Formula – Photo by Robert Hrovat on Unsplash
The formula for babies is available far and wide these days, which is wonderful, but did you know it’s taken an arduous journey to get here? This essential and deceptively simple product for babies has quite the history, with twists and turns you definitely won’t expect.
Here are five fascinating moments from the history of baby formula:
Table of Contents
1. Early Formula Experiments
After pure animal milk was considered nutritionally deficient, nutritionists and physicians had to find an alternative. This process of creating a complete baby formula went through different stages. Some were just animal milk with cream, sugar, and water; others had added malt flour, animal milk, wheat flour, and potassium carbonate. Various brands had formulas to this effect, although they needed better testing. Truly, at this time, formula creation was a free-for-all.
2. Wet Nurses Were Commonplace
Breastfeeding was always the preferred way to feed babies, and if a woman struggled to breastfeed fully, a wet nurse would be hired to nourish the baby instead.
The wet nurse might come and live in the family home, or in some cases, the baby would live with the wet nurse until weaning. Even more surprisingly, wet nurses were chosen based on some odd preferences. For example, brunettes were thought to be better-wet nurses than red-haired people or blondes because it is believed that their breast milk was more nutritious and their personality more ‘balanced.’
3. Donkey Milk Was an Early Breast Milk Replacement
Wet nurses eventually became less popular, which is why all kinds of milk were tried and tested to see if they could become an adequate breast milk replacement. These milk variations went through a range of preparations, with some people believing raw animal milk was the best for the human infant. Others insisted milk had to be boiled or warmed up, with a sweetener like honey added to make it more nutritious and palatable.
Cow’s milk was used most often because it was readily available, but horses, goats, and donkeys all had their moment as the leading milk provider for human babies. Donkey milk, oddly, was trendy at one time because it is so similar (in how it looks) to human breast milk.
Photo by Lucy Wolski on Unsplash
4. SMA Breakthrough
The creation of the ‘Simulation Milk Adapted’ formula was a breakthrough because it was made of animal and vegetable fats and proved to be more similar to human breast milk than animal breast milk.
During this time, cod liver oil was commonly added to most SMA formulas. In fact, manufacturers still add cod liver oil to some formulations, particularly those for older children. Various elaborate mixtures were also made, including mixes with bone meal, alfalfa, oats, calcium, and other ingredients thought to benefit a growing child.
5. The 1950s Saw Many Breakthroughs
Even though well-made infant formulas were available in the 1920s, evaporated milk options were more commonly marketed for their cheapness and ease of use. However, by 1950 and through the 1960s and 1970s, the commercial baby formula became the primary option when a breast milk replacement was needed for infants. This change was mainly due to the rise of advertising, and hospitals and other medical locations soon took a shine to commercial formulas.
The above insights into baby formula’s history are just a tiny part of its fascinating story. Luckily, all that experimentation is in the past. Nowadays, tried, tested, and fine-tuned alternatives to breast milk are commonly available in grocery stores to help the special little people in our lives grow up to be strong and healthy.
