# Evaporated Milk as formula?



## MadameXCupcake (Dec 14, 2007)

Opinions?

I was at register had my daughter with me so we were talking about babies. The woman said she has a three month old who is fed evaporated milk. 'I got it I'm fine'.

She said she tried a formula but her son didn't like it and there is too much junk in it.

I told her about 'babies only' formula, she said she doesn't care and said again. 'I got it I'm fine'

She said well he spit up lots, I mentioned reflux, she said there is no such thing.

I said well you could always try a homemade formula, I know some good recipes[Weston Price] and she said 'no, I dont have time for cooking'

I'm still in shock and I wanted to cry for that poor baby.
I did call CPS[they said they can help her with WIC or reflux if thats it], I feel bad now though but I do not believe a baby can properly grow on evaporated milk. Brain or body.









Like I said,.. opinions?


----------



## mamakay (Apr 8, 2005)

Formula is the only thing that can be substituted for bm. Evaporated milk waaay waaay doesn't cut it.
I could maybe see it if the mom was mostly bf'ing or FF'ing and the evaporated milk was an occasional thing, but as the _whole nutrition source_, no way.

That said, it _was_ what a lot of us got ( I got evaporated milk + corn syrup as "formula"), so it's probably not the hugest deal. But it can and does cause problems a lot more often than "real, modern formula".


----------



## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

You are correct evap milk alone will not give that baby he needs







that is so sad.


----------



## Dea (Sep 26, 2006)

that poor baby!
there are so many formula options if one is bothering him, evaporated milk is just not an option.
poor baby!

My MIL was fed evaporated milk and corn syrup too... I wonder though if the evaporated milk was different then?


----------



## MadameXCupcake (Dec 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dea* 
that poor baby!
there are so many formula options if one is bothering him, evaporated milk is just not an option.
poor baby!

My MIL was fed evaporated milk and corn syrup too... I wonder though if the evaporated milk was different then?

Why did evaporated milk become popular, especcially over just using regular milk?


----------



## trancechylde (Apr 14, 2008)

:

This kind of thing really really *%&$'s me off.
There is absolutely NO reason for this woman to be so ignorant/uninterested in this day and age with all the free information and government assistance available in the USA.

Isn't it just COMMON SENSE that feeding a small infant evaporated milk might not be a good idea????

I too, feel very sad for the babe.
I want to cry when I hear things like this.


----------



## briccagrl (Aug 31, 2008)

Oh this is so sad







I am just so thankful that there are caring people out there like yourself who stepped up and did something.


----------



## JenAsayKwa (Nov 9, 2007)

I recently found out that I was fed milk and rice cereal as a babe (I had previous thought I was formula fed). I seemed to have turned out okay







In my mother's defense, it was 1970 and she was 18 years old.

Yeah, it's not the best, but some mom's don't "know" any better (even when someone is telling them to their face).


----------



## eilonwy (Apr 3, 2003)

Evaporated milk based "formula" was very common back in the day. It used to be what hospitals recommended, before abm was plentiful, cheap, and reliable. Only sick babies got formula for a long time.

It's gross, but it's one of those cases of people doing better when they know better. It's kind of disturbing to me that there are people who think it's best today, but I can't say I'm surprised.


----------



## pumpkingirl71 (Jul 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *trancechylde* 
:This kind of thing really really *%&$'s me off.
There is absolutely NO reason for this woman to be so ignorant/uninterested in this day and age with all the free information and government assistance available in the USA.

Isn't it just COMMON SENSE that feeding a small infant evaporated milk might not be a good idea????

I too, feel very sad for the babe.
I want to cry when I hear things like this.

Maybe the reason is that this mom is mentally ill or is mentally limited in some way. I really don't see any other reason for a mom to make such a poor decision. I don't get a thread like this. Obviously she is wrong and everyone here will agree. But I am sad for the baby and sad for the mom. She isn't making a selfish decision, but a really bad one for unexplained reasons.


----------



## trancechylde (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pumpkingirl71* 
Maybe the reason is that this mom is mentally ill or is mentally limited in some way. I really don't see any other reason for a mom to make such a poor decision. I don't get a thread like this. Obviously she is wrong and everyone here will agree. But I am sad for the baby and sad for the mom. She isn't making a selfish decision, but a really bad one for unexplained reasons.

You know, after I posted my first response, I actually considered deleting it, because I agree with you wholeheartedly that these types of threads aren't helpful to the situation or even productive in any way.
It was a knee-jerk response I suppose, but I stand by what I said.

Quote:

I told her about 'babies only' formula, she said she doesn't care and said again. 'I got it I'm fine'

Quote:

I said well you could always try a homemade formula, I know some good recipes[Weston Price] and she said 'no, I dont have time for cooking'
I personally don't think that this Mama sounds like she's mentally ill...perhaps ill-informed, but also not particularly interested in suggestions and helpful tips/alternative solutions.
With the multi-million dollar advertising campaigns of formula companies nowadays, and the willingness of GP's and hospitals to give it out for free, I see no reason why any Mother would still think that feeding a baby evaporated milk is okay









Quote:

She isn't making a selfish decision, but a really bad one for unexplained reasons.
IMHO, from what the OP has told of her responses, she IS making a selfish decision, and she DID explain them (no time for cooking).

Judgment on our part is not going to remedy the situation, I know. But I think it's okay to express opinions about it, especially since that's what the OP was looking for


----------



## JustVanessa (Sep 7, 2005)

Dp got evap milk and corn syrup formula from birth. He has a lot of allergies and sinus issues.

