program.  Mothers must take the supplements recommended on a mineral-balancing program, and not just the diet to make high quality milk.

If she is not healthy enough, the breast milk will not be adequate to nourish most babies after they reach the age of about 1 year old.  This is why many doctors today tell mothers to introduce adult food at this time.

However, in our view, this is not good.  A much better idea is that mothers all need to follow a mineral-balancing program.  Then their breast milk will provide enough nutrition so their babies can continue to live on it exclusively or almost exclusively for about 3 years.

Unfortunately, most doctors also tell mothers to stop breastfeeding when the baby is 6-12 months old.  We believe this is a terrible mistake.  Many babies would like to continue with some breast milk until around age 3.

GB-3 FOR FUSSY BABIES

Some mothers switch their babies from breast milk to formula or adult food before age 2 because the baby does not feed for long enough, and this worries mothers and their doctors. Please DO NOT DO THIS!

If necessary, just breastfeed a little at a time, wait an hour or more, and restart feeding again.  In many cases, the baby will take the milk and gain weight normally.  However, another solution is possible.

  A common reason why some babies do not feed long enough is the baby does not have the digestive capacity to take much milk at one time.  For this reason, here is something to try:

– For babies under 1 year old, please add at the beginning of every feeding, about one-sixth of a tablet of GB-3 from Endomet Labs, or the equivalent.  One tablet of GB-3 contains 160 mg of pancreatin , 112 mg of ox bile, and less important, 130 mg of Russian black radish.

– For babies between one and two years old who continue to be colicky or who don’t breastfeed long enough, use ¼ of a tablet of GB-3.

– For babies over age two who are colicky or who do not want to breastfeed long enough, increase to about 1/3 of a tablet of GB-3.

Crush up the piece of tablet and put the powder in a little milk or cream.  Give this to your baby first, just before starting to feed.  This often works and your baby will appreciate it.

Another good resource is La Leche League International at http://www.LLLi.org.

OTHER BREASTFEEDING OPTIONS

If mother cannot or will not breastfeed, two other options before turning to formula are:

1. A wet nurse. A wet nurse is a lady other than the mother who breastfeeds your child.  The use of wet nurses used to be rather common, and they are used in some cultures, but not much in Western societies.

However, it is an excellent idea, and is the best alternative to mother’s own milk, provided the wet nurse is healthy and well-nourished, which some are and some are not.  A wet nurse who follows a development program would be excellent, in all cases.

2. A milk bank. This is a more modern idea, in which some nursing women who have too much milk offer to share their extra milk with those who need it, usually by refrigerating it and sending it to babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed for some reason.  It is an interesting idea, and one can read more about it and connect with milk banks by visiting http://www.LLLi.org.

II. HOMEMADE FORMULA

WHY HOMEMADE FORMULA?

If one cannot breastfeed and one cannot find a wet nurse or a milk bank, the alternatives are:

– Introduce adult food early, OR

– Feed formula.

Adult food. A baby’s digestive tract is very delicate, and for this reason introducing adult food before age three and definitely before age two is very hard on the baby’s digestion.

Babies will often grab for it, but that does not mean it is good for them.  If the baby’s digestive system is inflamed, for example, it causes a type of hunger that many adults recognize as a “nervous hunger”.  This is not good, and please do not give adult foods to babies under age 3 or so.

An important exception, in most cases, is that babies starting around age 1 can take about ¼ of an egg yolk cooked by boiling an egg for no more than 3 minutes.  The yolk must be runny.

Formula is better than adult food for babies under three years old.  However, commercial formula that we have seen usually contains sugar, powdered milk, chemical additives, cheap, poor-quality vitamins and other harmful ingredients.  It is also often low in vital nutrients.  For these reasons, we do not recommend it at all.  

THE BASIS FOR THESE RECIPES

These recipes are adapted from the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon with Mary Enig.  They are made easier because one can buy a kit of the most difficult-to-find ingredients.  This saves money and effort.

We have made a few change in the recipes based on our hair analysis research, and this article will be updated as we learn even more about the needs of babies today.  For example, we have substituted organic or grass-fed beef for the liver in the meat-based formula.  The reason is that liver is quite toxic today and we would prefer not to use as much for the formula.

We think using grass-fed or organic beef, with a little organic chicken liver, is as good or better than using just liver.

Two recipes.  There are two recipes – a milk-based formula and a meat-based one.  Both are very good, and some babies will prefer one to the other.  We like rotating the two.

You will notice there is no fruit, no grain, no cereals, and no sugars or sweeteners in these formulas, except for a little lactose, or milk sugar.  This is very important for your baby’s health.  We do not recommend giving babies fruit, fruit juices, soda pop, teas, corn flakes, Rice Krispies, or similar foods at all, ever.

THE MILK-BASED FORMULA

1. FOR ABOUT 36 OUNCES, PLACE IN A BLENDER:

– 2 cups of preferably raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk.  The best is goat milk. Cows milk is not quite as good, but it will work fine.  If raw milk is not available, you may use pasteurized, but not homogenized milk, preferably organic or from pasture-fed goats or cows.

– 2 tablespoons of preferably raw cream.  If raw cream is not available, you can use pasteurized cream, preferably organic, although it is not quite as good.

– 2 teaspoons of grated, raw and preferably organic chicken liver.

– 1 runny cooked egg yolk.  Prepare this by boiling an egg for 2-3 minutes only.  The egg yolk must be runny. 

– 2 cups of either spring water (the best) or, if not available, you may use 2 cups of carbon-only filtered tap water.  Do not use water treated with reverse osmosis such as “purified water”, “drinking water”, or water from a multistage water filter.  This is important.

