I don't think you answered the mother's question. That was good info about safe formula feeding, but I believe she was asking about what type of formula to use. There's a lot of big brand names out there, but are they any good? Or is there a smaller chain that's more reliable? Obviously organic formula is a must. What about soy vs. dairy formula?

This was a misleading article and left me feeling frustrated. I expected to get advice on which FORMULA is best -- not which bottle or plastic. Can you tell me why?

Masha- Thanks for your comment. If you look at the question, you'll see that the mother asked "how can I choose the best possible formula?" We answer that she can choose the best formula by picking a powdered variety. Brand doesn't much matter when it comes to BPA toxicity, since every canned formula on the market likely contains some amount of BPA.

As for soy vs. dairy, that's a good point that we didn't cover. Soy is thought to have some estrogenic properties, so it's a good idea to avoid it unless your infant has a dairy allergy.

Marty- I'm confused about what information you think we left out. I thought we made it clear in the second paragraph: "The number one most important step to take when selecting a formula is to choose powdered."

I believe the question is "what brand" is best. I am also curious, as I have been using Baby's Only Organic Formula. Thank you.

Thanks, Margaret. There really is no "best" brand. If you follow the link to http://ewg.org/babysafe, you'll see that POWDERED formula from Enfamil, Nestle, or Similac is somewhat better than POWDERED formula from Earth's Best of Bright Beginnings, and that any of those varieties is better than any LIQUID concentrated or ready-to-feed formula. Hope that clears it up!

As a mother who was unable to breastfeed I searched everywhere for information on what formula would be the best for my baby. What I found was discouraging-- I didn't feel that anything out there on the market came even close to mother's milk and I hated worrying about the toxins that could possible be present from the proccessing to the packaging of it. After using Baby's Only Organic Formula for a few months (which was fine) I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own infant formula. The results have been fantastic and I feel great about knowing exactly what my girl is drinking. For those interested please check out Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" Cookbook. She explains all of the shortcomings of conventional formula and how her homemade recipe is almost as good as breastmilk. I hope this helps people out there willing to put a little extra work into making sure their baby is getting the best nutrition possible.

The unfortunate fact that is being realized in these discussions is that there is no perfect store bought solution,as no formula can carry the bifidus bacteria needed to line the babies intestinal tract that mother's milk gives; nor can any formula provide the antibody's or perfectly balanced nutrients that mother's milk gives. Any formula that has a shelf life is probably enzymatically dead, or it wouldn't have a shelf-life, right? My suggestion is for this lady to make her own formula if she wants the next best thing. She should consult this website, which is is an excellent resource on how to prepare your own formula

http://westonaprice.org/children/recipes.html

As well, she should consider adding a high quality probiotic supplement to the infant's diet. One I recommend is 'Natren Life Start.'
Check out: www.natren.com for more info. I hope this is helpful.

Tim M.

I don't understand why Ready to feed has the highest BPA levels. We use ready to feed formula and it comes in a plastic container, not an aluminum can. Does BPA also leach from the plastic container? Or only from aluminum cans?

I recommend some caution in the generalization regarding the use of powdered formula. Powdered formula is not sterile and has been shown to harbor pathogenic bacteria which has sickened many infants. Preparation of powdered formula should be done with water that has been boiled, cooled to 158F and then added to the formula. It is thought that this temperature kills this type of bacteria. Use of boiling water denatures many of the ingredients and water cooler than 158F does not kill bacteria. The reconstituted formula is then cooled to body temperature and fed to the baby, with any left over discarded. Of course if one prepares Nestle's powdered formula with probiotics in this manner this kills the added bacteria! All formulas have many types of problems associated with them. DHA/ARA have side effects in some infants so it is best to choose formulas without this addition or those with the least amount.

Thank you so much, Cambria! That was truly helpful. I agree even with the powdered brands they do not have much to offer...I guess the best of the worst choices available in the market? It's no secret that proper nutrition for children, including babies, in our country is not a priority. Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" is a fantastic guide book to creating nutrient-rich foods. We do not have children yet, so I have not paid alot of attention to her information on formula. But this has always been a concern of mine and my sister is pregnant with her first. I'll be sure to pass on the information. I feel fortunate that this vital topic was addressed. Thank you!

Even regular formula has soy! Look at the labels - I haven't found one that doesn't have soy isolate or soy oil.

the best formula is homemade! Recipe from 'Nourishing Traditions' by Susan Fallon. Also you may want to read the section in' Crazy Makers' on formula.

Thanks so much for this topic.
I had no idea that the formula out there was so bad for a baby.

