‘She needs to eat’ — Parents still grappling with baby formula shortage

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - For months now, parents have been searching for a basic necessity for their babies — formula.

"She needs to eat, but there's nothing there," said Aiesha Dibben, an Idaho Falls mother with a two-month-old.

Dibben is just one of many parents who have been searching store shelves to find food for their babies.

"It has been hard," she said. "We have reached out to friends and family to look around stores when we can’t because we can’t keep bouncing every single day to every single store with a newborn."

Dibben has two daughters — one born at the start of the pandemic, the second, born in the middle of the formula shortage.

She's been doing her best to get her child the food she needs while still leaving enough for other moms.

Many stores are restricting customers to only buying a certain number of products at a time.

The Biden administration has been working to ease the nationwide formula shortage caused by supply chain issues and recalls by bringing in products from overseas through "Operation Fly Formula." And just this week, the administration announced it is looking to help foreign manufacturers of formula stay on the U.S. market long-term.

Meanwhile, doctors offices are receiving an increase in calls from concerned parents.

"It's not anything we've had to deal with in the past," said Dr. Joseph Moore of Idaho Falls Pediatrics.

Dr. Moore suggests that parents look online — such as Walmart or Amazon — for products or switch to a different brand, and advises against making their own formula or using other alternatives.

"Goats milk is great for goats, cows milk is great for cows, but humans have different nutritional needs," he said. "You do need to make sure that you’re doing something that’s nutritionally balanced for a child."

Other moms have joined social media groups to buy, sell and trade formula.  

"Moms gotta stick together and moms have to help each other find food for their babies," Dibben said.

Though there's no exact timeline for when the shortage will resolve, Dr. Moore said there is hope on the horizon.

"We’re hoping in the next weeks that we’ll start to have an ease, but it may take a couple of months before we’re back to where we were," he said.

If you can't find formula for your baby, talk to your healthcare provider.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more information for parents and questions to frequently asked questions. Visit aap.org.