Feeding children after formula scare

By Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-24 07:48

"The advertisement said the formula has many minerals that the baby needs," she said. "I have great confidence in these products, even if they cost extra," Fang said.

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), breast-feeding is the best choice for infants, and no baby formula can replace mother's milk. Mother's milk boosts the immune system and can dramatically reduce infant deaths in developing countries by 1 million babies a year. In the United States, the percentage of mothers who breast-feed their babies has reached 74 percent, the highest level on record.

A mother and a father hold their babies as they wait for a treatment of kidney stones in a children's hospital in Beijing September 23, 2008. [AFP]

Dai Yaohua, a Chinese consultant with the World Health Organization (WHO), said it is best to breast-feed for six months and then add other foods and whole milk. According to experts, parents should stop feeding baby formula and introduce whole milk around the time of a baby's first birthday.

However, many people in China lack knowledge in this respect. Surveys by health authorities show that up to 45 percent of women, like Fang, have no idea that breast milk is the best choice for their kids and might resort to baby formula.

Dai called for promotion of breast-feeding and for companies to provide breast-feeding rooms or flexible work hours to help young mothers.

Many parents are now turning to foreign brands of baby formula, but the price is holding back many middle- and low-income families.

A 900-g package of Nestle baby formula costs about 178 yuan ($26). A 400-g bag of Sanlu, the first brand found contaminated by melamine, sold for about 18 yuan.

For Fang Caiying, Sanlu was a brand she could afford. Her family earns less than 3,000 yuan per year as farmers.

"Sanlu was already the best I could afford for my daughter," Fang said.

Some parents are turning back to traditional ways.

Gao Jinyun, a 53-year-old grandmother in the Jiangsu provincial capital of Nanjing, feeds her 9-month-old granddaughter the same thing she her own baby 30 years ago - mashed egg, fish, meat and vegetables.

"I brought up my boy this way, and he was always healthy. I don't think it's true that Chinese can't live without milk," Gao said.

Gao and neighbors caught in a similar situation are sharing their recipes. Some use soymilk or rice soup as substitutes.

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