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Why Formula Feeding Matters
Nearly all babies in the UK receive formula milk at some point during their first year of life. Yet finding independent and factual information about formula feeding can be surprisingly difficult, as much of the material available to parents, carers and health professionals is generated by the formula industry for marketing purposes. How can parents make properly informed decisions about which brand to choose, how much to feed and when, and how to prepare products safely?
In Why Formula Feeding Matters infant feeding specialist Shel Banks tackles all these questions and many more, drawing on the evidence and her extensive experience supporting families with infant feeding to communicate essential information for anyone involved in caring for formula feeding babies.
In Why Formula Feeding Matters infant feeding specialist Shel Banks tackles all these questions and many more, drawing on the evidence and her extensive experience supporting families with infant feeding to communicate essential information for anyone involved in caring for formula feeding babies.
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 20, 2022
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 5, 2022
I wish I'd had access to this book and Why Breastfeeding Guilt and Trauma Matter by Amy Brown last year whilst I was at the height of my feeding struggles and subsequent downward spiral to postnatal depression. I naively assumed breastfeeding would be fine and I wouldn't put pressure on myself if it didn't work - what a joke when hormones rule the roost. I had no idea about formula or what brand to choose, how to make it etc and it was foisted upon me by well-meaning healthcare staff as my baby had lost over 10% of her birth weight. I picked the first brand they said with no knowledge about what was in it.
This book breaks it all down without judgement and gives the facts to help make a well-informed decision, something I did not do. Reading this book and the one by Amy Brown brought up strong emotions of guilt and shame but I found it worth it to make myself better informed about feeding decisions and the impact it can have on my mental health in future.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Thank you to Netgalley, Pinter and Martin and the author.
This book breaks it all down without judgement and gives the facts to help make a well-informed decision, something I did not do. Reading this book and the one by Amy Brown brought up strong emotions of guilt and shame but I found it worth it to make myself better informed about feeding decisions and the impact it can have on my mental health in future.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Thank you to Netgalley, Pinter and Martin and the author.
April 27, 2022
You can watch my full review for this book on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/HPbrOPhNJsQ
This is a nice, easy to read little book to find out more about formula feeding and why it’s important to know exactly what’s going on.
Banks covers things like choosing and buying formula and she talks about what’s actually in formula and the legal requirements of different levels of things, which is very interesting to know. She talks about how to make up formula safely, responsive feeding, and she does some trouble shooting as well. It’s important that parents know the best ways to be doing things.
There were some interesting things about what’s in the formula and that there are legal requirements for what’s in them, so buying a more expensive brand might not have a material benefit because the important levels are already set by legal requirements. It was interesting to learn about some of the alternative formulas, like ‘hungry baby’ and ones that are supposed to help them sleep and why they may work and if there’s actually any real scientific basis for their claims, and also what may be causing those issues with babies that could be solved in other ways than changing their formula or the way they feed.
Banks talks about how to make up formula safely. It is really important that formula is made up safely because it isn’t sterile so it’s very important to make it as safe as possible. I do find sometimes people are a bit preachery when they talk about that, but it is good to know all the best ways to do things. I’m not completely convinced that people are going to be able to live up to those standards, day to day, at every feed, with a young baby to feed, but it is really good to know it.
Banks talks about responsive feeding, which is the interesting idea about giving babies less big feeds with big sleeps in between, instead it’s about trying to give them more regular small feeds, this is done because this is what babies expect and it’s the way that they thrive best. Also when babies feed it’s not just to be full up, it's partly for interaction as well.
Banks trouble shoots some problems including some rarer problems, and she talks about alternatives to formula. Banks is involved with breastfeeding so there was also a breastfeeding side to it, perhaps if you’re using formula as part of mixed feeding. This is important to know about because it happens quite a lot and sometimes when people have gone into breastfeeding, they may not know as much as they need to know about formula feeding when they then find themselves mixed feeding, and they’ve then got a young baby to look after as well, so this book would be really good for anybody like that who’s got to learn about this whole new area that they weren’t very informed about before. And of course, if you work with babies or new mothers, it’s always really good to find out what’s going on and what other people are thinking, any little area of knowledge that you can expand on.
