Moms with kids in Diapers and Formula

**qtkitty** · 05-19-2008, 04:20 AM

Keep an eye on your local newspaper for yard sales... often churches have consignement sales for childrens clothing you can find some new clothes for great prices there. Also talk to friends and family members often times they have gotten clothes through what ever means and have never even pulled off the tags. Also look at thrift stores. Babies go through clothes so fast that it isn't really worth it to spend a lot on all of their clothes.. maybe get one nice outfit in each size.

I am currently cloth diapering my baby... you can buy nice top end one size diapers like BumGenious or happy Hineys and save a lot of money .. although there is high initial investment.. best thing if you care for them properly they can be sold or used on another baby.

My little one is 7 weeks old and is in 3-6 mo or 6-9 mo old clothes depending on the clothes she started out in newborn. She is eating over 30 oz a day of formula her formula cans make 88oz so we will be using 11 plus cans of formula this month. We have wic so 9 cans are paid for but to keep her on the same formula so she doesn't get switched around we will be paying $13 a can. I still am trying to get my milk supply up so i can breastfeed her soley but it hasn't happened so far. I started her on a little rice cereal here yesterday and she slept sooooo sound and well. Each baby is different though so it will be different.

OH BTW my mom is a science teacher and she has taken apart quite a few different diapers because the "gel" is the same stuff they use to make that fake wet snow stuff they have out.. which they use to talk about osmosis i believe .. Anyways.. she says that interestingly enough a lot of the off brands have more gel in them then the name brands. The Parent Choice from walmart is a good brand and cheap too.

**mickee311** · 05-19-2008, 02:27 PM

I breastfeed and cloth diaper my LO. Feeding is free and CD costs a bit at the beginning but pays for itself when you figure they use them till they PL and you can use them with future babes.

**Emjo** · 05-20-2008, 03:30 PM

Breastfeeding didn't work out for us, so I used Enfalac (it's now Enfamil I think). Two years ago that cost us about $60 a month. I also cloth diapered during the day and only used a disposable at night and on outings until recently, which really cut down on costs. Now we're in disposables exclusively (my toddler outgrew his cloth diapers) and we're spending about $30 a month. Really young babies go through more diapers though.

**itlw8** · 05-21-2008, 11:48 AM

If you can breast feed it will be HUGE savings and great for the baby

If not do check into the store brands of formula Ask your doctor they are equal in quality to the name brands... Enfamil runs $24 for the large can and Parents Choice from walmart runs $11.88 and it comes in many different kinds

Cloth diapers are cheaper and better for the earth that diaper will still be in the landfill for more than 30 years. or cloth for day and disposable at night.

The days of pins and plastic pants are gone for cloth diapers

**joyofsix** · 05-21-2008, 01:16 PM

My two cents. As someone said, if breastfeeding and cloth are even a short term option I would go with it. I have found ALDI's diapers (of all things) to be the best for when my kids wear disposies. Not Dollar General's brand though. Might have to use some trial and error here. Skip baby food and just wait until they are old enough to finger feed themselves or mash what's for dinner. When I worked I had two great baby showers-1) A diaper shower. That was awesome. 2) A meal shower. I didn't have to cook for like three weeks. I opted for a sling/babywrap vs a stroller. The baby is now 8.5 months/20 lb and I'll just now be digging out the umbrella stroller for her. I just don't like those big bulky strollers. I've also never had diaper genie, changing table, nursery set or toddler bed. I'm not saying those things are bad, just that they are 'wants' and not 'needs'. Congrats on your new little one.

**hwmabire3** · 05-21-2008, 08:04 PM

Well, you can count on going through 4 cans of formula per month and probably 2 jumbo packages of diapers, plus a couple containers of wipes. I buy the wipe refill packages.

Cost of formula
Name brand - Ranges from $23.98-$27.89 (Walmart seems to have it lowest)
Store brand - Ranges from $13-$15

Cost of diapers
Name brand - Ranges from $10-$18 for a jumbo package
Store brand - Ranges from $5.96-$10 for a jumbo package

So, if you go with name brand products, you can count on spending at most $136 per month for diapers and formula. If you go store brand or generic, it will be more like $70. BIG difference!

**momto6** · 05-22-2008, 08:45 AM

I have formula fed all my kids. I talked to my kid's pediatrician when my third child was born and he told me that the store brand formula is very, very, close in comparison to the name brand formula. He said by law it has to be and you can check the labels. He said most likely a big name company is making the formula and packaging it under the store brand. I switched my third child to the parent's choice brand (soy) when he told me that and have used it on every child since then. My kids are all very healthy, at a great weight and perfect! It costs about half of the name brand at Walmart.
Amy

**SHOPGIRL** · 08-17-2009, 11:09 PM

I used Sam's club baby formula, much cheaper than the name brand formulas. I use whatever wipes I can get the cheapest with sales and coupons. Though, I tend to buy Target brand wipes most of the time. I've used Sam's Club diapers, but I've stuck with Pampers and Huggies diapers and I've always combined sales and coupons to save more.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 08-20-2009, 11:19 AM

My best tip on saving money with a baby in diapers and formula:

Breastfeed and put them in cloth diapers. Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for a child. All of the nutrients that are in breast milk aid in many developmental areas, like the brain. You also can't taint your breast milk unless you're taking medication that interferes with the milk itself. Breastfeeding also reduces your risk of developing breast cancer if it runs in your family.

If you can't breastfeed for some reason (and I haven't met a woman IRL that was unable to), I'd look into WIC. Alllways save the coupons for formula if you aren't on WIC because those coupons will help you out a lot. They also have medication nowadays that increases your body's capability to produce milk, so look into that as well.

I wish I could do the diaper thing over again because we'd have saved a ton of money simply by doing cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are also better for the environment because you're not contributing to the landfills by throwing them out.

**G'MaDebbie** · 08-20-2009, 11:45 AM

I am a foster parent also, and I only buy diapers from Diapers.com....I can get 228 (Huggies) diapers for 39.99 which is about 18 cents per diaper and they ship right to my door for free because I buy 2 boxes at a time. Also, I get WIC for all my foster children whihc helps with formula and as they get older, they get cereal and fruits and veggies now. Most people qualify for WIC, so it would benefit you greatly to check into it.