Homemade baby formula?!
I know – corporations have got a hold on this market, with great success. But before formula companies, babies survived, even thrived, on alternatives. And they still can.
Wet nurses have largely been replaced by milk banks. Alternately, we can make homemade baby formula.
For sure, mother’s milk is special in ways we probably still don’t even understand. I am not confused about that. But we can use what we do know to make something pretty good.
A pretty good substitute
Ideally, raw animal’s milk can be supplemented to create something similar to (raw) mother’s milk. Yet, when raw milk is not available or does not suit a baby – a meat-based homemade baby formula is also an option.
Regardless, Sally Fallon Morrell explains in Nourishing Traditions,
Baby’s earliest solid foods should be animal foods as his digestive system, although immature, is better equipped to supply enzymes for digestion of fats and proteins rather than carbohydrates.
Makes sense, since this resembles breastmilk itself. It’s a good guideline for formula, as well.
Constructing a homemade baby formula
In the meat-based formula, about a quart of homemade gelatinous broth and 2 ounces of liver make the base.
Note that raw foods, like the milk we are replicating, have special digestive properties. Francis Pottenger, Jr. MD describes how these foods keep the “gastric mucosa in excellent condition” in his landmark book, Pottenger’s Cats. Moreover, he explains that cooked foods need gelatin – or supplemental hydrophilic colloids – for optimal digestion. Thick, jiggly homemade broth is ideal for making homemade baby formula with cooked liver. If your broth does not gel, be sure to add supplemental gelatin for making this formula.
Next, we support the microorganisms of the gut by adding the probiotic bifidobacterium infantis and lactose. Lactose – milk sugars – are not even digested by the baby. Instead, they serve as food for the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms, such as bifidobacterium infantis. Similarly, homemade liquid whey is added to provide a diverse array of other beneficial gut bacteria.
Also, since breastmilk derives more than half of its calories from fat, including saturated fat, we provide sufficient fats. These include coconut oil, cod liver oil and butter oil, unrefined sunflower oil and highest quality extra virgin olive oil. This diversity in fats covers the spectrum of fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acids. The liver base provides cholesterol and vitamin A, among a host of other nutrients.
Rewriting the recipe
The Weston A Price Foundation provides valuable information about pre-conception and pregnancy diets as well as nourishing infants. They also provide detailed recipes and FAQs about homemade baby formulas.
When I needed an alternative for babycakes, the meat-based liver formula was the best match for our family.
Now that I’ve been making it for nearly a year, I can confidently say that:
- Baby is thriving on this formula.
Within a week or so of weaning, he started sleeping clear through the night. 11+ hour stretches. Ahhh, the sigh of a happy mama. Since then, he has continued to gain well (finally) and meet his development milestones. When my pediatrician suggested I cut out formula at a year, I couldn’t even conceive of it. I nursed my other three kiddos well past that, and babycakes deserves at least as much love.
- The original recipe could be improved, just a little.
Reorder ingredients so wet measuring spoons aren’t needed for dry ingredients. Measure additional ingredients while cooking the liver to save time. Absolutely pass this pureed mix through a fine-mesh sieve so that tiny liver bits don’t get stuck in the nipple while feeding. Read below for all the details.
- What a nourishing mix; I should make some liver and broth soup for myself!
My baby is thriving. Why aren’t we all drinking this stuff? As it turns out, now we do. These bottles are perfect on the go, and so is my inspired liver soup.
Homemade baby formula
Yes, I do purchase many of ingredients from Radiant Life. We started making homemade baby formula by purchasing their raw milk formula kit. (Note that Nutritional Yeast is not used in the meat-based version.) We continue to reorder many ingredients from them. We purchase liver and the bones for broth from local farmers.
And no, I’ve never mentioned that my baby drinks homemade formula to my pediatrician. We have a fantastic pediatrician who is supportive of freedom of choice; however, I’d rather save the time I’d spend explaining myself for something else. I do what I feel is best for our family, as you absolutely should do for yours.
