Saving money on baby formula

Baby #2 has been quite an adventure.  Plan A was to breastfeed and she took to that really well except she was a weak sucker.  Plan B was to pump exclusively for as long as possible and I was thinking like 10 months.  Then I got a clogged duct and it never would go away.  Then a comment on my blog by a very dear friend made a lot of good points so I decided to stop.  Oh I felt really guilty at first but in the end it has been nice.  My life revolved around pumping and even though it was only three times a day I thought about it constantly:  was I producing enough milk, I need to build my freezer stash, how long to pump, taking a break to pump at work, pumping as soon as I woke up, pumping last thing before bedtime and rotating through the frozen milk. Blah!

 

Since I quit pumping my pregnancy rash went away.  Yeah!!!  I have been able to get some decent sleep.  I don’t know if my hormones were all messed up but I could never get into deep sleep while I was pumping.  I never have to worry about leaking anymore.  On to Plan C which is using formula.  Luckily I had about 1000 oz of BM in the freezer so I have been doing half BM and half formula for the last month and it should take me to about the end of this year.

 

Olivia used Similac for the last 3 months and I remember it being really expensive considering I never had to pay for BM.  I did my research while pregnant and found the Target brand called Up and Up.  It got really great reviews and it is half the price of all the brand name formula.  I naturally assumed that Hazel would like Similac but I was wrong.  She prefers Enfamil which is exactly opposite of Olivia.  I used all my Enfamil samples and slowly incorporated Up and Up and she loves it.  The best part is I order it online and the shipping is free.  Target has a line that is similar to Similac or Enfamil, soy-based, partially hydrolyzed and rice.  I realize that some babies are extremely picky and can only tolerate a certain brand but I think it is worth a try.

 

Home Remedy for colds

Brand of children's drops I use for my kids.

 

Whenever Olivia gets sick which ranges from a fever to a running nose or cough, I always give her echinacea and goldenseal drops to help her immune system.  In my humble opinion, I think it really helps her recover from her colds faster and make her symptoms not as severe.

Home Remedy for a cough

When anyone in my family has a nagging cough at night, I always use vaporub or medicated chest rub on their feet and put on a pair of socks.  It works every time to relief the cough so they can sleep better.

I like to use home remedies before I have to turn to medication so I am constantly trying things out especially now that I have children.  I have shared this with family members, friends and coworkers and as crazy as it sounds it really works.

Happy and healthy living especially as we enter the cold and flu season.  Remember the best prevention is washing your hands with soap and warm water.  Lack of sleep, stress and poor eating habits also lower your immunity.