For Dr. Clover ONLY

Running Head: Argumentative Essay 1

Is Formula Bad for Babies

Jaden Thomas

PHI103: Informal Logic

Prof. VanZanten

May 6th 2019

Is Formula Bad for Babies?

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1

1. This paper is not properly

formatted for APA. There are

issues with the title page,

header, font+size, spacing or

margins. It may also have

issues with citations and

references.

For additional information,

please visit the Ashford

Writing Center located at

https://awc.ashford/edu,

where you will find the APA

Guides tab. A great guide is:

http://writingcenter.ashford.ed

u/apa-formatting-word-2013.

[Joel VanZanten]

Argumentative Essay 2

Introduction

The selection of what to give to an infant depends on a number of factors. While doctors

strongly recommend that women should exclusively breastfeed their children until they are six

months old, some women have medical conditions and other reasons that cannot enable them

achieve this obligation. However, the use of formula on babies has been debated and subjected to

strong arguments by advocates and proponents of it. For instance a mother may not be in a

position to produce enough milk that will meet all the needs of the child. In addition, women

who have the HIV virus cannot breastfeed their children directly and this makes them resort to

formula or cow milk. The health experts advise mothers to breastfeed and when they cannot

adequately met the breastfeeding requirements they can use formula.

Presentation of argument

According to a research that compared human milk with infant formula by the national

academy of sciences, the lack of adequate feed for bay presents a distressing situation for

mothers. Babies cry when they are hungry. Use of formula is thus a relief for mothers who

cannot meet the nutritional needs for their babies. Formula is healthier than cow milk and some

formula are iron-fortified which provides baby with extra iron for their growth (Press, 2004).

Many formulas are manufactured to supply baby with almost all the nutrients that mothers milk

supply to them. Using formula is a flexible feeding method that is increased as baby weights

increases. Unlike breast milk whose supply is constant and cannot be increased as baby grows,

formula is given to baby depending on the amount of feed required. Formulas for babies are

available in the market and vary in form and prices. For example, The Ready-to-Use is the most

expensive that does not need any mixing by the caregiver, Concentrated Liquid is less expensive

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1

2 3

1. What is your specific

research question? The

week 1 instructions asked

you to take the topic from the

final paper topics list and then

from that topic develop a

specific research question

that is important for this topic.

It isn't clear that this prework

has been done in this paper,

and I simply don't know what

specific research question

you are addressing in this

paper. [Joel VanZanten]

2. These arguments are not in

standard argument form.

This was a main requirement

for this paper, and missing it

is a big problem.

A standard argument form is

an outline that lists the

premises and the conclusion.

Using standard form helps to

provide the argument in a

format where it is clear,

concise and easier to see the

patterns and structure of

reasoning. [Joel VanZanten]

3. You should do more to

introduce the source: what is

the title, who wrote it, who

published it, when was it

published, etc...

At this point, I don't know

anything about this article.

After introducing it, you

should try to summarize the

key points made in this

source. [Joel VanZanten]

Argumentative Essay 3

and requires to be diluted according with an equal amount of water and Powder is the cheapest

and requires one scoop to be mixed with two ounces of water and the mixture stirred well before

feeding the baby. The availability of variety provides all classes of consumers with a selection as

far as formula is concerned.

Premises: Formula used to supplement breast milk and can be considered as the next

healthy alternative that offers babies the nutrients they need to grow. The argument held in this

article is that while formula may not match the health benefits associated with breast milk, they

supply the most vital components that a baby needs to grow. The author, being a scholar unlike,

an author who works for a manufacturing industry is in a better position to present a neutral

argument that does not favor either side of the debate.

The conclusion is that formula is not bad for babies. The negative impacts directed

towards the use of formula result from the uninformed and unwise giving of formula to babies

based on time and not on their demand. In addition, the author concluded that compared with

cow milk, formula provides a better choice for women who cannot breast feed their children

either due to medical reasons or due to work demands. The author points out that federal

regulation on the infant’s formula composition makes the formula safe for use and hence the

conclusion that formula is not bad for use in feeding babies (Press, 2004).

Presentation of an opposing argument

According to research by Camilia R. Martin, Pei-Ra Ling, and George L. Blackburn that

studied and reviewed infant feeding by assessing key features of breast milk and infant formula

found that formula is an inferior method of supplying nutrients to babies (Camilia R. Martin,

2016). Secondly, the use of formula prompts mothers to abandon breastfeeding while breast milk

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1

2

1. There is too much going on

in this argument - it isn't

focused?

This argument presentation

could be improved. Your job

is to identify all of the main

evidence in the article that

supports the article's position

and faithfully reconstruct the

article's argument. That

probably won't involve

EVERYTHING that the author

writes about in the article.

