As supply chain issues continue to reverberate across the country, it can understandably feel worrisome to find your go-to formula missing from the shelves. If you find yourself in this situation, Dr. Abelowitz says parents should reach out to their pediatricians to see what the best, most compatible formula is to buy instead.
Generally speaking, one good rule of thumb is to stick to the same type of formula. “If they were on a cow's milk-based regular formula, nothing special about it, then try another brand's cow's milk-based, nothing-special-about-it formula,” explains Dr. Feeley. “If they were on a partially broken down formula (what we call partially hydrolyzed) like an Enfamil Gentlease and they're out of it, but they have the Similac Pro Total Comfort, which is also partially hydrolyzed, then go with that. If they're out of Nutramigen (which is the fully hydrolyzed Enfamil one) but they have Alimentum, which is Similac’s version of the fully hydrolyzed one, then switch to that.”