r/FormulaFeeders • u/hjallerupckk • Apr 28 '26
Advice / Question š” Is it true that breastmilk builds immunity?
Hi! First-time mom here (29) and I wanted to ask how true it is that breastmilk is what builds a babyās immunity. My daughter has been formula-fed since week 3 and sheās now 3 months old. Lately Iāve been feeling anxious and guilty, worrying that I may be failing her when it comes to helping her build strong immunity because sheās formula-fed.
Iāve been seeing a lot of breastfeeding content online claiming that breastmilk is essential for immunity, and that formula-fed babies may have weaker immune systems or be more prone to getting sick. Itās been making me spiral a bit, and Iām not sure how much of that is actually true.
For context, I was formula-fed from birth and Iāve generally been very healthy ā Iāve never been hospitalized aside from giving birth, and I can count on one hand the times Iāve been seriously sick. My husband, on the other hand, gets sick fairly often, and I rarely catch what he has despite sharing a bed, kissing each other, etc.
I guess Iām looking for reassurance and facts: can formula-fed babies still build strong immunity and be just as healthy?
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u/Unique_Boysenberry68 Apr 28 '26
There is no good scientific evidence that breastfeeding has a superior impact on babies' developing immune systems, once the data are controlled for things like socio-economic status; see e.g. the study below.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1089/bfm.2024.0302
The only large-scale, long-term randomised study to compare breastfeeding to formula feeding, the PROBIT study, has so far shown no difference in immunity; the only statistically significant difference between formula feeding and breastfeeding is one extra incident of gastro in the first year of life, and most babies will have one or two by then anyway.
Social media is full of absolute junk "science" and strong, unproven claims about breastfeeding! Don't let the noise get to you.
A good resource for helping to cut through the noise is a book called Lactivism, by Courtney Jung, which tells the story of how so much bullshit*t info accumulated around feeding babies. I recommend it if you still feel anxious.
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u/Affectionate_Cow_812 Apr 28 '26
I have 4 kids (the youngest is only 7 weeks)
My oldest was combo fed from birth and very quickly formula only-he has been exposed to but never caught- covid, hand foot mouth, and roseola. He just started VPK last August and has been sick a total of 2 times.
My middle was breastfed-we joke he gets sick if a germ even looks at him. He has had covid 2x, HFM, Roseola, and he was part of the 1% who got chicken pox from the vaccine (that was recent too). He has had ear tubes twice. On top of a myriad of colds.
My third was breastfed then formula fed. He is 18 months and has never run a fever
So no your child isn't missing out on anything. My formula fed kids are actually healthier than my breastfed kid. It has to do with genetics not how they were fed as a baby. The food they get for 1 year of their life isn't going to somehow make them healthier.
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u/RaeHannah01 Apr 28 '26
Vaccines build immunity.
My sonās pediatrician said that there is no difference between formula fed and breastfed babies. That if anything breastfed babies tend to have less ear infections and that isnāt because the breast is better but the position of the baby as they feed.
Feed your baby the way that works for you. Happy, healthy moms make happy, healthy children.
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u/throwaway0111000 Apr 28 '26
Wow. I was ebf (weaned at 2) and I had so many bad ear infections growing up. How horrible they were are literally my earliest memories. And as an adult I get yearly strep. I wonder if itās connected.
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u/disproportionate_13 Apr 28 '26
I donāt know how old you are but I was an ebf baby too but my mom smoked 2 packs a day and my ear canals are messed up because of it. Breastfeeding vs 1980ās know how I guess lol
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u/pinkai Apr 28 '26
My mom and dad both smoked and me and my sisters all had ear infections one of my sisters has scarring in her ears to this day because of the second hand smoke! We were all EBF!
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u/GrainyDay13 Apr 29 '26
I was also ebf and had/still have significantly more and worse ear infections when compared to my eff brother!
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u/Winter-Speech978 Apr 28 '26
Breast milk like alive vaccine without the preservativesĀ
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u/Existing-Mastodon500 Apr 28 '26
Thatās not even close to factual information.
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u/Winter-Speech978 Apr 28 '26
Just say you dont understand biologyĀ
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u/Gillionaire25 EFF š«š® Apr 28 '26
Are you trolling or just clueless? You can literally look up the active ingredient in any live vaccine and the composition of breastmilk, and see that breastmilk doesn't contain it.Ā
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u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 28 '26
This has to be rage bait.
