Does Your Baby Really Need Infant Formula?

With the ongoing panic around the global infant formula recall, I have been reflecting on a question I first asked myself as a new nursing mother over ten years ago, and one I continued to ask while breastfeeding my other two children:

Does my baby really need infant formula?

This question feels even more urgent when I consider how infant formula is commonly used in Nigeria. Many parents see formula as a must-have. Some believe it is the only way a baby can be “well fed,” while for others, it has quietly become a symbol of social status; proof that they can afford “the best.”

Let me be clear: this is not to say infant formula has no place or use. There are situations where it is necessary and even lifesaving. Rather, this piece encourages parents to critically examine their actual need for it, instead of following a trend that may shaped by marketing, pressure, and misinformation.

Exclusive Breastfeeding: The First Six Months  

Health experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life. If this recommendation is being followed, then infant formula is simply not needed during this stage.

Yet, I have seen many parents feed babies formula alongside breast milk; not because the mother is unavailable or her milk supply is insufficient, but because formula is assumed to be more nutritious. This belief overlooks a key fact about breastfeeding: milk production works on a demand-and-supply basis. The more often a baby is put to the breast, the more milk it's mother's body produces.

In simple terms: If the mother is available to breastfeed or if breastmilk can be pumped and stored, then there is no nutritional need for formula at this stage. 

Complementary Feeding: Time for more than milk

When complementary feeding begins; that is, when the baby starts solid or semi-solid foods  is arguably one of the most misunderstood stages of infant feeding.

Complementary feeding simply means milk alone is no longer enough. It does not mean breast milk has lost its value, nor does it mean more milk, especially formula must be added. If breast milk is still available two to three times daily, whether alongside meals or on its own, formula is not necessary.

Breast milk adapts to a baby’s age and nutritional needs, almost like an à la carte menu designed specifically for that child. It continues to provide essential nutrients even as solids are introduced.

I’ve  heard parents argue that formula is needed to “sweeten” baby cereals, especially homemade ones. In my own experience, I "sweetened" my homemade infant cereals using fruit smoothies made from whichever fruits were in season at the time; mangoes, strawberries, pineapples, pears, avocados, and occasionally egg yolk from boiled eggs. This worked perfectly for my children. Added sugars were not introduced until around age one.

The bottom line? If breast milk is available, formula is not a necessity at this stage. 

From age one and above: even less need for formula

Nutritionists and dietitians generally agree that from the age of one, children can safely transition to whole cow’s milk or the same milk consumed by the rest of the family. This means  that formula is not required beyond infancy.

My Personal Experience

None of my three children were formula-fed; not because I was trying to prove a point, but because I was privileged to be available to breastfeed them.

With my first two children, I was either studying or a stay-at-home mum, which allowed me to breastfeed on demand. With my third child, I was a full-time employee living in Norway, where generous and flexible parental leave policies made a huge difference. I had seven months of maternity leave: the first three months fully at home, and the remaining four months stretched into eight months of part-time work. During this time, my mother visited to help with the baby, and I pumped and stored breast milk for the few occasions I needed to be physically present at work.

This flexibility made exclusive breastfeeding possible even while employed. I recognise that this level of support is not always available to all mothers. That said, many women successfully breastfeed exclusively, often under far more challenging conditions, through determination, support from family, and access to correct information.

Final Thoughts

I encourage parents to rethink their need for infant formula, except in situations where breastfeeding is not possible or not available. In doing so, you not only save money, but you also give your baby the best and most adaptable source of nourishment available.

Breast milk, when accessible, is enough.