Formula: or as we zealots prefer to call it "the other stuff":

"Formula" is the word commonly used to refer to the modified cow's milk or modified soy liquid or occasionally meat or other mammal or plant based fluid used to feed infants unfortunate enough to not be breastfed. Formula is usually proprietary but sometimes homemade.

A surprisingly large number of health care professionals and parents do not know that formula is just these base liquids, modified by water, sugars, oils, vitamins, and other trace substances.

Few know that manufacturing errors occur frequently or that the pharmaceutical companies who make formula are constantly changing the recipe, ostensibly to come closer to human milk but certainly also for marketing purposes. This year's "formula" with the newest magic ingredient is a tacit admission that last year's "formula" was really an inadequate substitute for the thing babies truly need, their own mother's milk. Next year there will be another nifty new ingredient, but it still won't be the real thing.

The World Health Organization ranks formula as forth in the list of preferred foods for newborns.

  • First choice: Mother's own milk, directly from the breast
    the Gold Standard of infant feeding
  • Second choice: Mother's own milk, pumped and fed to her baby
  • Third choice: banked breastmilk - from a reliable milk bank
  • Fourth choice: the other stuff

Formula feeding is to breastfeeding as Neonatal Intensive Care Units are to most babies. I'm glad it is there for the real emergencies but it isn't an equivalent choice. Go for the Gold!

When formula feeding is medically indicated and choice one or two are not available parents and health care providers should give some thought to just which formula is used. Especially in hightly allergenic families or those with a history of diabetes early exposure to bovine proteins should be avoided. However, those allergice to cow's milk are also frequently allergic to soy as well. Infant formulas exist that are less allergenic because their proteins are free amino acids. They are more expensive and smell awful but for short term, medically indicated supplementation with formula they would be my preference.