Feeding baby on a budget

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - If you have a baby under one year old and aren't breastfeeding or need to supplement that effort, then you know name brand formulas can cost over $20 a can! Then, when you're baby's ready for solid food, those jars of strained vegetables can really put a strain on your wallet.

So, if you're looking for ways to feed the hungry little mouths in you family without the bigger bill, pediatricians say look carefully at labels and you'll see generic or store brand formulas really do measure up.

"Parents just don't hear about them because they're not marketed to the public," says Pediatrician Dr. Robert Fink of Pediatric Specialists. "They're not marketed in magazines, but they are available in grocery stores and 'Sam's Club' and places like that and they will keep their children just as healthy at a lower cost."

Susan Deshazo of Norfolk agrees. After speaking with her pediatrician she switched to generic formula and estimates her family will save $600 over the next nine months.

"After we put him in day care we were not prepared for the cost of raising a child, so I asked my pediatrician what we could do to save money and asked specifically about generic formulas and store brand formulas."

DeShazo also says the family budget is just too tight for "mommy guilt," that non-scientific condition which makes many mothers feel that they must spend top dollar to do the very best for their baby.

She saves on everything from diapers to diaper cream by not buying the brand who's name she's seen and heard the most.

Doctor Fink warns though - beware of formulas that were not made in the United States.

"We just don't know about quality control in other countries, but if it's made in the U.S., generic formulas have to follow the same guidelines.

Ahsli Smyth, also of Norfolk says she supplements her breastfeeding with formula and also saves money making her own baby food.

Smyth recently bought a bag of frozen organic peas for $1.47. She says it will provide her baby with 14 servings of peas.

On occassion Smyth has to rely on jarred food, and says it's been a financially jarring experience.

"He's at the point now where he'll eat the whole jar, and I only buy organic baby food, so that's 99 cents a jar."

Nearly ten times the amount per serving than when Smyth spends a few moments steaming and mashing vegetables at home.

Dr. Fink supports home made baby food, but has a word of caution here as well about one ingredient that should never be used.

"Absolutely no honey," Said Fink, and that includes nothing that has come into contact with honey."Other than that I think foods can be pureed and parents can make them at home and can do it very safely with the guidance of a pediatrician or health support that would tell them how to do that."