How many infants do you have?

What formula do you use?

Why did you decide to buy it?

How much does it cost you and how many ounces do you get?


I will only take one infant who is bottle fed (unless I get a part timer, then two) so I decided that I would ask the mom about baby's formula and why they use it. They have tried GoodStart and baby just cried constantly when younger. Baby is 4 months now and has been doing great on Similac, Enfamil, or the general closest to the Sensitive for fussiness and gas.

I need to offer some type of formula so I decided to offer Similac to this family (because I'm on the food program). I have a BUNCH of coupons for $5 off any formula that is over $5. I like the Similac powder containers for storing the scoop in the lid. Enfamil was a few dollars more expensive making it more than double the generic brands formula. Since I've got these coupons and baby is currently on Similac that is how I made my decision. Do you think it will make me stand out more as a provider for offering name brand formula?

Also, with the coupons it's actually only 4 cents/ounce when I buy the "Ready to Feed" 32 ounce bottle and it's 10 cents/ounce when I buy the 1.45 lb. container. This is WITH the $5 off coupons. This is the ONLY way the ready to feed formula is cheaper or else it's slightly more expensive. Even more expensive if you buy the smaller multipacks, but that is not necessary for me.

Please answer my questions from above. Also, I'm going to be watching for sales but does anyone recommend certain stores that can get me the best deals when they go on sale? I still think buying one small bottle per purchase with a coupon is my best bet for now.

Reply

I offer Kirkland. If they want anything different, they provide it. I am on the food program.

Reply

I offer Kirkland too. I've never had to provide formula. The parents bring the formula of their choice.

Reply

I offer SAMs club brand. Parents provide name brand. I'm on food program.

Reply

I offer Sams Club brand. Most parents want the name brands and provide it themselves.

Most providers in my area do the same, and I don't think parents really expect their provider to provide formula so I don't think it would necessarily make me stand out to provide the more expensive name brands.

Can't help you on the cost, etc. questions since no one ever takes me up on the offer to provide formula.

Reply

I also offer the Kirkland brand (Costco's brand). It's the equivalent to Enfamils Premium but I havn't had to buy it in a while because I havn't had a parent take me up on it.

Here where I live you get 3 cans for $55. Each can is 36 oz and comes out to $18 and change per can. At Target you get a smaller can of Enfamil Premium for about $24 and that comes with 23 oz so it's a lot less expensive to buy Kirkland.

A lot of people use Enfamil so that's why I provide Kirkland brand. A lot of people don't know that if you are using Similac you're really using Enfamil's old formula. About 8 or more years ago Enfamil chose to change their forumla and they sold the "recipe" to their old formula to Similac and similac began selling it as their "new" formula. Enfamil also sold right's to their new formula to Costco under the Kirkland name, so if you're using Similac you're using Enfamil's old recipe and Enfamil and Kirkland are exactly the same recipe.

I once saw a white jacket at Gap for $80 at the mall and I walked downstairs to Old Navy and bought the exact same jacket there for $40. Banana Republic had it too (they are sister stores. Same company but different store names and market points) Same idea, same jacket ... just under their "generic" brand.
Infant formula reminds me of this

Exactly. And I think it's funny. Most client's with infants that I have had choose Enfamil and even though I provide Kirkland which is the same thing they choose to bring their own formula. Okay by me, if they want to pay more for the "Gap" brand of formula instead of opting for my "Old Navy" brand, s'okay with me. I'll stick to buying the same jacket for a cheaper price.

Reply

I provide the formula as I am on the food program. I however purchase whatever kind the baby drinks. I figure I get reimbursed for it, so why not help them out. I do however talk to them and they will try the cheaper brand anyway, unless the babies stomach does not agree.
One time I had 4 babies at once, and talked to all the parents, said I have one baby on walmart brand and one on enfamil, so one of those would be great. I have pretty good parents, who wont just pick the expensive brand because I provide it, because they have to provide it at home as well.

Reply

Just for informations sake and my own interest...are you sure this is correct? PBM Holdings is the company that makes store brand formulas for Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Babies R' Us, and other retailers. In early 2011 PBM won a law suit against Enfamil (made by Mead Johnson) because Enfamil claimed superiority to generic infant formulas. It doesn't make sense that they would claim superiority to their own recipe?

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about generic infant formulas. A quick google search shows that most people believe that specific generics are made by the name-brand and simply sold as generic. PBM makes most generics and specifically formulates their recipes to be a direct competition to the name-brand.

Anyway, just being nosey cause I've never heard that before.

Reply

I have 1 baby taking a bottle at the moment. I just joined the food program and offer Walmart brand premium formula ("Parents Choice" I think). This is the brand they are using. I believe the cost is between $12 and $13 for a canister of powder. I believe I go through almost a canister a week (baby is here from 7 to 5:30).

Reply

I don't look at it that way.

The cost of the baby food is pretty high if you are buying cereal and baby food. The few months you get reimbursement for the formula doesn't really amount to much when you get into the time when you are doing two meals and a snack of formula and baby food.

It also compensates you for the labor which is pretty high when you are dealing with breast milk and/or making your own baby food.

So you are ahead a bit for the few months you do formula before adding food. Since most providers start baby food at six months or so the window of profit is pretty low.

I haven't had a formula baby forever so I don't remember that profit Labor wise I would rather have a formula baby I provided the formula for then the labor portion of a breastmilk baby. Paying for formula would be way easier for me than managing breast milk.

I KNOW breast milk is best but it is SO much more work than formula.

