KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Haley Ruble is growing desperate.
Her son Isaac is eight months old and relies on a specific baby formula to get fed.
“We found out when Isaac was about three months old that he has a dairy intolerance, we're not sure if it's an allergy yet,” Ruble explained.
Ruble says breastfeeding wasn’t an option for her son and she relies on Similac Pro-Sensitive formula to feed her son, but she hasn’t had any luck finding that formula inside grocery stores in Great Bend, Kansas.
“We haven't found a can of Similac Pro-Sensitive here in town for months. I want to say February was the last time that we were able to find a can of formula here for him,” Ruble said.
Ruble said she’s constantly on her computer checking with stores and manufacturers on availability and recently lost $250 after placing an order online that never came to her house.
The lack of availability is forcing her to go the extra mile. The dedicated mother is driving four hours to Kansas City and beyond just to get her hands on formula.
Ruble estimates she’s had to spend over $1,000 over the past couple of weeks alone.
“We've searched shelves from Texas to Colorado to Oklahoma to Kansas City, anything and everything, and they're empty,” she said.
Dr. Lauren Hughes with Bloom Pediatrics and Lactation says Ruble isn’t the only parent in that situation. She is getting phone calls nonstop from concerned parents.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before and it shouldn't have, it shouldn't be an issue. People should never be worried about feeding their children. This is ridiculous,” Hughes said.
Hughes said she typically has formula samples on hand, but the baby formula shortage is also impacting her supply.
Her advice to parents is to go to their pediatrician and discuss options with them if they can’t find their child’s formula.
She’s encouraging parents to look for formula at smaller stores instead of big-box retailers and to not make their own formula.
Hughes explained making your own formula with goat or almond milk, diluting it or using less than the amount you need can lead to health complications.
“It can severely damage your child's kidneys in particular because there is a very specific amount of you know, sodium and potassium and all these different micronutrients, and so watering it down or diluting it and can actually be really damaging,” she warned.
To get by, Ruble is having to purchase different types of formulas and has cans of formula she ordered and can’t use because of her son’s allergies.
Ruble is doing her best to send the formula she has to other moms but in the meantime, she’ll continue to do what she can to keep her child fed.
“Just looking at your baby and realizing they're going to be hungry, or you know, offering that different kind of formula and they scream and are miserable for days and you realize that it's you, you're the one who did that to them, and so driving for hours to go pick up a can of formula that won't make him miserable is beyond worth it,” Ruble said.