I was unable to nurse two of my children and I found a receipe for making formula with goat's milk as the base through my local nutrition/vitamin store. I even had the recipe evaluated by my pediatrician to make sure that in included all the vital nutrients my growing babies needed. It did. It was extra work making formula every night in the blender, but it was well worth it.

I posted before on this book The Crazy Makers, found my copy and the author is Carol Simontacchi.
I CAN"T STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION IT CONTAINS REGARDING INFANT FORMULA AND MANY OTHER IMPORTANT NUTRITIONAL SHOCKS!!!
GET IT READ IT HEED IT!!

I had no idea there was such a strong community of people making their own formula! That's very encouraging. Thanks for all your comments.

I also wanted to post this link to an article on Safe Alternatives for Baby, Nursing is more than breastfeeding, and every mother can do it! It's a good read, and it's nice to see someone acknowledging the difference between feeding and nursing.

You can make the best baby formula yourself. Get a copy of "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon (a Weston A. Price Foundation book) or check out the formula by Jordan Rubin (author of the "Maker's Diet" series of books(which is also the same formula as Sally Fallon's). This baby formula is absolutely the next best thing to breast milk and far superior to any formula you can buy.

My main concern with formula is the aluminum and cadmium content. These aren't listed on the label, because they aren't considered "ingredients" - they are biproducts of the manufacturing process. The U.S. and Canadian governments are already looking into ways to regulate this, but so far, it's perfectly legal to have cadmium and aluminum in infant formula, although no one knows exactly what effect this has on babies.

It seems that milk-based formula has less of these contaminants than soy, but all brands of formula tested have some. Infants on formula get 12 times the cadmium of an infant on breast milk.

I suggest that you check this out for yourself. Here's one article: http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/images/Contaminants.pdf

In case you need more proof (like I did), here's one scientific study about this. There are more out there, if you look. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10789373

Unfortunately, I have to feed my son formula because of a medical condition, but I managed to hold off until 7 months and I'm still expressing as much breastmilk as I can, to limit his exposure to formula.

Has EWG looked into LIFE"S DHA at all??? This is the DHA/ARA supplement in most formulas....

From the Nestle Good Start video placed after the question, the answer is Nestle Good Start. Obviously, this blog is sponsored by Nestle. Highly amusing.

Valerie, Sorry if the video freeze frame gives the appearance that we are endorsing a particular product or are sponsored by Nestle. Far from it! You can read all about EWG and our funding sources here: http://www.ewg.org/about and here: http://www.ewg.org/about/funding.

I was not on staff when this in-house video was produced for You Tube so am not clear why that image was chosen. I can guess, though, that a formula can was chosen to let folks know quickly and easily what the topic was.

Thanks for the input, though, it is important to note how our choices come across. I encourage you to watch the video, our own Susan Comfort stars in the informative show!

"Don't use soft plastic bottle liners, which create more waste."

I feel that the above statement is misleading - if you look at the bottom of the liners there is the recyclable symbol. We just rinse them and put them in our recycle bin collected by the city trash collectors.

I am highly interested in finding out more related to the soy vs. cow's milk, particulary since our infant has lactose allergies. She has been on Earth's Best organic soy formula, after trying several brands of organic and finding that seemed to work best with her. She has just turned one and is now supposed to transition to milk, however, since cow's milk is not an option for her we are concerned about whether to continue her with organice soy? I keep hearing so many different opinions on whether soy is okay for infants. My pediatrician said its completely fine, but I've seen and heard varying opinions and am very nervous about what to do. I have though about trying rice milk, but the protein content is substantially lower than soy milk (1gram for rice versus 7 grams for soy). Can someone share any insight they have on this. I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Concerned mother,
Gilroy, CA

I'm in my third trimester and will not be able to breastfeed. I am trying to figure out which formula to choose. I too have read that DHA/ARA aded in these formulas are synthetics and could cause more harm than good. I was hoping someone could inform me on how I would be able to add fish oil to the formula I choose. Is it as simple as just adding a teaspoon of fish oil to the bottle? Or is it more complicated?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

According to stats quoted in the video above, most babies will receive formula at some point. But why??!?, when the CDC says only 5-10% of moms/babies will need to use formula for medical reasons. Why are so many women choosing to formula feed when - as we've all heard and know - that breast is best!

Our almost six year old went from soy infant formula and breast milk to soy toddler formula (both with DHA) and it has been beneficial for him. He was not able to latch properly and hence making breastfeeding difficult for both of us, I pumped what I was able to and fed him, then gave him a bottle of formula. In spite of being my largest baby in terms of length and weight he had to use a preemie bottle for the first two months of life. All four of my children were both breast and formula fed. Some longer and some for a shorter amount of time. Remember, not all babies are the same even in the same family.