What a sad state of affairs with the low supply of baby formula

[Em in Ohio]

Abbott Nutrition, the nation's largest baby formula manufacturer, issued a recall in February for several powered formulas. Surely this is a temporary situation but will, no doubt, be reason enough for healthy increase in price and inspiration for hoarding.

And yet, when I Googled DIY baby formula, the search brought up nothing but a page full of DANGER, DANGER warnings... hmmmph! As if a factory took more care formulating formula than a loving family member with half a brain and internet access?

 

[helenbacque]

And yet, when I Googled DIY baby formula, the search brought up nothing but a page full of DANGER, DANGER warnings... hmmmph!

Many reasons that would be the case today. You had to follow the recipe exactly and then bottle in glass bottles and cook in a special pan for a certain length of time. Glass bottles and the apparatus for cooking aren't available any more.

 

[Nosy Bee-54]

I've read that they 've been sending it to all the illegals that have been crossing the borders...

Don't drink the Kool-Aid that some in the media are pushing. Would take a heck of a lot of formula to feed babies at the border that it would lead to a nationwide shortage, don't you think? Among other supply issues, Abbott has shutdown a formula plant for sanitation purposes after tainted formula sickened babies and left two dead.

"Abbott Nutrition, the nation’s largest baby formula manufacturer, issued a recall in February for several powered formulas. The move came after four infants who consumed products from its Sturgis, Michigan, plant were hospitalized with infections from the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii. Two of the infants died."

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/12/us-...e-shortage-after-abbott-nutrition-recall.html

 

[Nosy Bee-54]

“Pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly advise against using homemade formulas,” Sherrod said. “There are formulas circulating around, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe.”

Sherrod told WFAA that homemade formulas can lead to infections that can become deadly. “Not only can you cause infection in your baby that goes through their guts and goes into their bloodstream and can kill them, but you can also mess up their electrolytes and that can cause seizures,” Sherrod said.

Additionally, Sherrod said homemade formulas can lead to insufficient protein and nutrients that babies need. Sherrod strongly advised against using informally shared breast milk, citing the risks of spreading disease.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, obtaining human milk from individuals or through the internet can risk the donor wasn’t adequately screened for infectious disease or contamination risk."

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/n...inue/287-07bdeaea-05ff-4382-836d-568264782b8c

 

[Della]

I read the details on why they are discouraging home made formula and it was things like "the ingredients might be out dated" and the bottles needed to be sterile. Well duh. I would guess outdated formula would make a baby sick, too.

Most American baby boomers were raised on the evaporated milk/karo syrup recipe and our mothers weren't all chemists and they weren't making it in a sterile laboratory. All you need to do to sterilize the bottles is to boil them in a big pan of water, like the pan you use for pasta.

How insulting that the AMA thinks young women today aren't up to making this formula.

When I was pregnant I knew, not only was breast milk best for baby, but that we were having money troubles so I decided to breast feed. The nurses in the hospital said I was the first breast feeder they had, had in 30 years -- so that shows how many women were making that home formula.

What I can't understand is why mothers who became pregnant during the pandemic would consider anything but breast feeding. They would have already seen shortages, and warnings about germs everywhere when you go out. Is it such a horrible inconvenience to stay close to home and feed your child for a few months out of your life?

(Of course I'm not talking about women who can't breast feed or babies who are have special needs, but about the large majority who have no trouble if they give it a chance.)

 

[win231]

Breast feeding still an option??

Some women opt for the more-convenient bottle. Maybe it allows them to work or multi-task.
I noticed that friends of mine from Europe do breastfeed & would not even consider any other option.
Immunity from the mother is transmitted to the baby that way.

 

[Jules]

Some women may have breast fed for a couple of months and then they went to formula when they had to return to work. I believe they keep babies on formula or breast for at least 6-8 months.

 

[Bretrick]

Sydney based manufacturer, Bubs Australia is sending 1.25 million cans of Formula to the US​

Equivalent to 22 million bottles.
US manufacturer, Abbott - said on Tuesday that it planned to restart production at the facility on June 4, adding its products would then be released to the market around June 20.