Reply

I buy VERY little baby food. I puree "real" food that I am serving the kids and give to babies, veggies/fruits, etc. I do buy rice cereal however.
The formula here amounts to $12-15 bucks a week for one baby here about 45 hours a week that I spend out of pocket. I get about $5.50 a day or $27 a week. Even with feeding the fruits/veggies to them I still get a profit.
I will be starting a breastfed baby, who takes no formula, but she will be bringing me 3 bottles a day, instead of me thawing them, which to me is a hassle, and hate breastmilk spilled if they dont package right. So 3 bottles a day for me, all made and prepped and ready to go will be NICE!

Reply

Only a few people answered how many babies they care for. I'm only taking one so as a parent knowing that my daycare only takes one young baby on a bottle I would expect the provider to work with me. That's my opinion. I agree with the above post because I do want to get what is close to what baby drinks because it's not fair to the baby to go back and forth on formulas between home and daycare.

I've never been to a Costco so Kirkland is not anywhere near here. The baby I will have will be here 8 hours a day M-F so I hope one canister is enough for a week, but maybe it will last longer? I will get money back from the food program and the food program only requires formula to be offered until they turn 8 months, then other requirements take place. I'm thinking about asking the mom to provide any baby food and cereal and that we set up a "meal program" that she would like to follow. What do you think? Then when the baby turns 8 months (which is obviously too late to just start baby cereal and food) I will have to begin providing it. I know it kind of sounds like a dumb policy, but since the food program doesn't require it until they're 8 months old, I think I will try the policy that parents provide additional food until they're 8 months old and we work out a plan on when to feed the cereal and baby foods. Let me know what you think of that.

If I ever have a helper working with me, I would take more than one baby. Then it might be harder to enforce the providing food until they turn 8 months thing with multiple parents to work with.

Reply

So what do you provide them to drink after 8 months? I think its fair to ask mom to provide the food portion when she wants baby to start it since technically you are not reimbursed for it until 8 months of age. How old is the baby now?

Reply

What food program are you on? I've never heard of only requiring formula to eight months. My food program and the USDA guidlines say formula or breast milk until twelve months. Once they turn a year you can give cows milk.

I can't IMAGINE having a kid off of formula by eight months. I can't even imagine what day to day life would be like. I can't imagine how MUCH food it would take a day to provide the protein and fat. YIKES

The food program doesn't require you to feed FOOD UNTIL eight months. Any chance you are confused on those two things?

Reply

I may have typed it weird. The food program doesn't require me to provide anything except formula until they're 8 months old then I am required to add rice cereal and baby food to the meal plan. So instead of me offering more than just formula from whenever the parents begin cereal and other baby food, I am thinking about only offering formula until they turn 8 months the parents would have to provide the cereal and baby food then I would be required by the food program at 8 months of age to provide everything. Does that make better sense?

Reply

I use parents choice brand. I have two babies on formula. One is on the AR version, and the other is on the infant premium version. I try and get the value sized cans when they have them. ( they last just a bit longer). The bigger can makes 66 4 oz bottles. The regular sized can just says net wt. 23.3 ozs.
I shop at smiths (kroger's) and once in a while I will get a catalina(a coupon printed out at the register) for 5 dollars off enfamil. I cant rely on that so I just stick to the parents choice brand mostly. It means a trip to walmart but I dont mind it.
Normally I prefer taking just one bottle fed baby but the other baby is pt and almost off the bottle so I dont mind it.
Some have said that Costco/Sams club have the big cans but I havent figured out the cost of any of those yet.
Heres a tip: If you have freecycle in your area sometimes people will post free formula if there child is done with it, or decides on a diffrent brand. Craigs list is an other place to watch. Just make sure it hasnt been opened before.
Debbie
I got tired of having to remember to tell parents that the can ws getting low. Or they would forget to bring more when I did ask. Also they never believed me when I told them how fast the can was going even though I keep track of it.

Reply

It makes perfect sense to me ESPECIALLY since they're claiming superiority over their own recipe. How can you claim that your formula is superior if it's the same exact thing as a generic brand? (hense being sued) A lot of people buy the generic Kirkland formula instead of the more expensive Enfamil because it's the same thing. Doctor's and nurses will even tell you that. Most hospitals use Enfamil and sometimes Similac because of the endoresment deals they have and all of the free samples and such that they give. Hospitals get a better deal for promoting these formulas too so the cost to hospitals is cheaper (obviously they're receiving large quatities of it).

Unless they've changed their formula within last few years and I just havn't heard about it it should still be the same. I get my info from family that works for a pediatric nutritionlist. She's always telling me "the scoop" about how generic brands are just as good as the other brands, just less costly.

The ingredients on both labels are exactly the same and I know that I was able to switch back and forth between Kirkland and Enfamil with no problems with my DD. Sometimes I ran low and needed formula right then and there and didn't have time to run to the next time over where our Costco is so I'd buy a small can of Enfamil from Target or something and my DD made no fuss. My son became lactose while BFing so unfortunately I can't give him the regular formula, we tried a few soy based formulas and we ended up with the Target brand of soy forula. All other brands made him fussy or he refused it.

EDIT: P.S. I looked it up and Mead Johnson was sued for falsely advertising that Enfamil LIPIL was the only formula containing healthy fatty acids DHA and ARA, which it is not. There are other brands that also contain both including Kirkland. So they weren't actually sued for claiming they were better than other generic brands, they were sued for claiming that they were the only formula that contained DHA and ARA. If anyone bought Enfamil Lipil between October 13, 2005 and March 31, 2010 you can qualify to get $12 or 2 free cans of formula https://formulasettlement.com/Home.aspx

Reply