Given the shortage of powdered milk for babies in the United States, some parents have resorted to homemade formulas published on social networks, but pediatricians advised against these alternatives because they lack vitamins and key nutrients for little ones.
One recipe, said to date back to the 1960s, has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook and involves mixing evaporated milk, water, and Karo corn syrup.
Parents in the United States say purchasing restrictions and rising prices are leaving them increasingly desperate for needed food for babies who aren’t breastfed. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns of the danger of homemade formulas.
Tanya Altmann, author of several books on parenting and founder of Calabasas Pediatrics Medical Center in California, agrees.
“I advise my patients not to make homemade baby milk formulas,” Altmann told AFP. “That’s not going to give them the essential nutrients they need, it can be dangerous to their growth and development, and it can even make them sick.”
Looking at the recipe circulating online, Altmann said adding sugar isn’t healthy or safe for babies.
Karo syrup was once used to help relieve constipation, but it is not recommended as it is not effective and may even contain dangerous bacteria.
Azza Ahmed, an associate professor of nursing at Purdue University, said homemade formula can put babies at risk from “contamination and infection.”
And even if parents feel stressed about shortages, the formula should not be diluted, as it can quickly lead to a nutritional imbalance, he added.
In social networks, the messages produced by the shortage also say that orange juice mixed with water can be supplied at three weeks of age.
But the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine warns against this practice and other formula substitutes. “Do not give your baby under six months any tea or juice,” warns the entity.
Other publications are advising parents to substitute goat’s milk for baby formula. But it lacks the nutrients necessary for human babies, according to Gabrina Dixon of Children’s Nationwide Hospital in Washington, DC.
Dixon points out that it lacks folic acid and vitamin B12, necessary to avoid anemia, characterized by a low count of the level of red blood cells in the blood.
Experts told AFP that concerned parents should consult their pediatricians about dietary options, but urged that they be open-minded about changing baby formula brands or using generic products, especially for children who show no signs of sensitivity to its ingredients.
