Nappies and baby formula/food

The Rook

Hi guys,

Myself and Mrs.Rook are currently in month 7 and we were wondering what were people's experiences with regards nappy prices and baby formula/food in and around Dublin? Is there any one shop that's cheaper than any other?

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, is there much point in driving up North to see what the prices are like there? Are things much cheaper North of the border?

Would welcome all feedback!

Cheers

mohawk

The Rook wrote: »

Hi guys,

Myself and Mrs.Rook are currently in month 7 and we were wondering what were people's experiences with regards nappy prices and baby formula/food in and around Dublin? Is there any one shop that's cheaper than any other?

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, is there much point in driving up North to see what the prices are like there? Are things much cheaper North of the border?

Would welcome all feedback!

Cheers

I dont think the north is much cheaper any more with strength of pound and by the time you drive up the the cost of petrol wouldn't make it worth your while anymore.

I find with formula that all the major supermarkets price match. It went up by a euro recently :mad: in all of them. With nappies though thats where you need to do your homework to find the cheapest. You need to keep an eye out for special offers if you are buying one of the brands. We check the supermarket leaflets and check supermarket ads in newspaper when we need nappies.

Moonbeam

It depends..
We used to buy everything there as it was only a 45 minute drive and the price difference was huge but now the north is still cheaper but not by much.
boots.co.uk will give you a good idea of prices up there.
For baby stuff like buggies,cots,clothes etc the Uk is still way cheaper then here.

borderlinemeath

Clothes and Cots - maybe.

Buggies - I really don't think they are any cheaper up north any more. Majority of retailers have done everything to cut the price difference and in some instances are cheaper or exactly the same price depending on the make and model - particularly with the current exchange rate.

oopsadaisy

I think Tesco do the best prices on nappies if you buy a couple of boxes. People do say the prices up North are great, but as someone already said, not sure with the travel and the sterling at the moment, but if you were up there anyway I believe it would be well worth stocking up.

alex73

As regard baby formula,... Best fed is breast fed. (unless your doctor says otherwise)you will also save a fortune and your baby will be healther (thats a proven fact).

As regards Nappies, make a trip to the north and buy 3 months supply.

Buggies/Car seats buy on ebay.ie

alex73

Buy the way there is an EU directive on Baby formula that does not allow supermarkets to promote it, (so you will never see a buy one get one free).

crazy cat lady

alex73 wrote: »

Buy the way there is an EU directive on Baby formula that does not allow supermarkets to promote it, (so you will never see a buy one get one free).

You don't get 'points' on formula either (on your tesco clubcard or whatever)

You'll never see formula advertised anywhere. Its against the law. The only way they get away with the television adverts for follow on milk is because they will always say that breastmilk is best. Follow on milk is unneccessary anyway. Cows milk is perfect from 1 year.

Back to the topic... Tesco and Dunnes will quite often do promotions on nappies. 2 boxes for 20 euro and the like. Baby wipes are quite often buy one get one free so might be a good idea to top up on those.

I don't really think theres much benefit going up the north to buy stuff unless you live close to the border or if you were going up for a weekend. I certainly wouldn't go just for nappies and milk. I'd certainly take a trip to a supermarket if I was in the area tho

bulmersgal

When I'm buying my nappies I usually pull out calculator on phone and divide price by amount of nappies u get in pack. I found it works better because sometimes pampers are 2 boxes for 24 sometimes huggies are 33% off etc and it gets very hard to compared without calculator which deal is the best.

I've never bothered going up the north, checked the prices online and if u shop around in ireland u can make same savings

mohawk

bulmersgal wrote: »

When I'm buying my nappies I usually pull out calculator on phone and divide price by amount of nappies u get in pack. I found it works better because sometimes pampers are 2 boxes for 24 sometimes huggies are 33% off etc and it gets very hard to compared without calculator which deal is the best.

