Tlex
Ruby
Posts: 22,759 Likes: 154,991
|
Post by Tlex on Apr 12, 2021 18:04:46 GMT -6
Thanks everyone. I feel really good about our decision to formula feed. The thought of trying to breastfeed or pump again just sounds exhausting. It’s definitely going to be the right choice for this baby. Need to update my bottles and get some more accessories. I’ll start looking into formulas and see what the pediatrician/hospital plans to give us. Mostly I think I need to just release and accept that I’ll have to kind of figure it out once she gets here. And pray that’s she takes the easiest/cheapest formula possible. If you are a Costco member they have an excellent return policy and every 3 months their formula goes on sale $5/off. I would stock up on these sales and prayed DS would take it. It was a bumpy transition for him but we got there and I saved a couple hundred on formula this way.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2021 18:05:17 GMT -6
Thanks everyone. I feel really good about our decision to formula feed. The thought of trying to breastfeed or pump again just sounds exhausting. It’s definitely going to be the right choice for this baby. Need to update my bottles and get some more accessories. I’ll start looking into formulas and see what the pediatrician/hospital plans to give us. Mostly I think I need to just release and accept that I’ll have to kind of figure it out once she gets here. And pray that’s she takes the easiest/cheapest formula possible. Mine took whatever I gave her. And loved walmart 99 cent bottles I wish cheap easy eater on you as well
|
|
|
Post by icedcoffee on Apr 12, 2021 18:09:37 GMT -6
Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out about my nutramigen comment (if I did). I just didn't want you to make the same mistake I did. I thought I was going to get ahead by stock piling formula the 3rd time, and it backfired. My grocery store wouldn't take formula returns after purchased. So we basically ate most of that money plus had to buy the other formula.
At least maybe double check return policy first if you do!
|
|
McBenny
Unicorn
#sickomode
Posts: 52,182 Likes: 296,671
|
Post by McBenny on Apr 12, 2021 18:09:54 GMT -6
I did ready to feed from hospital at room temp.
Then at home i put the water in the bottles ahead of time and only mixed when it was time. Again all room temp.
No heating and no worry about cooling. 🤷🏻♀️
|
|
|
Post by Carmichael on Apr 12, 2021 18:11:29 GMT -6
We started with the ready to feed Enfamil that they provided at the hospital and then moved to powder around a month I think. We ended up on Similac Alimentum because she was having such bad gas issues. The Baby Brezza is the best thing ever and I recommend it to all my friends. I will say, I had bought a whole bunch of 2 different bottles, washed them and put them away ready to use. Except she wasn’t taking them and we had to switch, so don’t be me. That was an expensive mistake. Just buy a couple and see if they work.
|
|
|
Post by robotsvswrestlers on Apr 12, 2021 18:15:33 GMT -6
Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out about my nutramigen comment (if I did). I just didn't want you to make the same mistake I did. I thought I was going to get ahead by stock piling formula the 3rd time, and it backfired. My grocery store wouldn't take formula returns after purchased. So we basically ate most of that money plus had to buy the other formula. At least maybe double check return policy first if you do! You definitely didn’t. I’m very lucky that financially I am able to take my time finding out what formula I’ll need. It’s mostly just the potential stress of watching your baby be unhappy until you find the right one. And dealing with a gassy baby is horrible.
|
|
|
Post by icedcoffee on Apr 12, 2021 18:19:02 GMT -6
Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out about my nutramigen comment (if I did). I just didn't want you to make the same mistake I did. I thought I was going to get ahead by stock piling formula the 3rd time, and it backfired. My grocery store wouldn't take formula returns after purchased. So we basically ate most of that money plus had to buy the other formula. At least maybe double check return policy first if you do! You definitely didn’t. I’m very lucky that financially I am able to take my time finding out what formula I’ll need. It’s mostly just the potential stress of watching your baby be unhappy until you find the right one. And dealing with a gassy baby is horrible. I forgot about the formula samples until someone here mentioned it upthread. I got those too and it came in handy when we were having to change up her formula! The nutramigen was basically our last try and the one that worked, but I dont think they had samples of that but our peds office gave us one to try.
