8 Reasons Why We Chose A Goat Milk Formula
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You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make. - Gordon B. Hinckley
I had always planned on exclusively breastfeeding my son, and I naturally assumed it would work for us. After almost 4 months of struggling against chronic low milk supply, infant reflux, poor latching, and breast refusal, I finally accepted that we couldn’t breastfeed.
I pumped exclusively for a while, but I produced less than half the amount of breast milk my baby needed. When we started supplementing with infant formula, I was overwhelmed by the options and I wanted the formula closest to breast milk.
Since my son had moderate to severe GER (gastroesophageal reflux), we were hard-pressed to find a formula that didn’t make his condition worse or cause digestive issues. A nutritionist recommended goat milk formula, and I read up on the benefits of goat milk over cow milk. Most goat milk formulas have to be ordered from the U.K. (so they are fairly expensive) while the U.S.-based Kabrita goat milk formula contains cow milk lactose.
After poring over online articles, medical journals, nutrition websites, and ingredient labels, I decided to try the Homemade Goat Milk Formula from Mt. Capra, which we were able to clear with our pediatrician.
If the idea of a homemade formula makes you shudder; if it sounds too unconventional, granola, or pioneer woman for you; if you feel like you’d be “breaking the rules” about what to give your baby, believe me - I understand! I felt the same way, and the warnings from the media and pediatricians everywhere certainly put the fear of God in me.
But this goat milk formula is a different kind of “homemade formula” from the usual recipe that calls for raw, unpasteurized milk, yeast flakes, or acerola powder. The goat milk and lactose come in powdered form, and the formula meets the nutrient requirements for infant formula set by the FDA. The whole mixing process takes 10 minutes, and this formula can be made every 2 days!
If you are longing for a healthy alternative to commercial formulas or an affordable goat milk formula option (most goat milk formulas have to be ordered from the U.K.), then read on! Here are 8 reasons why we chose a homemade goat milk formula:
REASON NO. 1
It is a safe and healthy alternative to commercial formulas. After a recall (read here and here) on a major formula brand in 1979 due to over 20,000 cases of chloride deficiency in infants (and 118 cases of serious kidney-related issues), the FDA created The Formula Act of 1980. This piece of legislation set the list of nutrients with their minimum and maximum levels required for infant formula.
The biggest concern for homemade formula, of course, is that parents may not meet baby’s nutritional needs or will pose risks to their health using raw, unpasteurized milk. The Goat Milk Formula from Mt. Capra demonstrates how the recipe meets the requirements of The Formula Act of 1980 in the nutrient database, and it also uses 100% pure goat milk powder and 100% goat milk lactose rather than raw milk. When checking with your pediatrician, this is the document to share for their review.
It is also worth noting that the FDA’s main job is to “ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply.” In other words, they regulate the processes by which food is handled and produced. And while they did set new mandates for infant formula in 2014 (and infant formula is one of the most heavily regulated products on the market), many ingredients are perfectly acceptable for use, including artificial sugars and GMOs! Many formula manufacturers also use soy oil and palm olein oil because they are cheaper (and also less healthy) than sunflower (particularly expeller-pressed), olive, coconut, and grapeseed oils. (You will find that some organic brands use healthier oils!)
REASON No. 2
The ingredients are whole food ingredients. No preservatives, emulsifiers, or other additives are needed since it is not in a ready-to-mix powder. Mixing the ingredients in their pure forms helps maintain the vitality of the nutrients. When all is said and done, I know what 6 ingredients (+ 4 once-a-day ingredients) are going into my son’s body: 100% pure goat milk powder, 100% pure goat lactose powder, high oleic sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, 100% goat milk ghee, and unsulphured blackstrap molasses.
The once-a-day ingredients include vitamins, DHA, probiotics, and colostrum and can be added to a warm bottle. (I added two ingredients each in the first two bottles of the day.) The vitamins supplement for anything not present in the goat milk but required for baby’s age (like vitamins that are added to all infant formula in the production process). The difference in nutrients are minor between goat milk and cow milk, but neither milk is a good sole source of important nutrients and minerals, and both are fortified with vitamin D.
DHA and probiotics are special ingredients now considered to be beneficial to baby’s brain development and gut health, respectively. Next, colostrum is “nature’s first food,” an immunity builder beneficial for anyone. When my family was battling colds and viruses last winter, my husband and I took colostrum to boost our immunity and fought off several colds. Lastly, a plus with blackstrap molasses is that it is a natural laxative! So, if baby is struggling with constipation, rather than adding prune juice or Karo syrup, you can add a little extra molasses, which tends to be gentler on baby’s tummy.
REASON NO. 3
Goat milk is easier to digest than cow milk and closer to human breast milk. The fat globules in goat milk are smaller and therefore naturally easier to digest. Plus, goat milk contains less lactose than cow milk. Think about it like this: a baby calf grows from being a 65-pound babe to a 1200-pound cow while a goat grows from an 8-pound kid to a average 200-pound adult goat.
Some moms actually prefer goat milk to cow milk once they wean from the breast due its ease on the digestive system. The protein structure is more like human milk, and it is digested up to 6x faster than cow milk. Additionally, one study found that goat milk was less allergenic for infants when used as the first milk source after breastfeeding.
REASON No. 4
It is a good alternative to cow milk formulas if baby has a sensitivity. There are two parts to proteins: whey and casein. Whey is easier to digest, and casein is usually the culprit in causing allergic reactions. While the ratio of whey to casein is similar in both cow and goat milk (20:80 vs. 60:40 in human milk), goat milk contains far less of the protein casein alpha-1, which is found in large quantity in cow milk and presumed to be most common allergy trigger.
