Currently, WIC will only approve one specific specialty formula at a time. Due to the formula shortage, it is quite literally impossible for any parent to find their baby’s formula regularly at any store.

When parents go to the store & their baby’s brand of specialty formula is out of stock, they will still be lucky to find the store-brand of what they need. However, even if they can find the store-brand, they are in for hours of work getting it approved by WIC so that they will pay for it. The parent has to call their pediatrician to get the store-brand approved, then their pediatrician has to create a letter that they fax to the local WIC office. THEN the parent calls the WIC office to inform them that the letter has been faxed & to change it in their system. Once it has been changed, the parent can check out. Next time they find formula, if it’s not the same store-brand they had approved last time, they have to go through the same process again to be able to purchase whatever they are currently able to find. *Keep in mind that these parents are probably doing all this work to get only 1 can of formula.*

Personally, for me & my 5-month-old daughter, it has made getting her formula completely impossible. She needs a very specific formula because of health issues. But I am simply unable to sit at the grocery store for 2 hours with a 5-month-old while I make those phone calls. If I were to leave the store & handle all of that from home, the formula would be long gone by the time I got back. Therefore, I have been using Facebook groups to connect with strangers all over Omaha to pick up one sample can at a time. (FYI - a sample can lasts us about 24 hours).

My local WIC office told me that there is absolutely nothing they can do about it, which is true. The workers at the WIC offices need to be provided the tools to make it happen. It could be as simple as adding a check box (☑️) to the forms faxed from pediatricians saying that all store-brands of that specific baby’s formula are approved.

Something needs to be done because it is unacceptable that our babies are unable to get the food they need to be healthy! Please help support all parents & babies who depend on WIC to get their baby’s formula.