The WIC nutrition assessment is an especially important WIC service during the current infant formula supply shortage. VENA Guidance and its participant-centered, health outcome-based approach can help WIC staff identify potential nutrition risks, barriers, and solutions for infants who rely on formula, whether it be their only source of nutrition (i.e., fully formula-fed) or a part of it (i.e., they consume a combination of infant formula and breast milk, also referred to as combination feeding), including referrals.
Below are some assessment considerations, tools and resources that may help WIC staff as they work with parents and caretakers of babies who rely on infant formula.
Assessment Considerations
- What are the infant’s actual needs for formula?
- What are the current and potential impacts on the infant’s nutritional intake, nutritional needs, and feeding?
- What is the caregiver’s ability to mix formula appropriately and follow feeding recommendation from baby’s health care provider?
- What steps in the caregiver’s formula and preparation, storage, and cleaning process lend themselves to potential foodborne illness?
- What steps in the breastfeeding participant’s expression, storage, and thawing/use of breastmilk lend themselves to food safety concerns?
- What is the caregiver's feeding plan (i.e., human milk and formula, complementary foods)?
Identifying and Addressing WIC Nutrition Risks, Needs, and Barriers: Potential Springboard and Probing Questions and Resources
Questions related to safely preparing, handling, and storing formula and expressed breastmilk (Nutrition risk Inappropriate Nutrition Practices for Infants) |
Resources (note, this is not an exhaustive list) |
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USDA's Infant Formula Safety page featuring key messages, tips for finding infant formula, and safe and appropriate feeding alternatives HHS’s Information for Families During the Formula Shortage, including finding safe substitutes (available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Creole, and Navajo) FDA's Resources for Parents and Caregivers on Imported Infant Formula, including information on recognizing labels of imported formula products that may be available in some areas FAQs from FDA that include how to avoid buying counterfeit formulas |
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Powdered Infant Formula Preparation and Storage Infant Feeding: Tips for Food Safety, a job aid from the WLOL course, Feeding Infants: Nourishing Attitudes and Techniques Tips for preparing imported infant formula on FDA’s Infant Formula Supply page Infant Formula Safety Dos and Don'ts CDC’s Information for Families During the Infant Formula Shortage page, with the handout Feeding Your Baby During the Infant Formula Shortage that includes guidance for imported infant formula HHS's Information for Families During the Formula Shortage, including information about watering down formula, making formula at home, and using cow’s milk (available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Creole, and Navajo) |
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Questions related to consuming adequate breast milk and/or infant formula to meet energy and nutrient requirements (Nutrition risk Inappropriate Nutrition Practices for Infants) |
Resources |
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Infant Developmental Skills/Hunger and Satiety Cues, a job aid from the WLOL course, Feeding Infants: Nourishing Attitudes and Techniques WIC Breastfeeding Check-In Tool that includes Breastfeeding Reassurance Tips covering hunger and fullness cues |
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WIC Breastfeeding Check-In Tool that includes Breastfeeding Reassurance Tips, and a WIC Infant Formula Tailoring Calculator to help prescribe only the amount an infant needs |
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WIC Infant Formula Tailoring Calculator Breastfeeding Reassurance Tips covering growth patterns and spurts as well as cluster feeding |
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Infant Developmental Skills/Hunger and Satiety Cues, a job aid from the WLOL course, Feeding Infants: Nourishing Attitudes and Techniques WIC Breastfeeding Check-In Tool that includes Breastfeeding Reassurance Tips |
Additional Resources
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Baby Formula Shortage Social Media Toolkit (also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole).
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FAQs and the latest news on how the White House is Addressing the Infant Formula Shortage, such as updates on data and Operation Fly Formula.