Question from a first time mom-to-be.

mrsjohnson706 · November 2010

Hi Ladies! I figured ya'll would be able to answer this question best.

I have about $70 in coupons for Enfamil formula - it seems they're coming daily! They expire at the end of February/beg. of March though, and I'm not due until mid-April. I plan to breastfeed, so I'm not really sure what to do. Should I wait until just before they expire and stock up then? Is there one kind I should get that might be better if the baby has a sensitive tummy, etc.? I just hate for the coupons to go to waste if I could in fact use the formula.

Thanks!

SarahC720 · November 2010

If you truly want to EBF, I wouldn't get any formula, never mind "stock up." Breastfeeding is hard in the beginning and if I had formula lying around my house I probably would have been tempted to use it. If breastfeeding turns out to not be your thing or not work out, you can send your DH to the store. Coupons come all the time.

DietMeister · November 2010

I thought we would be breastfeeding exclusively but ended up having to supplement due to my daughter not getting back to her birth weight yet. The hospital and pediatrician gave us some Similac pre-mixed formula but we just purchased more formula to have on hand. You never know what may happen so if you can have a can or two on hand just in case, it probably isn't a bad idea. I would just make sure to get the newborn formula, but other than that I am not too familiar with Enfamil.

mkeatts · November 2010

We had to supplement a bit when we first got home from the hospital, so it was useful for us to buy it. We had to use Enfamil Gentlease because her tummy is very sensitive. The hospital gave us a bunch of powder formula though, but we liked the premade formula better. IMO, it is useful to have some formula around in case you need to leave to deal with an emergency and your LO has to stay with someone.

However, we didn't buy any formula until after LO was here and we learned that we would need it and what would work for her. Trust me, you'll get plenty more formula checks after LO gets here. I get them in the mail all the time.

Hendrixs Mommy · November 2010

Hello! an answer from a first time mommy-- I was the same way. It's great to use them but I found that Hendrix only likes 2 kinds and NOT the kind I thought he would. Don't go spending a lot of money on it until you know what baby likes or can handle. You can always give them away to people you know or homeless/battered women shelters... Good luck, mommy!!!

mrsjohnson706 · November 2010

Thanks ladies! Can someone else use the coupons even though they have my name on them? If so, I'll just take them to the women's shelter.

grnshdw · November 2010

Hendrixs Mommy:
Hello! an answer from a first time mommy-- I was the same way. It's great to use them but I found that Hendrix only likes 2 kinds and NOT the kind I thought he would. Don't go spending a lot of money on it until you know what baby likes or can handle. You can always give them away to people you know or homeless/battered women shelters... Good luck, mommy!!!

What a great suggestion- I had never thought of that!!

StefB28 · November 2010

In addition to coupons, I got about 8 cans of formula as samples from Similac and Enfamil, so there was no need to buy any. Also, the hospital gave us formula samples. We brought them home and boxed them up-- I don't see any problem with wanting to have some on hand just in case, BUT I would make sure that they're not easily accessible, so that you have to think about whether you really want to give it to LO when you are going through a difficult time. It's tempting-- and while there's nothing wrong with giving your baby formula, you'll want to make sure it's what you really want-- not something that you do in a moment of weakness that you'll feel bad about later.

I gave away my coupons to ladies on The Bump and donated the formula cans to a shelter once I was sure we were on the right track breastfeeding.

mlc92404 · November 2010

I wouldn't stock up. There's a chance your LO wont like Enfamil. Also, if you get the specialty kinds (sensitive stomach, soy etc) and LO doesnt need either of those they can be harder on their system. At the same time if you get the regular and they have issues then they may need the specialty. There is just no way to know until you are actually FF

wifeandmama · November 2010

If you want to EBF, do not have formula in the house.

Soter1 · November 2010

wifeandmama:
If you want to EBF, do not have formula in the house.

this!!! It just calls your name after 4 hrs of cluster feeding!

jkkg317 · November 2010

I kept the free samples around just in case something happened. Once I left and didn't leave enough behind, another time I had eaten something to spicy and he was so hungry I had my mom give him some formula and he sucked it down really fast and after I pumped that batch out I dumped it and he ate fine.

mrsjohnson706 · November 2010

Soter1:
wifeandmama:
If you want to EBF, do not have formula in the house.
this!!! It just calls your name after 4 hrs of cluster feeding!

Oh man...do I want to know what "cluster feeding" is? Stick out tongue Stop scaring me...I'm off to google!

wifeandmama · November 2010

mrsjohnson706:
Soter1:
wifeandmama:
If you want to EBF, do not have formula in the house.
this!!! It just calls your name after 4 hrs of cluster feeding!
Oh man...do I want to know what "cluster feeding" is? Stop scaring me...I'm off to google!

If you are prepared, you will be fine. It's just when a newborn wants to feed for hours with little to no breaks... what saves your sanity is some handy snacks, water, a comfy spot on the couch with good tv to watch, and a glass of wine sometimes!!

Acendaneil · November 2010

I would buy the formula just before the coupons expire. If you do end up needing the formula, it's okay. If not and you're able to breastfeed how you like, then I'm sure someone you know (or someone you know may know someone else) could use the formula.

JuliaBug · November 2010

rochella:
I don't know about you all, but at the end of my third trimester Similac straight up sent me a huge box of free formula. I threw away all the coupons since I was planning to EBF, but no way was I going to throw away the formula itself.
DH has it in the trunk of the car - so if it truly is an emergency, we can use it, but it's not just lying around the house waiting to tempt us like ice cream in the freezer. I got a very small amount of formula from the hospital when I was discharged, and I gave those to MIL and my mom in case there's an emergency THERE.
I would hate for there to be a situation in which LO might go hungry, so I'm glad I kept the formula... but no need to keep the coupons.

FYI, we have not used any formula yet!

I also received a huge sample box just after LO was born. I am EBF but I kept the formula just in case. I would not have bought any if they hadn't sent me the sample and I probably won't use it anyway since BFing is going pretty well for me.

joolz425 · November 2010

I guess formula company is doing its job.

Want a personalized experience?

Question from a first time mom-to-be.

Re: Question from a first time mom-to-be.

Choose Another Board

Search Boards