Baby formula shortage: Options if you can’t find any; scams to watch out for

CHARLOTTE — Many parents are desperate to find formula for their babies, which has some people considering alternatives. Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke has been looking into what you need to know to keep your child safe and avoid fake, or even dangerous, options.

If you can’t find formula:

1. Consider donor breast milk, but make sure it’s certified by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Dr. Catherine Ohmstede with Novant Health Children’s Health Institute says parents should not buy breast milk on the Internet that is not approved by a certified human breast milk bank. “We do not recommend that because we don’t know how the milk was stored,” Ohmstede said. “We don’t know what medication or other substances that the donor might have been exposed to.”

2. Use purees. If your baby is at least four months old, you can introduce some solid food and purées.

3. Use cow’s milk and soy milk. If he or she is at least six months old, you can use cow’s milk or soy milk, but only for a couple of days. Do not use other milks such as goat’s milk, which is not FDA approved for babies in U.S., or almond milk, which does not contain enough protein. Ohmstede recommends limiting the milk to less than 24 ounces a day.

4. Use toddler formula. If your child is almost one, you can use toddler formula, but just for a day or two.

5. Use Pedialyte and Enfalyte, but only use it for a few days. Check with your doctor about what age is appropriate for this.

Also, watch out for scammers because they know desperate parents may let their guard down:

1. Do not buy someone’s homemade formula.

2. Be suspicious of any calls, texts, or emails for any deals that sound too good to be true.

3. Research online sellers and always assume the product could be fake.

4. If you find a good product online, know your rights when it comes to shipping and refunds. The Federal Trade Commission says online sellers are supposed to ship your order within the time stated in their ads, or within 30 days if the ads don’t give a time. If a seller can’t ship within the promised time, it must give you a revised shipping date with the option to either cancel your order for a full refund or accept the new shipping date.

5. Use a credit card for online purchases, so you can dispute it more easily if it never shows up.

Stoogenke says no matter what strategy you go with, run it by your pediatrician first.

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