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u/Winter-Speech978 Apr 28 '26
Its the truth you dont want to acceptĀ
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u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 28 '26
I am quite literally an infectious disease scientist. I know how immunity works considering itās my job.
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u/WastePotential Apr 28 '26
According to a study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4077166/) that compared siblings - one breastfed and one not - in the US, "estimates of the association between breastfeeding and all but one indicator of child health and wellbeing dramatically decrease and fail to maintain statistical significance.".
There was also another study I chanced upon where breastfed babies got just one or two less stomach bugs than formula-fed babies, but I cannot find it now.
Based on my own understanding and research, breastmilk does have antibodies that formula milk does not. You also get to enjoy the closeness if baby has a good latch and/or you don't have DMER like I did.
However, there is also so much stress that comes with breastfeeding that doesn't come with formula feeding - baby latch, am I producing enough, I can't get enough sleep because I need to wake up to pump, how am I going to schedule my pump if we're going to be out, etc.
So overall it's about making the decision that's best for you. If you want to find facts like research, I suggest the sciencebasedparenting sub (I don't know if I'm allowed to link subreddits here).
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u/raspberriesp Apr 28 '26
Breastmilk offers some short-term immunity by coating the babyās mouth with antibodies. It does not ābuildā immunity because the baby doesnāt produce his/her own antibodies. Thatās done mainly through vaccines and disease exposure, and initially in utero. This topic has come up often in r/sciencebasedparenting so you can do a search there as well.
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u/pikachunicorns Apr 28 '26
No facts but reassurance:
My 4 year old was almost exclusively formula fed, he's been sick three times. One being a recent stomach bug that destroyed the whole family so I don't think any amount of breast milk could have helped him.
My sister's son, on the other hand, has been exclusively breast fed (and still nurses), he's almost 24 months. I have never met a child who is sick more often than he is. At least every two weeks, and she's a SAHM so it's not like he's getting daycare germs.
I've dealt with a lot of formula guilt from my mother (who exclusively BF us) but I just remind myself it doesn't make me less of a mom and my son less of an awesome little human being. And if it REALLY mattered you'd be asked as an adult in medical settings if you were formula or breastfed.
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u/mikeketchup Apr 28 '26
I have formula-fed my child since birth. Before making this decision, I also read extensively about the differences between breastfeeding and exclusive formula feeding. My baby didn't get sick for the first time until 14 months old, whereas I know exclusively breastfed babies who started getting sick as early as 3 months and were constantly ill even before starting daycare. I think a child's natural constitution also plays a factor, and breast milk is no guarantee that your baby will get sick less often. So far, from what I've observed, my child still gets sick much less than the general average, and I am incredibly grateful for that. He is still cuddled, loved, interacted with, and fed clean food, and I have absolutely no regrets about choosing formula to raise my child. The parenting journey is just so much easier, more organized, controlled, and far less stressful with formula feeding.
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u/Adventurous-Salad632 Apr 28 '26
My formula fed baby is almost a year old and has never been sick. Granted they dont do daycare but they are around alot of family members who watch other kids or have their own kids.
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u/OriginalTarget7122 Apr 28 '26
My daughter is 9 months and has one real sickness which was Covid and every single person in our house had it and she was the last one to get it. It ran ramped through our house and even to our family that doesnāt live in the same house. I had strep so badly a couple months ago and the day I started to feel a little crabby I thought it was allergies my throat just felt a little scratchy and I get bad allergies so I was continuing as normal with kissing her and cuddling her and when I realized I was actually sick I got up from a nap with my daughter cuddling on me for hours at that point and woke up with a 104 fever. Literally took the nap just with what I thought was allergies and woke up feeling like absolute death and we just kept waiting everyday for her to get sick Iām a stay at home mom Iām with her 24/7 and strep is very contagious and she never caught it. I couldnāt believe it. This winter was a bad winter in our house for sickness and she barely got sick. Donāt make yourself feel guilty over something you donāt need to. There will be plenty of things we as mothers beat ourselves up about donāt add something else to the list. Your babes is gunna be just fine
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u/SlayBay1 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
I think it's bollocks. Neither of my kids were fed a drop of breast milk or collustrum and both have the immune system of oxes. My friend who breastfed both has sick kids all the time. Both sets of kids in the same creche and get the same illnesses. Mine don't get floored like hers. It's clearly just a gene / immune system / luck thing rather than anything to do with the way people are fed.