Homemade baby formula from liver and broth
Notes
Assuming that you have the broth on hand, making the formula takes about 10 minutes. Assuming 4.5 hours for making your broth a day in advance.
I have a limited number of bottles and if they are not yet free, I often prep several ramekins or 1/2 cup ball jars of ingredients: 1) the 2 oz liver portion, 2) the dry ingredients, and 3) the oil ingredients except for coconut oil. I refrigerate all these together and can pull them out when I am ready to make the formula - along with the lactose, coconut oil and whey. Else, I make the formula and pour into 1 cup jars until ready for use. (I'll reiterate: do not be tempted to pour into significantly larger jars than your baby's portion size because if the broth has some good gel to it, you won't be able to pour off portions out of a larger jar very easily.)
Ingredients
For the chicken broth (makes ~3 quarts)
- 3-4 lbs best quality chicken backs & necks, with multiple cuts through skin and bone
- 1-2 chicken feet or 2 chicken wings, with multiple cuts through skin and bone
- 3 quarts filtered water
- 1-2 carrots, peeled, in large slices
- 1-2 celery sticks, in large slices
- sea salt
For the formula
- 3 3/4 cups homemade chicken broth, cooled
- 1 t gelatin (optional, if cooled broth does not gel)
- 2 oz organic liver
- 5 T lactose
- 1/4 t baby probiotic (w/ Bifidobacterium infantis)
- 1/4 t acerola powder
- 1 t sunflower oil
- 2 t extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 t or ~2 mL cod liver oil
- 1/4 t high vitamin butter oil (optional)
- 1/4 c homemade liquid whey
- 1 T coconut oil
Instructions
For the broth
- As a rule of thumb, use at least one pound of chicken parts per quart of broth, for minimal gelatin formation, where a higher meat to water ratio and a higher wings/feet to meat ratio will improve your gelatin formation. Using a cleaver or other heavy knife, make multiple cuts into skin and bones of chicken backs and necks, and also the feet and/or wings - to improve access to the connective tissue that adds gelatin. (Optionally, place the backs and feet/wings into a food processor and pulverize as recommended in The Food Lab.)
- Place chicken parts into pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim, and reduce to a simmer. Add carrots and celery and leave at a hearty simmer for 4-12 hours. (In my experience, the hearty simmer versus the very light simmer will cloud the broth substantially, but also increase gelatin content, especially in a shorter cooking time.)
- Pour broth through strainer into quart jars. For each quart of broth, add 1 teaspoon sea salt and stir well. Cool broth, ideally refrigerating for several hours or overnight.
For the formula
- Using your cold broth, assess if you have a good jiggle to the liquid, ie. gelatin formation. If not, use optional gelatin as follows: pour approximately 1/3 of your cold broth into a pot, add gelatin and let stand for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add liver and lactose and cook over medium high. Stir occasionally to mix in lactose, cook until liver is just cooked through (or slightly pink in center).
- While the liver is cooking, measure out baby probiotic and acerola powder onto a small plate or ramekin. Add sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, cod liver oil, and butter oil to remaining quart of (cold) broth. Also, add the whey to your (cold) broth. Finally, add the coconut oil to your blender and put away all your ingredients.
- When liver is cooked, pour hot liver/broth mixture into your blender with waiting coconut oil. Blend well until the liver is very well disintegrated and coconut oil has melted. Pour this mix through a fine mesh strainer into a separate cup/jar and reserve. (I usually set my strainer over a measuring cup with a nice pouring tip on one side.) Rinse blender and blender lid so no little shreds or pieces of liver remain inside. Shake out any water.
- Next, pour the remaining (cold) broth with additional wet ingredients into your empty blender jar. Add your plate/ramekin of pre-measured dry ingredients. Last, add the reserved liver broth mix. Blend just until all ingredients are mixed through.
- Again, pour the formula from the blender through your fine mesh strainer. (I do this in two batches with my pint-sized pouring cup.) Pour your strained formula into baby bottles, a little at a time so that the floating fat layer is distributed across all the bottles, and then topping each one off. Note: do not store formula in containers much larger than your serving size (no larger than 1 cup mason jars) as formula with good gelatin is difficult to pour into smaller containers once cool - without reheating the whole container, which may account for multiple servings.
