Cheaper baby milk

ashellis

Hi there, first post so please be gentle!!
Big Grin

I went recently to my local health centre to get my baby weighed ( the clinic where they do all the health checks and weigh in's) and noticed they had baby milk for sale. I asked how much it was and it is 1.60p cheaper than in tescos etc.

You have to show proof that you are on any benefit to get the milk cheaper, this includes the Child Tax Credit/Income Support etc, all you do is show them the letter saying you are getting the credit/benefit.

The clinic i go to is West Ham Health Centre, Stratford, sorry but i do not know if this is nationwide, but it is worth asking if you go, as all the price lists mine had up were for the same price as the shops, and they do not advertise the fact you can get it cheaper if you show your letter.

You are allowed to have one can of baby formula a week, but you can take a months's supply at one go.

Hope this is of help to someone, as 1.60p is quite alot when you are using a can a week!!

jellyhead

hi, good post :-)

but everyone earning less than 50 grand a year gets child tax credit? do you have to be on working tax credit? i'll try breastfeeding first (that's even cheaper lol!) but if it doesn't happen then the clinic may be worth a visit :-)

Frances_O

Hi! Welcome!!!!
Congrats on ur first post!
It IS a nationwide thing as far as I know. I know they do it here, and I'm in Norwich. I think here though, iff you're on any benefits, you just talk to your health visitor, and they give you vouchers?? I may be wrong, buts that's how I think they work it here, but may be different in other areas. Either way, talk to the health visitor and they'll point you in the right direction.
xx

Frances_O

This is slightly different, cos the milk's completely free, and you get cows milk for yourself if you're pregnant or breastfeeding too...
You can find out all the details HERE...
Fran
x

jellyhead

first time i was pregnant i went onto income support when i gave up work due to illness. i got milk tokens, each week the token covered 7 pints of milk and you can even give them to the milkman and have a pint delivered each morning. shops will make you buy the whole 7 pints in one go. when you have your baby you can use your milk token to get a tin of baby milk for free instead of your 7 pints of cows milk for yourself, or if you breastfeed you can carry on using it for milk for yourself. you keep getting them until your child is 5 i think, so once they're off the baby milk you can go back to having cows milk. my clinic wouldn't let you have baby milk if your child wasn't under a year old, they thought you were selling the baby milk at a profit as it's worth more than cow's milk (it happens) so if you're not having your baby weighed at the clinic it's worth taking their book just in case you need to prove their age.

i think it's only for people in income support. i remember last time you could buy it cheap if you were on family credit, i think working tax credit is today's equivalent of that. all i get is child tax credit so i probably can't get cheap milk. i remember hardly anyone knew about it at the time, i told lots of people who were on family credit and they didn't know about the cheap milk.

good first post :-)

Spendless

I used to buy SMA at the baby clinic when son was born - nearly 5 years ago. It was £1 a tin cheaper than the supermarkets.

When daughter was born nearly 2 years ago SMA was only 2p cheaper than the supermarkets.

Other milk was still several pounds cheaper than the supermarkets though, especially Milumil/Aptamil.

You didn't need to be on benefits to buy the milk at these prices (I'm not on benefirs) but you could only buy 2 tins at a time.

Worth checking with your midwife/HV to see what is available in your area.