The Nationwide Formula Shortage Takes A Mom Village

As mothers, we strive to keep our kids happy, protect them, and make sure their daily needs are met. But what are we supposed to do when one of those things is totally out of our control?

The formula shortage has left us moms panicked and desperate. Many of us spend hours in our cars driving from store to store, met with nothing but disappointment every time we turn down the baby aisle. 

A few weeks ago, I drove to ELEVEN stores looking for my son’s formula. I was able to find 2 bottles of it, which is only 2 days’ worth. I began to panic since I only had 1 bottle left at home. I didn’t know how I would be able to feed my four-month-old. I was in tears as I called friends and family who were out of town asking them to check their local stores and ship it to me overnight, no matter the cost. 

Still in a panic, I sat down at my mom’s house to take a break. Being completely worked up wasn’t helping the situation at all. I then opened my Facebook and began to scroll, and I came across a high school friend’s post asking everyone to keep a lookout for her son’s formula. I commented on her post and explained that I was in a similar situation. Social media is a powerful tool y’all! One of her friends out of town saw my comment on her post and let me know that she had eleven bottles of the brand I needed. Without hesitation, I messaged her and was able to buy them from her and have them delivered to me within two days. 

My tears of fear quickly turned to tears of relief. 

It was at this very moment that I realized how easy it is to help each other. I am in a group of about ten moms with formula-fed babies, and each time we go to the store, we check for each other’s brands. Some are easier to come by, but no matter what, we check the shelves and immediately send out a text to let each other know that we have found some for them. There are times that one of us will say that we are on our way to buy it, and there are other times that we know to just buy it on the spot because of the rarity of the type. 

My best suggestion to you is to use social media! Connect with local moms and reach out to each other. Build your mom village to make sure you are able to get what our babies need. Don’t stop locally either, reach out to friends and family out of town. Join local mom groups and reach out to those moms. Chances are, everyone is going to help you find what you need. We all know the struggle and fear this is causing. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need help finding your formula! I will always keep an eye out for anyone and buy immediately if needed.

You don’t have to be a parent of a formula-fed baby or a parent at all for that matter to help. Check on the people you know affected by the shortage and do what you can to get the babies fed! It takes a minute to glance down the aisle to see what is available.

It takes a village, let’s start building our own local one.