|
|
|
Post by AnnPerkins on Apr 12, 2021 18:27:35 GMT -6
Pro-Tip: Apparently the nurse will get mad at you if you let your baby down a full 2oz premade bottle only an hour or two after birth. BUT SHE'S THE ONE WHO WANTED IT AND WAS TOTALLY COOL AFTER. MY KID JUST LIKES FOOD. Other than that, I highly encourage getting them used to room temp or cold bottles. To reduce the amount of time I had to get out of bed at night, I would fill bottles with the amount of water I would need to mix with the powder. I had a little travel formula dispenser that I would measure the powder into and just dump that into each bottle as needed. I set them on the side table until morning. Oh I had a bitch pedi tell me I was “over feeding” her even though she was happy and content. And gave me a schedule, after I stopped sobbing. So I starved my baby the first night home until DH called my mom, who came over at 3 am, fed her, and said - and I quote - “fuck that bitch, if I ever see her she’ll be sorry.” My mom thinks crap is a bad word btw. From then on, I fed her when she needed it. Which was like, all the time lol. Kid never dropped birth weight and hasn’t been lower than 99th percentile. It’s been almost 10 yrs I’m totally over it. ::: grrrrrrr :::: Your mom is a smart lady. DD2 had gained several ounces by the time we left the hospital. The nurse practitioner who checked in on us before discharge was aghast, she'd never seen a baby gain weight like that after birth. My other two barely ate and I definitely don't still have residual anxiety about nursing and pumping. Hence the third one getting formula right out the gate.
|
|
willow
Ruby
Posts: 19,605 Likes: 125,119
|
Post by willow on Apr 12, 2021 18:28:24 GMT -6
I have not read but I have EFF. I did the ready made bottles for the first couple of weeks while they were still taking under 2 oz.
We have the baby brezza and it’s the best thing since sliced bread for me, haha.
|
|
willow
Ruby
Posts: 19,605 Likes: 125,119
|
Post by willow on Apr 12, 2021 18:46:32 GMT -6
Thanks everyone. I feel really good about our decision to formula feed. The thought of trying to breastfeed or pump again just sounds exhausting. It’s definitely going to be the right choice for this baby. Need to update my bottles and get some more accessories. I’ll start looking into formulas and see what the pediatrician/hospital plans to give us. Mostly I think I need to just release and accept that I’ll have to kind of figure it out once she gets here. And pray that’s she takes the easiest/cheapest formula possible. If you are a Costco member they have an excellent return policy and every 3 months their formula goes on sale $5/off. I would stock up on these sales and prayed DS would take it. It was a bumpy transition for him but we got there and I saved a couple hundred on formula this way. I did that too this time. I had a stock pile of formula built up because I knew I could return it all if they didn’t take it. But Kirkland Signature is similar to similac so I used that brands ready to feed first. It has saved me a lot of money with the twins for sure.
|
|
willow
Ruby
Posts: 19,605 Likes: 125,119
|
Post by willow on Apr 12, 2021 18:49:50 GMT -6
Oh yeah I bought the baby brezza steam cleaner too. A luxury purchase for sure but so worth it.
|
|
KMW08
Silver
Posts: 458 Likes: 1,196
|
Post by KMW08 on Apr 12, 2021 19:09:02 GMT -6
I EFF 6 years ago and currently with this one (she’s 7wks). My 1st did the best on Gerber Soothe. I’d do target deals (buy 3 or spend $75/$100 on select formula/diapers for a target gift card that’d I’d save for the next round of deals to stockpile) and coupons to bring the price down.
So for this one I found a small grocery store going out of business and bought all the Gerber they had at half price. So far she’s doing great and is way less fussy than my 1st. My plan is to use it all then try the generic brand since she doesn’t seem to be as sensitive as he was.
I also 2nd the cheap Walmart bottles, so far it’s what both of my kids have liked the best.
I did the pre-mixed similac bottles in the hospital and went straight to the Gerber formula when we got home. I also kept the rings & nipples from the hospital bottles, I’m glad I did - they’re slower flow and don’t choke her up.
