Expert offers tips for parents amid nationwide baby formula shortage

Although a light at the end of the tunnel may now be in sight for many parents, officials said it may take as long as six to eight more weeks before shelves are restocked.

In the interim, Tammy Sullivan, the manager of the neonatal intensive care unit and the maternal child director at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, said parents should try to order formula online to be shipped directly from big-box stores and manufacturers when possible and check lesser-known formula distributors, such as pharmacies.

"I know people are mixing their own formula or trying to dilute formula, but there's consequences to that—it changes the nutrient content of that formula. And I know that I saw the news that Texas Children's [Hospital] mentioned that yesterday that there were children hospitalized as a result," Sullivan said. "And then the other thing that I'm hearing a lot about is using someone else's breast milk—like a friend or a family member—and I would not recommend that because it's not pasteurized, and it's a body fluid, so it can transmit disease, and some medications go through to the breast milk, and you wouldn't want your baby taking something that you're not aware of. ... So that's the biggest advice to keep babies safe."

Additionally, Sullivan said families can utilize the Mothers' Milk Bank Austin's supply of donated breast milk if the baby has a prescription from their pediatrician—though Sullivan noted that supply is also running low.

"Right now, they have severe shortages of breast milk; they need more donors. So if anyone has a baby that's a year or younger and have a freezer full of milk, I would say contact the Mothers' Milk Bank Austin because as we get their supply up, then there's more in the community for families to be able to purchase for their babies that have special [dietary] needs," Sullivan said.

Though not all babies can tolerate breast milk due to dietary restrictions, Sullivan encouraged expectant parents to attend lactation classes prior to the baby's birth in order to have a better chance of being able to successfully breastfeed—lessening the reliance on formula.

"If you have a mom that's a new mom at home and she's struggling with breastfeeding, I would say contact your OB[-GYN] or pediatrician or a lactation consultant to get help early on so you can establish the woman's milk supply so you can avoid formula," Sullivan said. "There's just a lot of education that, I think, we as women, we don't always get when we're pregnant, and there's a lot you can learn before you have a baby. So look for lactation classes before you give birth, and that way you're prepared to breastfeed after birth, and then that decreases the need for formula."

For a complete list of Sullivan's recommendations, click here.