Are Seed Oils Sneaking Into Your Baby’s Diet? What Every Parent Should Know
A science-backed look at how seed oils and omega-6 fats enter a baby’s diet through breast milk, formula, and packaged baby foods — and the simple, nourishing steps parents can take to protect brain, gut, and metabolic development during the most critical window of life.
12 min read Updated December 2025
This article contains affiliate links — meaning we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. We only share products we personally use, research, and trust for our own family.
When Bethany and I were preparing for Greylan’s arrival, my whole view of nutrition shifted. I’d spent years thinking about food through the lens of performance, metabolism, and health, but becoming a dad changes the conversation instantly. Suddenly, everything becomes about building a tiny human—his brain, his gut, his immune system, his hormones.
And in that season of research and frantic nesting, one area kept coming up over and over again: the fats babies consume, and how dramatically those fats shape early development.
The deeper I dug, the more obvious it became that seed oils—canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, corn oil, grapeseed—were quietly slipping into a baby’s diet from almost every angle. They weren’t just in processed toddler snacks or restaurant meals. They were upstream: influencing breast milk, dominating infant formula, and hiding in nearly every packaged “baby food” on grocery shelves.
And once you understand how sensitive an infant’s developing systems are, the whole issue becomes impossible to ignore.
How Seed Oils End Up in Breast Milk (and Why It Matters)
Breast milk is extraordinary. It adapts, calibrates, personalizes itself in ways modern science still can’t fully replicate. But one thing we do know with absolute clarity: the types of fats a mother eats show up directly in her milk.
Her diet becomes her baby’s diet—literally and immediately.
The Hadza, along with other communities eating ancestral diets, have significantly lower LA and significantly higher DHA—the long-chain omega-3 that fuels brain development. Their breast milk reflects the fats human infants evolved to thrive on, without chronic diseases.
American breast milk, on the other hand, reflects the modern supermarket.
Mothers aren’t doing anything wrong. The issue is that our food environment is saturated with seed oils, and those oils accumulate in maternal tissues and translate straight into breast milk.
And because babies are building everything from scratch—their neurons, their cell membranes, their mitochondria—whatever fats they receive during this window become the literal building blocks of their bodies.
And here’s the part that most moms never hear: breast milk changes fast.
When a mother shifts her diet toward more stable, whole-food fats—like olive oil, avocado oil, butter, ghee, tallow, pasture-raised eggs, wild-caught fish, or grass-fed meats—the fatty acid composition of her milk begins changing within a few days.
This is one of the most encouraging things for new parents. You’re not stuck with a certain breast milk profile. Your milk is alive and responsive, recalibrating constantly. Small changes truly do make a difference for your baby—and quickly.
To paint a prime example of this, it gets even more incredible when you look at how breast milk responds in real time to protect a baby. If a mother gets sick — or if her baby does — the composition of her milk shifts within hours. The color may deepen to a more golden or yellow hue, reflecting an increase in immune factors. Antibodies rise. Anti-viral and anti-bacterial compounds increase. Specialized cells flood in to help the baby fight off whatever is moving through the household.
Breast milk isn’t just nourishment — it’s communication. It’s adaptive. It’s protective. And this same responsiveness is why dietary changes matter so quickly. The system was designed to pivot, to recalibrate, and to meet a baby’s needs in real time.
How This Influenced Infant Formula (and Why It Still Matters)
Most parents assume formulas contain seed oils because they’re the healthiest or most “complete” source of fat for infants. But the truth is far more complicated — and it starts with how formulas are regulated.
In the U.S., infant formulas must meet very specific fatty acid requirements set by the FDA. These requirements include minimums for linoleic acid (LA), the primary omega-6 fat found abundantly in seed oils. Because LA must be present in relatively high amounts, formula manufacturers rely on oils like sunflower, safflower, soy, and canola to meet those mandated ratios. These oils are cheap, widely available, and extremely high in LA — which is why they dominate nearly every formula on the market.
Formula companies don’t choose seed oils because they are the most nourishing option for brain development. They choose them because they help formulas meet regulatory targets that were originally based on Western breast milk averages — breast milk that has become artificially high in omega-6 due to the modern food environment.
It’s worth imagining how different formulas would look if they were modeled after the breast milk of hunter-gatherer populations. Those blends would need far less linoleic acid and far more DHA, along with a better balance of saturated and monounsaturated fats — the kinds of fats human infants evolved to digest easily and efficiently.
The point here is not to shame formulas. Many families rely on them, and they can be lifesaving. The goal is simply transparency: understanding why formulas contain so many seed oils, and why that doesn’t necessarily reflect what is biologically optimal for infants.
The good news is that not all formulas are the same, and some make more thoughtful choices within the regulatory constraints.
