I recently noticed that my twin girls were feeding very slowly, especially Milani who, in the NICU could finish a meal in a record time of 10 minutes. I figured that because we increased their feeding it would take them longer to complete however, 30 minutes for each baby plus more if Mya or Milani is still not satisfied is too long of a time.
I read somewhere that natural bottle nipples are easier for babies to suck on than silicone nipples. Babies tend to have a better grasp on the naturals than the silicone. Today when I went to pick up the girls vitamins, I saw the natural nipples for the Gerbers First Essential bottles (which I love) for only a $1.00 and immediately purchased them. Of course for any nipple and bottle, I had to boil them in water for two minutes but i couldn't wait to try them. The girls latched on to them instantly; I felt like they were the same girls that I knew from the NICU. Milani finished her bottle in 10 minutes as well as Mya. I think because the nipple is a lot smaller and it is not as slow as the silicone one.
In my previous blog, I wrote about the different types of bottles and which ones I liked the best. I have not tried Dr. Browns but I do not think it is necessary. It isn't about the bottle but what nipple is a perfect fit for the baby. I was using the Playtex bottles for them but they were not latching on as well as I would like. They took too long to feed on them and I hate the fact that I had to dispose the drop ins and purchase more. I don't mind cleaning bottles and for an inexpensive price Gerber's First Essential does the job. It reduces colic and is BPA as well.
Bottle nipple changes everything.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Great Coupon Websites to help Save Money
After delivering my twin girls on July 19th, I have been more aware of my savings and cutting cost. When I use to grocery shop, I would never pay attention to how I can save money on my products. Call it lazy but I was never too keen on cutting coupons or using them in the stores. As a new mother, I have noticed how quickly the main items such as pampers, formula (I supplement with breast feeding) and wipes decrease in quantity. I received a plethora of pampers at my baby shower on August 13th and now I am down to four packs of newborn, one pack of size one, a huge 132 box of size two and two unused packs of pampers preemies, which were a waste of money.
As the economy tries to pick itself back up, I found these websites and offers to help parents save some money:
Zavers.com
Cutting out coupons is the past. Zavers.com, a leading Internet company that provides paperless coupons has partnered with participating grocery stores Pathmark, A&P, Waldbaum's, Superfresh, The Food Emporium, Cooke's, Harris Teeter, Price Chopper Northeast (Coming Soon) and BI-LO to make coupons available on the Internet and use in the stores. The best part about Zavers is that you can add the coupons to your advantage card from your local grocery store, therefore you do not have to print out the coupons all you have to do is scan your items and then scan your advantage card and the coupons will show up on your receipt. The website has Brand Coupons, which you can add any participating brand coupon onto your account as well Store Coupons, the coupons that your store has advertise. Zavers also gives you the option to print out a list of the items on sale to bring with you while you shop.
To Join: You can sign up for online coupons either on your retailers website or on Zavers.com following these instructions:
Look for an email from your retailer with instructions on how to activate your account.
Click the one-time use link in the email and register your loyalty card number to start saving.
To ensure delivery of your activation email, add zavers@zavers.com to your trusted or safe senders list before you press send.
Zavers also allows its customers to set up their account on their mobile device. You are able to find coupons and instantly add them to your rewards card in seconds all from your phone.
Live Better Baby Club (livebabybetter.net)
Live Better Baby Club is the resource for everything baby. They have partnered with Pathmark, A&P, Walbaums, The Food Emporium and Super Fresh groceries in order for customers to sign up for free and receive perks such as 10% off baby products, free prenatal and prescriptions vitamins and with the help of coupon source, you are also able to download coupons directly to your reward card from one of the participating grocery stores. On the website, they feature America's Choice products so I am unclear if the 10% is exclusively for their products or for any brand.
CouponNetwork.com
The Coupon Network might be one of my favorite online resources to use. Unlike Live Baby Better Club and Zavers, you have to print out the coupons. You do not have to register your awards card to get deals. Once you register, you are asked to put in your zip code to find a list of participating stores such as Target or Shoprite. Once your zip code is added, a list of stores appear with google maps to pin point where the stores are located in your area or surrounding areas. By clicking on the blue icon, you can add as many stores into your favorite stores list, which will then compile a group of coupons for those stores. What I love the most about this site is that on the right hand side, it tells you how much you will save if you use all the coupons! CouponNetwork.com has another great feature called Your bucks, which are dollar off rewards that you can use like cash at your favorite store. However, these are used when you buy items in big bulks.
