Metro-east mothers plan strategically to deal with ‘scary’ baby formula shortage
When Beth Schaab’s 3 ½-month-old twin girls are getting their 3 a.m. feeding in their Freeburg home, Schaab will take a moment to check the Target or Walmart apps to see whether baby formula is in stock.
That’s one of the strategies she’s used to track down containers of formula as parents deal with a nation-wide baby formula shortage.
“You have to do it early,” said Schaab, who is a school teacher. “I’ve lucked out on a couple of containers that way.”
Schaab said she uses formula to supplement breastfeeding her daughters, Nora and Hadley, but the first formula she used was removed from store shelves as part of product safety recall that has contributed to the shortage. The deaths of two infants have been linked to formula produced at a Michigan plant that has been closed, The Associated Press reported.
Schaab’s twins were able to adapt to the new formula without much difficulty.
“While I’m thankful that our girls are able to take whatever, it makes me scared and sad for the people who have to have this certain brand,” she said. “It’s just scary the desperation that they are facing.”
Rebecca Grimm of Litchfield echoed Schaab’s concerns.
“It’s really scary and overwhelming,” Grimm said of the difficulty of finding the right baby formula.
Grimm, a licensed clinical professional counselor, has used a tactic that Schaab has deployed to find baby formula: Recruit friends and family members to be on the lookout at their local stores for their preferred brands.
“We would take pictures of the formula and then text that out to our family and friends,” Grimm said.
Grimm said she first started having trouble finding formula for her infant son in November and December. Then earlier this year, the Similac formula she had been using was pulled during a recall and she had to switch brands.
While her son didn’t have a serious reaction to the new formula, she said he did have a mild reaction to the new brand.
“We were just fortunate that our son did OK,” Grimm said, but she noted that a lot of babies are more sensitive to change and had trouble getting used to a new type of formula.
Grimm said her son has just turned 1 so she is thankful that he will not need baby formula much longer.
Tips for parents
Dr. Kaliegh Adrian, a pediatrician who works in area hospitals, including St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, gives this advice to parents who are dealing with baby formula shortage:
▪ If you have to switch to a different type of formula, try to make the change gradually.
▪ Don’t water down the formula because this can cause seizures. “It can be really serious,” Adrian said. “So that’s not a good option.”
▪ Avoid informal milk sharing.
▪ Don’t use the toddler formula if your child is an infant.
▪ Don’t use a homemade formula because “the nutrients aren’t right” and this version “could be contaminated with bacteria.”
▪ If your baby is not on a hypoallergenic formula, don’t buy that type so it will be available to the families who have to use this version.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has this advice on its website:
▪ “Talk with your pediatrician and ask if they are able to get you a can from the local formula representatives or one of the charities that has some.
▪ Check smaller stores and drug stores, which may not be out of supply when the bigger stores are.
▪ If you can afford it, buy formula online until store shortages ease. Purchase from well-recognized distributors and pharmacies rather than individually sold or auction sites. Do not import formula from overseas, since imported formula is not FDA-reviewed.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 11:21 AM.
