Baby Formula Shortage Has Parents Panicked

Parents with an infant at home are in a crisis, though few in positions of power have bothered to notice.

In recent months, popular retail stores and local grocery stores have had a run on baby formula, and now parents don't know where to turn.

“When we ran to the local Target one day to get some just days after she was born, the shelves were completely empty,” one New York mom told Fox News. “My heart literally sank.”

Some parents have even turned to making their own baby formula at home, a solution the FDA strongly discourages. "I understand the temptation, but there’s a lot of risks involved," Nicole Regan, a pediatric nutritionist with NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island, per Fox News Digital.

So what should desperate moms -- especially those unable to breastfeed -- do? There are a few options, though none is ideal.

Baby formula is often sold online, and online retail giant Amazon looks to have ample formula in stock. However, many of them are pricey, especially those modified for specific infant dietary needs. And even with Amazon Prime two-day delivery, parents in a pinch need more immediate options.

Local hospitals, churches and food banks may also have some baby formula inventory at little or no cost, per Fox News and the Daily Wire.

One option parents do NOT have is to raid the shelves of any store that happens to have a lot in stock. Per Fox News, a recent recall from Abbott Laboratories in Sturgis, Michigan has affected supply, though Abbott believes that the plant in question "is not likely the source" of an infection that reportedly claimed the lives of two babies. Because of the recall, several retail stores have had to limit the amount of product that people may purchase at one time.

Though parents across the country have noticed the shortage, some states have been more adversely affected than others. Per the Daily Wire, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas have been hardest hit.

No word from leaders in those states or at the federal level as to how parents should feed their babies.