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What Did Babies Drink Before Formula? A Look Back
Before commercial infant formula was available, many babies drank breast milk, either from their mother or from another lactating woman known as a wet nurse. Families also sometimes shared feeding responsibilities informally, although the options available to you depended heavily on your community, resources, and circumstances.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating breast milk was the usual first food.
When breast milk was unavailable, some families fed babies cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or milk from other animals, sometimes diluted or mixed with other ingredients. These substitutes were not nutritionally equivalent to human milk, and unsafe preparation or contaminated milk could cause serious illness, especially before refrigeration and sanitation became widespread.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating other milk was sometimes used.
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Baby Formula Made Simple | Ultimate Guide on How to Choose the Right Baby Formula | Digital Download for New Parents, Feeding Beginners, and Caregivers
By the early 20th century, some babies received prepared mixtures made with ingredients such as evaporated milk, water, and sugar, while others continued to breastfeed or receive animal milk. Feeding practices varied, and historical use does not mean those mixtures are safe substitutes for modern infant formula.
If you cannot breastfeed or provide expressed milk, talk with your baby’s pediatrician about an appropriate infant formula or, when suitable and available, screened donor human milk from a milk bank. Do not make homemade formula or give an infant under 12 months ordinary cow’s milk as a replacement for breast milk or formula; if you are running out of formula, contact your pediatrician promptly for help finding a safe option.
Modern infant formula is designed to provide nutrition for babies, but the right choice and preparation instructions depend on your baby’s age, health, and the specific product. For a starting point, you can read our guide to choosing and preparing baby formula; our team also offers Baby Formula Made Simple, a digital download for new parents, feeding beginners, and caregivers.
Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating choosing and preparing formula.
Infants commonly drank breast milk from their mothers or wet nurses. When that was not possible, families sometimes used animal milk or homemade mixtures, which could pose nutritional and safety risks.
Around the 1920s, babies might have been breastfed, fed by a wet nurse, or given animal milk or mixtures that included evaporated milk. Practices varied by family and location, and those historical mixtures should not be used in place of today’s infant formula.
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