Carnation milk and 1960s babies!

[muminlondon]

I was horrified when I found out I was given Carnation milk as a baby (about one part Carnation to 4 parts water). My mum told me it was recommended by the paediatrician at the hospital for low weight/premature babies so she was just following the advice of the time. I realise I am not alone as I found other threads on the topic (e.g. on formula milks ). Who else had this?

Also born in 1971 and given carnation on the health visitors advice. I think that the Politics of Breadtfeeding says that there were warnings decades before that carnation was not suitable for infant feeding. Am nursing at keyboard but will look tomorrow.

I had formula (1960) my brother 18 months later had Carnation as he was a bit feeble apparantly!!

the labels on evaporated milk still say that it is not suitable for feeding infants.so some people must still do it!

DH was given carnation milk and he was born in 1973. I was really surprised, as i thought formula would have been the preferred choice (apparently around that time bf wasn't the recommended feeding method, according to my Mum).

My mum must have been a bit of an oddity then. We three were born in 1975, 1977 and 1982 and we were all BF until solids around 5 months (which, mum tells me, was because we started to bite, rather than any advice she was given).

My SIL fed her 3 children Carnation milk in the 1970's. All are very healthy, with no weight problems at all.
My X husband was fed silvertop milk from a week old, again he is reasonably healthy.
partialtoacupofmilo,I can remember plenty of women breastfeeding in the 1970's and 1980's. My mother and MIL also breastfed to some extent in the 50's and 60's.I don't think it was an oddity at all, I just don't think it was such an issue.

My gran exclusively bf my mum to 9months in the 50s. Told my step mother about it, she didn't believe me, said it would be impossible as a baby would get too hungry. But my gran said that's what everyone did.

Step mother had 4children in the 70s. All bottle fed and weaned early.

Hi all, I was just Googling to see if there had been any research about feeding babies with diluted Carnation milk and I came up with this site. I am scared to admit I fed my two oldest with Carnation! They are 39 and 37 now and both in the best of health so I feel slightly vindicated! I had real problems breast feeding and was advised Carnation would be a good alternative. The cans even had the instructions for feeding babies on the side so I assumed it was ok. When I think about it now I feel as horrified as some of you do. The '60's and '70's were filled with new "advice" about almost everything and very confusing for a young mum at the time.

I had it, born 1975. My mum gave it to me from about 6 weeks (she said her breastmilk ran out and formula made me constipated). Rather than get advice from hv or gp, she just added vitamins to Carnation milk and fed it to me. I think I was getting solids from about then too.

My mum told me that before formula milks were available, non-bf babies got their own feed recipe based on evap milk, water, salt and sugar, I guess that is where the terminology "formula" comes from.

The only person I've ever heard of having Carnantion Milk as a baby is my boss, who is now off with heart problems. Really hope there's not a link....

I was fed it too, too, in 1974. Just found out today, in fact. I was low-weight, prem; just 3 pounds 2 ounces, so mum said they kept me in hospital and fed me up on Carnation until I reached 5 pounds and was allowed to go home!
The only thing my mum could eat when she was pregnant with me (she was sick the whole time) was salty stuff and marmite and now I have a massively savoury tooth (if there is such a thing) rather than sweet, so it doesn't seem to have done anything to me. Interesting to see that other people had it too.

I was breastfeeding my DD at my Nans house when she was felling me about My Mum as a baby who was born in 1957 and she breast feed her till she was 9 months because she couldn't afford carnation milk and was frowned up on!

1970 baby.. I too was fed on carnation milk, from birth I believe. I had many allergies growing up, and was quite sickly.. Since learning this in my mid 20's I've always believed this was the reason for my ailments

evaporated and condensed
I am a grandma now and have fed evaporated diluted milk to my second child.
Many of you think carnation and immediately the condensed variety.
Evaporated is milk without sugar.
Anyway my daughter has not had weight nor allergy problems.
So next time you hear something listen with both earsbefore you judge.

I was also given Carnation. I would have died otherwise! My mom tried everything! She said she’d sit me on the floor and I’d literally fall back. That’s how weak I was! Now my newborn grandson is throwing up the formula, (was hospitalized for it) then they tried goat milk, simply to go through the scary experience all over again cause he can’t hold down goat milk either. The last option my son and his wife are considering is soy milk. I want to scream, “PLEASE GIVE HIM CARNATION!!!” Look, I’ve been online searching studies regarding Carnation and if you go online and check out facts about it, you’ll see that Carnation is (by far!!) better than formula! Not better than breast milk, but for the moms that produce very little breast milk, this is a good alternative. I can’t seem to convince my son & daughter n law though 😒😔😞

Has anyone found an older thread than this!!??

Has anyone who was fed on carnationmilk as a newborn suffered from severe teeth problems later on? I had my first molar extracted age 3 and continued with trouble ever since. I was a 1963 baby.

but sugary drinks were often put in feeding bottles for toddlers, and sugar in warm milk on going to bed.
so it may not have specifically been the carnation, more a general unawareness of the bad effect of sugar.

I was given carnation evaporated milk w/ Karo syrup as my baby formula. Not sure how much water but I think mom said equal parts boiled water to milk and 2tsps of Karo. I have no allergies to food and love milk! Sweetened condensed milk is a guilty pleasure of mine lol. My brother and sister also were given this “formula “ Doctors today are doing mothers who are struggling to find formula a huge disservice for warning them away from this! It seems to me a great way to feed children who can’t be breast fed like me and my siblings were. I guess when babies start starving to death they will recommend it. How many doctors own stock in the formula companies?

Carnation milk was evaporated and contained no sugar. Condensed milk - Nestles or Fussels - was the sugary one.

I know this is a massive Zombie, but I've really enjoyed reading it.

My aunt was spoon fed carnation milk as a prem baby as she couldn't suck.

I'd love to look at some of the 'official' advice from different decades

My gran breastfed babies in the nursery when she was a nanny. She wasn't meant to, she was meant to leave them to cry but she couldn't do it and having a baby at home she just used to feed them to sleep.

Why are some people horrified? It was the advice of the day. No doubt in 50 years hence people will look at some of todays practices of child rearing and be horrified.

Why are you horrified, op? It would have been perfectly standard at that time.