Short Stuff: What did we use before infant formula?

# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary

In this timely episode, Josh and Chuck explore the history of infant feeding and what parents did before modern baby formula existed, especially relevant given the current formula shortage in the US. They trace solutions from wet nursing dating back thousands of years through animal milk and creative 16th-century concoctions like pap boats, eventually landing on Justus von Liebig's groundbreaking first infant formula in 1865 and the modern formulations we know today. The hosts discuss why homemade formula is genuinely dangerous despite its appeal during shortages, thanks to the heavily regulated nutritional standards set by the 1980 Infant Formula Act, and they wrap up with a thoughtful discussion about how attitudes toward breast versus bottle feeding have shifted through different waves of feminism.