Formula

Another baby thing I knew nothing about was formula. After looking into the various products available, I am still not an expert by any means but a little more informed. I have only looked into powdered formulas, as this is recommended over liquid formula if you want to totally reduce the risk of BPA leaching into the product.

There are 3 main infant formula brands that dominate the market – Enfamil, Similac, and Nestle Good Start. They all seem pretty costly, so I wanted to see what else is on the market. A can of Similac Advance with Omega 3&6 is $28.97 for 728 g. A can of Nestle Good Start with Omega 3&6 is $29.88 for 730 g. Conversely, I compared the Kirkland Omega Formula, PC Infant Formula (with Omega 3&6), and PC Organics Infant Formula (with Omega 3&6), all of which proved to be a better bargain (see below).  Each have mostly good reviews online, and the ingredients and nutritional information are very similar. There are many ingredients and nutritional information listed on the package, but I only listed a few in this blog.

Kirkland Omega Infant Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Lactose, Skim Milk Powder, Palm Oil or Palm Olein, Whey Protein Concentrate, High Oleic Safflower or Sunflower oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 331, Iron - 9.3, Thiamine - 0.52

Cost: $23.99/1457 g

Where to Buy: Costco 

PC Infant Formula (Omega  3&6)

First 5 Ingredients: Lactose, Skim Milk Powder, Palm Olein, Whey Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 331, Iron - 9.4, Thiamine - 0.53

Cost: $18.99/640 g

Where to Buy: No Frills

PC Organics Infant Formula (Omega 3&6)

First 5 Ingredients: Organic reduced minerals whey, Organic Skim Milk Powder, Organic Lactose, Organic Palm Oil or Palm Olein, Organic High Oleic Safflower or Sunflower oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 323, Iron - 9.2, Thiamine - 0.53

Cost: $23.99 /730 g

Where to Buy: No Frills

The Kirkland Omega Formula is the best deal. You are getting over twice the quantity for $5 more!

3D Ultrasound

Here is way to save yourself money.... don't get a 3D Ultrasound! They are unnecessary, possibly unsafe, and actually sort of creepy! 

I had an appointment for a 3D Gender Ultrasound all booked. $75 for a gender ultrasound seemed like a good deal to me, and that way I could confirm that we are indeed having a girl. Then BD's (baby daddy) sister called with concerns. After some googling, and the information provided to me in my pre-natal class, I realized that these "entertainment" ultrasounds are not necessarily safe.

• Clinics offering 3D ultrasounds are not approved or regulated by health professionals in Canada
• There is evidence that ultrasounds can have a biological effect on the fetus. Unless your doctor recommends you have an ultrasound, you shouldn't get one
• Tissue heat increases the with exposure length. A sonographer that is not well trained may expose patients for a longer time than what is safe

For more information, read this article on Livestrong.

Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent

Everyone has been telling me that I have to use a different laundry detergent for the baby. It has made me wonder why the detergent that I use is not gentle enough for my baby's skin. What exacty is in the detergent that I am using, and is it bad for the environment?

I decided to look into what is in the laundry detergent that I am using. The first thing I notice when looking at my bottle of Tide is that there are no ingredients listed. This makes me wonder what exactly am I washing my clothes with, and what is the company hiding? The product claims to be phosphate free and contains biodegradable surfactants and enzymes. Most surfactants are petroleum based. "Petroleum is a limited resource whose extraction and refining produce pollution. This pollution may be partially offset by pesticide use and other impacts of producing vegetable oils." (Source: Bad Stuff for the Environment). I found this additional information on the Tide website:

Other ingredients in laundry detergent can include:

• fluorescent whitening agents (to help maintain whiteness or brightness)
• enzymes (to help break down complex soils such as blood and grass)
• fragrances (to help clothes smell clean)

I started to ask myself . . .
    what are some eco-friendly laundry detergents?

Seventh Generation is a Vermont based company. Their Free & Clear: Natural 2X Concentrated Baby Laundy Liquid claims to be "loaded with baby- and earth-friendly cleaners and free of fragrances, dyes and optical brighteners." They also list all of the product ingredients on their website.
Where to Buy: Amazon (Online), Quarter Master Natural Foods, Real Canadian Superstore (Local)
Cost: $110.62/pack of 6 - 50 oz bottles (33 loads each bottle).



Earth's Berries Soap Nuts is a Collingwood, Ontario based company. Soap nuts go into your wash in a muslin bag, and can be reused a few times before returning them to the earth as compost. The website claims that a 1 kg bag would replace 9-32 load plastic bottles of detergent! You can read about the environmental benefits on their website. 
Where to Buy: Earth Berries (Online), The Organic Oscars (Local)
Cost: $30.00/1kg bag - 300-400 loads of laundry


David Suzuki's Queen of Green has a recipe for making your own laundry detergent. The ingredients are borax, washing soda, soap granules, and water.
Where to Buy: Ingredients can be bought at a local grocery or health food store.
Cost: $1 per load (Source: Canadian Living)

I was leaning towards making my own laundry detergent, but I may do some research on some other eco-friendly products before making my decision.

What a Deal!

I don't have anything insightful to share this week. However, I did get another great deal from Kijiji. Let me share. After all, sharing is caring, right?

This 3 piece lot cost me $35. The Baby Gap Warmest Snowsuit is brand new and retails for $79.99 (which is totally ridiculous, by the way). It has removeable mittens and booties, and I like the little ears on the hood.

 

I have mentioned my love for spreadsheets, so it's no surprise that I have one to keep track of all my baby costs. So far, the only item I have bought new is the Soybean Mattress from Tummies to Tots. (see my post: Organic Baby Crib) A mattress is one item I don't believe you should buy used. I estimated the retail cost for some of the items.

Item	Paid	Retail Price	Savings
Crib	80.00	200.00	120.00
Valco Stroller (w/accessories)	265.00	565.00	300.00
Change Table	0.00	100.00	100.00
Glider/Rocker	100.00	200.00	100.00
Change Table Pad w/Cover	15.00	40.00	25.00
Lot of Clothes (3-6 months) 30 items	20.00	90.00	70.00
Soybean Mattress (purchased new)	240.00		0.00
Snowsuit (+ 2 sleepers)	35.00	100.00	65.00
	755.00	1295.00	780.00

Check out those savings! Pretty good I have to say.

CTV News Article: BPA-free bottles

CTV News ran this story yesterday: Even BPA-free bottles might leach worrisome chemicals.

"One study found that 95 percent of plastic products sold as BPA-free still leeched chemicals that mimicked estrogen, just as BPA does."

These findings do not come as a surprise to me, and just reinforce my decision to use glass bottles!