Better (Lower Seed Oil / More Thoughtful Fat Blend) Formula Options
These formulas generally take a more European-style approach with better omega-3 content, cleaner ingredient lists, and more moderate linoleic acid levels — though they still contain seed oils, because they must, legally.
| Formula | Why It’s a Better / Lower Seed Oil Choice |
|---|---|
| Kendamil Classic or Organic | Uses whole milk fats, avoids palm oil, includes marine-sourced DHA, and offers a gentler, more balanced omega-6 profile. Still contains required vegetable oils, but the blend is generally more thoughtful than most U.S. formulas. |
| Bobbie Organic Infant Formula | One of the cleanest U.S. formulas in terms of ingredient quality. Uses a simple, transparent fat blend and meets DHA requirements without unnecessary additives. A good option for parents seeking a cleaner domestic choice. |
| Holle Cow or Goat Milk Formula | European formula made from biodynamic milk with high overall ingredient standards. Still uses seed oils (like sunflower) to meet legal fat ratios, but levels tend to be moderate and well balanced compared to typical U.S. blends. |
| HiPP Dutch or HiPP German | Generally very well tolerated, includes added probiotics, and offers a more balanced fatty acid profile. Still contains vegetable oils, but typically in lower amounts than many mainstream American formulas. |
Formulas to Limit or Approach Cautiously
These formulas typically contain very high amounts of linoleic acid, use multiple industrial oils, or add soy oil prominently:
| Formula Category | Why to Limit or Use Caution |
|---|---|
| Most Mainstream U.S. Formulas (Similac, Enfamil, Gerber) | These formulas commonly use blends of soy oil, high-oleic sunflower/safflower, canola, and other omega-6–rich industrial oils. Not inherently “bad,” but they typically deliver the highest total linoleic acid (LA) load of any category. |
| Formulas Heavy in Soy Oil or Soy Protein | Soy-based formulas often have the highest LA content and may include estrogenic compounds naturally present in soy. They can be important in certain medical situations, but are not ideal as a first choice when other options are available. |
A Quick Note on the Weston A. Price Homemade Infant Formula
Whenever the conversation turns to seed oils in formula, parents naturally ask: “Is there any formula that avoids industrial oils altogether?” The truth is that nearly all commercial formulas must contain seed oils to meet regulatory fatty acid requirements. But there is one well-known alternative outside the commercial market: the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) homemade infant formula.
This recipe has been used by many families for decades and is designed to more closely resemble the nutrient profile of human milk using real, whole-food ingredients rather than industrial oils or synthetic isolates. It’s rooted in the traditional-foods research of Dr. Weston A. Price, who observed that healthy infants in indigenous cultures were nourished on diets rich in natural fats, cholesterol, minerals, and fat-soluble vitamins — elements that are often missing or minimized in modern formulas.
This is not a medical endorsement, and it isn’t the right choice for every family. But because so many parents ask about it (and because it avoids the seed-oil issue entirely), it deserves a thoughtful explanation.
Why Some Parents Prefer the WAPF Formula
The appeal is simple: the WAPF formula is built on whole foods — not refined oils, not ultra-processed additives — and it intentionally mirrors the macronutrient structure of breast milk by emphasizing:
High-quality saturated fats
Cholesterol
Bioavailable minerals
Digestive enzymes and probiotics
Long-chain fatty acids like vitamin A, D, and DHA
Unlike commercial formulas, which rely heavily on sunflower, safflower, soy, or canola oil to meet essential fatty acid requirements, the WAPF formula gets those fatty acids from a tiny amount of cold-pressed oil balanced with whole-milk fats, whey, butter oil or ghee, coconut oil, and cod liver oil. The result is a fat profile that looks far more like breast milk — rich in stable fats babies metabolize cleanly and low in linoleic acid, which helps reduce the potential downstream formation of OXLAMs (oxidized linoleic acid metabolites - we will talk about shortly).
Parents who use this formula often do so because their baby struggles with commercial formulas, reacts to additives, or simply because they value a whole-food approach that aligns more closely with the nutritional makeup of ancestral diets.
Again: it’s not for everyone. But it is an option that avoids seed oils entirely.
You can go here to see the ingredients and recipe for the homemade WAPF formula.
Important Notes
Because this is a homemade formula:
It’s not FDA-regulated.
Ingredient quality matters tremendously.
Families should educate themselves, work with practitioners they trust, and follow the recipe exactly — no substitutions.
The point of sharing this isn’t to convert every parent to homemade formula — it’s to make sure parents know they have options, and that formula doesn’t have to mean seed-oil-based blends if that doesn’t align with your family’s values or your baby's needs.
Seed Oils in Baby and Toddler Foods
Even if you don’t cook with seed oils at home, it’s almost impossible to avoid them once babies begin solids — unless you’re intentionally looking. A quick trip down the baby-food aisle makes this obvious. When you flip over the packaging, sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, canola oil, or blends of “vegetable oils” appear in nearly every product: puffs, teething crackers, yogurt melts, mini muffins, toddler waffles, “organic” snacks, puree pouches, and even items marketed specifically to health-conscious parents.