- Reheat by warming jars in warm water. As early as possible I encouraged baby to drink room temperature bottles, which I always took from fridge and left out as soon as the last one was consumed so it would be ready a couple hours later. Else, I warm cold bottles by placing in a bowl of cold water in the sink and then running hot tap water into the bowl for about 3 minutes - note that cold glass bottles placed directly into hot water can break. Final note: never microwave formula!
For the homemade liquid whey, copied from Nourishing Traditions, and provided partway down this page
- "Homemade whey is easy to make from good quality plain yoghurt, or from raw or cultured milk. You will need a large strainer that rests over a bowl.
- "If you are using yoghurt, place 2 quarts in a strainer lined with a tea towel set over a bowl. Cover with a plate and leave at room temperature overnight. The whey will drip out into the bowl. Place whey in clean glass jars and store in the refrigerator.
- "If you are using raw or cultured milk, place 2 quarts of the milk in a glass container and leave at room temperature for 2-4 days until the milk separates into curds and whey. Pour into the strainer lined with a tea towel set over a bowl and cover with a plate. Leave at room temperature overnight. The whey will drip out into the bowl. Store in clean glass jars in the refrigerator."
Hi Janine,
This article is very helpful!
I was wondering, is it okay to freeze the broth ahead of time and thaw as needed?
Have you tried using both beef and chicken bones? Does it matter? I’m in the process of gathering all necessary ingredients.
Also, what made you decide to do the liver based formula instead of the raw milk one?
I’ve notice that my baby is sensitive to the milk protein that’s why I want to do the liver based, however I read on “Nourishing Traditions” that the raw milk based formula contains ingredients that make it is easier to digest. What’s your experience on that? Did you get a chance to try it as well?
Sorry for all the questions! I really need some direction in this matter =)
Thanks!
Hi Romelia,
Yes, I always made it in the proportions given, or double, or quadruple and either used or froze in glass jars or the lansinoh breastmilk bags so I would always have single servings available. One time my husband defrosted a glass jar of bacon grease/lard from the fridge (similar in color) and tried to feed it to him! haha We laughed for months.
I have used every kind of meat broth (chicken, lamb, goat, beef), but never fish 😉 Chicken is the most mild, but they likely all have slightly different nutrient compositions, and I appreciated that diversity. Also, I use whatever bones I have and didn’t want to make extra special broth just for baby.
I used the liver formula because my baby seemed to be more fussy with the milk one, though I did make and offer it to him at the start and several times over the months we used the liver formula. It is a bit faster/easier to make – you can buy raw milk so easily (depending on location) compared to making broth, cooking liver, blending, etc each week. But he would prefer the liver and often not finish the other. Not sure if he just got used to the flavor or there was a digestive/nutritive preference on his part. In both cases, I felt great feeding him the homemade formula and the rest of us consumed a lot of liver ginger soup (https://offallygoodcooking.com/liver-ginger-soup/) that year! No complaints!
Hi can you let me know the brands you used for the ingredients? I was referred here by Nicole at nourishing tbe littles. I have a very complicated situation with a foster baby on a g-tube. I’m desperate for something other than her formula. Any chance you know the calories in this formula? I’m sure the nutritionist is going to ask me.
My family has done GAPS and now nourishing traditions so feeding her formula that is 55% corn syrup solids is not my favorite.
Hi Kayla, I started making the formula using a kit prepared by Radiant Life Company. The liver formula doesn’t use all the ingredients included, but if you comb through this kit, you’ll see each of the items you do need and the brand I used.
I do not know how many calories are in this formula. Perhaps there are sites online where you can ‘create’ a recipe and see nutrient info (?? I’m not sure, I’ve never done that, but you could search). In the meantime, follow your heart and do what is best for your family. Perhaps let this be one of many parenting experiments with your child, where you watch and learn and continue to evolve (and experiment!) as you determine what is best for your family.
