History of Breastfeeding: From Ancient Feeding Vessels to Today

Breastfeeding is as old as humanity, but how societies feed babies has changed a great deal. Looking back helps explain why breastfeeding advice sounds the way it does today, and why there are international rules about how formula is marketed.

Here is a short history of breastfeeding, from the ancient world to the present, based mainly on a review of infant feeding history by Stevens, Patrick and Pickler (2009). For today’s practical advice, see our breastfeeding basics guide.

Ancient times: breast milk, wet nurses and early feeding vessels

For almost all of history, a baby’s survival depended on breast milk. When a mother died, was ill or couldn’t produce enough milk, families turned to another lactating woman.

• Wet nursing dates back to at least 2000 BC. It began as a solution for babies whose mothers couldn’t breastfeed and, over the centuries, also became a choice for wealthier families.
• Ancient Egypt: the Papyrus Ebers, a medical text from around 1550 BC, includes a remedy for mothers whose milk didn’t flow.
• Feeding vessels: clay vessels dating from about 2000 BC have been found in the graves of infants. Chemical analysis of residue in some of them found casein, a protein from animal milk, which shows that babies were sometimes fed other milk.
• The Roman Empire: written contracts were made with wet nurses to feed abandoned infants.

Without clean water, refrigeration or any way to sterilize equipment, feeding a baby anything other than breast milk carried serious risks.

Wet nursing in Europe

Wet nursing was common through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, although it also faced objections. In Renaissance France, wet nurses were registered at a municipal employment bureau and their work was regulated by law.

From the late 18th century into the 19th century, wet nursing shifted from wealthy families toward lower-income families during the Industrial Revolution. It declined as society viewed it more negatively and as bottles, animal milk and early formulas improved. Our article on the wet nurse tells this story in more detail, including today’s milk banks.

Pap, panada and early bottles

When breast milk wasn’t available or wasn’t enough, babies were fed mixtures of animal milk and food:

• Pap (bread soaked in water or milk) and panada (cereal cooked in broth) were fed from small boat-shaped “pap boats” in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
• In 1770, Hugh Smith invented the pewter “bubby-pot,” an early feeding pot.
• The first elaborate glass feeding bottles appeared in France in 1851, and a simpler boat-shaped bottle was developed in England in 1896.
• An India rubber nipple was introduced in 1845. Easy-to-clean rubber nipples were available by 1912.

Early bottles were hard to clean, and contaminated feeds were a serious danger to babies.

The rise of formula (19th and 20th centuries)

Several inventions made artificial feeding easier:

• 1835: William Newton patented evaporated milk. In 1853, Gail Borden added sugar and sold it as Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. Unsweetened evaporated milk followed in 1885.
• 1865: chemist Justus von Liebig developed, patented and marketed an infant food made from cow’s milk, wheat and malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate, first as a liquid and then as a powder. Other commercial brands, including Nestlé’s Food, soon followed.
• 1929: the American Medical Association formed a Committee on Foods to review infant foods, and the first soy-based formula became available.
• 1940s–1950s: formula became widely seen as a well-known, popular and safe substitute for breast milk.

Breastfeeding rates fell through much of the 20th century in the United States and other industrialized countries. In 1956, seven women in Chicago founded La Leche League to give breastfeeding help and support to other mothers, and from the 1970s a broader movement to promote breastfeeding grew.

The Nestlé controversy

In the 1970s, campaigners raised alarms about the aggressive marketing of formula in low-income countries. Where clean water, fuel for boiling and money for enough formula were scarce, babies fed formula faced real risks of infection and malnutrition.

On July 4, 1977, the Infant Formula Action Coalition (INFACT) launched a boycott of Nestlé products in Minneapolis. It spread to other countries and drew wide public attention. Nestlé announced in January 1984 that it would follow the WHO Code in developing countries, and the boycott was called off in October 1984.

The 1981 WHO Code

On May 21, 1981, the World Health Assembly adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes by 118 votes. The Code aims to protect and promote breastfeeding and to make sure that formula, when needed, is used properly. Its rules include no advertising of formula to the public, no free samples for parents and no promotion in health facilities. It also covers bottles and nipples. Countries are urged to turn the Code into national law.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (1991)

In 1991, WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). It encourages maternity hospitals to follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, such as helping mothers start breastfeeding soon after birth and keeping babies in the room with their mothers, and to follow the WHO Code. In the United States, Baby-Friendly USA (incorporated as a nonprofit in 1997) is the accrediting body and national authority for the program.

Breastfeeding today

Today, the AAP and WHO recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months and continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods for up to 2 years or beyond. In the US, CDC survey data for babies born in 2023 show that:

• About 86% of babies were ever breastfed
• About 63% were still getting some breast milk at 6 months
• About 30% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months
• About 41% were still breastfed at 12 months

Most families start out breastfeeding, but far fewer are still breastfeeding by 6 months, which is why health organizations call for better support from health care, employers and policy. Modern breast pumps, workplace protections and donor milk banks have changed what’s possible. Formula remains a safe, important option for families who need it, and our balanced guide to breastfeeding vs formula covers both. You can also read why health agencies still put such weight on breast milk in our article on the benefits of breastfeeding.

Getting help today

Unlike most parents in history, you have trained help available. If breastfeeding is painful or your baby isn’t feeding well, an IBCLC, La Leche League Leader or WIC breastfeeding counselor can help. Our breastfeeding support page lists where to start.