People talk about antibodies in breast milk when the babies are sick but I got a brutal cold when my little girl was 5 weeks old. She had a little bit of a blocked nose but that's it. It didn't impact her behaviour, sleep or eating. My son brought home HFM when she was three months old. Again, it didn't impact her behaviour, sleep or eating other than a couple of spots on her hand.
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u/TETS_OUT_FOR_HARAMBE Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Idk man once they hit like 6 to 8mo my daughter was eating food of the floor at times, and licking windows(my house only, cleaned with just water because she had a licking fetish) shed also lick my toes at that age too.
Now at almost 3 she still tries to lick store windows because condinsation is funny, shes also put rocks in her mouth to get a rise out of me. The whole formula vs bm antibodies thing is so minimal in the long run š«
I read the rest and being healthy is genetics thru and thru, me and my mom(both formula fed, I actually tried to rip off her nipple with my gummy mouth and she said NOPE as she had me in 96 when they were starting up to push breast feeding again) are not healthish, but she has RA and is immune compromised from that and all the meds she takes to slow down her body on attacking her joints. I have Psoriasis and am unmedicated currently but during flare ups my body focuses on that instead of not getting sick so I tend to catch bugs easily. I think when I worked in the nursing home post COVID for 3 years I caught COVID 4 times, my at the time ex whom lived with me caught it once and never again, even tho we slept next to each other an co habited.
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u/Existing-Mastodon500 Apr 28 '26
Anecdotally, I was fully formula fed and I very rarely get sick and have thankfully never been hospitalized other than childbirth as well, my dad was also formula fed and i think Iāve seen him sick once my entire life. Neither of us have any allergies as well. My breastfed husband seems to be sick every other week and has several allergies.
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u/you_so_preshus_ Apr 28 '26
Also anecdotally, I was EBF and was a very sickly child. If I wasn't born in a modern time I prob would have died of high fevers and/or infections as a kid tbh. I also suffer from terrible allergies as an adult.
I know a couple who has an EFF baby who has never had so much as a cold. I don't think formula vs breast is the deciding factor on a good immune system. I plan to most likely combo feed when baby is here.
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u/Humble-Drop9054 Apr 28 '26
My first baby was breast fed. My second baby was formula fed. They both went to daycare. They both got the same amount of colds/viruses. The first year is hard but once youāve gone through all the seasonal colds, their immune systems will be nice and strong. Let go of the guilt. Youāre doing great.
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u/teofloofycats Apr 28 '26
My pediatrician said there are antibodies in breast milk but itās unknown what happens to them after they hit babies stomach acids.
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u/DumbbellDiva92 Apr 28 '26
The stat Iāve heard is something like for every 7 babies who are breastfed, you prevent one infection (canāt remember if ear, gastrointestinal, or both) over the course of a year. So, not totally nothing, but a relatively small effect size.
Given that level of effect, youāre going to get lots of formula fed babies who are barely sick, and breastfed babies who get sick all the time, if youāre looking at anecdotes. And that fits in perfectly well with the data (itās not like those babies are some crazy outliers). While if you look at a population level, the average may actually be better for breastfed babies, but only slightly.
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u/sparkleweedthewizard EFF December '25 Baby Apr 28 '26
So much more goes into a baby's health and immunity than whether or not they're breastfed! There is something to be said about the benefits of breastmilk, sure, but as time goes on the gap between formula fed and breastfed children closes. Pre-K teachers can't tell which of their students were fed what way, and those little ones are freshly off the bottle or breast. Try not to let the guilt get to you. š¤ I exclusively formula feed because breastfeeding was impacting my mental health VERY badly. My son is 4 months & he's a happy, healthy, average little dude.
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u/houserj1589 Apr 28 '26
Breast feeding might help with immunity; but that doesnt mean a FF kid wont build any either.
My son who was FF has an iron stomach and almost never gets skck; he gets a stomach virus and pukes maybe one time and my daughter who was EBF gets that same flu and will end up puking for ten days and in hospital for stomach virus.
Viruses also build immunity.
Pls don't stress over it. Im sure your baby is building immunity every day.
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u/anonymouskoala7 Apr 28 '26
I donāt know but my mom exclusively bf me and I have gotten sick allll the time my whole life. My immune system sucks. So Idk that it holds that much weight?
