Welcome!! Let's get right to it....

Welcome! This is my very first blog post (eek! so scary!) and I am so excited and thankful that you are taking the time to read it! See the tabs above for a little info about me :). I want to get right to sharing one of the first things I ever spent time researching when I was pregnant, which turned out to be a necessity in our lives, and it is something I am very passionate about. 

So while I was pregnant, I did a great deal of research on the safest infant formula, in case I needed to supplement, which I knew was a pretty good possibility, considering I’d had a breast reduction several years ago, and my supply would likely be limited (this is a story for another day). I painstakingly examined all of the ingredients of every major formula brand, ultimately determining that I had to use an organic formula because there were so many scary ingredients in them. Then, I analyzed each organic formula to determine the safest, and found what I believed to be the best, and conveniently it wasn't more expensive than most traditional formulas! Now I did find and trial an arguably even safer formula available internationally, but due to its lack of availability in the US, I decided to stick with this one, though I've not eliminated the possibility of using it in the future if it became more accessible. 

My sister recommended a website to me that explains and lists all of the toxic ingredients, and what products are safe and which ones are not. I was so excited and proud of myself when I read her evaluation of infant formulas and she too found that the formula I had chosen was the safest available infant formula in the US! Anyway, she does such a good job of analyzing the ingredients and explaining why it is so important to use an organic formula, so I'm just going to send you right to her site…her name is Maia at Gimme the Good Stuff.

So the formula I found that we’ve been using since Luke was born is Baby's Only Organic Formula. We used it as a supplemental formula until I stopped breastfeeding, but now we use it exclusively. I LOVE it! I order the cases directly from the website, the shipping is free, and I receive the case ONE (business) DAY after I place the order. Now, the company does market the formula as a toddler formula, but ONLY because they promote breastfeeding until the age of one. It meets all the requirements for infant formula, and they do have a few different types, but if your baby has a health issue requiring a specific type of formula, this may not be the right option for you.

Here’s the best part, it isn’t more expensive! Now while you can find it on Amazon (my favorite place), the easiest, most convenient and least expensive place to find it is directly from their website (Baby's Only Organic Formula).  Here is a breakdown of some cost info…

 •   One 12.7 oz can is $9.99 (approximately $0.77/oz powder, not fluid oz)

•   One case with 12 cans (total of 152.4 oz) is $119.00 (approximately $0.78/oz)

•   If you sign up for their emails, they'll send you a coupon code for a free can, and once you order that can, they'll send you a code for $10 off a case of 12 cans.

•   When comparing Baby's Only to a popular and well-known formula brand, Similac, it is actually less expensive from all of my research. When searching at Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart, CVS, Babies R Us, and many grocery stores, the lowest price I could find was $1.07/oz (not fluid). While there are coupons available for Similac, at best, the discount brings the formula to the same price as Baby's Only. So if you are going to spend the same amount of money, why not spend it on the safer, better product? I also realize there might be a chance some of you may find Similac or a similar type of formula (Enfamil, Gerber, etc…) less expensive at a warehouse type of store or wherever, I will argue that shouldn’t the nutrition your baby is receiving (if not breastfed) for the first YEAR of his or her life be the best? And therefore worth an extra couple bucks? So if you can make it work, great, if not I promise I won’t give you a hard time, but I’m all about picking my battles, and this is one I will always pick!

Gimme the Good Stuff : This link takes you directly to her Product Guides page, but the rest of the site is great too. The site is geared towards babies/children, but includes a lot of info applicable to those of any age. Please check it out!

She also offers a great explanation on this page about why you do not need to buy formula with DHA/ARA.

Thank you so much for reading, I promise I'm really here to help and share what I've learned, so I truly appreciate it that you made it to the bottom of this post :). 

With Love,

Claudia