A nationwide shortage of infant formula has caused anxiety for parents across the nation as local and national agencies and private industry work to improve supply.
“Understandably, this has been a scary and concerning time for parents,“ says Morgan Howard, RD, CDN, a certified clinically advanced nutrition coordinator for the neonatal intensive care unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital. She encourages parents to use their pediatrician as a resource, and offers some helpful answers to the questions they have now.
My local stores don’t have the baby formula I usually buy. What should I do?
In most cases, any standard infant formula should be safe and appropriate to feed your baby. There are some circumstances where a specialized or particular formula is needed—for example if your baby has a severe allergy or another medical condition. If this is the case, you should consult with your pediatrician before changing brands or formula types. But these are rare instances. Even if you are using a sensitive formula or a reflux formula, you should be able to switch to a standard formula that is available to you. It is okay to switch between brands. Most brands are very similar, and your child should tolerate differences between them. Store-brand formulas are also a perfectly safe option for your kids, and in fact, most store-brand infant formulas are the same, with only store-specific labels.
You want to look at a variety of local stores and smaller stores in your community for any availability. You can also use store websites to show you in-store availability before going to multiple stores. Be sure to reach out to your child’s health care providers if you are having trouble finding infant formula, as they may have other tips to help. They also may give you further information to help you find the best options for your child. If you use WIC to obtain your formula, please reach out to your WIC office, because they can also help with tips and formula availability.
Can I dilute the baby formula to make it last longer?
Diluting baby formula is not recommended. This is not safe, because it will water down the key nutrients in the formula that your child needs. Watering down formula can cause dangerous abnormalities in sodium or calcium levels in the blood. We also don’t recommend any homemade infant formulas, as these are going to be missing vital nutrients for your baby. We know that this is a challenging time to try to find infant formula, but sticking to the available options in your stores is going to be the best choice for your infant.
Is it okay to give my baby milk? If so, what kind?
During this time of need, the American Academy of Pediatrics is allowing for children six months and older to have some whole cow’s milk, only for a brief period of time, if formula isn’t available. The recommendation is to have no more than 24 ounces of your child’s feeds coming from whole cow’s milk, and not using any low-fat milk or skim milk. It is important to stick to whole cow’s milk, because, of the cow’s milk options, this will best meet your child’s needs. This should be for as brief a period as possible, because it isn’t typically recommended for this age group, but a few days should be okay for your child. Cow’s milk is low in iron, when compared to infant formula, so it is important to follow up with your pediatrician if this is something that you are doing, since additional supplements, especially iron, may be needed. If your child is eating solid foods, try to give some iron-fortified solid foods, like cereals or other iron-containing sources
What about donated breast milk?
Some families may also consider using donated breast milk. If you are considering this, the safest option is to obtain the milk from a certified milk bank, as this milk is pasteurized, tested, and known to be safe for your child.
How did this baby formula shortage happen, and what is being done?
The shortage has occurred for a few reasons, including supply-chain issues related to COVID-19, changing demands for formula, and, unfortunately, a recent recall of infant formula from a large formula manufacturer, which has significantly affected the amount of formula available for families to purchase. The government and formula companies are working together closely to try and resolve this issue. They are flying in formulas from overseas. The government is helping companies do whatever they can to increase formula production to try and provide more formula for your children. One large facility that was closed is now shortly going to be reopened, which should help increase the supply in the next six to eight weeks, first starting with specialty and allergy formulas for children who can’t otherwise tolerate standard formulas. Then the next step will be to increase the amount of standard formulas being produced so there should be more available for your infants.
Is there anything else parents need to know about the shortage?
We understand that this is a concerning time for parents. You should use your pediatrician as a resource. Many pediatric practices and local communities have made efforts to secure formula that may be available by donation. Any time you are getting formula from somewhere other than a retail store, it is important to make sure that you’re taking unopened, unused formulas that are not expired and also not part of the recall. The makers of infant formula offer support sites and hotlines that may be helpful to parents. And more information is available from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and New York State.