All in all this was a great little book and I’m glad I read it. You can watch my full review for this book on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/HPbrOPhNJsQ
This is a nice, easy to read little book to find out more about formula feeding and why it’s important to know exactly what’s going on.
Banks covers things like choosing and buying formula and she talks about what’s actually in formula and the legal requirements of different levels of things, which is very interesting to know. She talks about how to make up formula safely, responsive feeding, and she does some trouble shooting as well. It’s important that parents know the best ways to be doing things.
There were some interesting things about what’s in the formula and that there are legal requirements for what’s in them, so buying a more expensive brand might not have a material benefit because the important levels are already set by legal requirements. It was interesting to learn about some of the alternative formulas, like ‘hungry baby’ and ones that are supposed to help them sleep and why they may work and if there’s actually any real scientific basis for their claims, and also what may be causing those issues with babies that could be solved in other ways than changing their formula or the way they feed.
Banks talks about how to make up formula safely. It is really important that formula is made up safely because it isn’t sterile so it’s very important to make it as safe as possible. I do find sometimes people are a bit preachery when they talk about that, but it is good to know all the best ways to do things. I’m not completely convinced that people are going to be able to live up to those standards, day to day, at every feed, with a young baby to feed, but it is really good to know it.
Banks talks about responsive feeding, which is the interesting idea about giving babies less big feeds with big sleeps in between, instead it’s about trying to give them more regular small feeds, this is done because this is what babies expect and it’s the way that they thrive best. Also when babies feed it’s not just to be full up, it's partly for interaction as well.
Banks trouble shoots some problems including some rarer problems, and she talks about alternatives to formula. Banks is involved with breastfeeding so there was also a breastfeeding side to it, perhaps if you’re using formula as part of mixed feeding. This is important to know about because it happens quite a lot and sometimes when people have gone into breastfeeding, they may not know as much as they need to know about formula feeding when they then find themselves mixed feeding, and they’ve then got a young baby to look after as well, so this book would be really good for anybody like that who’s got to learn about this whole new area that they weren’t very informed about before. And of course, if you work with babies or new mothers, it’s always really good to find out what’s going on and what other people are thinking, any little area of knowledge that you can expand on.
All in all this was a great little book and I’m glad I read it. You can watch my full review for this book on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/HPbrOPhNJsQ
July 6, 2022
Very interesting, informative and at times shocking. It's a book everyone that works with parents and expecting mothers should read.
November 7, 2022
'Why Formula Feeding Matters' by Shel Banks is the guide to formula feeding I wish I had when my kids were babies. Banks has identified a complete gap in the market for reliable, non-bias, non-company funded information on formula feeding.
There wasn't really anything 'new' to me contained inside but this is the first time I've seen it all in one place, without any marketing attached and with goverment/NHS sources if you want to find out more. The author is a certified lactation consultant with a long background in helping women breastfeed, and yet there is absolutely nothing contained within these pages to suggest that formula feeding is a 'second best' choice or an attempt to 'push' breast feeding.
The whole premise is that you're feeding a child and for whatever reason need to use formula. Rather than asking 'Do you really need formula?' or 'Have you tried breastfeeding this way?' Banks just gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision with no fuss. Sometimes that information was more detailed that was comfortable for me, but I'm sure someone else would find it very comforting. I can't think of a reason why you would need another book or source on formula feeding after purchasing this one. If I could buy copies and hand it out to people at the train station I would.
There wasn't really anything 'new' to me contained inside but this is the first time I've seen it all in one place, without any marketing attached and with goverment/NHS sources if you want to find out more. The author is a certified lactation consultant with a long background in helping women breastfeed, and yet there is absolutely nothing contained within these pages to suggest that formula feeding is a 'second best' choice or an attempt to 'push' breast feeding.
The whole premise is that you're feeding a child and for whatever reason need to use formula. Rather than asking 'Do you really need formula?' or 'Have you tried breastfeeding this way?' Banks just gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision with no fuss. Sometimes that information was more detailed that was comfortable for me, but I'm sure someone else would find it very comforting. I can't think of a reason why you would need another book or source on formula feeding after purchasing this one. If I could buy copies and hand it out to people at the train station I would.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews