Is there any proof that breast-feeding is better for a baby than formula or vice versa? Benefits of breast-feeding are said to include bonding between mother and child, and the fact that the mother is passing immunities to her child through her milk. The main arguments I have heard for formula are that the vitamin content is just right for the baby, whereas breast milk lacks nutrients a baby needs such as vitamin D, and that formula digests more slowly than breast milk so the baby sleeps longer. –Collin Rodolitz, New York, New York
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For centuries mothers unable to breast-feed have used animals’ milk instead, cow being the most common due to its availability. Unsurprisingly, none is as good for a human baby as its mom’s. Research has shown breast milk contains levels of protein and lactose better suited to infants, promotes the growth of helpful bacteria in the digestive tract, and passes along protective antibodies.
Attitudes about formula, which first became available in the 1860s, have changed dramatically over the years. Before 1920 about 80 percent of mothers breast-fed; by the late 1950s the rate had dropped to around 20 percent. Formula feeding was treated as a scientific process, with detailed schedules, weighing the infant before and after feeding, and heavy doctor involvement.
