How To Save $$$ on Feeding Gear
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The ubiquitous Boppy pillow is worth every penny, but because everyone has one you probably can find one for free.
Hi everyone! This week’s Ecofrugal Friday is all about saving money on baby feeding gear. Since there are so many ways to feed baby, I have split them up into categories to make it a little easier to read, but I apologize if this is a long post. I hope you get some good ideas on how to find safe baby feeding gear at a great discount! Please let me know if you find a great deal that should be included here.
Breastfeeding
Boppy pillows, or My Breast Friend pillows, are awesome, especially if you’re long-waisted like me and need some support for a baby who likes to chilax while she eats. Because these pillows are so popular, you can find one for free, or nearly free. First ask around for hand-me-d0wns: my sister’s Boppy pillow was much thicker and firmer than the older pillow I got from Freecycle. Then Freecycle is your next best bet, again totally free. If you can’t find one for free by the time you need it, Craigslist will surely have a $5 deal for you. Boppy pillows only cost $25-35 brand new.
Nursing bras (3-4 minimum) are another necessity, but these MUST fit well or you will curse them daily, so go try on as many as you can stand at department stores, baby boutiques, and maternity clothing stores, all of which carry different brands. I found that only Playtex brand nursing bras fit me, so I paid retail for these, but got a sleep bra on sale from A Pea in the Pod and a friend gave me a sports nursing bra in my moms’ group. These can really set you back a pretty penny, so try these on as soon as you can reasonably find a good fit (8 months pregnant and later), and then look for sales on the brands that fit you.
Nursing pads can be purchased as disposables or reusable cloth, and just like with cloth diapers the reusable ones will pay for themselves within a few months, but it’s tough to get nursing pads that don’t show through your clothes, so you may prefer to switch back and forth depending on your outfit (because disposables are thinner) or whether you’re traveling. Amazon, baby boutiques, blog giveaways, and even making your own are great ways to build a stash of 12-16 pairs of these. Try a variety of styles and thicknesses, because you will want thicker ones for nighttime.
Lansinoh lanolin samples are available from the manufacturer, and are a great way to try this product, because you will definitely want something like this during your first days of nursing, but later you may not need it anymore. You can get samples by calling the manufacturer. Make sure that whatever product you use doesn’t need to be washed off before nursing, which means that it’s toxic for baby. Lansinoh and Earth Mama Angel Baby are great safe brands for nursing supplies.
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Adiri Nurser baby bottles mimic the breast, making nipple confusion less likely.
Bottlefeeding
Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula feeding, you will probably want a few bottles to start, in case you want to leave and have a caregiver give baby a bottle, or even if you need to nurse baby around the clock through jaundice like we did early on.
Adiri nursers are one of the nicest BPA-free bottles out there, and you can win them from giveaways or register for a sample pack to try them out. Babies can be picky about which bottles they’ll take, so don’t buy a ton of one thing right off the bat.
The other great way to try bottles is to request samples from manufacturers. I received Playtex Nurser drop-ins, a Medela bottle minus the nipple, and Lansinoh breast milk storage bags just because I called the companies and asked for a sample….
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