Kids & Family
Chatham Warns Parents Against Homemade Baby Formula Amid Shortage
The FDA advises parents and caregivers not to make or feed homemade infant formula to their children.
CHATHAM, NJ — As the formula shortage worsens, parents and caregivers find themselves in emergency situations where they cannot find baby formula.
Due to scarcity, parents and caregivers have had to look for alternative ways to feed their babies. Unknowingly, some options may jeopardize their baby's health.
The New Jersey Poison Control Center warns families about online and social media misinformation claiming it is safe to dilute formula or use homemade/Do-It-Yourself (DIY) recipes as alternatives.
Find out what's happening in Chathamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Neither of these alternatives is safe, and both can cause serious harm to infants, officials said.
Read more: Baby Formula Shortage: Where To Find Help In Morris County
Find out what's happening in Chathamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Homemade infant formula recipes have not been evaluated by the FDA and may lack nutrients vital to an infant's growth. The FDA has recently received adverse event reports of hospitalized infants suffering from hypocalcemia (low calcium) that had been fed homemade infant formula," according to the FDA.
A recent report in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report discussed three separate incidences of infants treated in emergency departments for low calcium levels and vitamin D–deficient rickets after being fed homemade formula.
Related Article: Mom Files Similac Lawsuit Over Infant Death In Morristown
According to the retail tracking firm Datasembly, nationwide "out-of-stock" rates for baby formula reached 43 percent in the first week of May, and the Garden State has been among the most heavily affected states by the shortage.
Supply chain issues, as well as the FDA shutdown of an Abbott Nutrition manufacturing plant in Michigan, are exacerbating the problem.
"Be aware of misinformation online & on social media claiming it is safe to dilute (watered-down) formula or use homemade recipes as alternatives," said borough officials.
If a child is sick after drinking formula or any other product, contact NJ Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately for medical treatment advice.
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