If your baby is allergic to cow milk proteins, this could be a good alternative for her, but you’ll want to ease into it. Some babies who are allergic to cow milk proteins are allergic to any animal proteins (and sometimes even soy protein). It will depend on the severity of your baby’s allergy. A true allergy will initiate an autoimmune response (rashes, mucus in stools, and tight airways in severe cases), whereas a sensitivity or intolerance generally manifests as issues with upset tummy, spit up, and diarrhea or constipation.
Reason NO. 5
For a healthy alternative, it is actually a more affordable option. If you’re doing a cost comparison (as we moms always are), this formula costs about $0.13/ounce compared to an average $0.17/ounce for commercial cow milk formula, $0.19/ounce for specialty formula, $0.21/ounce for hypoallergenic formula, and as much as $0.30/ounce for elemental formula. Liquid concentrate and ready-to-feed drive those price points higher. And many commercial goat milk formulas must be ordered online from the U.K. and can cost around $70 for a 28oz. can.
Additionally, once you know the ingredients, you can shop around. While I never substitute the ghee or milk and lactose powders, I have found the sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, and molasses at bargain prices. And while the APA and most pediatricians warn against using raw, unpasteurized milk due to the health risks, some moms believe it is worth the risk in order to have milk that does not go through any processing at all (most notably, pasteurization). If you feel this is the healthiest option, there is information on the company’s website on how to make the substitution.
Reason No. 6
You can order a starter kit, and it comes with a recipe card. Making a formula at home means extra precaution and precision, so following the measurements exactly is key. But there’s no need to panic if you’re exceptionally tired and put a little too much oil or forget a spoonful of ghee one day. Even breast milk changes by day based on mom’s diet. Because you do want to get this right, however, having a reference to follow for making various amounts is so helpful. I found that purchasing the starter kit put me at ease the first time we ordered because it comes with a magnetic recipe card for your fridge as well as every ingredient you need. After that, I ordered the milk powder and lactose powder in 10-pound bags (rather than the 1-pound containers) because it saves time and money.
Reason No. 7
The ingredients come from trusted sources. If you’ve ever eaten farm-to-table food, then you know what I’m talking about. To feel that I could give something this fresh to my baby after not being able to breastfeed was a game-changer for me. The powdered goat milk comes from Dutch goat milk farms in the Netherlands and is packaged by Mt. Capra, then sent directly to you. The ghee and lactose powders are made and packaged on Mt. Capra’s goat farm in Washington. All ingredients are “free of pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, and antibiotics” and packaged with no preservatives added as they use Refractance Window Drying Technology (a very gentle method for turning liquid to powder) to create the powdered milk and lactose.
Reason No. 8
The taste is better than other formulas. I remember the first time I fed my son a bottle of hypoallergenic formula. He didn’t necessarily have an allergy to cow milk (CMPA), but it wasn’t being good to his body all the same. He refused to drink it most of the time. I’m sure he would have adjusted over time, but at first it’s as if he was saying, “I’d rather go hungry.” And nothing freaks a mama out more than a baby who won’t eat.
He guzzled this formula the first time I gave it to him - and every time since then. I pumped exclusively for 5 months and alternated between breast milk bottles and formula bottles. When we changed to this formula, my son didn’t seem to notice the difference the way he had with previous formulas - if anything, he actually preferred it to breast milk. Out of curiosity, my husband and I tried it late one night after making a fresh batch. (The weird things parents of little ones do…) It tasted like a vanilla protein shake! We laughed, “No wonder he loves it.”
does this formula have enough iron?
Yes! One of my first questions was about iron levels since most commercial formulas are fortified with iron. During the first 6 months of life, the recommended amount of iron per day is .27mg, but that amount jumps to 11mg per day after 6 months. Why the scalable jump? Full-term babies are born with enough iron stores (another reason why pregnancy is so miraculous!) for the first 0-6 months of life. That said, 5 fluid ounces of commercial infant formula contains about 1mg of iron, so at an average intake of 30 fl. oz. per day, baby would consume around 5-6mg of iron/day. By comparison, the once-a-day vitamins suggested for the Mt. Capra recipe offer 2mg of iron per day, plus the molasses contains 20% daily value for adults. Considering the recommended amount of iron for adults (which varies by gender, age, and size), 20% is approx. 2-3 mg. That’s 4-5 mg total with the homemade formula compared to 5-6 mg in commercial formula. Apparently, appropriate iron levels by age are still being decided - read here and here. Put simply, baby will have healthy iron intake, and climbing levels of iron are perfectly timed with the introduction of solid foods!
Prep & Travel
The more information I analyze and the more I watch my now toddler thrive (he was sick for the first time at 9 months old), the more confident I am that giving my son a simple, natural, and whole food formula was great for his health. (And what a relief it was after the fear and skepticism I experienced at first!)
If you decide to give the Homemade Goat Milk Formula from Mt. Capra a try, check out this article for tips on how to prepare and store, as well as how to travel and make it on the road!
Disclaimer: I am not a spokesperson or associate of Mt. Capra. I do use an affiliate link and earn a small commission for purchases. The funds help me keep this website up and running and fund weekly ice cream dates with my buddy. Nonetheless, I would share this formula with you anyway - and leave it totally up to you to decide whether or not it is right for your baby!