I have a copy of The Canadian Mother and Child from 1967 (MIL gave it to me) and there is a section that actually explained how to make "formula" in this way.

Maybe her mother or MIL is giving her this advice? I know I have gotten a lot of advice with "It never killed you" after it.







:


----------



## Paceman (Mar 8, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MadameXCupcake* 
Why did evaporated milk become popular, especcially over just using regular milk?

I think because often people didn't have fridges back then and evap. milk came in cans.


----------



## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Oh, that's terrible. You said you called CPS? Hopefully they can get her on WIC. She sounds really ill informed.


----------



## MadameXCupcake (Dec 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Justthatgirl* 
Oh, that's terrible. You said you called CPS? Hopefully they can get her on WIC. She sounds really ill informed.

Well thats why I posted and guess I should have emphasized more that yes I called but I feel bad now that I did.

And I wanted opinions, I guess I wasn't very clear but I was hoping some would say they would have done the same thing.


----------



## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eilonwy* 
Evaporated milk based "formula" was very common back in the day. It used to be what hospitals recommended, before abm was plentiful, cheap, and reliable. Only sick babies got formula for a long time.

This is what I know of evaporated milk being fed to babies as well. If was something that was done a couple generations ago. I'm pretty sure I have a breastfeeding resource guide from the hospital that addresses the issue in a "do NOT do it, even though your grandma might recommend it" kind of way.


----------



## Liquesce (Nov 4, 2006)

Well. Brain and body both can grow ok on it. BUT that doesn't make it a good or healthful choice ... I mean, I *could* survive just fine on nachos and twinkies, but it wouldn't be wise.

My mom says the same thing about having done just fine on a banana flake concoction as an infant, but at least she knows better than to advocate it.


----------



## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

I'm going to move this to Nutrition, since it seems like the crux of it is the nutritional content of evaporated milk for an infant.


----------



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

My own mother was raised on formula made from evaporated milk and corn syrup- evaporated milk preferred over fresh milk due to lack of refrigeration- canned milk stayed fresh on the shelf (both in the store and in the house) while fresh milk went bad quickly and was much more expensive.

Who knows if my mom would have diabetes or asthma today if she'd been BF or given proper formula? The point is that, while evaporated mlk will keep the baby alive, it won't promote ideal growth and development. We know better now, and ther'es really no reason for a baby to subsist on a substandard formula when better formulas are readily available (I'm assuming that this particular mother has no interest in relactation.)

I would probably call CPS on that family myself, if I was unable to convince them to use real formula or relactate. That baby is in danger and the mother seems unwilling to make changes.


----------



## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthla* 
I would probably call CPS on that family myself, if I was unable to convince them to use real formula or relactate. That baby is in danger and the mother seems unwilling to make changes.


I absolutely concur.


----------



## Jemmind (Nov 13, 2007)

Just curious, how do you even go about reporting someone like this? did you call and say, "I spoke with a lady in the line at the store who feeds her baby evaporated milk, please go help her baby?" Did you go get her license plate, I mean how are they even gonna find her to do something about it?


----------



## lil_miss_understood (Jul 19, 2006)

In far northern Canada, many women still use evaporated milk and corn syrup "formula". There are many reasons why they do so, not the least of which is the availability of fresh water. The cost of flying up an equivalent amount of formula (which can be prohibitively expensive to begin with when you're impoverished) is another reason. I'm sure that a lack of education is another factor, although I think the first 2 are more pressing concerns in the scenario I'm describing. Many of these communities also have a very high rate of breast cancer. I met one woman who was 25 and had a double mastectomy after having her first 2 children. No one in her tribe was lactating when her child was born or they'd have been wet-nursed. She couldn't afford the cost of formula, but she could afford "canned milk". She did what she had to do to feed her baby.
I'm not saying that evaporated milk "formula" is the best option, but in some situations, it can be a necessary evil. I realize the situation I've described is also far from the situation described by the OP, but... she asked for opinions on using evaporated milk as formula in general, not necessarily in that context, I believe.


----------



## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

sort of related to this..

I recently found a book while cleaning out my GMIL's flooded house from 1945 about how to raise a baby. in it they discussed among other things how to make formula using evaporated milk and sugar/corn syrup. it also said that all babies should be given orange juice at 3 weeks for the vitamins. Of course, that was after they said that nearly all mothers could breast feed, and that if you could that was best. The book stressed that babies needed to be given water the first day of life. It was really just full of very interesting advice.

I also wonder how you'd go about reporting someone you don't even know to CPS. How the heck would they even find her?


----------



## gcgirl (Apr 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JustVanessa* 
Dp got evap milk and corn syrup formula from birth. He has a lot of allergies and sinus issues.

DH got evaporated milk and Karo's syrup because he was allergic to everything else, including his mom. (When he was born he was all red and lumpy, like raw hamburger, and whenever his mom nursed him he's get blisters that would break open and bleed...yikes.)

He has NO health problems. No allergies, nothing. Me, I was bf'd for two years, and I've got it all: allergies, rare medical condition (not genetic), reflux, joint problems...go figure.

Evap. milk is still a poor choice unless all else has failed.


----------



## MadameXCupcake (Dec 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jemmind* 
Just curious, how do you even go about reporting someone like this? did you call and say, "I spoke with a lady in the line at the store who feeds her baby evaporated milk, please go help her baby?" Did you go get her license plate, I mean how are they even gonna find her to do something about it?

It was actually an employee, the manager. She was wearing her name tag.


----------