Good luck!
Hi there. I’m assuming that the sunflower oil is cold pressed. If i cant find vold pressed sunflower oil, what could I substitute it with?
We don’t live in the USA, so wont he able to get the kit you spoke about.
Hi Lior,
With the baby formula, I can share my opinion and the information that I have on the topic, but you always have to do what resonates with you and what is right for your family! For me, I started this formula at 8 months or so and my baby was already eating table food, so I was not quite so concerned that every serving had every item, if I was short. At the same time, even from the start, nursing moms can be deficient in many things and no one analyzes their milk to worry about it. Sometimes we have to do our best and move on. That said, let me tell you what I know.
Yes, the sunflower oil is organic and cold-pressed, best quality. It contains 64% polyunsaturated Linoleic Acid (omega-6). This is a long-chain essential fatty acid that the body uses to even longer-chain EPA and DHA – most commonly noted for supporting brain development.
The options are to skip it, to try to replace the linoleic acid component, or to focus on providing the EPA/DHA directly. Chris Masterjohn suggests (https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/precious-yet-perilous/#gsc.tab=0) that these EPA/DHA fats (in coordination with arachidonic acid) are the true essential fatty acids, and the shorter linoleic acids are handy precursors when the longest-chains aren’t available.
In our culture, the processed vegetable oils are high in omega-6, but are quite inflammatory due to processing. I would not consider these options for replacing the linoleic acid. In the US, maybe one of the most common plant oils that you can find cold pressed if flax oil and I would probably opt for that myself if I wanted to replace this item.
With respect to EPA and DHA, these come from seafood and fish oils are your best source. You could increase the cod liver oil to split the difference on the sunflower oil. Or do some additional research on other fish oils that have high levels of EPA and DHA and are minimally processed that you could use to replace the sunflower oil.
In the meantime, I haven’t read the Masterjohn article I cited above in a while. Take a look, as it may provide you clues as to what you feel is best in your situation.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on punk in seed oils and or hemp oil being added to the recipe?
I know how people can hold your opinion against you, I will not and genuinely like to hear other peoples opinions and insights and what they would actually do. Thank you in advance.
Hi there Mama K,
Great question – I really don’t know anything at all about hemp oil so I can’t comment on it. As for industrial seed oils, I think that the inclusion of seed oils in infant formulas is one of the primary reasons why people would even consider hte time and effort that goes into making a homemade formula to start – they are extremely inflammatory and linked to so many disturbances in the body. Meanwhile, saturated animal fats are essential for development. So I guess I would operate cautiously with those oils, avoid them wherever I can, but let it go when I can’t (we all eat out sometimes, right?). As always, your heart always knows what’s right for you and creating enough space in our life to truly listen will often allow these truths to bubble up! Also, I like to think of other people’s opinions as a test to my own – it’s not what I am saying (in this case), it’s how you feel about it (ie. if it resonates with you or if it makes you uncomfortable) – that is your answer!
best,
Janine
Hello! Can I give something else then whey and lactose? My baby has a dairy allergy. Thank you!
Hi Marjon,
Great question. This feels so tricky and the right answer for you can only come from within – so maybe instead to taking my words for face value, think about how they make you feel and then lean on that and your own intuition instead. I’ll kind of think about what I would do in this situation and share that. Take what’s useful to you and leave the rest!
Ok, so, the whey in the formula – it’s intended to offer live culture. If I could give my baby a dropper of raw sauerkraut juice or some other living/fermented food (or maybe if I were partially nursing) then I think I would feel like it was safe to drop that one.
