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How the baby formula recall is affecting San Antonio families, and some advice for parents

From formula shortages, issues with returns and exchanges, and switching to different brands, one San Antonio mom shares the struggles she's not alone in.

SAN ANTONIO — Amber Prado is a proud mom of five. Days before a national recall on certain baby formulas, she said her 10 month old fell sick with a fever, cough, and running nose. 

"We didn't get the notice of the recall until this Monday," said Prado. "So for about a week and a half she was already drinking bad milk, the recalled milk." 

The FDA is warning consumers to avoid Similac, Alimentum or EleCare powdered infant formulas if: the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37; the code on the container contains K8, SH or Z2; and the expiration date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.

When Prado tried to find a different brand of formula, she said she came across a lot of empty shelves. 

"There was barely anything, so luckily, I was able to find her the H-E-B brand." 

Prado, who purchased formula through the WIC program said trying to return and exchange the contaminated cans she already had became stressful. 

"If you don’t have a receipt, they wont take your cans back," she said. "Especially if you tell them that you got them from WIC, they tell you go to WIC, there’s nothing we can do for you, so you go to WIC and they tell you, no you have to go to the same store you bought it from." 

Prado said she was eventually offered a gift card from the store she purchased the formula from, but it was not as useful because they were out of the formula she needed. 

In a statement to KENS5 Texas Health and Human Services said:

"If a WIC client has powdered formula affected by this recall, they should return it to the store or contact Abbott Labs at 1-800-986-8540 for replacement. The WIC program has notified authorized grocers that WIC customers should be treated like all other customers related to this recall. If WIC clients are unable to exchange recalled formula or find an alternative at the store, they can contact their WIC office for assistance."

The WIC program has temporarily expanded options for Similac Advance, Similac Total Comfort, Similac Sensitive, and Similac for Spit-Up. A full list of the different brands now covered by WIC can be found here

The recall comes after supply-chain issues had already been affecting baby formula supply. Before the recall, Prado said she had trouble finding the formula her daughter uses at H-E-B, Walgreens, and Walmart. 

SAFETY TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND DURING THE RECALL

Shannon Garcia is a mom of two, and a registered dietitian in the San Antonio area. She is also the founder of Kiss in The Kitchen

"We don’t want to use this as a time to try a different type of formula, that may not be appropriate for those digestive needs," said Garcia. "If your kiddos already on a specialized formula, they need to stay on a specialized formula just a different brand that hasn’t been recalled." 

Garcia also reminds parents that have been affected by the recall to not switch babies over to cow milk if they are under a year old, and to avoid diluting formula with water. 

Garcia also shared these tips with KENS5 for parents who may be struggling to switch their kids to a different formula:

  • Sit in a dark or dimly lit room, play soft music, and try to relax your baby while bottle feeding. 
  • Dream feed: Garcia said you can safely feed your children as they are falling asleep.
  • Entertain or distract your baby with a toy while they are trying to drink. 
  • Have a spouse, family member or friend try to feed them. 
  • Adjust temperature of the bottle. Most babies will have a warm of room temperature bottle, but Garcia said trying a colder bottle could possibly help. 

"If you’re finding that you  need to try a new formula, of you’re finding that your child is not really necessarily taking to the new one you’re trying, definitely reach out to your pediatrician, oftentimes they do carry samples in office or coupons," said Garcia. 

She does not recommend trying different formulas unless absolutely necessary. 

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