Infant Feeding in the 20th Century: Formula and Beikost

The early years of the 20th century were notable for improvements in general sanitation, dairying practices and milk handling. Most infants were breast-fed, often with some formula feeding as well. Availability of the home icebox permitted safe storage of milk and infant formula, and by the 1920s, f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of nutrition Vol. 131; no. 2; pp. 409S - 420S
Main Author Fomon, Samuel J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2001
Subjects
beikost
Bottle Feeding - history
Bottle Feeding - trends
Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data
breast-feeding
Edible Grain - history
Female
Food Handling - history
Food, Fortified - history
History, 20th Century
Humans
Hygiene - history
Infant
infant feeding
Infant Food - history
infant formula
Infant, Newborn
Iron - deficiency
Iron - history
Iron - therapeutic use
Rickets - history
Rickets - prevention & control
Scurvy - history
Scurvy - prevention & control
AAP
WIC
breast-feeding
FDA
infant feeding
infant formula
beikost
CFR
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Summary:The early years of the 20th century were notable for improvements in general sanitation, dairying practices and milk handling. Most infants were breast-fed, often with some formula feeding as well. Availability of the home icebox permitted safe storage of milk and infant formula, and by the 1920s, feeding of orange juice and cod liver oil greatly decreased the incidence of scurvy and rickets. Use of evaporated milk for formula preparation decreased bacterial contamination and curd tension of infant formulas. From 1930 through the 1960s, breast-feeding declined and cow's milk and beikost were introduced into the diet at earlier and earlier ages. Although commercially prepared formulas, including iron-fortified formulas replaced home-prepared formulas, few infants were breast-fed or formula fed after 4–6 mo of age. Iron deficiency was prevalent. From 1970 through 1999, a resurgence of breast-feeding was associated with a prolongation of formula feeding and an increase in usage of iron-fortified formulas. By the end of the century, formula feeding of older infants had largely replaced feeding of fresh cow's milk and the prevalence of iron deficiency had greatly decreased.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0022-3166
1541-6100
DOI:10.1093/jn/131.2.409S