Homemade Baby Formula Mail Bag
by: Annette M. Hall
Rice Complications & Eczema
Hi Annette!
Well, I have been successfully using your infant formula. We adopted a girl at 3-months of age, she is 5-months old now. We started rice cereal right at around 4 months, as she is the size of an 8-month-old. My question is this:
When we received her, they said she had eczema, while I am unfamiliar with exactly what this condition looks like, we just put a little shea butter on her cheeks if they became dry and scaly, and that seemed to clear it up in the first month (from 3 months - 4 months of age).
When we started the rice cereal, the condition has slowly returned and gets inflamed now when she even drinks a bottle — her cheeks get flushed and sometimes there are red bumps. Unfortunately putting any lotion or oil on (we are using only all natural items like jojoba oil, olive oil,. Shea butter, etc) seems to inflame it worse when it is flared up. It itches her so she scratches it at night.
So, I went online and saw that there is an intolerance in some to rice, and I am wondering if hers is just because of the sheer quantity of rice she is consuming with the bottles (5 - 8 oz. bottle a day that are ½ rice milk) and the cereal (twice a day). Since she is a bigger baby, she is eating more than a normal child her age would, so unfortunately her digestive system is not mature but she needs more food!
I am switching her to buckwheat and quinoa cereal, which are actually a lower allergenic than rice, and not acidic, so that will lighten the load on her digestive tract.
I am wondering if you can think of a substitute for the rice milk in the bottles. I know I am not supposed to use soy, and I think she is too young for almond. I am trying to find information online about hemp milk, which we drink here, but it just says not suitable as an infant formula, which of course none are without added ingredients. If I increase the goat's milk by one cup and then add one cup of reverse osmosis water do you think that would work?
Please let me know your feelings as I value your opinion!
Thanks
~Sara H.
Dear Sara,
I am so happy to hear about your successful adoption of your little girl. I am sorry to hear that she has eczema. She may have to deal with it for her entire life and it's not pleasant. If you suspect that she is reacting to rice, stop giving it to her.
You can use just the goats milk, you may need to increase the flax seed oil though. Also, are you giving her a good multi-vitamin? Make sure she is getting enough Vitamin B, potassium & magnesium. (Just check the labels of each item, be sure that she is getting enough of these.
Thanks for the update. I hope you are keeping a log for her. It will help you pin-point things like this. When you make changes, be sure to keep any eye on her bowel movements.
My husband's ex-wife had a terrible case of eczema. He said rice is known to cause a flare-up. I don't know where you live but if you live in the California valley, you need to move out of the valley and keep the house cool. He says when it gets above 72° it will cause a flare-up as well. Do not use oil. Try giving her a baking soda bath. You can also try using Aveeno (the one that does not have cocoa butter) as well.
Be sure to keep your doctor up-to-date on her condition. He may be able to offer you further suggestions on treating her condition. If you haven't already done so, consider seeing a homeopathic doctor.
Best wishes to your family. Please keep me posted on her progress.
Hugs,
~Annette
Make your own Rice Milk
I wanted to thank you profusely for your homemade baby formula recipe.
Background:
I had my gallbladder out when my second son was about 4-months-old. Because of the antibiotics, he got thrush and due to the stupidity of my doctor, he had it for a month and a half. I finally got rid of it using Gentian Violet but his nursing latch was never the same. As a result, my milk supply dropped horribly over the next couple months. I had to stop nursing him at 6-months because his weight was below the fifth percentile.
Canned Formula
Even on formula, it didn't improve much. He gained a little but at his last checkup, he was right at the fifth percentile and 20th everywhere else. I knew something had to change. That's when I googled homemade baby formula and found your article and recipe.
The Lord answered my prayers and I went ahead and signed up with a local goat milk coop. $40 a month gets me 4-6 gallons a month.
One problem I was facing was that this recipe would be more than twice the cost of storebought formula. I knew that storebought formula was far from nutritionally adequate, but I know my husband would not support an alternative if it broke the bank.
So, I researched and figured out how to make my own rice milk. The recipe is perfected and I'm very easily able to make a gallon of rice milk in about an hour.
Rice Milk Recipe
I just take 1 cup of cooked rice and add it to 4 cups of hot water, a little vanilla, and turbinado sugar in a blender. Blend it for 5 minutes, then let it settle for half an hour. Then I strained it through some loose-weave cloth and chilled it. It turned out perfect.
4-cups of cooked rice can make a gallon of milk - with that calculation, I determined that one bag of short grain brown rice can make 4 gallons of milk!
So technically, I'm only paying about 67 cents a gallon! As opposed to approximately $7.00 a gallon from whole foods.
So, I tried this formula (all the extra ingredients kind of got expensive, but its worth it) and not only does Bruce love it, but he's drinking more of it. He drank 6 ounces at lunch, when I would have a hard time getting him to finish 4-ounces of storebought formula! In addition to that, he has had these weird, small scaly-like skin colored scabs on his thighs that stumped the docs (they wanted to treat it with steiroid ointment). They were GONE this morning! I wonder if there was something in the formula that he was reacting to. Anyway, as if he wasn't happy before, he's really acting happy now!
I'm really encouraged. Sometime in the future, we'll be getting a milk goat of our own because I can't afford to get it for all of us right now, but hubby likes it and I know its far healthier!
Just thought I'd share. Thanks for listening. May God bless you for making this recipe available. My baby is thriving in ways I never thought he could!
Thank you again!
Michelle in Colorado
Store Bought - Better?
Hi Annette,
Thank you so much for your recipe for homemade formula. My daughter just had a baby on June 20th, and he is constantly hungry; she feeds him almost every hour. Needless to say, it's wearing everyone out. Her father, her brother, and she were given a homemade formula, and they all have done well (ages 58, 34, 29). I too had a homemade formula that was a little different from theirs (I had evaporated milk). No major health problems for any of us.
The formula I used (copied from my hubby's baby book) uses whole milk, Karo syrup, and water. I also used it to feed my children at 4-weeks, with rice cereal and bananas in an infant feeder. It was nutritious and helped them thrive. My daughter's problem is that her husband doesn't believe that anyone today would make a homemade formula; store bought is better because of standards, etc.
I don't know if we can ever convince him otherwise, but with your article in hand, we're going to try.
Thank you again,
Barb D.
Lack of Information
Hi Annette,
Wow, So glad you saved your grandson's health! Praise God! There really is a lack of good information about infant formula online. There seems to be a little more now than last time I researched it though a few years ago though.I just wanted to say Thank You so much for your info. I am considering adopting & fostering "special needs babies." They are for sure lacking in the best nutrition before they come into care. So, I can't tell you how much I value your input.
Best wishes for you and your family
~ Mimi
Dear Mimi,
So, glad you found my experience beneficial. The most important thing to remember is there is no substitute for good sound nutrition and it is imperitive that infants receive the best start we can give them.
I think we will find more and more alternatives to manufactured infant formulas as time goes by and more people begin to realize the benefits and that there are other choices available.
Thanks for the warm response.
~Annette M. Hall
Updated November 26, 2010
The posts contained on these pages are made by regular people, with regular problems. Nothing contained on these pages should be considered medical advice -- we are not medical professionals. We are simply parents sharing our experiences with other parents. Your mileage may vary. Please consult with your medical professional for help with your medical problems.
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