The baby still eats on a schedule the bayou doesn’t care about. Diapers don’t wait for HEB to restock.
After Harvey-style floods, the first open store gets picked clean. That’s real. So is the family behind you who also has a six-month-old.
Take what you’ll use. Ask the block chat who already has extra. Mix formula only with safe water.
Do this now
- Inventory what you have in hours, not vibes: diapers, wipes, formula, ready-to-feed if you have it.
- If a boil-water notice is on, don’t mix powdered formula with tap. Use ready-to-feed, bottled water you trust, or boiled-and-cooled water if you can boil.
- Text the neighborhood thread before you drive. Someone two streets over may already have extras.
- Call 211 or Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 for official supply points. Don’t chase a pin drop with no name.
- If you’re out and the baby is in trouble, that’s 911, not another store run.
How Houston restock actually happens
Big stores on higher ground open first. Neighborhood shops near bayous stay closed. Church parking lots and taco-truck aunties show up with cases of water and a card table of diapers. Houstonians often report the group chat found formula faster than the official list. Still verify the handoff. Don’t drink or mix with water from an unlabeled drum.
Don’t make the shortage worse
If you already have a week’s diapers, leave the last packs on the shelf. If you find a cache, take a reasonable share and tell the chat what’s left and where, with a real location, not “near the freeway.” Dumping a trunk of supplies on a wet corner and leaving creates a mess and a fight.
Breastfeeding, cows, and special formula
If you’re nursing and you’re the one who hasn’t eaten, that’s the supply problem. Eat. Drink clean water. If the baby is on a specialty formula, say that at every aid table. Regular powder is not a swap you invent at midnight. A pharmacist or the pediatric after-hours line beats a Facebook recipe.
Verify live. Status changes hourly. Confirm boil-water status with 311 or the utility before mixing formula. 211 and Red Cross 1-800-733-2767 for supply sites.