With respect to the lactose – well, the whey builds up the existing biome and the lactose is intended to feed that biome. The lactose is not for the baby – the baby gets its energy from protein and fat (much easier to digest for undeveloped digestive system) and the lactose feeds the biome so that it can build over time. Ideally creating a robust environment by the time solids are introduced. I would be reticent to drop that, especially since there’s so much in there and because it does make the formula resemble breast milk in sweet, appealing flavor. I guess what I would do in this case is probably experiment with it. I would experiment with the full portion over several days and monitor outcome. And then if I felt it was problematic, I might try to vary it and monitor that. Truthfully, this recipe is intended for babies that are having difficulties with milk and even raw milk (as mine was) and still thrive, so I would lean on that and stick as best I could to the recommendations – expertly concocted in a lab with measurements comparing nutrients as closely as possible to breast milk.
I got this recipe from the Weston A Price Foundation and you can always reference their original materials (on their site and in Nourishing Traditions) to see if you can learn a bit more. But, as always, do what’s right for you! Best wishes to you and your baby for radiant health!
Warmly,
Janine
Hi Janine! I love your blog. I really want to do this formula for my child but I don’t have access to organic chicken or liver is that okay? Also my child has an allergy to lactose from cows which is why when we were in the hospital, they put him on enfamil lactose free ( disgusting I know) because I was unable to breastfeed due to health reasons. Currently I have him on an organic goat face formula what she’s doing really well on, however I would like to remove seed oils from his diet as I’ve heard they can cause terrible problems as well as stay in your body for a very long time. Do you know if I could switch the lactose for goat lactose and the sunflower oil for ghee? I would really appreciate if you can help me with this thank you, Mercedes Brietzke
Hi Mercedes,
Sorry about the delay – we had friends visiting this past week! First, you can always do what resonates for you and is right for your family! That said, I will explain why the ingredients are there and you can decide what is best. The lactose is there to feed the gut biome – so I believe that any kind of lactose will suffice, whichever is most tolerable – in the prescribed quantity, which does make the milk quite sweet!
With respect to the sunflower oil – you can find this product organic and cold-pressed (Flora Organic Sunflower Oil – Cold Pressed & Unrefined). Sunflower oil contains 64% polyunsaturated Linoleic Acid (omega-6). This is a long-chain _essential_ fatty acid that the body uses to even longer-chain EPA and DHA – most commonly noted for supporting brain development.
The options are to skip it, to try to replace the linoleic acid component, or to focus on providing the EPA/DHA directly. Chris Masterjohn suggests (https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/precious-yet-perilous/#gsc.tab=0) that these EPA/DHA fats (in coordination with arachidonic acid) are the true essential fatty acids, and the shorter linoleic acids are handy precursors when the longest-chains aren’t available.
Ghee does contain more omega-6 than butter, and some linoleic acid (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5071963/#:~:text=Ratio%20of%20Omega6%2FOmega3m%20is,0.5%20with%20butter%20%5B32%5D), but I do not know if it has as much as sunflower oil.
Mary Enig developed this formula to find a profile that best matched breast milk. If ghee was a closer proximate, I imagine that she had access to it and would have used it, but I cannot confirm that.
That said, that’s the best information I can provide. As always, do what’s right for you and your family! If the formula is the exclusive food source, I would not be quite as confident deviating, but if it’s only a supplement to first real foods that are varied and nutrient-dense, than I would be more likely to use what you have on hand and do your best.
Good luck! Warmly,
Janine
Hi. When making the chicken broth, I added 3 quarts to cook. Obviously the liquid cooked down so my question is should I be adding water to the cooked chicken broth to make it a full 3 quarts or do I use the 2.3 quarts that it cooked down to?
Hi Rachel, when it cooks down a lot, I do add a little back, but often not the full amount. (Unless the water was just barely covering bones to start). Too much dilution and it doesn’t gel the way that I like. Sometimes, I also simmer with the lid partially askew and that helps reduce what evaporates as well.
Hello,
Thank you for your website!
I am just trying to find out how long can this be stored in the fridge?
Can extra formula be frozen and used later?
Really appreciate your reply!
It’s been several years since we made this. I think that 3-4 days is definitely ok. A week would be allowed by health standards, but I think that’s pushing it. Yes, it can be frozen! When I made this formula, I kept trying the raw milk formula every weeks – but this was a stand-in in the meantime. Good luck!