Formula Milk

skintchick

*hears can of worms opening*

katskorner

If you can carry on breast feeding then that would be best for her and that is free - there is no need to wean her yet - you can start weaning her on to food from about 17 weeks onwards (ok yeah the guidelines say 26 weeks - mine were 17, 18 and 19 weeks respectively) and then you could still breastfeed. you can't get discount on first milk and tbh it doesn't happen often on post 6 mth and upwards milk - my son is 15mths and the last toddler milk pack was £7 - I just don't want to move to cows milk yet.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

There just isn't a way to save much on formula - thanks to practices which resulted in far too many women in impoverished countries abandoning breastfeeding (believing that they were doing the right thing) in favour of formula at the expense of their babies' health.

Only thing I can suggest is making up small 4oz bottles, so less is wasted, especially as your LO is used to being able to take it or leave it as she pleases, as it were, so less is tipped down the sink if she decides she's not that hungry yet.

Fitzio

The last time I checked, Costco were selling SMA Gold a bit cheaper than the shops, but in general the price is the same across the main supermarkets. I don't think there is really any way to save money other than trying Costco or another cash and carry.

Weaning is not recommended before 17 weeks, but you have other children so probably know that anyway.

ailuro2

I thought weaning wasn't recommended till 6 months these days....by weaning I mean swopping over to food from exclusively milk.

OP, I fed my DD myself till she was 9 months, I went through sitting expressing milk in my breaktimes at work. Not easy, but it was free!

I would still have woken up to feed her if she'd been on formula as it was programmed in by then , so I'd never have slept through while DH got up to give her a bottle.

I also found b/f saved a lot of time washing and sterilising bottles.

If you're feeding successfully I really would stick with it if you can, it really is so much easier than bottle feeding. Remember you have to buy all the bottles too, and replace the teats regularly too on top of buying the formula.

I know I've heard that Grannies can put a bit of pressure on as they bottle fed and want another shot of helping with the baby - well they could have all the cuddles they wanted but they just wouldn't be giving any bottles out in my case.:p

Look at the savings you will make and consider whether it's worth it or not, you didn't say why you'd decided to stop b/f. Apologies if there's an important reason for it.:o

[Deleted User]

Our son is allergic to dairy so he can't have normal forumla.. instead we get it prescribed for free! How's that for money saving?

(it is quite annoying though trying to feed a 10 month old who can't eat dairy, eggs, tomatoes and apples)

narabanekeater

Ringo im in the same situation with reflux on eye issues on top. Id give anything to be able to go and buy a tin of formula. I have a badge now for my son to wear at parties and gatherings that says please do not feed me. Someone once gave him trifle!

[Deleted User]

narabanekeater wrote: »

Ringo im in the same situation with reflux on eye issues on top. Id give anything to be able to go and buy a tin of formula. I have a badge now for my son to wear at parties and gatherings that says please do not feed me. Someone once gave him trifle!

As a tip, have you tried swaddling him, sleeping at an angle? Our lad is now 10 months and barely suffers any reflux symptoms because of his diet

pinkclouds

Evansangel wrote: »

I think Aptamil is the most expensive one though. But i chose it as SMA is yellowish and smells yeasty and made her sick. Also Aptamil is meant to be closest to Breast Milk i hear

I've heard this many times from various people - to the extent that it would be my preferred option if I needed to use it! Anyone know for sure if it's true or just an urban myth? Or does everyone go "it's the most expensive so it must be the best"?

renowen - the other way to look at it, as I'm sure you're aware, is it's only a short period of time until baby reaches 12 months old and then a few spoonfuls of whatever you're eating is just pennies (as opposed to pounds for formula milk).

I've thought of something else. The really big expense is actually nappies as opposed to food. Maybe trying to potty train early might bring the kind of cost savings you're looking for? (Easier to recommend than implement, I know! lol)

foreversomeday

Aptamil is not closest to breastmilk - no one formula is better than another and none of them are closer to breast milk. Aptamil is priced higher, the packaging is less "fluffy" and more "scientific" and even the adverts mention breastfeeding, but it's all marketing. Different formulas will affect different babies in different ways anyway which is why you find people saying "SMA made my child constipated" etc. Oh and aptamil is marketed heavily (or at the very least, used to be) at health professionals, so health visitors, midwives etc often recommend it despite them supposed to be being impartial.

When choosing a brand of formula I would go for the one which is cheapest OR most easily available (ie they sell it in your local corner shop) depending on how organised you are! Then if it doesn't agree with your baby, try the next cheapest/next most easily available. Or you may want to look at e.g. Hipp Organic which has fewer added ingredients like prebiotics.

(I assume you mean weaning from breastmilk BTW rather than weaning onto solids, because as other posters have pointed out it's way too early to be thinking about solids yet. But since you mentioned formula I assume you meant that!)

FWIW I don't think formula is that expensive - who else in your family can you feed for a whole week on £8? But they do sell it for much more than it costs to make!