Frugal Baby Tips

It's been a little while since our four have been babies, but having four so close together, I found a few ways to cut costs.

Breast and Bottle Feeding

I admittedly was not a breastfeeding mother; however, I highly recommend it to those that can and are willing to do it.  It's the most natural way to give your baby all the nutrients he or she needs and, of course, you can't beat it in terms of cost effectiveness.  Purely on the frugal side, for many families pinching pennies and just starting out, breastfeeding is simply the most economical way to go.

If you are VERY strapped for money and just can't physically or mentally imagine breastfeeding, don't be too proud to look into WIC.  WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.  You can go to http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/ for more information on how to apply in your state.

For those of us that neither qualify for WIC or wish to breastfeed, you can start by taking advantage of doctors' samples.  They will generally load you up on your first baby visit, but don't be afraid to ask if any new sample are available during follow up check-ups.  They often have full size samples that are there just for babies like yours. 

Once you do have to go into the store and purchase formula,  there are some very good store brands that have been around for years, such as Wal-Mart's Parent's Choice. Kroger and Target also have reputable store brands and Carnation Good Start is also more econimical than other brands.  Remember that all  infant formula  sold in the United States must meet the minimum nutritional requirements of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the 'Infant Formula Act') and FDA regulations. 

On my own personal note, we primarily fed all our children Parent's Choice, and we have had all extremely healthy children.  We rarely visited the doctor due to illness and never for such things such as infant ear infections or allergies.

If you are determined to use Similac or Enfamil, there are a number of places online that you can find coupons for these products.  Just do a google search for "Similac Coupons", for instance, and you'll be presented with an array of sites to help you out.  Many of these, too, will have printable coupons.  Remember not using a coupon is like throwing away money.

Frugal Baby Tips Page 2

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