WACO, Texas (KWKT) – Many parents have been stressing over the nationwide baby formula shortage, wondering when their local grocer will have the brand they need.
Rebecca Moseley has three babies. The mother of 11-month-old triplets said they use 96 ounces of baby formula per day.
“This is a 32-ounce ready-to-feed. It’s liquid formula,” she said, showing a bottle of formula. “This covers one round of bottles, so this makes three bottles for my triplets. And we go through three of these in a day.”
In one week, they use a little over 600 ounces of formula.
“This is a box that has two bags of powder in it,” Moseley said, holding up the package. “And it’s about 1.9 pounds, and this lasts us about four days.”
The mom, from Waco, Texas, said she brought her triplets home from the hospital neonatal intensive care unit as preemies. They needed special formula that wasn’t in stores.
“The Gentlease isn’t even in stores anymore,” she said of one brand made for babies with sensitive stomachs. “Half the time, the store brands aren’t even available.”
With the baby formula shortage wiping out the shelves, many parents have started Facebook groups trying to help each other out.
“A lot of trading, saying, ‘Hey, I’ll give you this product if you can trade me three cans of this formula,’ or ‘Hey, do you have any? I’ll pay for it,'” said Moseley.
Due to the shortage, lots of stores have had to put limits on how much customers can buy at one time. And Moseley says two containers isn’t enough for triplets.
“I have friends that live out of state, or in different cities say, ‘Hey, it’s in my store. Do you need some?'” said Moseley.
She’s obviously still concerned, seeing as she doesn’t know when her local stores will be able to stock their shelves again. She’s also considering switching to whole milk, despite concerns that her triplets aren’t ready.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that a child can be given cow’s milk at 12 months “but not before.” Cow’s milk given too early could lead to a risk of intestinal bleeding, according to the CDC.
“It also has too many proteins and minerals for your baby’s kidneys to handle and does not have the right amount of nutrients your baby needs,” the CDC said.
Moseley, however, said she may have no other choice.
“I really wanted to leave them on formula for another month or two. But with the shortage, I’m kind of seeing that I may have to move them to whole milk sooner than maybe they’re ready,” said Moseley.