CouponMom.com
Similar to Coupon Network, Coupon Mom is a free sign up but has a plethora of deals and coupons. You can search for participating stores by clicking on your state and a list of the coupons are available for you to print. The website also has online coupons that you can use at any store, which actually takes you to another site called mycoupons.com, drugstore deals and free samples. The site even includes a section to teach you how to coupon.
Baby Product Sites
When you first became pregnant, you might have (or a family member) subscribed to various magazines such as Parenting Magazine or Baby Magazine. If you did, your in luck. For the first time you would be happy that these magazines sold your information to baby products because those companies will now send you free offers of formula, coupons to different stores and other great samples. If you have not subscribe it is not too late. If you go to Motherhood Maternity and purchase an item, the cashier will offer you a free magazine. Accept the offer but don't forget to call the magazine and cancel your subscription because they will bill you. Also when you purchase an item from Motherhood, they fill your bag with lots of coupon goodies.
Similac.com: Sign up for free for strong moms on their web site and in a week you will receive exclusive coupons and a couple of checks to use on any Similac
pampers.com: Sign up for the reward and grow program and like Similac, you will receive coupons off diapers, wipes and exclusive offers.
Carters.com: Carters will send magazines to your address with coupons attached to the back for at least 20% savings.
Diapers.com: I have never used diapers.com but they will also send coupons to use only on their websites.
Inside magazines: Don't forget to look for advertisements and deals in your favorite magazines or specifically parent magazines. You never know what goodies you may find.
Don't Forget Magazines
The good ol' fashion clipping of coupons from Sunday's newspaper, it never gets old.
How to Organize Your Coupons
There are many ways to organize your coupons. It is hard to organize by date but I find using a binder with clear holders and organizing by category such as diapers, wipes, formula/food, clothes and accessories might work. However, whatever way you would like organize is up to you. Find a set up that you are comfortable with and will be able to control. If you keep the coupons in one big pile, you will miss deadlines and therefore miss a chance to save.
Share your resources!
As the economy tries to pick itself back up, I found these websites and offers to help parents save some money:
Zavers.com
To Join: You can sign up for online coupons either on your retailers website or on Zavers.com following these instructions:
Look for an email from your retailer with instructions on how to activate your account.
Click the one-time use link in the email and register your loyalty card number to start saving.
To ensure delivery of your activation email, add zavers@zavers.com to your trusted or safe senders list before you press send.
Zavers also allows its customers to set up their account on their mobile device. You are able to find coupons and instantly add them to your rewards card in seconds all from your phone.
Live Better Baby Club (livebabybetter.net)
Live Better Baby Club is the resource for everything baby. They have partnered with Pathmark, A&P, Walbaums, The Food Emporium and Super Fresh groceries in order for customers to sign up for free and receive perks such as 10% off baby products, free prenatal and prescriptions vitamins and with the help of coupon source, you are also able to download coupons directly to your reward card from one of the participating grocery stores. On the website, they feature America's Choice products so I am unclear if the 10% is exclusively for their products or for any brand.
CouponNetwork.com
 |
| Once you add your zip code, a list of stores appear |
 |
| Shows your Savings and Available Coupons |
CouponMom.com
Baby Product Sites
When you first became pregnant, you might have (or a family member) subscribed to various magazines such as Parenting Magazine or Baby Magazine. If you did, your in luck. For the first time you would be happy that these magazines sold your information to baby products because those companies will now send you free offers of formula, coupons to different stores and other great samples. If you have not subscribe it is not too late. If you go to Motherhood Maternity and purchase an item, the cashier will offer you a free magazine. Accept the offer but don't forget to call the magazine and cancel your subscription because they will bill you. Also when you purchase an item from Motherhood, they fill your bag with lots of coupon goodies.
Similac.com: Sign up for free for strong moms on their web site and in a week you will receive exclusive coupons and a couple of checks to use on any Similac
pampers.com: Sign up for the reward and grow program and like Similac, you will receive coupons off diapers, wipes and exclusive offers.
Carters.com: Carters will send magazines to your address with coupons attached to the back for at least 20% savings.
Diapers.com: I have never used diapers.com but they will also send coupons to use only on their websites.
Inside magazines: Don't forget to look for advertisements and deals in your favorite magazines or specifically parent magazines. You never know what goodies you may find.
Don't Forget Magazines
The good ol' fashion clipping of coupons from Sunday's newspaper, it never gets old.
How to Organize Your Coupons
There are many ways to organize your coupons. It is hard to organize by date but I find using a binder with clear holders and organizing by category such as diapers, wipes, formula/food, clothes and accessories might work. However, whatever way you would like organize is up to you. Find a set up that you are comfortable with and will be able to control. If you keep the coupons in one big pile, you will miss deadlines and therefore miss a chance to save.
Share your resources!
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