A mom writes in asking for advice, saying that she knows someone who is only feeding their four-month-old baby Carnation condensed milk instead of formula. She wants to know if that is a safe thing to do for the baby. See what the community had to say in response to this question below.
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A member of the community asks:
“I know someone who feeds their baby Carnation milk: Is that safe?
I do not believe in this, I just know someone who is feeding their 4-month-old only Carnation condensed milk with added iron and vitamin D. Is this okay????”
– Mamas Uncut Community Member
Community Advice for This Mom Who Is Wondering if Feeding a Baby Carnation Condensed Milk Is Safe
To see what advice the Mamas Uncut Facebook community has for this mom in need, read the comments of the post embedded below.
Advice Summary
The community offered this mom in need a lot of great advice. Read some of their responses below.
“Is it carnation milk alone? Some people make their own formula, and the evaporated milk is usually one of the ingredients, that’s combined with a mixture. I come from a family of grandchildren in which we were all raised on this type of formula, as well as my own three daughters, and my nieces and nephews… And before anyone considers runnin their mouth to me, we also do solids different, so the lack of nutrients is not there.”
“People always scream ‘not your baby, not your business’ until something bad happens. Then people scream that someone had to know what’s going on and should have reported it…
… Carnation Milk is not approved for infants; it’s not formula and as such does not have the necessary nutrients a baby needs to develop. Soooo unless this baby’s doctor has advised that, it’s totally neglect as you’re putting the child at risk for malnutrition and even death. So definitely something to be concerned about… Before it’s too late, not after, I would just ask questions first… Why is the baby on the milk, did the doctor recommend it? Then you will know if it’s acceptable or not.”
“It’s been safely used as a formula replacement for decades with just water and sugar added
This sounds like it should between the mother and her child’s doctor. If there were any health concerns, I’m sure the doctor would notice.”
“Commercial baby formula has only been readily available since, I think, the 1970’s or so. Before that, babies were indeed fed the evaporated milk/water/Karo syrup formula. If a baby had a tendency to be constipated, the dark Karo was used instead of light. My brother and I were both fed this as babies.”
“The baby may have a condition that requires no formula. Also need to think about how the heck we older pre formula humans were fed. Formula is not for everyone.”
“Back in ’60s, baby formula was made of a mixture of evaporated Carnation milk water and added corn syrup. They then would give the babies iron drops.”
“This used to be the norm. My brother was fed carnation milk & Karo syrup. He’s almost 60. Possibly her doctor recommended it. It’s not really your place to be questioning her parenting.”
“If the baby is healthy and growing, mind your own business.”
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