Store Bought Food vs. Home Made

We live in a very busy world, where were constantly on the go. Moms these days are constantly juggling between going to school, work and raising their little ones. Healthy choices are always a concern for any new parent, but when your on the go what can you do? Grocery stores and super stores make it quite easy for parents on the go, to purchase bottled food for there growing little ones. With a variety of vegetables such as peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and a very reasonable price 60-80 cents per bottle, it allows mass purchasing at a given time. Parents who choose this route can ensure that their little one is getting the recommended amount of vegetable intake. To keep these products as fresh, companies such as Gerber and Heinz have to add preservatives to their product. How can you really know if its the type of food or the add-preservatives your baby may be allergic too? You really don't know! Snacks such as rice cakes/husks, rice puffs, and bottled fruit can be purchase. Just make sure to read the label and purchase stage appropriate foods for your little one, as choking is a big concern.

Not all moms are living the fast-paced life of juggling work or school and raise their child. Moms who have time may want to make their own baby foods. Ensuring that there are not any additional stuff added to the food they choose to introduce. There are many easy ways to puree and prepare baby food. Most people tend to boil the vegetables until they become a mushy state, and then strain it and put in in a blender or magic bullet to get it to the consistency they want. Foods prepared at home, tend to be bland, but you can jazz it up with just a little bit of butter. Fruits and meats can be prepared the same way. You can keep track of when you prepared the food, but I would recommend only to make a few servings at a time to avoid wasteful dumping.


In my case, I just found that was not enough time in the day to make my own food, and relied on purchasing bottled baby food. As Serena grew, her taste in the baby food declined as she was more interested in what I was eating. As she progressed, she ate fresh fruits daily, the only store bought items were her DHA yogurt( Stimulates brain development)rice puff snacks and baby cereal. She is 14 months now and eats whatever I or her grandparents cook. At this stage, it is very cost-efficient, but I still have to slowly introduce new foods just to make sure there is not an allergic reaction.
If you do choose to purchase bottle food, make sure you read the ingredients. Don't buy too much at one time, to avoid expiration, and watch to see if they go on sale, they will probably drop by 10 cents if theys do go on sale.


Happy Feeding :)

Organizing a Swap Party & Second-Hand Stores & Buying Clothes

Many young mothers and young parents struggle with daily expenditures such as food, diapers, baby essentials and most importantly clothes. By organizing a swap party young mothers can benefit from getting essentials from friends and families without spending any money. A swap party is when a group of young mothers and family members get together to swap clothing and baby essentials that they might not need anymore for their child but can be useful for those who are expecting or new moms. The party entitles everyone to get together and provide food and snacks prepared by those attending and bringing a whole bunch of things that they might not need anymore for their children. By providing one article they may swap for another essential from a group member. This is extremely beneficial and encouraged to many young parents to participate in to help them provide for their young families.

If swap parties are not your forte there are other resources you can use such as; Second hand stores. Although they require to spend money they are relatively inexpensive to shop at. You can generally find brand name items gently used for the fraction of the price at retail stores. They also buy gently use clothing (almost like a swap). I personally have bought many items from 2nd hand stores for my daughter Serena. Many things including; strollers, change tables, cribs, high chairs, car seat snuggles and age appropriate clothing.

If any of the two options are not your cup of tea you can just wait for retailers to put certain items of sale. The best time to buy clothing and other essentials are during off seasons for example; buy winter clothing for your tots during spring and summer and vice versa. Many retailers provide promotional coupons as well for certain child friendly products they just require you to sign up on their website.

Hope this helps :) keep smiling and buying

Disposable Diapers vs Cloth Diapers

When it comes to being a new mom, especially a young mom you have a lot of concerns for your little one. You want to provide the best for your child, but also being bombarded with everyone's opinions and advice. Every young mom wants to provide the world to their child and do it reasonably priced.

Whether one chooses disposable diapers instead of cloth is a very personal choice. A woman might choose disposable diapers instead of cloth because it is convenient; easily available; there are no extra loads of laundry; no additional laundry costs and, it can be disposed of with the weekly garbage collection. However it is also very costly. In addition to the diapers, the costs of the diaper genie, diaper genie refills and disposable wipes must also be considered. Eventually all this diaper garbage goes to a landfill and, the cost to the environment cannot be ignored since it takes years for these diapers to decompose.
On the other hand a woman might choose cloth diapers because her infant is allergic to all disposable diapers; cloth diapers are cheaper; less garbage is created; but you have to wash them yourselves.

When it comes to disposable diapers the market is monopolized by two large companies
Pampers- is a diaper brand that is the most widely known. It was introduced by Procter & Gamble back in 1961 and paved the way for a whole new category of baby products.
Huggies-is the second leading diaper brand and is a market innovator as well. Over the years, they have continuously evolved with new diaper products to meet the changing needs.

There are other brands of diapers, but in Canada most people buy either Pampers or Huggies.

Each brand of diapers have a wide aray of lines, that fit each stage of your childs growth. They come in BIG giant boxes or packages. Dispoable diapers are very pricey, if you subscribe to Pampers or Huggies as a memner you are able to order free manufacture coupons. Only catch is you can not use more than one coupon per transaction.

There are alot of great reptuable companies out their that provide cloth diapers at a reasonable price. A few sites are:
www.diapersupply.ca
www.happybabycompany.com

I would recommend if you are going to be going through this route to do your research.

Formula vs. Breast Milk

Formula:

Historically formula was designed as a source of nutrition for babies whose mothers were ill or had died; babies who were ill, premature or had a malformation of the oral cavity. Numerous factors influence a woman’s decision regarding her choice of infant feeding method. A woman might choose formula over breast feeding because of painful nursing due to cracked nipples; she has a health condition and the prescribed medication is not safe for baby; religious and cultural beliefs; she wants family members to help feed the baby; she received free samples of formula at the hospital; she lacks knowledge about breast feeding; she works outside the home and does not have a place to nurse her baby or pump milk and store it safely. However, choosing formula comes with a cost; on average the cost of infant formula during the first year of life is approximately $2,000 to $3,000 depending on the brand.

Breastfed:

The benefits of breast feeding are well documented; it is an excellent source of nutrition, antibodies in breast milk protects baby against ear infections, diarrhea and meningitis. Breast milk is easily digested by the digestive system of a newborn; it prevents allergies and is also cost-effective. A woman might choose breast feeding over formula since it is always fresh, convenient, sustainable, safe and free. In addition, breast-fed babies are healthier; this means fewer visits to the doctor and less time taken off work by the mother to care for a sick baby. Breast feeding is also beneficial to a new mother since it burns calories and helps the uterus shrink to its pre-pregnancy state.

In some cases, breast feeding is not an option. My daughter was unable to latch on, I tried pumping but barely any milk came out; I tried nipple shields and tubes; and breast feeding clinics but all unsuccessful. The hospital introduced formula to my baby while only being 2 days old. I found formula very conveinient as it was ready to go, but the cost was riddulous. I was spending $50 a case/week and for the brand of formula there wasn't any manufactures coupons. I would wait until Wal-Mart or another super store had it on sale and buy in bulk.

If you do choose to formula feed your child, determine if you can afford powdered or the ready to feed; and look onto the manufacture's website such as nestle to see if they do offer manufacture's co
upons.