Replace Breastmilk With Fortified Baby Formula
Have you tried everything to breastfeed your child and finally decided to switch to formula but want something more fortified than the average store-bought formula? While fed is always best, not all baby formulas are created equal. Traditional formula usually contains high fructose corn syrup and inflammatory oils and lacks important nutrients like probiotics. There was not a formula on the market that satisfied all of my requirements to replace breastmilk so, I decided to fortify formula to what my children needed. Here is my recipe to fortify baby formula to ensure your baby gets all the nutrients they need.
When my son was 2.5 months old, we noticed my milk supply drastically dropped and spent over a month trying everything I could to get my milk supply to increase. Unfortunately, my son was a lazy eater from the start, so when my milk regulated it wasn’t nearly enough for him to feed off of.
It was difficult for us to find donors every few weeks, so we decided to give our son formula. Most formulas made today do not contain all the necessary ingredients a baby would typically get from breast milk. So we made the decision to fortify our formula to ensure our baby was getting all the necessary nutrients.
I followed the recommendations from the Weston A Price Foundation to work for us. I do not have a local farm close enough to get raw goat or cow’s milk weekly, so I mixed two different formulas as the base.
Then, I added an egg yolk, cod liver oil, probiotics, liver powder, acerola powder, and heavy cream. I make 3 batches of formula at a time which lasts my son about four days. You don’t want the formula to sit in your fridge for over a week, so 3 batches were perfect for us. Each batch makes approximately 32 oz. of formula.
My son was not particular about a certain brand of formula so he loved this recipe and went from struggling to gain weight to thriving.
This is not intended to be medical advice. Do your research and speak with your medical provider to make sure this is right for your child.
Can I Use Tap Water For Baby Formula?
Tap water is not recommended for baby formula because of the potential contaminants in the water. However, you may boil or use other options like distilled and store-bought purified water.
When choosing what water to purchase, I try to look for water that has been purified through reverse osmosis like Essentia or Mountain Valley Spring Water.
Homemade Fortified Baby Formula Recipe
After much trial and error in blending this mixture well enough to flow out of a bottle, I have mastered making this formula. If you are looking for a homemade formula recipe that does not require raw milk, this recipe is for you!
To make 3 batches, start with putting 3 eggs in a small pot and add just enough water to cover them. Remove the eggs and boil the water.
While that is boiling, gather all ingredients and prep the powdered formula. I use two different types of formula because, typically, goat milk formula is better digestible for babies, but it made my son constipated. So I mixed goat and cow milk formula to get the best of both worlds. I use 16 scoops of Holle formula and 6 scoops of Kabrita. I put each of these in a small bowl, so they are ready to mix.
Once the water is boiling, add your eggs and boil them for 3:30 while frequently stirring to avoid pockets of hard yolk. Immediately put them in an ice-water bath.
Heat 12 oz of distilled or purified water in a pot just until you see little bubbles forming. I like to heat half the water so that the liver, acerola, and formula mix well. Once the water is warm, put it in your blender and add ¼ tsp of liver and acerola powder. Blend for 15 seconds.
Add the powder formula and then the remaining 12 oz of water. Gently pulse until the ingredients are combined. If you blend it too fast, you will have a ton of foam.
Add 2 tbsp of heavy cream, ½ tsp of cod liver oil, and ¼ tsp of probiotics.
Then, crack your egg and separate the whites from the yolk as much as possible in a separate bowl. I’ve found that if I put the egg yolk in the formula with the outer coating, the nipple gets stopped up. So I split open the outer coating and pour in the egg yolk. Gently pulse the formula until the ingredients are combined. Store in glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Makes 32 oz of formula.
Homemade Formula Ingredients:
- 24 oz Purified water
- 22 scoops of baby formula (I use 16 scoops of Holle and 6 scoops of Kabrita, see notes above)
- ¼ tsp Acerola powder
- ¼ tsp Liver powder
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 tbsp Heavy cream
- ¼ tsp bacteria
- ½ tsp cod liver oil
Directions for Fortified Formula:
- Put 3 eggs in a small pot and add just enough water to cover them. Remove the eggs until the water is boiling. Then add the eggs to the water and boil for 3.5 minutes. Stir the eggs occasionally, so you don’t get solid spots in the egg yolk.
- Warm 12 oz of water in a pot just enough until you see small bubbles forming. You do not need the water to boil. Add it to your blender.
- Put liver and acerola powder in the warm water and blend for 15 seconds.
- Pour in your powdered formula and the remaining 12 oz of water. Gently pulse until it’s combined. Don’t overmix; you will have too much foam to pour into your jars at the end.
- Add the heavy cream, probiotics, and cod liver oil.
- Peel the egg halfway and extract the yolk from the whites; it won’t be completely cooked, which is intentional. Get as much egg white off as you can. Break the outer coating on the egg yolk and pour the yolk into the blender. Gently pulse until it’s combined.
- Store in glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Choosing the Best Formula for Your Baby
When choosing a formula for your precious baby, it can be difficult to know what is best for them. Do some research on baby nutrition so you have better knowledge of what babies need. I read The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care and found it very helpful. Also, check out the Weston A Price Foundation website for more information on homemade formulas.
Lastly, trust your instincts. You are the only one who knows what is best for your child, and try not to get caught up in what everyone else thinks and does. If you stay true to what you believe in, then you can’t go wrong!
I hope this recipe was helpful to you and if you decide to try it, tell me what you think.