Disasters happen regularly — and Haiti’s earthquake is just the most recent, visible, very sad reminder of this fact. We all want to help when disasters happen but unfortunately (as every new mother knows!) the wrong kinds of help can be way worse than no help at all. Maybe we’re starting to learn what the right kinds of disaster aid are, though. This New York Times article summarizes resources about the right kinds of aid and includes this comment about infant feeding during disasters:

Ms. Shaikh gets particularly worked up about misguided donations of baby formula. “A woman who is breast-feeding is given a can of formula when clean water to mix it is unavailable and her baby needs the support of her immune system more than ever,” Ms. Shaikh said “Baby formula,” she said firmly, “does nothing for babies in the middle of a disaster and can even be fatal.”