Infant Feeding Realities Survey Highlights

Perrigo Nutrition, the makers of store brand infant formula, conducted a nationwide survey of 2,000 moms with children under the age of three to gain insight into mom's thoughts on preparing for parenthood and feeding baby.

Being Prepared

More moms are reading parenting books (67%) than taking prenatal education classes (54%).
Only 1/3 of moms feel that parenting books prepared them very well when it comes to feeding baby.
1 in 5 moms did not feel prepared (21%) by hospital staff for how to feed baby with infant formula, yet 2 in 3 moms end up using formula in baby's first year.
1 in 4 moms (26%) said their partner was unsure how to feed their baby.
Nearly 1 in 3 moms (32%) taught herself when it comes to learning about infant formula feeding, followed by Pediatrician (18%) and Hospital Staff (17%).
1 in 5 moms (20%) worried about what formula to purchase the first few months of baby's life.
Not surprisingly, moms who already have two or more kids felt very prepared for the new baby (63%).

Safety

1 in 5 moms (21%) said they have used more water than required by the instructions when preparing infant formula.
Top reasons to dilute formula included: to help make it easier to digest (35%), to help baby poop easier (33%) and to make formula last longer (24%)
In fact, nearly half (49%) of moms DON'T believe Store Brand formula provides complete nutrition and another 22% DON'T believe Store Brand formula meets the same FDA standards as nationally advertised brands.
Nearly one third of moms (32%) were unsure if adding extra water to infant formula is dangerous and 15 percent said it was NOT dangerous.
Nearly 1 in 10 moms (9%) have attempted to make their own baby formula, with majority stating it was healthier for their baby (48%)
Half of moms (51%) have thrown a partially used infant formula bottle back in the fridge to use for the next feeding time.
1 in 4 moms (26%) admitted that they have skipped washing their hands before preparing baby's bottle
Half of moms (50%) also said they always or sometimes use the microwave to make a bottle

Parenthood

According to mom, getting into a good routine (69%) makes her feel like she has mastered parenthood the most, followed by knowing what to do when baby cries (58%) and what each cry means (45%).
Majority of moms (61%) are surprised by the amount of time it took before they felt like they had the hang of parenthood.
1 in 10 new moms (11%) admitted they still haven't figured out the hang of parenthood!
The biggest worries for moms during those first few months once baby arrive: baby getting sick (54%), how much to feed baby (37%) and the costs associated with baby (33%).

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted between July 23 - August 22, 2018, among 2,000 nationally representative Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 who currently have a child between the ages of one and three, using an email invitation and an online survey. Margin of error is +/- 3 percent.