I understand why millions of parents choose plastic baby bottles. They don’t weigh much, don’t cost much, and don’t break if you drop them on the floor. But BPA is turning out to be a nasty chemical, and the BPA can leach from the bottle and wind up in the formula. More than 90 percent of humans six years and older have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But wait, the news gets worse. Recently, a draft report was issued by the National Toxicology Program, and that report is raising all sorts of red flags about the potential harm that BPA might do. The report, which was based on a review of over nearly 1,000 papers, says that levels of BPA in infants and children could cause changes in behavior as well as changes to the brain, prostate, and mammary glands.

The reason babies and young children are at such risk is because their little bodies aren’t very good at getting rid of BPA. Adults seem to have an ability to metabolize and excrete BPA very quickly, but babies stay in the slow lane.

If you’re feeding formula to your infant or baby, I strongly urge you to replace those plastic baby bottles for glass ones. You should avoid putting plastic food containers in the microwave oven or the dishwasher because heat makes BPA leach out faster than it does otherwise. (I also recommend that you not “nuke” your foods with a microwave oven. We don’t have one in our home.)

Finally, you should use porcelain or stainless steel containers in the kitchen when serving or preparing food and drinks. We’re pleased that our infant children aren’t taking something more into their bodies than the wonderful nutrients found in their formula.

I said I was going to reprint that special formula, so here you go, along with a recipe for toddler formula. I’ve shared these formulas with many friends who’ve used them with great success. Before using any infant or toddler formula with your child, however, please consult with your pediatrician or family practitioner.

Here are the formulas:

Ingredients for Infant Formula (makes 38 ounces)
• 24 oz. spring water
• 12 oz. goat’s milk (raw or pasteurized)
• ½ teaspoon children’s probiotic powder
• ½ teaspoon acerola cherry powder (17 percent vitamin C)
• 2 teaspoons whey protein concentrate
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 3 capsules buffalo liver or 3 capsules of colostrum
• 8 tablespoons mineral whey powder
• 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
• 1 teaspoon of butter oil
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil

Ingredients for Toddler Formula (makes 50 ounces)

• 32 oz. coconut water (from fresh young or Thai coconuts available at your local health food store)
• 16 oz. raw or pasteurized goat's milk, raw or pasteurized non-homogenized grass-fed cow’s milk or raw cow’s milk colostrum
• ½ teaspoon children’s probiotic powder
• 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
• 1 teaspoon of butter oil or 1 teaspoon organic ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil