Things you can’t find right now

[KungFuPanda]

3 hours ago, Farrar said:

After this thread, I was curious. Formula in stock at our grocery. I walk past the locked cases on my way out anyway, so I looked. Seemed like low stock, but multiple brands.

I feel like this has turned out to be one of the benefits of living in a super high density area. We simply have not seen the same daily item supply chain issues quite as badly at our local shops. These shops have more than twice the sales numbers and product turnover compared to suburban stores. They're just doing higher volume business. So their regular ordering amounts are higher and so when there's a share going places, I think corporation with algorithms like Target are sending it to our Target, not yours. Which is not to say that the less daily item shortages aren't in view, like furniture and so forth when it's been in short supply. And we've definitely seen more low stock of things. But people will say there's no frozen fries, no chicken breasts, no formula... and I'll look and we'll always have it.

I’m out in the MD suburbs from you. I haven’t noticed empty shelves either. I also haven’t gone down the baby aisle. 
 

I have tried to find Snapple for Ds a couple times and struck out. It’s not something I usually buy, so I don’t know if it’s missing or if I’m just walking by and not seeing it. 
 

I bought a 25 lb bag of flour at Costco the other day and will try to get another soon. We had a local news report that said bread prices are going to shoot up soonish. Between the war in the Ukraine, Covid shortages, and trucking issues, every step of bread production is more expensive. We don’t eat it every day, but when we do we like good bread and I hate paying $5 a loaf for something I can make for less than a dollar. 25 lbs of flour will last me about three months. 

[mathnerd]

On 5/10/2022 at 9:47 AM, Slache said:

Formula. We can't find formula anywhere and have maybe half a day left. Fortunately it's only supplimentary at this point, but I have no idea what the newborns around here are going to do.

Today, the formula shortage is in the headline news and the government is apparently working to fix this ASAP. That being said, I saw a couple of brands of formula in my local Target last night.

What I cannot find for the past 2 years are Mason Jars in the particular sizes and shapes that I need. I can only find 2 sizes and shapes at any one time (both that I don't need) at any store that carries them locally and I have also looked in stores more than 100 miles from my home when I was passing through them on trips. It seems that the manufacturers of canning jars are really struggling to keep supply going as more people cooking at home and canning their own produce is sending demands soaring. 

[Arcadia]

7 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

What I cannot find for the past 2 years are Mason Jars in the particular sizes and shapes that I need. I can only find 2 sizes and shapes at any one time (both that I don't need) at any store that carries them locally and I have also looked in stores more than 100 miles from my home when I was passing through them on trips.

TJMaxx has large mason jars in odd sizes. Cost Plus has a few too. Mine are the common sizes wide mouth ones. What sizes and shapes are you looking for?

[kbutton]

I was inexplicably mailed sample cans of powdered Similac before the big shortage and forgot I still had them (we got busy, and I stopped noticing the box). I noticed it again yesterday.

I have 7 oz. of Similac organic with A2 milk, 7 oz. of Similac Pro-Advance, and 7 oz. of Similac Pro-total Comfort. The dates are all good--the earliest expiration is July.

I am happy to pass them along to anyone who needs them, and if someone in SW Ohio knows of a need, I can probably meet up (someone can certainly pick up if I am not free at the right time). 

I won't be able to mail them until tomorrow if shipping them is necessary. 

**ETA: after scanning the thread again, I am going to also offer these on my FB page locally, but I am still happy to accommodate someone here who PMs me if they catch it in time. I didn't see anyone here in dire straits yet.

Edited May 11, 2022 by kbutton

[mathnerd]

33 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

TJMaxx has large mason jars in odd sizes. Cost Plus has a few too. Mine are the common sizes wide mouth ones. What sizes and shapes are you looking for?

I store my spices in "Elite" 8 oz and 16 oz jars shaped like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-Glass-Mason-Jars-with-Lids-and-Bands-Wide-Mouth-16-oz-4-Count/25209482

I have bought some off of Amazon in the past few months but gone are the days that I could stop at Target and pick a few on my regular shopping trips. Thanks for the Cost Plus tip, I will look there.

This is a First World Problem as I am just trying to keep all my spices in jars that look the same because I have OCD over such things 😉

(and these 16 Oz jars are shallow enough to fit into my kitchen cabinet drawers easily as well).

Edited May 11, 2022 by mathnerd

[lmrich]

Haha.. I  read the title and was thinking - gosh where did I put my favorite pair of reading glasses. 

 

[Forget-Me-Not]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:08 AM, itsheresomewhere said:

So apparently it is hard to get peat moss.  Several stores and nursery’s down and not one has any.  
 

So what are you having trouble finding. 

Interesting. My local Lowe’s had a big pallet of peat moss when I went in there a few days ago. 
 

I haven’t really had trouble finding anything we can’t live without, thankfully. Pasta has been in short supply, but we don’t eat a ton. Oh and heavy cream was completely out of stock at Walmart, but DH was able to find it at another store. 
 

I feel so bad for people who are dependent on baby formula. What a scary situation to be in. 

[Carrie12345]

23 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

We’ve had trouble in the past in Aus. China had a contamination scare so Chinese Australians were bulk buying and sending back to relatives who either wanted it for their own babies or were selling the more trusted overseas formulas on the black market. This was pre covid and ended up resulting in buying limits and an export ban. I’m wondering if something similar could be happening in the US given the lockdowns in Shanghai and Beijing right now, if they have supply issues. Or is it vitamins etc supply that’s the issue?

I caught something on the news yesterday (?) that said companies are reporting that they’re at full production capacity. I do not know how that could possibly be true, but that’s what was being reported.

Today I saw a mom on TikTok say that her child’s prescription formula (MSPI kid, like I had 11 years ago) is backed up SIX MONTHS. Six months.  Dh and I are reeling, remembering how scary it was to depend on NORMAL supply/insurance approvals/prescription lengths/shipping times/etc.

[Arcadia]

46 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

I store my spices in "Elite" 8 oz and 16 oz jars shaped like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-Glass-Mason-Jars-with-Lids-and-Bands-Wide-Mouth-16-oz-4-Count/25209482

My Safeway has these right now in case you want a stop gap solution 

[vonfirmath]

I was at Wal-mart last night and walked through the formula aisle -- the shelves were half full. But all the formula was pulled up to the FRONT of the shelf (not stacked all the way back like it would have been) And most (like 90%) of what they had was Ready-to-feed jars. Not the big cans of powdered formula I bought when my babies were little.

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by vonfirmath

[Terabith]

I keep reading articles about "what to do if you can't get formula for your baby" and all it says is "keep looking and under no circumstances should you try to make your own formula."

Which, I mean, WTH are you supposed to do if your state is one of those that doesn't have formula?  Making my own would not be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure I would be feeding whole milk or goat's milk to my infant if there was truly no other recourse.  

[Arcadia]

Baby formula restricted to 5 cans per customer at Safeway 

 

[vonfirmath]

5 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I keep reading articles about "what to do if you can't get formula for your baby" and all it says is "keep looking and under no circumstances should you try to make your own formula."

Which, I mean, WTH are you supposed to do if your state is one of those that doesn't have formula?  Making my own would not be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure I would be feeding whole milk or goat's milk to my infant if there was truly no other recourse.  

Yes. Honestly -- No mother with a crying baby is going to not feed their baby, even if it is something less appropriate than formula. And yes that might be homemade formula. No matter what articles that give no real answer say.

 

[Terabith]

12 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Yes. Honestly -- No mother with a crying baby is going to not feed their baby, even if it is something less appropriate than formula. And yes that might be homemade formula. No matter what articles that give no real answer say.

 

I read somewhere that there was no formula in all of North or South Dakota.  

 

[edelweiss]

Two items that I have been struggling to find:

Chocolate Frosted Mini Wheats cereal-- haven't found any for months

Uncle Ben's Jasmine Rice in the microwavable packs

We can easily live without these, but my daughter really misses her favorite cereal.  

I can't even imagine the panic that people must be experiencing about the baby formula! I know part of this issue is due to that plant that had to shut down (in Michigan, I think?) due to the contaminated formula. Last I heard they were struggling to determine where the issue was, so it still wasn't open. I haven't kept up with it and don't know where they are with that issue, but adding that problem to continuing to iron out the supply chain issues makes for a concerning situation! I really feel for the parents dealing with this. 

 

 

[Slache]

25 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I keep reading articles about "what to do if you can't get formula for your baby" and all it says is "keep looking and under no circumstances should you try to make your own formula."

Which, I mean, WTH are you supposed to do if your state is one of those that doesn't have formula?  Making my own would not be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure I would be feeding whole milk or goat's milk to my infant if there was truly no other recourse.  

Really, they need to offer a viable solution, because people will make mistakes. I honestly don't know what to do. I would google how to make it and if this was before google I'd ask my pediatrician, and if that wasn't an option I'd go with whole milk. But maybe that's a terrible idea, I don't know, but I guarantee you people are going to give their babies water or something that will make them sick, because we don't necessarily know what to do.

[Slache]

This blog has a recipe after like 8,000 words. Spoiler alert! I was wrong about whole milk. See? They need to tell us what to do or we will do it wrong!

https://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-emergency-baby-formula-recipe/

[Shoeless]

I was about to post that whole milk is a bad idea, but I don't remember why.

I think if I had a baby on formula, I'd be trying like mad to re-establish breast milk supply and looking for any nursing moms that had excess supply.  

How frightening. 😞

[Slache]

1 minute ago, MissLemon said:

I was about to post that whole milk is a bad idea, but I don't remember why.

I think if I had a baby on formula, I'd be trying like mad to re-establish breast milk supply and looking for any nursing moms that had excess supply.  

How frightening. 😞

Proteins are too big, so they can't digest it.

I cannot produce milk. I did everything possible. I've probably worked with 20 lactation consultants between my first 3 children. You have no idea how hard I tried, but I've never produced more than an ounce and only over the first 3 days and then it's gone. I would be absolutely terrified right now.

[Arcadia]

47 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I keep reading articles about "what to do if you can't get formula for your baby" and all it says is "keep looking and under no circumstances should you try to make your own formula."

Which, I mean, WTH are you supposed to do if your state is one of those that doesn't have formula?  Making my own would not be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure I would be feeding whole milk or goat's milk to my infant if there was truly no other recourse.  

 

40 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Yes. Honestly -- No mother with a crying baby is going to not feed their baby, even if it is something less appropriate than formula. And yes that might be homemade formula. No matter what articles that give no real answer say.

 

My dad who was born during world war two was given soy milk as there wasn’t anything else available. 

[Loowit]

I can't find the brand of lactose free milk that DS and I drink.  It has been out for a couple weeks.

I looked to see if formula was available.  They are limiting it, but I see it is still there.  I didn't realize how expensive it has gotten.  I had to formula feed my oldest and was so glad my boys were able to breastfeed.  It must be so scary for parents to not know if they will have food for their babies.  My grandmother was unable to breastfeed my mom and made her own formula with canned milk and Kayro syrup.  Mom survived it, but I am sure it wasn't the healthiest.

[Arcadia]

32 minutes ago, Slache said:

 

I cannot produce milk. I did everything possible. I've probably worked with 20 lactation consultants between my first 3 children. You have no idea how hard I tried, but I've never produced more than an ounce and only over the first 3 days and then it's gone. I would be absolutely terrified right now.

I can’t produce milk either. When we relocated to the states, DS17 was 8 months old so we brought along 12 cans   of 1kg Nan1 (Nestle) formula from Asia just in case he won’t take the formula sold in the states. When DS16 was born here, the hospital nurses gave me as many cans of Nan for newborns as I want because they are not allowed to give formula to first time mothers but are allowed to give them only to those whose firstborns were not breastfed. My obgyn gave me some sample cans as well because her clients prefer Similac and Enfamil so she could give me the Nan.

[Condessa]

There were only a couple cans of an unfamiliar brand of baby formula at the store yesterday.  I was surprised that the powder was yellower and the scoop size smaller, but still went with two ounces of water.  The baby didn’t seem to care about the difference, though.  He is mostly breastfed and is only needing a little supplementing because he was slowly dropping down the growth curve.  A lady I know is offering free goats’ milk to local moms for their babies.  Goat milk is easier than cow milk for babies to digest, and is a better choice in a pinch if you can’t get formula.

Edited May 12, 2022 by Condessa

[Shoeless]

51 minutes ago, Slache said:

Proteins are too big, so they can't digest it.

I cannot produce milk. I did everything possible. I've probably worked with 20 lactation consultants between my first 3 children. You have no idea how hard I tried, but I've never produced more than an ounce and only over the first 3 days and then it's gone. I would be absolutely terrified right now.

That's right; I think whole milk can cause gi bleeds, too? 

I didn't nurse DS because I had a nutty job at the time that made a big, stinky point about how inconvenient my unpaid maternity leave was.  Id had a c section and really just wanted to focus on healing and bonding, without the extra stress of maintaining supply at my stressful job.  It was during the 2008 recession, so I was just gritting my teeth until things picked up and I could find a new gig. 

I am selfishly relieved to not have to deal with any of that anymore. 😥

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, MissLemon said:

I was about to post that whole milk is a bad idea, but I don't remember why.

I think if I had a baby on formula, I'd be trying like mad to re-establish breast milk supply and looking for any nursing moms that had excess supply.  

How frightening. 😞

You are right.  
 

This goes to show you that in matters of health and safety, you should not rely primarily on historical fiction novels set in the Middle Ages with babies abandoned in monasteries.

Research for the win!

Edited May 12, 2022 by Terabith

[Melissa in Australia]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

 

My dad who was born during world war two was given soy milk as there wasn’t anything else available. 

My brother was given oat water, as in oats soaked in water then drained.  He was breastfed some. He was a sickly child.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Loowit said:

My grandmother was unable to breastfeed my mom and made her own formula with canned milk and Kayro syrup.  Mom survived it, but I am sure it wasn't the healthiest.

There is a recipe circulating that is probably what she used. I would contact a pediatrician first, but here it is (with a bunch of extraneous stuff at the bottom that looks like the recipe itself if you're just scanning). This reminds me of parenting classes on Call the Midwife where women chime in with what they've given their older kids when "scientific" formula comes up. Such a difficult situation!

[kbutton]

Warren County Ohio Formula trade Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/Lebanon-Formula-Trade-116239454402280/

 

[busymama7]

This is silly when compared to the formula crisis but I have only been able to get strawberry cream cheese once since December.  My kids like it on bagels better than plain so I haven't been buying bagels either.  

The formula shortage is making me wish I was still lactating because I was an over producer and I could pump for needy babies.  Alas my youngest is 7.

[Arcadia]

12 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

This is silly when compared to the formula crisis but I have only been able to get strawberry cream cheese once since December.  My kids like it on bagels better than plain so I haven't been buying bagels either.  

I rarely see the flavored Philadelphia cream cheese tubs except occasionally at Grocery Outlet. I think I only saw the strawberry flavored ones a few times since the pandemic started.

[mmasc]

10 hours ago, busymama7 said:

This is silly when compared to the formula crisis but I have only been able to get strawberry cream cheese once since December.  My kids like it on bagels better than plain so I haven't been buying bagels either.  

The formula shortage is making me wish I was still lactating because I was an over producer and I could pump for needy babies.  Alas my youngest is 7.

It’s always so strange what is available and what isn’t. My ds was tired of regular cream cheese and asked me to get something different, which had me scanning the whole section to see the flavors—my store was plenty stocked with them all—strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, etc.  When I read these threads I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes I could send what I can find to people who can’t get what they want or need. I remember a poster during the pandemic who desperately wanted/needed Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust mix and couldn’t find it. I always checked my store to see if we had it (we didn’t). But we do now, so I hope that poster has found it too!)
 

I haven’t bought these Ludens Melatonin Soothers in about a year, but I’ve been buying them for about 3 years and like having them on hand. Apparently, they’re nowhere to be found locally or online now, which makes me think they’ve been discontinued.😔 And I really liked them for traveling. I’ll have to figure out a good substitute now. 

[HomeAgain]

10 hours ago, kbutton said:

There is a recipe circulating that is probably what she used. I would contact a pediatrician first, but here it is (with a bunch of extraneous stuff at the bottom that looks like the recipe itself if you're just scanning). This reminds me of parenting classes on Call the Midwife where women chime in with what they've given their older kids when "scientific" formula comes up. Such a difficult situation!

 

If anyone remembers the Tightwad Gazette, there were recipes in there for baby formula.  It wasn't evaporated milk, though.  IIRC, it was tinned goat milk and Poly-vi-sol vitamin drops. 

I'm not advocating either of these, but if there's an absolute shortage of formula then someone medical needs to come up with a list of "safe-ish" stop gaps so kids aren't being fed willy nilly.

[Ausmumof3]

I did look today and the baby formula aisle looked pretty normal. Fuel prices are all over the place. Veges and fruit have stabilised. There was a lot of clearance things - I think because they’d been priced too high and then didn’t sell. I don’t know what impact that will have on producers in the long run though. If customers can’t afford what it costs to produce I guess they will fail?

[Carrie12345]

5 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

I'm not advocating either of these, but if there's an absolute shortage of formula then someone medical needs to come up with a list of "safe-ish" stop gaps so kids aren't being fed willy nilly.

Seriously! The idea that parents are being left to fly blind… ugh!

I struggled to bf kids 2 and 3, but made it to 11 months exclusively bfing #4.  #5 was hospitalized around 2.5 months with FTT due to the milk proteins in my diet. I worked so hard to clear my system, but kept getting accidentally “dosed”. (“Dairy-free” creamer, “additional flavorings”, all sorts of shouldn’t-be-there crap.) I’ve NEVER been able to pump adequately, and wasn’t able to maintain supply while trying to fix my diet. So we did prescription formula and I went back to eating cheese!  I highly doubt I would have been able to successfully relactate however long later.

The website for Neocate states “It is best to reach out to your healthcare provider to find a safe, nutritional alternative for your child’s unique needs. He/she may be able to recommend another hypoallergenic formula or put you in touch with a dietitian to come up with a modular formulation that is safe for your child.”

Enfamil’s website focuses more on making sure people know *their formula isn’t recalled. They don’t directly mention a shortage of their products, though if you click they’re all out of stock. There’s a quick “Check with your pediatrician for available samples or promotions, as well as alternatives to your current product.”

[historically accurate]

11 hours ago, busymama7 said:

 

The formula shortage is making me wish I was still lactating because I was an over producer and I could pump for needy babies.  Alas my youngest is 7.

Me, too. I could've fed twins, actually probably triplets, with the amount I could pump while breastfeeding. My youngest is 15 though, so I'm even farther out from it.

[mommyoffive]

whoever was looking for mason jars

Ball Mason Jars 12-Packs w/ Lids from $8.98 on Walmart.com | Great for Canning, Crafts & More (hip2save.com)

[stephanier.1765]

I'm vegan so there isn't a wide range of salad dressings I can buy off the shelf. A lot more than a few years ago, for sure, but still limited. Target has one they keep in the refrigerator section of their produce section that is both low in calorie and makes a great creamy southwest style dressing. I don't know how long it's been out of stock but I've been looking for it for over a month. They have a few of the other flavors of that brand in stock so I'm hoping this is just a glitch in the supply chain and not a permanent situation.

[Spryte]

We’ve been having trouble finding Original Rice Dream. Also some other allergy specific foods, but nothing we can’t live without.

[HomeAgain]

Well here's a new one: sea salt.

We use finely ground sea salt in cooking.  The shelf looked full, but on closer inspection it was all iodized.  The only sea salt they had was the coarse crystals.  If it comes to it, that's what we'll get.

Also, now that I think about it, there were no large containers of pepper, either.  Only the tiny ones.

[Arcadia]

17 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

Well here's a new one: sea salt.

We use finely ground sea salt in cooking.  The shelf looked full, but on closer inspection it was all iodized.  The only sea salt they had was the coarse crystals.  If it comes to it, that's what we'll get.

Also, now that I think about it, there were no large containers of pepper, either.  Only the tiny ones.

We use non-iodized salt. We usually find them at the baking aisle next to canning supplies or at the kosher aisle. Kosher salt isn’t iodized. We use a salt grinder so I don’t remember how fine the canning salt and kosher salt are.
 

I use a pepper grinder and buy the large containers of peppercorns. For finely ground pepper, the Asian Indian grocers have those in large packs.

[HomeAgain]

21 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

We use non-iodized salt. We usually find them at the baking aisle next to canning supplies or at the kosher aisle. Kosher salt isn’t iodized. We use a salt grinder so I don’t remember how fine the canning salt and kosher salt are.
 

I use a pepper grinder and buy the large containers of peppercorns. For finely ground pepper, the Asian Indian grocers have those in large packs.

That's exactly where I was looking. 🙂  We have a large section in the baking aisle with most spices/seasonings.  Others are in the "ethnic" aisle.  It was slim pickings.

Also, limes went up again.  I'm darn near sick of the price.  But I was able to get bok choy pretty cheap, so I guess it evens out. 

[Elfknitter.#]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

That's exactly where I was looking. 🙂  We have a large section in the baking aisle with most spices/seasonings.  Others are in the "ethnic" aisle.  It was slim pickings.

Also, limes went up again.  I'm darn near sick of the price.  But I was able to get bok choy pretty cheap, so I guess it evens out. 

I've found non-iodized sea salt at $0.99 Store in the past. Both fine and course.

[kbutton]

Trader Joe's has not had lasagna noodles for a while, and the overall pasta aisle looks really sad. I am GF and just buy what the kids or DH says, so I don't keep a firm tally, but it just looks...wrong/sparse.

[Arcadia]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:04 AM, rebcoola said:

Frozen potato products we can get some but it's crazy how bare the shelves are like maybe 10 bags total none at all of hashbrowns or tator tots.

The hashbrowns at grocery outlet near me are selling the Linden brand ones at 20 for $3.99. What we are short of seems extremely location specific. 

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

Trader Joe's has not had lasagna noodles for a while, and the overall pasta aisle looks really sad. I am GF and just buy what the kids or DH says, so I don't keep a firm tally, but it just looks...wrong/sparse.

Just went to Trader Joe’s and was surprised their spaghetti was still 99 cents. I still have lasagna noodles at home so didn’t check how their stock was. We usually buy spaghetti and capellini there. 

[mommyoffive]

just saw this

Baby Formula Available to Backorder on Bed, Bath & Beyond (hip2save.com)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I haven't found anything seriously out of stock.   Maybe I just buy odd things but if a place on the shelf is empty, I usually find it full or at least stocked with something a week or two later.  It depends on when they get deliveries for that item. 

[Farrar]

There were lots of articles about the formula thing this week. It sounds so horrible. My kids never did formula (in fact, at one point, at a playgroup, some mom asked dh to help her with some formula and dh got all flustered, lol - she had just assumed any dad of a toddler would know what to do but dh was so confused). But I just can't imagine the anxiety in not being able to find any.

[LifeLovePassion]

I was asked to check for formula for my cousins little one in my neck of the woods. No dice. I was told that they expect more on their next shipment in 3 to 4 days so I will check back. How stressful for parents of infants right now.

[73349]

I was in a grocery store today. Almost everything looked well stocked except the baby formula area, which was about 3/4 empty and had a limit of four products per customer.
It seems like a terrible time to be a parent of little ones. 😕

[Miss Tick]

36 minutes ago, 73349 said:

I was in a grocery store today. Almost everything looked well stocked

One thing I've noticed is that at Aldi, at least, they don't like empty shelf space, so the wheat crackers I want have been out forever, but although the shelf tag is still there the space is filled with overflow from Wheat Thins and Saltines. Same a few weeks ago when they didn't have any tomatoes there were A LOT of peppers on display.

Really sad about baby formula!