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“Yes, breastfeeding is something pregnant people should be considering, but there are a lot of reasons that families end up using formula,” she tells PEOPLE. “The vast majority of families who use formula had intended to breastfeed so while we should absolutely support pregnant people in making the choice to breastfeed, that’s not going to solve this current problem.”
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“For older babies who are already consuming good amounts of solid foods, 9 or 10 months, you can offer solids more frequently or be sure to include good healthy fats in their food to increase the amount of calories that they’re getting and they may drink a little less formula,” Young says.
She notes that introducing solid foods isnotrecommended for babies under 4 months as their digestive tracts are not ready for solid foods yet. It’s best for families to follow the feeding cues from their child and ask their pediatrician if solid foods can be used more often.
Another alternative parents can use for their infants —of older ages — is toddler formula, following discussion with their pediatrician.
“Normally, the AAP [American Academy of Pediatrics] does not recommend toddler formula at all, but in this acute, somewhat severe situation where we’re having a formula shortage, toddler formulas are more available,” Young explains. “They can be used, under the supervision of your pediatrician, for those older babies at 10 or 11 months. So that might be a really great solution for those families with an older infant who can’t find their formula.”
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How to find replacement formulas
“You’ll just have to switch,” Young says. “I know that’s so frustrating to hear if you can’t find the formula you like but you can find a comparable product.”
“Look at the list of ingredients, the first five or six ingredients that come before a bolded phrase like ‘Less than 2%,’ and focus on matching that. You can ignore everything else,” Young explains, noting ingredients like milk, soy and whey to match.
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“Usually, with a few exceptions, the generic brand is a spot-on replica of the main ingredients … and all generic brands are the same.” Young explains to PEOPLE. “So, Walmart’s is the same as Target’s so you can totally shop around. Once you’re on a generic brand, you can buy any other generic brand of that type and it will be identical so that gives parents a lot of opportunity to shop around.”
What parents should avoid
source: people.com