They’re not included because they are the most nourishing fats for infants. They’re included because they are inexpensive, neutral-tasting, shelf-stable, and allow manufacturers to create consistent textures. But the qualities that make seed oils convenient for factories don’t necessarily make them ideal for a developing child.
Every neuron, every synapse, every new layer of myelination is built from fat — specifically DHA, cholesterol, saturated fats, and monounsaturated fats. These are the raw materials nature intended for neurological development, hormone regulation, immune maturation, and metabolic programming.
Seed oils don’t supply these raw materials. Instead, they provide extremely high levels of linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat that becomes problematic in excess. Linoleic acid is the most chemically unstable fat in the modern diet, which means it oxidizes easily — especially during high-heat extraction, light exposure, cooking, or long storage. When linoleic acid oxidizes, it breaks down into compounds called OXLAMs: oxidized linoleic acid metabolites.
This is where the real issue lies.
Why OXLAMs Matter for Babies
• Promote oxidative stress and overwhelm immature antioxidant systems
• Disrupt mitochondrial function, which affects energy production in every developing cell
• Interfere with DHA incorporation into neuronal membranes — meaning they can compete with or displace the very fats babies need most for brain growth
• Increase inflammatory signaling pathways, which shape immune development
• Contribute to insulin resistance and changes in metabolic programming later in life
Infants are uniquely vulnerable because their detoxification pathways, antioxidant reserves, and immune regulation systems are still forming. An adult might buffer some of the oxidative burden from a high-LA diet a little longer, but a baby doesn’t have the same resilience.
This doesn’t mean a child will be harmed by a single snack or pouch containing seed oils. It simply highlights the cumulative effect: when nearly all packaged baby foods rely on the same unstable fats, a child’s diet can quickly become dominated by linoleic acid long before their biology is ready for it.
Even though Greylan hasn’t started solids yet — he’s just four months old at the time of this writing — Bethany and I have been paying close attention to this for months. Once you learn to read labels with this awareness, you realize how much of the modern toddler diet is built around omega-6 oils rather than the ancestral fats babies were designed to metabolize.
And here’s the empowering part: once you know this, it’s easy to choose differently. Whole foods, homemade purees, egg yolks, wild-caught fish, fruit, avocado, grass-fed dairy, and simple single-ingredient snacks naturally avoid the linoleic acid overload — and give babies the fats their brains are hungry for during this critical window.
So What Can Parents Do?
This isn’t about fear, shame, or perfection. It’s about awareness.
Small changes in the maternal diet improve breast milk quickly. More intentional formula choices can reduce unnecessary omega-6 exposure. Reading labels on baby snacks keeps those hidden sources in check. Leaning on traditional fats—avocado, butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut, egg yolks, salmon—gives babies the building blocks their brains and bodies are craving during this window.
In our home, we haven’t started solids with Greylan yet, but when the time comes, we plan on using Serenity Kids as one of our go-to options. They’re one of the few baby food brands that completely avoids seed oils and focuses on nutrient-dense, real-food ingredients. Their blends use healthy fats like avocado oil, coconut oil, and olive oil, and the protein and veggie combinations are far more aligned with what babies are biologically designed to thrive on.
It’s reassuring knowing we can start him on foods that reflect the same principles we use in our own kitchen: clean ingredients, no industrial oils, and recipes built around the fats that actually support brain and metabolic development.
Why This Matters So Much to Me
I’ve spent years researching nutrition, but holding my son for the first time reframed everything. It’s one thing to study fatty acids on paper. It’s another thing entirely to look at your baby and realize that every cell in his body is being built from the materials you provide.
Parents deserve better information. They deserve to know how modern diets have shifted the fatty acids in breast milk. They deserve to know why formula companies rely so heavily on seed oils. They deserve to know how these oils end up in nearly every toddler snack. And most of all, they deserve to know that small changes truly can create a more nourishing foundation for their babies—one that supports the developing brain, strengthens the gut and immune system, regulates metabolism, and reduces unnecessary inflammation.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about alignment. It’s about getting closer to the fats humans and babies used for thousands of years before industrial oils ever existed.
If you want a full roadmap for creating a low-tox, nutrient-dense environment for your baby—from formula and food choices to mattresses, bottles, bath products, and home air quality—you can download our Non-Toxic Baby Guide. It’s the guide I wish someone handed me before stepping into fatherhood.
Grab your non-toxic baby guide for FREE 👉🏽 craigmccloskey.com/baby
The Bottom Line
Seed oils are everywhere in modern infant nutrition: in breast milk shaped by the maternal diet, in formula shaped by flawed baselines, and in packaged baby foods shaped by cost and convenience. Babies need better fats—fats that are stable, nourishing, and aligned with how the human body actually develops.
When we choose those fats, even in simple, accessible ways, we’re supporting the systems that matter most: the brain, the gut, the immune network, the mitochondria, and the metabolic pathways that set the stage for lifelong health.
Better fats build better babies. And every parent deserves the chance to make that choice with confidence.