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u/Celena133 Apr 28 '26
I have two kids, one exclusively breastfed and the second combi fed for a few months then exclusively formula fed. My first kid had all the bugs when he started nursery. He was sick constantly and seemed to catch every single bug that he would come in contact with, and not mildly, quite severely.Ā My second hasnāt started nursery yet but his brother is school-aged and brings all the viruses. He does not get as sick in comparison and not as often, despite the two being extremely close and affectionate with each other (thereās no way they arenāt sharing bugs š¤£). This is all anecdotal of course but I used to get so annoyed at the amount of illnesses my first born got. I hated breastfeeding and stuck to it cos I bought the lie that they get sick less often and was pretty shocked to see how often he got ill! ššš
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u/kaleidx9 Apr 28 '26
Ok this is wild and completely anecdotal, but I breastfed my older two for 4 years total, and they were sick constantly. My youngest who I had 10 years after my second, is exclusively formula fed from birth (milk didnāt come in due to medication Iām on), never had colostrum or anything else, has never been sick. No matter how many times his older siblings have brought something home from school, the youngest doesnāt catch a thing.
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u/Sad_Difficulty_7853 Apr 28 '26
My daughter was FF from birth and ironically the only time she's been properly ill is when my ebf nephew has purposely coughed in her face. Little dude is never not sick, pretty sure he was put on this planet to spread his germs or something, cause he has a glint of knowing in his eye any time I've caught him doing it.
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u/Frostygrl_ Apr 28 '26
I canāt speak for science only anecdotally, the only three EBF babies I know are/were also the ones sick very often, and allergic to nearly all common allergens. 2 of them from the same mum and dad.
Iād say there are probably minute benefits, but nothing to write home about. I think genetics and overall health play a bigger part IMHO
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u/KaleidoscopeFar261 Apr 28 '26
My ff baby was born at start of winter. My family, including me, had flus, headcolds and norovirus...she didn't catch anything from me or extended family (includes meeting nephews who are at school and daycare). She's healthier than me so far, but I must have passed over some good stuff in utero!. My ebf nephews are never done being sick (one with various allergies). So I don't know...there's lots of factors at play, mum's own health and diet etc., and no single piece of research is going to give the answers that will satisfy everyone. It simply isn't true that ff babies won't be as healthy.
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u/AnxiousTalker18 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
FWIW my oldest is 3 and sheās only had a handful of colds/respiratory things in her life, nothing else yet. Baby just turned 1 year and just had her second illness recently- both were cold/respiratory, first one wasnāt until 8 months. They also both just had their first ever ear infection with that recent illness. We havenāt dealt with anything more severe yet thankfully! Both kids were EFF :) I have some friends that breastfed and their kids ended up with tubes in their ears- unsurprisingly, they had the same issue as kids so I think alot of ear stuff is genetic!
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u/violetphoeniiix Apr 28 '26
ya know thatās what I thought but I donāt think that was the case. My baby went into daycare at 7 months and was fully BF at that point and still got sick a bunch -_- basically there was no change either when we switched to formula at 10 months š¤·š»āāļø I felt gaslit tbh.
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u/WitchInAWheelchair Apr 28 '26
No, it provides passive immunity, but it doesn't teach the immune system. Also, maternal antibodies can inhibit vaccine efficacy.Ā
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u/fayerae7 Apr 28 '26
My kid was EFF from birth and didn't get sick at all until he was 2 soš¤·āāļø
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u/graybae94 Apr 28 '26
Anecdotally my daughter had one mild cold in her first year of life and that was it, she was EFF from 6 weeks old
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u/Pandacat_07 Apr 28 '26
Well, at least from what I know, my husband and I never received breast milk when we were babies. And we hardly fall sick since young till now. And we both donāt have allergies at all!
So no, not missing out on anything.
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u/SubstantialBadger826 Apr 29 '26
Just want to say that I breastfed my first two children for 2 years each, and both had to get adenoids removed and ear tubes put in for severe recurring ear infections. My first was so sick for the first two years of life my parents wanted me to bring him to a specialist to see if there was something wrong with his immune system š my third baby has been exclusively formula fed, heās almost 7 months old and knock on wood has only had a slight runny nose once - and we bring him everywhere! Being on both sides of the breastfeeding and nursing spectrums I can confidently tell you thereās no difference. A fed baby is a happy baby š
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u/Hairy_Idea_9056 Apr 29 '26
my 12 month old has been formula fed since her very first day. (sheās had some breast milk, but i stopped pumping after 3 weeks) she hasnāt gotten so much as a cold, even now, while iām sick and giving her tons of love, sheās not even stuffy.
the idea that babies NEED breast milk to have good immune systems, to be smart, healthy, etc. is bullshit. itās made to make us feel guilty and insecure, because no matter what we as women will never be able to do anything right.