I make 4-5 bottles for night time/first thing in the morning. I do warn them, but only for 15-20 seconds, just to take the chill off.
|
|
Pistol
Diamond
Posts: 28,064 Likes: 62,420
|
Post by Pistol on Apr 12, 2021 19:47:04 GMT -6
Pro-Tip: Apparently the nurse will get mad at you if you let your baby down a full 2oz premade bottle only an hour or two after birth. BUT SHE'S THE ONE WHO WANTED IT AND WAS TOTALLY COOL AFTER. MY KID JUST LIKES FOOD. Other than that, I highly encourage getting them used to room temp or cold bottles. To reduce the amount of time I had to get out of bed at night, I would fill bottles with the amount of water I would need to mix with the powder. I had a little travel formula dispenser that I would measure the powder into and just dump that into each bottle as needed. I set them on the side table until morning. Oh. I had a nurse tell me I was wrong when I said I was 100% sucked dry and that the kid was still hungry. She tried to milk me and got nada. So she tried to soothe him. No dice. So she grabbed a premix bottle and the kid ate the whole thing. I think she was more impressed than anything. My kids also loved food. R was switched at 6 weeks to EFF and I did the pitcher in the fridge because he needed the least amount of air bubble possible with his reflux. Thankfully he took cold bottles just fine. I even had a bottle cooler that hooked onto the diaper bag to take bottles with me when we were out and about.
|
|
Pistol
Diamond
Posts: 28,064 Likes: 62,420
|
Post by Pistol on Apr 12, 2021 19:52:21 GMT -6
Thanks everyone. I feel really good about our decision to formula feed. The thought of trying to breastfeed or pump again just sounds exhausting. It’s definitely going to be the right choice for this baby. Need to update my bottles and get some more accessories. I’ll start looking into formulas and see what the pediatrician/hospital plans to give us. Mostly I think I need to just release and accept that I’ll have to kind of figure it out once she gets here. And pray that’s she takes the easiest/cheapest formula possible. Also, check with your health insurance. My insurance may be a unicorn but it doesn't hurt to call. I (in my totally *non hormonal* state 🤣) got a little cranky about the cost of formula (R needed hypoallergenic formula which was $30/can on a good day) and said well if my kid has to have this formula then it's a medical necessity and insurance should cover it. H jokingly told me to call the insurance company and tell them that. So I called and as soon as I started talking about formula, the woman was like umm what kind do you need we cover *proceeds to list off every formula I had ever heard of* as long as your Dr will write you a script for it. So I called the Dr and she was shocked but happily wrote him a script for it and the insurance delivered it to my door. 10 cans to a box for like $5. Doesn't hurt to ask! Worst they can do is say no!
|
|
|
Post by Wtfshouldmynamebe on Apr 12, 2021 20:21:15 GMT -6
We started with premade and when we ran out of the freebies I just filled up 2 of those travel powdered formula dispensers with the right amount of formula. At night I would prefill the anticipated number of bottles with the right amount of water so there was no thinking involved at 2 am. We did this too. I really recommend trying to stick with room temp water. It makes it so much easier to feed when out and about.
|
|
|
Post by GhoatMonket on Apr 12, 2021 21:35:29 GMT -6
We started with premade and when we ran out of the freebies I just filled up 2 of those travel powdered formula dispensers with the right amount of formula. At night I would prefill the anticipated number of bottles with the right amount of water so there was no thinking involved at 2 am. We did this too. I really recommend trying to stick with room temp water. It makes it so much easier to feed when out and about. We did this too. If they hand out the little 2.7oz Medela bottles for pumping at the hospital- hoard those. They will hold powder for up to 6 oz. We'd fill some for 2 and 4 oz at the start and have water in bottles (room temp). We put the powder by the bottle it went with so there was no 2am thinking necessary. Dump, shake, feed. Easier to transport than the formula containers, won't spill, and easier to dump into the bottle.
|
|
jnetx
Amethyst
Posts: 5,774 Likes: 12,965
|
Post by jnetx on Apr 13, 2021 6:38:43 GMT -6
My baby never would take a cold bottle (and he needed RTF so it was always cold cold unless I had just opened a new bottle). I used my mini crockpot with a few inches of water as a bottlewarmer. My H would plug it in when he woke up first thing in the morning and we just left it plugged in on low all day (we were always home...this was last spring/summer). It was a quick and easy and didn't cost me extra money. Might be something to try before you break out the brezza.
