As I recently shared, I plan to breastfeed exclusively, but I want to have formula on hand just in case. After researching commercial formulas, I decided homemade formulas are the next best thing to breastmilk and are both superior and safer for my baby’s health.

There are two options I found for homemade formulas:

1. Buy a homemade formula kit, like Mt. Capra.
2. Follow one of the homemade formula recipes from Weston A. Price, who has been a leader in this for years. If you choose this option, the quality and sourcing of each ingredient are essential.

Weston A. Price Homemade Formula Testimonials

While I liked most of the ingredients in the homemade formulas I researched, I was surprised that the homemade options still included seed oils. What to do?

Dr. Mercola, a leading alternative medicine physician, has several Substacks detailing the alarming problems with store-bought infant formulas: high amounts of linoleic acid, soy, sugar, corn syrup, and GMOs. He cites studies showing that formulas made with these ingredients are associated with increased obesity rates and other health risks in infants and toddlers.

Dr. Mercola believes removing iron or seed oils high in linoleic acid is crucial, so he revised the Weston A. Price Foundation’s formula recipes.  

This information has been so helpful in navigating baby formula. Everything babies eat, especially the first foods they are introduced to, directly impacts their development and long-term health. 

Breastfeeding is always best, so if you are able to, I encourage you to breastfeed. If you are unable to, I hope you can use this information to make informed decisions for your little one! 

The World Health Organization, CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) support exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The AAP’s 2022 policy statement includes:

“Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. The short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding make breastfeeding, or the provision of human milk, a public health imperative.”

Click each tile for full recipes and sources:

Weston A. Price Homemade Formula Nutritional Information

Quotes from Dr. Mercola's Substacks I Found Interesting:

How to Mitigate the Infant Formula Disaster

• “The sad reality is that most commercial infant formula is complete junk food. Most contain shocking amounts of sugar — typically in the form of corn syrup, which is the worst of all — and even far worse ingredients, including large amounts of dangerous linoleic acid from soy (the risks of which I detail in 'Infant Soy Formula — A Risky Public Experiment') and genetically modified ingredients (reviewed in this 2012 article). Infant formulas have also been found to contain hazardous contaminants, including glyphosate and perchlorate (rocket fuel)."
• "If the opportunity to breastfeed has already passed, your next-best option is to make your own infant formula. The Weston A. Price Foundation has been a leader in this for years. However, based on my research into linoleic acid (LA), iron and other components, I have revised Enig’s original formula (which you can find on the Weston A. Price Foundation’s website). In my view, it’s really crucial to NOT include any kind of iron or seed oils with high LA content, for all the reasons detailed in 'Iron Overload Destroys Mitochondria and Sabotages Health' and 'How Linoleic Acid Wrecks Your Health.'"
• "I don’t have any children, but if I did and the child’s mother could not breastfeed, I would never use commercial infant formula as the recipe below is decidedly superior to commercial formulas and will give your child a major head start in life and preserve their health."

Most Baby Formula Claims Not Backed by Science

• Most infant formulas contain a shocking amount of sugar, typically in the form of corn syrup and large amounts of dangerous linoleic acid from soy.
• An international cross-sectional survey of 757 formulas sold in 15 countries found only 26% of the products used clinical trials and 90% of those carried a high risk of bias due to missing data or conclusions that were not supported by data.

Infant Soy Formula — A Risky Public Experiment

• "I recommend avoiding commercial infant formulas as much as possible, including organic brands. For starters, most are far too high in refined sugar for optimal health. Infant formula can contain as much sugar as a can of soda, and this processed fructose has none of the benefits of the natural sugars found in breast milk. Most formulas also contain a number of other questionable ingredients — including genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic vitamins, inorganic minerals, excessive protein and harmful fats — while lacking vital immune-boosting nutrients found in breast milk."
• Soy formula has been linked to a number of troubling side effects, including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, tumors, disrupted thyroid and reproductive function, inhibited testosterone in boys and autoimmune diseases
• There were specific differences between the cell samples obtained from babies fed soy infant formula and those given cow's milk formula, prompting the researchers to conclude that "Girls fed soy formula have altered DNA methylation in vaginal cell DNA which may be associated with decreased expression of an estrogen-responsive gene.
• Soy milk and soy formula contain up to 4,500 times more plant estrogens than breast milk or cow's milk, and studies have shown serum estrogen levels are significantly higher in soy-fed babies. If you can't breast-feed for whatever reason, the last thing you ever want to feed your baby is soy formula. It's far better to use the homemade formula discussed below.

Toddler Obesity Is on the Rise

• Top infant formulas are made largely of corn syrup and are associated with increased obesity risk in the first five years of life; breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity.
• Despite the fact that breastmilk is the healthiest food for babies, only 62.6% of U.S. infants are exclusively breastfed immediately following birth. By 6-months of age, only 24.9% are exclusively breastfed. This means most babies are fed formula, which is a highly processed food product made largely of corn syrup, vegetable oils and sugar.
• “While infant formula is designed to provide all the necessary nutrients for infant growth and development, it has been linked with infant hospitalizations and infections, childhood obesity, and lowered levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an important fatty acid related to brain development,” researchers wrote in npj Metabolic Health and Disease.
• Formula-fed infants are more likely to gain weight rapidly and in excess, a risk factor for childhood and adult overweight and obesity. Infants fed more infant formula than breast milk are also more likely to be overweight during older childhood and adolescence. Meanwhile, contaminants in formula may negatively influence neurodevelopment, even when they’re found at low levels.
• According to the Global Breastfeeding Collective: “Breastfeeding helps populate the child’s body with ‘good’ bacteria from his or her mother, which provide protection against excessive weight gain. Breastmilk contains hormones and other biological factors involved in the regulation of food intake that may help shape the long-term physiological processes responsible for maintaining energy balance.
• Feeding of infant formula by bottle may interfere with a child’s recognition of satiety and thus lead to overeating.