What We Fed Our Baby When Formula Wasn’t an Option.

We didn’t plan to make our own formula. We just ran out of options.

🌿 WHY WE MADE OUR OWN FORMULA

We eat food from plants—nothing processed. And when breastfeeding got really hard, we couldn’t use formula. Not because we were being picky, but because most formulas—even the ones that say “plant-based”—are full of stuff that isn’t actually food. They’re made in factories with chemicals, fake vitamins, and oils that can mess with your body. We didn’t feel safe giving that to our baby. So we had to find another way.

Truman refused store-bought formula. He could taste the difference—and honestly, we were proud of him.

We were in survival mode, living in a place that should’ve been condemned. Our breastfeeding journey was complicated by trauma, supply drops, and exhaustion. We were doing magick and affirmations, but still waking up drenched in sweat (if we slept at all), and crying over spilled milk—literally.

So we made our own. From living food (plants). With real love. It worked.

If you want the full story behind this recipe, including what it was like to breastfeed as a trauma survivor, battle milk supply, and make our own formula in a freezing, toxic apartment—we wrote it all here: 👉 🍼 YOU’RE NOT A BAD MOM IF BREASTFEEDING SUCKED.

This post is for the recipe itself. Simple. Sacred. Nutrient-dense. WFPB.

🍼 INGREDIENTS (STARTER BLEND — GENTLE FOR NEW BABIES)

• 1 cooked sweet potato (don’t worry about peeling it, just blend it. Frozen sweet potatoes from Walmart save time.)

• 1/4 cup cooked rolled oats (blends better when cooked)

• 2 ripe bananas

• 1 tsp nutritional yeast (for essential vitamins and minerals)

• 1/2 tsp hemp seeds (optional for essential fats, for babies older than 4–6 months — a small amount of any seed or nut is fine)

• 1 dropper of liquid multivitamin B12 (plant-based, WFPB-approved)

• 1–5 dates (optional sweetness, available at Walmart)

• Filtered or boiled water as needed for consistency

Optional add-ins as baby gets older:

• 1/4 tsp chia seeds (omega-3s)

• 1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses (iron)

• Unsweetened or blueberry applesauce (fiber + antioxidants)

• Avocado (healthy fats, brain development)

• Pumpkin (vitamin A, smooth digestion, and flavor)

• Cauliflower or spinach (added vitamins and minerals with mild flavor and low gas)

• Cocoa powder (tiny pinch for comfort or inflammation support)

• Blueberries (superfood antioxidants for immune support)

🍯 HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Cook the oats and sweet potato separately until soft. Let cool.

2. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

3. Add water until the texture matches breastmilk (thin and easy to pass through bottle nipple).

4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer (Dollar Tree ones are best!)

5. Pour into bottle and serve.

Shake before every feed—natural food separates without chemical stabilizers. That’s a good thing.

💡 FORMULA PREP TIPS FROM A TIRED MOM WHO LIVED THIS

• Dollar Tree strainers have the tightest mesh we found. Strain 3–4x if using newborn bottle nipples (strain until nothing catches).

• Natural ingredients clog easier. If your baby’s crying and won’t feed, check the nipple for clogs before panicking.

• Store in glass baby food jars or clean bottles.

• Refrigerate immediately and use within 24 hours.

• Adding ingredients like cocoa, pumpkin, sweet potato, or blueberries can help naturally preserve the mix due to antioxidants.

• This is real food. That means it settles, thickens, and separates. It’s alive.

🛒 COST BREAKDOWN (WALMART PRICES, SURVIVAL MODE REALNESS)

We made this formula while barely scraping by. We were broke, exhausted, and healing from trauma. And guess what? It still worked.

• Rolled Oats: $5.12 for 42 oz → 1/4 cup = ~15 cents

• Sweet Potatoes: $0.98/lb → 1 small = ~50 cents

• Bananas: $0.58/lb → 2 = ~40 cents

• Nutritional Yeast: $5.64 for 4.5 oz → 1 tsp = ~25 cents

• Hemp Seeds: $8.97 for 12 oz → 1/2 tsp = ~20 cents

• Liquid Multivitamin: $18/bottle (lasts 1 month) → 1 dose = ~60 cents

• Chia Seeds (optional): $6.94 for 16 oz → 1/4 tsp = ~10 cents

• Molasses (optional): $3.64 per jar → 1/2 tsp = ~5 cents

• Dates: $5.78/lb → ~5 = ~30 cents

Total Cost per Bottle: ≈ $1.90 (with everything included)

That’s cheaper than any organic or specialized formula on the market. And it’s alive. Nourishing. Made from ingredients you can pronounce—with real benefits for your baby’s growing body.

Safety: Always consult your pediatrician if introducing new ingredients for the first time. We are not doctors, just surviving parents.

🌱 HOW TRUMAN THRIVED

He’s never been sick. Not once. No ER visits. No antibiotics. No ear infections.

The only fevers he’s ever had were from teething—and they passed within hours.

He started speaking early. Walking strong. Lighting up every room. And even now, he’s still ahead developmentally. Our boy is healthy and vibrant. And I believe this formula—made from scratch, in love, in truth—played a huge part in that.

✨ A FINAL NOTE

This formula was born out of necessity. Not rebellion. Not pride. It was survival.

We were exhausted. I was battling shame, grief, trauma, and a depleting breast milk supply. We were trying to speak kindly to ourselves while navigating clogged ducts and sobbing at 2AM.

And we still found a way to nourish our child with food.

If you need the full story—about the sexual trauma, the home birth, the heartbreak, the magic—we put it all into a companion post:

👉 🍼 YOU’RE NOT A BAD MOM IF BREASTFEEDING SUCKED.

We are not doctors. We are parents who said yes to instinct. No to chemicals. And yes to trusting our sacred bodies.

If you're here, it's because you care. And if you care? You're already doing great.

You can do this. Even now. Especially now.

💔 What pain or struggle is this blog addressing?

The shame and exhaustion parents feel when breastfeeding doesn’t work. The fear of feeding your baby something that doesn’t align with your values. The guilt and confusion around not being able to afford or trust commercial formula. The trauma of being a survivor navigating parenthood through cracked nipples, clogged ducts, and crying in the kitchen at 2AM.

✨ What’s the soul win?

Relief. Empowerment. A new possibility. Knowing you’re not alone, not broken, and not wrong for choosing something different. You leave this post with hope, a recipe, and a sense that your instincts are sacred—and valid.