Also, if you need to warm bottles while out, fill a yeti/to go coffee thermos with hot water. If I knew it would be a while before I needed the bottle, I'd put the yeti in an empty cooler bag for extra insulation to keep it warm. I even used one of those little gel packs that can be an ice pack or warmed up in the microwave a few times. If the yeti is too small to fit the bottle, just bring a large plastic cup a dump the water into the cup and pop the bottle in when you are ready to feed it. Not as easy as feeding room temp water, but being able to leave the house comfortably was essential to my sanity. Bringing the cooler with a cold bottle plus the warming stuff was annoying, but much better than never leaving the house.
|
|
fb
Platinum
Posts: 2,082 Likes: 11,943
|
Post by fb on Apr 13, 2021 6:45:40 GMT -6
With my first I tried to BF first which was a disaster and ended up switching around 1 week. She had MSPI and so we went through 392408238 formulas and ended up with Alimentum for 6 months and then switching to Similac Sensitive (or the Up+Up version of it) for the remainder. She liked cold bottles so I would make a 32 oz Nalgene in the morning and feed her from that throughout the day.
With my second, I went EFF and used the pre-made the hospital gave us and then bought more of those for the first few weeks. Fed at room temp. Once he was a bit bigger, we had a Brezza at home, at my parents, and at daycare cause that baby is life. He always preferred room temp so on the go was easy too. He was able to take regular Similac (we used Up+Up version) which was a steal compared to what we used with my first.
|
|
Pistol
Diamond
Posts: 28,064 Likes: 62,420
|
Post by Pistol on Apr 13, 2021 6:55:00 GMT -6
With my first I tried to BF first which was a disaster and ended up switching around 1 week. She had MSPI and so we went through 392408238 formulas and ended up with Alimentum for 6 months and then switching to Similac Sensitive (or the Up+Up version of it) for the remainder. She liked cold bottles so I would make a 32 oz Nalgene in the morning and feed her from that throughout the day. With my second, I went EFF and used the pre-made the hospital gave us and then bought more of those for the first few weeks. Fed at room temp. Once he was a bit bigger, we had a Brezza at home, at my parents, and at daycare cause that baby is life. He always preferred room temp so on the go was easy too. He was able to take regular Similac (we used Up+Up version) which was a steal compared to what we used with my first. Alimentum is what R needed too. It's so damned expensive
|
|
|
Post by lunarscallion on Apr 13, 2021 8:09:29 GMT -6
Both of mine were/are FF. The Dr. Brown’s formula pitcher is so easy my 3 year old can do most of the steps himself. Dr. Brown’s also makes dishwasher caddies for the bottles that has spots for all the components which was worth the money to not have to hand clean all those parts. The only time we used those premade 2oz bottles was for the long plane ride home. My son stayed on the formula the NICU had him on based on some info disclosed by his birth mom. It was expensive and hard to find. My daughter had no concerns so we transitioned her to Costco formula once we got home and it was no problem. We used this bottle cooler both times because my kids never minded cool bottles. I put the travel caps on the Dr. Brown’s so they won’t spill and clipped the cooler to the stroller or my diaper bag. When we were in the nighttime feed phase, I’d have the nighttime bottle ready to go in this bag on my nightstand so I didn’t have to go downstairs. www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQ4ESWM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_VQX2WW3YR58DJPZQVMFQ
|
|
|
Post by Rusty Red on Apr 13, 2021 12:10:44 GMT -6
I was also in the ready to feed is too rich for my wallet camp, but we did use the stash the hospital gave us. Switched to the store version of Similac after that, baby formula is all highly regulated so you can save a lot of money that way. We had to do Alimentum for a while because of reflux issues (God, that stuff smelled gross when he spit up) but then went back.
I tried doing the pitcher for a while but decided I preferred to just mix the bottles when they were needed and heat them in hot water.
|
|
|
Post by angelashly on Apr 13, 2021 12:14:07 GMT -6
I didn't use the ready to feed because it was way more expensive. But, didn't have older kids to take care of as well. We filled bottles with water for overnight feeds and mixed them as needed. Target brand formula was cheaper and he did well on it Same for both kids. Love the up and up formula. This is what DD used too. It worked because I provided for Daycare too so they didn't break the bank
|
|
wedding
Emerald
Posts: 14,190 Likes: 77,039
|
Post by wedding on Apr 13, 2021 19:18:02 GMT -6
I had to supplement the first couple of months and then full formula. I kept a few of those premades in my bag, which saved my butt a couple of times. Mostly I mixed in the Dr Browns pitcher at night and poured bottles as needed the next day. Served cold. We started with Enfamil but he had gas problems and ended up using Gerber Good Start.
|
|