4 ms·

Baby formula isn't some magical combination of ingredients. Some of it is for those with metabolic problems. Abbott makes one type which very recently the gov

Baby formula isn't some magical combination of ingredients. Some of it is for those with metabolic problems. Abbott makes one type which very recently the government has taken action about, but each recipient has be vetted to get it, I believe it's from non-FDA regulated production in Europe.

hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
I mean, that's fine, but how many babies need that kind of formula? And parents with babies that do need that kind of formula are probably well aware of that. If you Google "how to make homemade baby formula", basically every article is how experts strongly recommend against it. And there are articles like "Why following TikTok influencers' baby formula recipes is a terrible idea." No shit following TikTok baby formula recipes is a horrible idea. But if a detailed recipe for age-appropriate "standard" baby formula were published by experts, my guess is that it wouldn't contain fairy dust. I can commiserate somewhat with these "experts", though, because this is a fairly common case where what is good advice for an individual can be bad advice for the masses. That is, if you're a reasonably intelligent person, it's probably not that hard to make your own baby formula. But if, say, at least 20% of people are not reasonably intelligent, experts will err on the side of "lowest common denominator" advice.
- IncRnd 4y ago
  Exactly, babies have been eating for an extremely long time, far longer than boxes and bottles have been around and filled with the "only way to feed the babies".
  - xyzzyz 4y ago
    In the old days, the alternative to store bought baby formula has not been a home-made one, it has rather been a wet nurse. At the time, people had more kids, so there were usually wet nurses available close by.
    - Viliam1234 4y ago
      Also, many kids died.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - h2odragon 4y ago
      Goats milk
      - SkyPuncher 4y ago
        Which is associated with anemia in infants....
        Throwawayaerlei 4y ago
        In the pediatrician's advice I link to in this subthread, there's a "Common mistakes to be aware of at all ages" section, and about that: "Goat's milk contains very little folate and its use as a primary calorie source causes megaloblastic anemia." Cows milk over 32 oz/day will cause iron deficiency, and "In children this is a hypercoagulable state and can cause cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. I have see this." Substitutes for human milk designed for human consumption turn out not to be trivial.
  - Nasrudith 4y ago
    Babies have also been dying for a very long time too. I would be wary of citing it. Some people also have damned good reasons not to breastfeed like medication or diseases that would spread via milk.
    - IncRnd 4y ago
      When a mother doesn't want to or cannot safely breastfeed there is still actual food that a baby can eat. This isn't nearly as daunting or complicated as it may appear at first glance. People really have been doing this for a long time - safely without their babies dying. I've seen people here say they have learned how to feed their babies on tiktok. For a place better than tiktok, there is a ton of information on WebMD showing how to quickly and safely make baby food. google.com/search?q=webmd+baby+food+recipes
      - oneoff786 4y ago
        This is about babies that are ready to transition to solid foods. Not a replacement for formula.
        IncRnd 4y ago
        That might be what you want to comment about, but that isn't what "the thread is about." The thread has been discussing a shortage of formula and the safety and efficacy of replacing formula with a different substance for babies to eat.
        oneoff786 4y ago
        I mean your link. You seem to think that webmd article describes how to make baby formula. It does not. It describes how to transition your baby to solid foods once it is ready. They’re not the same thing. If you follow the recipes there for a young baby you will likely kill the baby.
        IncRnd 4y ago
- starkd 4y ago
  A baby dying of starvation is probably much worse than the risk of giving it wrong formula. And have you ever heard a hungry baby crying? It's not something you can wait long for.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - Throwawayaerlei 4y ago
    Elsewhere in this discussion there's a Reddit posting by a pediatrician https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/uvcijm/a_pediatricians_guide_to_navigating_the_formula/ https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/uvcijm/a_pediatri.... Under four months, home made formula: "Often has a dangerously different osmolality. Infants eat whatever they are given and have dumb kidneys, so are prone to hyponatremia or hypernatremia and every pediatrician has seen a baby die this way. Don’t do it." See that and other discussions here about the differences between infant (above) and toddler formula.
    - hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
      > Often has a dangerously different osmolality That makes sense, but again, for anyone who has ever taken a chemistry class, creating a solution with a known osmolality is not difficult - basically all you need is a scale. But I also don't doubt that rando TikTok recipes are wildly dangerous. And the age range argument doesn't really make sense if there were a standard recipe for "human breast milk replacement". I'm pretty sure human breast milk doesn't change composition as a child ages, and no one is arguing you can't breast feed toddlers because the milk is for the wrong age.

