SOCIAL media posts are urging parents who face baby formula shortages to make it themselves. But pediatricians told AFP they do not advise patients to use homemade formula, warning it may lack vitamins and nutrients key to helping infants grow and thrive.
One formula recipe, said to be from 1960, has been shared on Facebook hundreds of thousands of times, urging parents to mix evaporated milk, water and Karo corn syrup.
Parents in the United States say purchasing restrictions and price gouging have left them increasingly desperate to get their hands on the food required for infants who are not breastfed. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cautions against formula made at home.
Tanya Altmann, author of several parenting books and founder of Calabasas Pediatrics in California, agreed.
"I advise my patients not to make homemade infant formula," she told AFP. "It won't meet your baby's essential nutritional needs, can be very dangerous to their growth and development and can even make your baby sick."
Looking at the recipe circulating online, Altmann said the added sugar would not be safe or healthy for infants.
"Karo syrup was once used to help ease constipation, but it is not advised as it's not effective and can even contain harmful bacteria," she said.
Azza Ahmed, an associate professor of nursing at Purdue University, said homemade formula can put a baby at risk of "contamination and infection."
And although parents are feeling stressed by shortages, formula should never be watered down, as this can quickly lead to an imbalance of nutrition, she added.
Social media posts prompted by shortages also claim orange juice mixed with water can be introduced at three weeks of age.
But the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine warned against juice and other formula substitutes.
"Do not give your baby under six months of age any water, tea, or juice," it said.
Other Facebook posts are recommending that parents substitute goat's milk for formula.
But goat milk lacks nutrients necessary for human babies, according to Gabrina Dixon from Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. She pointed to its lack of folate and vitamin B12 -- which is necessary to stave off anemia, or a low red blood cell count.
Experts told AFP that concerned parents should consult their pediatricians about feeding options, but urged more open attitudes about switching formula brands or using generic products, especially for children who have not shown signs of sensitivity to ingredients.
ETX Studio
Thu May 19 2022
Parents in the United States say purchasing restrictions and price gouging have left them increasingly desperate to get their hands on the food required for infants who are not breastfed. - ETX Studio
Pahang peruntuk RM1.5 juta bantuan tunai bakal jemaah haji
Sebanyak 1,588 jemaah haji Pahang menerima sumbangan 'duit poket' berjumlah RM750 seorang bagi membantu meringankan beban bakal haji dalam melakukan persiapan melaksanakan rukun Islam kelima itu.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pengundi jangan mudah percaya taktik fitnah - Ramanan
Ramanan berkata pengundi perlu lebih berhati-hati, dan sentiasa menyemak fakta apabila mendengar kempen politik yang dilakukan pihak lawan.
KEDA berhasrat tanam padi wangi, padi huma tahun ini
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) berhasrat membangunkan tanaman padi wangi dan padi huma di beberapa kawasan pertanian dalam wilayahnya, tahun ini.
Mesyuarat perundingan Enam Pihak Arab bincangkan perkembangan di Gaza
Mesyuarat perundingan Jawatankuasa Enam Pihak Arab itu membincangkan perkembangan serangan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.