That's okay, your job is to

identify the relevant evidence

as "premises" and include the

conclusion (labeled as

conclusion). [Joel

VanZanten]

2. You haven't evaluated the

reasoning in this article.

What do you think are the

strengths or weaknesses of

this type of reasoning? Do

you think research would

back up these claims and

premises? Do these

premises lend support for the

conclusion? Are there any

fallacies? [Joel VanZanten]

Argumentative Essay 4

is the best source of nutrients for babies that supplies proteins, minerals and energy in the right

proportions. Formulas for babies are associated with allergies and are an expensive method of

feeding. The use of formula on babies has been linked to obesity and body weight disorders due

to overfeeding disproportionately mixed nutrients. The use of formula prevents babies from

bonding with their mothers. It is possible to make wrong preparations when using formula that is

not ready to use and this can be dangerous for babies. This is true especially for the illiterate

mothers and for the less cautious caregivers.

Premises: the arguments that human milk is far much better than formula is based on the

scientific analysis of the composition of human milk and formula. According to the author

human milk is composed of 87% water, 3.8% fat, 1.0% protein, and 7% lactose. Fat and lactose,

respectively, provide 50% and 40% of the total energy of the milk which makes it more balanced

and thus a better source of nutrients for babies (Camilia R. Martin, 2016). Formula on the other

hand is assumed to substitute human milk by mimicking the composition with respect to

nutrition. The food and drug administration has enacted a rule that regulates the production

processes and require formula manufacturers to meet certain regulation standards (Camilia R.

Martin, 2016). However, the author mentions that formula are only helpful for the healthy and

normal babies but cannot sufficiently meet the nutritional needs for children with medical and

dietary disorders.

Conclusion: The author does not point clearly that it is bad to give formula because he

mentions that it is the only healthy choice available for a baby that cannot directly feed on their

mother. However, the author demonstrates a strong negative perception of formula based on its

nutritional value compared with human milk.

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1. Putting this argument in

standard form would help you

engage in a fuller evaluation.

What sort of argument is this?

Is it deductive or inductive?

Answering these basic

questions about the structure

of the argument is a key way

of beginning to evaluate the

quality of the reasoning, and

not just the quality of the

evidence. [Joel VanZanten]

Argumentative Essay 5

Evaluation of arguments

The arguments used against the use of formula are entirely based on a medically proven

evidence of the nutritional values of human milk when compared with the formula while

arguments for use of formula are strongly based on convenience and availability of the formula

to babies who cannot feed on breast milk. In addition, arguments for use of formula have

declined to compare the health benefits of formula compared with breast milk but do so in

comparison with cow milk. To a given extent, this may be considered to be an agreement that

despite the fact that formula mimics human milk by composition it does not meet the quality of

human milk. Secondly, formula may not be bad but it can never be a choice in situations where

human milk is available. Arguments against the use of formula have a strong foundation on

scientific evidence and have the strong back up from medical practitioners’ point of view who

advocate for breast milk all the way. The use of an argument by referring to an authority provides

stronger grounds for arguing. It is impossible to completely term formula as bad for babies but

the fact remains, formula is the healthy choice is the absence of human milk. Advocates for

formula have failed to convince the audience that formula can be chosen over human milk. The

mention of allergies in opposing formula is enough reason to disregard the use of formula for

babies who can breastfeed.

Conclusion

Formula is not bad for babies. But in the scenario where a mother can adequately meet

the feed needs of her infants, it is advisable to breastfeed and to avoid formula. If a mother

cannot breastfeed her child then donor milk or formula is the next healthy choice instead of cow

milk.

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2

1. Your evaluation of the

reasoning in this argument

should be improved.

Consider these questions:

What do you think are the

strengths or weaknesses of

this type of reasoning? Do

you think research would

back up these claims and

premises? Do these

premises lend support for the

conclusion? Are there any

fallacies? [Joel VanZanten]

2. You are missing a

discussion of the difference in

the quality of reasoning

between the non-scholarly

sources (week 1) and the

scholarly sources (week 3).

This was a central

requirement of this paper.

You haven't explored how this

activity and evaluation of the

differences in quality between

scholarly and non-scholarly

sources will influence your

future research. [Joel

VanZanten]

Argumentative Essay 6

Reference

Camilia R. Martin, P.-R. L. (2016). Review of Infant Feeding: Key Features of Breast Milk and

Infant Formula. NCBI-Nutrients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882692/

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Evaluation of the Addition of Ingredients New to

Infant Formula. Infant Formula: Evaluating the Safety of New Ingredients. Washington

(DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. 3, Comparing Infant Formulas with Human

Milk. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215837/

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