hn_throwaway_99 4y ago

I mean, that's fine, but how many babies need that kind of formula? And parents with babies that do need that kind of formula are probably well aware of that. If you Google "how to make homemade baby formula", basically every article is how experts strongly recommend against it. And there are articles like "Why following TikTok influencers' baby formula recipes is a terrible idea." No shit following TikTok baby formula recipes is a horrible idea. But if a detailed recipe for age-appropriate "standard" baby formula were published by experts, my guess is that it wouldn't contain fairy dust. I can commiserate somewhat with these "experts", though, because this is a fairly common case where what is good advice for an individual can be bad advice for the masses. That is, if you're a reasonably intelligent person, it's probably not that hard to make your own baby formula. But if, say, at least 20% of people are not reasonably intelligent, experts will err on the side of "lowest common denominator" advice.

IncRnd 4y ago
Exactly, babies have been eating for an extremely long time, far longer than boxes and bottles have been around and filled with the "only way to feed the babies".
- xyzzyz 4y ago
  In the old days, the alternative to store bought baby formula has not been a home-made one, it has rather been a wet nurse. At the time, people had more kids, so there were usually wet nurses available close by.
  - Viliam1234 4y ago
    Also, many kids died.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - h2odragon 4y ago
    Goats milk
    - SkyPuncher 4y ago
      Which is associated with anemia in infants....
      - Throwawayaerlei 4y ago
        In the pediatrician's advice I link to in this subthread, there's a "Common mistakes to be aware of at all ages" section, and about that: "Goat's milk contains very little folate and its use as a primary calorie source causes megaloblastic anemia." Cows milk over 32 oz/day will cause iron deficiency, and "In children this is a hypercoagulable state and can cause cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. I have see this." Substitutes for human milk designed for human consumption turn out not to be trivial.
- Nasrudith 4y ago
  Babies have also been dying for a very long time too. I would be wary of citing it. Some people also have damned good reasons not to breastfeed like medication or diseases that would spread via milk.
  - IncRnd 4y ago
    When a mother doesn't want to or cannot safely breastfeed there is still actual food that a baby can eat. This isn't nearly as daunting or complicated as it may appear at first glance. People really have been doing this for a long time - safely without their babies dying. I've seen people here say they have learned how to feed their babies on tiktok. For a place better than tiktok, there is a ton of information on WebMD showing how to quickly and safely make baby food. google.com/search?q=webmd+baby+food+recipes
    - oneoff786 4y ago
      This is about babies that are ready to transition to solid foods. Not a replacement for formula.
      - IncRnd 4y ago
        That might be what you want to comment about, but that isn't what "the thread is about." The thread has been discussing a shortage of formula and the safety and efficacy of replacing formula with a different substance for babies to eat.
        oneoff786 4y ago
        I mean your link. You seem to think that webmd article describes how to make baby formula. It does not. It describes how to transition your baby to solid foods once it is ready. They’re not the same thing. If you follow the recipes there for a young baby you will likely kill the baby.
        IncRnd 4y ago
starkd 4y ago
A baby dying of starvation is probably much worse than the risk of giving it wrong formula. And have you ever heard a hungry baby crying? It's not something you can wait long for.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Throwawayaerlei 4y ago
  Elsewhere in this discussion there's a Reddit posting by a pediatrician https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/uvcijm/a_pediatricians_guide_to_navigating_the_formula/ https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/uvcijm/a_pediatri.... Under four months, home made formula: "Often has a dangerously different osmolality. Infants eat whatever they are given and have dumb kidneys, so are prone to hyponatremia or hypernatremia and every pediatrician has seen a baby die this way. Don’t do it." See that and other discussions here about the differences between infant (above) and toddler formula.
  - hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
    > Often has a dangerously different osmolality That makes sense, but again, for anyone who has ever taken a chemistry class, creating a solution with a known osmolality is not difficult - basically all you need is a scale. But I also don't doubt that rando TikTok recipes are wildly dangerous. And the age range argument doesn't really make sense if there were a standard recipe for "human breast milk replacement". I'm pretty sure human breast milk doesn't change composition as a child ages, and no one is arguing you can't breast feed toddlers because the milk is for the wrong age.