50 or so years ago, breastfeeding was seen as gross and poor. babies needed formula to be healthy, smart, and build good immune systems. they flip everything on us whenever they can, so donāt stress. in another 50 years weāll be hearing that babies NEED to be fed cheese or something stupid.
as long as baby is fed and content, you are doing great.
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u/Fearfighter2 Apr 30 '26
It doesn't build For instance I got my flu shot, my baby can't make her own antibodies against the flu but gets mine through breastmilk, so when I stop pumping and giving her that she stops having antibodies.Ā
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u/PDessi May 01 '26
I have to provide an honest opinion. I was breastfed. Minimal ailments or sickness. I guess I had tonsillitis later on in childhood but my husband has allergies, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea and he is formula fed. Our 12 week old is combo fed. Breastfed 3 times a day and formula fed at daycare with a lunchtime breastfeed at daycare (I go there on my lunch break).
Feed them well. Formula or breastmilk. Wash their hands and face often. Sterilize their bottles.
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u/MayQueen14 May 01 '26
I really don't know but my friend breastfed her baby for 18 months and the baby is always getting poorly and picking up bugs. My cousin was exclusively breastfed and has an autoimmune condition, IBS, gluten intolerance and a few other things. I read breast milk lessens the chances of ear infections and respiratory infections but not sure how much by. My husband was breastfed and I only was for a couple of weeks and we both get the same colds
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u/holyvegetables May 04 '26
A lot of babiesā immune system and microbiome comes from doing skin to skin!
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u/Mysterious-Bicycle30 Apr 28 '26
Youāre experience being FF and being healthy is a great anecdotal one! I have a 15 month old who was FF from 5 days old and sheās probably the healthiest kid I know. I have been giving her Lovebug probiotics since about 6 months old when she developed eczema after starting solids. It completely cleared her eczema and I wish I wouldāve started the probiotics at birth! Gut health is super integral to overall health, including immune system.
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u/JaBa24 Apr 28 '26
All I know is my baby got sick once in his first year of life and he was breastfed- BUT I was also very much that mom that did her best to wipe all the things and hands
Now at 1.5 yrs his father is not cleaning anything unless nagged and weāre just starting to wean, so fingers crossed it still helps some to breastfeed
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u/Character-Park-3293 Apr 28 '26
Are you in the US? I am from a family of doctors but not from the US. In my country, very very few people formula feed, especially exclusively formula feed. Breastmilk is the norm for a lot of reasons: much easier to digest for infants and yes, better for immunity. My American pediatrician also told me to eat allergens widely so my baby would be exposed in micro doses to allergens through breastmilk. Personally, having both formula fed and breastfed, I would take breastfeeding any day. So much more convenient and no worries of formula shortages or contamination. In the US, I find exclusive formula feeding much more common than the globally and I understand it's for historical reasons where formula companies lobbied to promote formula. Formula companies in the US also lobby against maternity leave, so there's that too. There is a reason all medical bodies recommend breastfeeding.Ā
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u/WildFireSmores Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Most of a babyās immunity at birth comes from antibodies they got from you via the placenta during the pregnancy.
Breastmilk does transfer some antibodies, but not in such drastic amounts that a formula fed baby is going to suffer constant illness.
The biggest difference is going to be newly acquired infections. For example mom has a cold, baby has the same cold. A breastfeeding mother will be producing her own antibodies and passing them along to baby too. Breastfed babies may have less severe colds than formula fed babies while breastfeeding persists, but not after.
Your baby will also produce their own antibodies via vaccines and acquired illnesses like the many colds every child gets in their early years.
Thereās a lot of propaganda about breastfeeding out there these days. Donāt let it get to you. Youāre doing great! I say this as a combo feeder btw. Iāve done it all, nursing, formula, pumping. You make the decisions that work for you. The difference between breastmilk and formula is real, but over stated.