Throughout history, there has been a need for alternative methods of feeding infants. Whether due to a problem with breast milk production or the death of the mother, there have always been children who needed to use something other than their own mother's milk. In more recent history, alternative nutrition has also been used for convenience. Before the development of infant formula in 1865, animal milk and wet formula were used to feed orphaned or other infants whose mothers could not or chose not to breastfeed. Between 1950 and 1970, breastfeeding rates fell dramatically. Some studies suggest that more than 75 percent of American infants born during this era were formula-fed. As rates of diabetes, obesity and other health problems continue to rise, researchers are studying how people feed their infants and what effects large quantities of high-nutrient "breastmilk substitutes" may have. calories. Infant formula is considered one of the contributors to America's growing health crisis. American mothers may be inadvertently predisposing their children to lifelong health problems by choosing not to breastfeed. Throughout history, many feeding devices have been created to give infants animal milk, most commonly cow's milk. These containers or feeding devices have been found in all shapes and sizes dating back to thousands of years BC. Before 1865, wet nurses were the most common source of alternative feeding for infants, but by 1900 the profession was virtually extinct due to the practice of "dropping." favor” on a social level and the introduction of baby bottles. At the beginning of the 19th century, the use of impure power devices, as well as the middle of the paper ......a power supply”. June 2001. The web. May 2014Ben-Ishai, Liz. “Marketing of infant formula in hospitals” Citizen.Org. 2014. Internet. May 10, 2014Gibbs, B.G. Forste, R. “Socioeconomic Status, Infant Feeding Practices, and Early Childhood Obesity.” International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. February 2012. Web. May 15, 2014 “Infant and Young Child Nutrition, Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding”. World Health Organization. April 16, 2002. The web. May 15, 2014Patrick, Thelma E, RN, PhD. Pickler, Rita, RN, PNP, PhD. Stevens, Emily E RN, FNP, WHNP, PhD. “A history of infant feeding”. Journal of Perinatal Education. Spring 2009; 18(2): 32-39. Print. Parry, K., Taylor, E., Hall-Dardess, P., Walker, M. and Labbok, M. (2013), Understanding women's interpretations of infant formula advertising. Birth, 40: 115-124. doi: 10.1111/birt.12044http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/2/409S.full