Stretching Formula

I talked about the type of formula we use here. My doctor recommends the Enfamil Lipil, and we get the generic kind. In today's economy, many people are trying to make their money go further than ever, and are pinching pennies until they scream. Here's what we do to help take that already-a-whole-lot-cheaper-formula go even further.

As many pregnant women know, baby samples are fairly easy to come by. You get them by registering (I know we got a ton when we registered at Babies 'R Us), you can get them from your doctor, and you can get them by checking out sites like www.freebies4mom.com and www.moneysavingmom.com. A good friend told me that as long as you don't mix soy formula with milk-based formula, you can mix in a little bit of a sample with your baby's formula. She suggested a 1 part sample to 2 parts of your baby's regular formula.

I usually use her formula down about 1/3 of the way, dump in the sample (make sure you take out the measuring spoon first!), and shake. This does a decent job of mixing the formula and my babies have never had any problems with it. It doesn't help a lot, but it helps a little, and I've found that doing lots of little things can help a lot.