NEW:

– ½ teaspoon of organic roasted sesame tahini, sometimes also called sesame butter.

– ½ teaspoon of organic roasted almond butter.

– Also, recently we are finding that the baby formula kit is not supplying enough omega-3 fatty acids.  This is very serious.

To correct this problem, each time you make a batch of homemade formula, add one capsule of Endomet brand of EPA-DHA (contains about 225 mg).  Nature-made, Barlean’s and Spectrum Naturals brands are also okay.  Some other brands are not working well, including Carlson and Nordic Naturals, so do not use these brands of fish oil.

2. ADD TO THE ABOVE the ingredientsfor a 36-ounce batch of formula from the Nourishing Traditions Kit For Homemade Baby Formula (available from http://www.Radiantlifecatalog.com or 1 (888) 593-8333).   These ingredients are listed below if you are not sure of the quantities.

Adding these to the blender is simple, except the gelatin should be warmed with a little of the water until it liquefies, and then mix it in with all the other ingredients.

3. NOW ADD SUPPLEMENTS – but only for babies who are over 6 months of age, and ONLY IF THEY ARE NOT ON A mineral-balancing program:

– 1 Kelp capsule (only Nature’s Way, Solgar or Endomet Kelp capsules, about 660 mg each).

– 1 crushed tablet of Na/K UP (Valence Nutraceuticals) or Limcomin ** or a similar product.

– 1 crushed tablet of SBF ** or a similar product.

– 2 capsules of Cal-Mag Fusion (Valence Nutraceuticals) or Paramin **, which contains calcium (about 200 mg) with magnesium (about 100 mg).

** From Endomet Labs in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 1-800-528-4067.

4. BLEND ALL THE NUTRIENTS TOGETHER until they form a homogenous mass.  Leave this in the blender in the refrigerator, or transfer the formula to a clean glass container for storage in the refrigerator.  Do not freeze it.

To serve, pour 4 to 8 ounces into a clean baby bottle, warm the bottle by placing it in a pan of hot water until warm, shake it well and give it to the baby.  Never warm baby formula in a microwave oven, and never cook it.

THE MEAT-BASED FORMULA

This is also excellent.

1. TO MAKE 36 OUNCES, PLACE IN A BLENDER about 4 cups of water. 

2. ADD:

– 2 ounces of cooked and shredded lamb chops (they need not be organic) or other lamb.  Lamb chops are about the best, but any lamb will do.  Alternatively, one can use grass-fed or preferably organic ground beef.  If this is not available, regular ground beef can be used, but it is not as good.

– 2 teaspoons of grated, frozen, raw organic chicken liver.

– 1 runny cooked egg yolk.  Prepare this by boiling an egg for 2-3 minutes only.  The egg yolk must be runny.

NEW:

– ½ teaspoon of organic roasted sesame tahini, sometimes also called sesame butter.

– ½ teaspoon of organic roasted almond butter.

– Also, recently we are finding that the baby formula kit is not supplying enough omega-3 fatty acids.  This is very serious.

To correct this problem, each time you make a batch of homemade formula, add one capsule of Endomet brand of EPA-DHA (contains about 225 mg).  Nature-made, Barlean’s and Spectrum Naturals brands are also okay.  Some other brands are not working well, including Carlson and Nordic Naturals, so do not use these brands of fish oil.

3. ADD TO THIS the proper amounts of ingredients to make 36 ounces of formula from the Nourishing Traditions Kit For Homemade Baby Formula (contact information is above).  The exact amounts of ingredients are listed below.

Adding these to the blender is simple, except the gelatin should be warmed with a little water until it liquefies, and then mix it in with all the other ingredients.

4. NOW FOR SUPPLEMENTS – but only for babies who are over 6 months of age, AND ONLY IF THE BABY IS NOT ON A DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM:

– 1 Kelp capsule (only Nature’s Way, Solgar or Endomet Kelp capsules, 660 mg each)

– 1 crushed tablet of Na/K UP (Valence Nutraceuticals) or Limcomin ** or a similar product.

– 1 crushed tablet of SBF ** or a similar product.

– 2 capsules of Cal-Mag Fusion (Valence Nutraceuticals) or Paramin **, which contains calcium (about 200 mg) with magnesium (about 100 mg).

5. BLEND ALL THE NUTRIENTS TOGETHER until they form a homogenous mass.  Leave this in the blender in the refrigerator, or transfer the formula to a clean glass container for storage in the refrigerator.  Do not freeze it.

To serve, pour 4 to 8 ounces into a clean baby bottle, warm the bottle by placing it in a pan of hot water until warm, shake it well and give it to the baby.  Never warm baby formula in a microwave oven and never cook it. 

THE NOURISHING TRADITIONS KIT FOR HOMEMADE BABY FOOD

           This kit contains the following products (with product numbers).  The following amounts are used for every 36-ounce batch of homemade baby formula:

– ¼ to ½ teaspoon of Life Start Infant Bifidum (bifidobacterium Infantis) (#00101 or 00102)

– 4 tablespoons of lactose (#00402)

– 1/2 teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil (#05811)  NOTE:  We do not like fermented cod liver oil, so remove it and replace it with regular cod liver oil. 

– 1 teaspoon of Flora organic sunflower oil (#01801 or 01802)

– 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic (#02801 or 02802).

– 1 tsp of organic coconut oil (#01301 to 01304)

– 2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast (#02301)

– 2 teaspoons of Bernard Jensen brand gelatin (#01501)

– ¼ teaspoon of Acerola powder (#00401)

This kit is available from http://www.Radiantlifecatalog.com or 1 (888) 593-8333.