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Healthier Formula Options

While there is no way to re-create a mother's milk, it is possible to improve on the standard formulas available by adding necessary nutrients that are lacking. For instance, most infant formulas are lacking a key nutritional component: fatty acid. With today's "anti-fat" message being so prevalent, most people aren't aware of its critical importance. Considering the fact that the brain is 60 percent lipid (fat), this is an important part of a newborn's diet.

For an infant to remain as healthy as possible, it's important for them to obtain a proper balance of essential fats. While this is very difficult, it's not impossible to follow a "fat-fortification protocol," as offered by Dr. Joseph Mercola, the author of the Total Health Program. Dr. Mercola recommends adding the following to an infant's diet:

• Cod liver oil: one cc per 10 pounds of body weight.
• Organic egg yolk: one yolk daily, added at 4 months of age.
• Organic cream, ideally non-pasteurized and non-homogenized. (Note: If you are unable to find a local dairy farmer who will cooperate with you, please try this link: www.realmilk.com/where.html.)
• Omega nutrition: pure sesame, walnut, safflower and sunflower oils (rotate with above): 1 teaspoon daily.
• High-quality coconut oil: 1 teaspoon. (Note: This oil needs to be heated to 76 F to become a liquid.)

Recognize that breastfeeding always is best for an infant, but if not possible, parents should do everything possible to provide a healthier formula by adding proper supplementation.

Supplementing and Introducing Solid Foods

A common concern among new moms is that their baby isn't getting enough nutrition. It is very normal for a newborn to feed every two hours. However, this doesn't mean they aren't getting enough "food" with each feeding; it simply means they require frequency for their growth.

One of the worst things to do to an infant's digestive system is to introduce solids too soon. This may cause future food allergies, as well as overtax their digestive tract and cause them to become "gassy" or "colicky." Many parents, on the advice of family members and even pediatricians, have chosen to add "baby cereal" to the infant's formula or even mix it with expressed breast milk to give the baby a "full tummy," so they can "sleep through the night." Introducing solids before a baby is ready might cause more serious issues than lack of sleep.