I've never bothered going up the north, checked the prices online and if u shop around in ireland u can make same savings

Good to see I am not the only one with the calculator out before I buy nappies.

OP Don't stock up with too much of the smallest nappy sizes they grow out of them really fast and sometimes a particular brand doesn't suit.
lots of people swear by aldi and lidl nappies but I find buying nappies on special offer cheaper.
Also about buying formula in advance a few people I know who formula fed had to change brands as the first one they tried didn't suit the baby. (I BF for 10 months so didn't have that problem).

crazy cat lady

Join Tesco baby club! Was just looking at my notice board thing and saw all my coupons and remembered that they send out loads of coupons for nappies and other baby essentials.

bulmersgal

oh yea forgot about coupons if u join the likes of eumom u get pack with coupons also pampers and tesco. think u get €2 off a pack which helps a lot when they on special offer as well.

dont buy to many of one size tho my 4month old already in size4

The Rook

Thanks to all for the very helpful replies.

Alex73 I do know that "breast is best" but we've already made the decision not to breastfeed.

Time to start scouting Tesco etc etc now !

lynski

lidl 2 for 10 euro this week on all sizes

MrsA

I found lidl nappies great, not at the very start as they do not do the tiny sizes, but, as they get to the 4 month or so mark the nappies from there are as good if not better than any of the name brands.

Be careful of stocking up on Formula, it might not suit your baby and you might need to change. Although that said I decided to feed mine SMA gold and both were perfectly fine on it and had no issues.

Good luck with the new arrival.

bad2dabone

MrsA wrote: »

Be careful of stocking up on Formula, it might not suit your baby and you might need to change. Although that said I decided to feed mine SMA gold and both were perfectly fine on it and had no issues.

Good luck with the new arrival.

Good point on not stocking up, our baby found the SMA gold disagreeable and we had to switch to Aptamil.

M three

The Rook wrote: »

Thanks to all for the very helpful replies.

Alex73 I do know that "breast is best" but we've already made the decision not to breastfeed.

Time to start scouting Tesco etc etc now !

Supervalu do some good offers on nappies. Everything still cheaper up north tho but you need to be buying a lot to justify travelling a distance.

rook why / how did ye decide not to breastfeed if ye havent tried it? breastfed babies are healthier and have stronger immune systems. fact.

bad2dabone

M three wrote: »

rook why / how did ye decide not to breastfeed if ye havent tried it? breastfed babies are healthier and have stronger immune systems. fact.

she knows this but the decision on how to feed her baby is entirely up to her to be honest.

M three

bad2dabone wrote: »

she knows this but the decision on how to feed her baby is entirely up to her to be honest.

i hear you but its the fathers baby also. his opinion counts also.

MrsA

M three wrote: »

rook why / how did ye decide not to breastfeed if ye havent tried it? breastfed babies are healthier and have stronger immune systems. fact.

And my bottlefed children have never been sick a day in their lives, so reel your neck in.

People are entitled to make choices on feeding their children without other people giving them "facts" about how their choice is wrong.

bad2dabone

M three wrote: »

i hear you but its the fathers baby also. his opinion counts also.

that's true M three, but i suppose the father's not going to be the one doing the feeding
Anyhow she's said "we've" made the decision so I'm sure they've come to it jointly.

The facts all support breastmilk as being superior, however breast feeding is not for everyone (although if I was a woman I reckon i'd give it a go).
Its been my experience that there's a very strong breastfeeding lobby and those who choose not to breastfeed are regarded as doing wrong - perhaps i'm reading things incorrectly. I think that the most important thing is that the mother is comfortable in her chosen method of feeding her child and doesn't need other people adding pressure to the whole thing.
just my 2c.

branners69

Only advise I'd give is avoid Pampers nappies, especially if you have a girl. There is a huge connection between Pampers nappies and severe nappy rashes!!

M three

bad2dabone wrote: »

that's true M three, but i suppose the father's not going to be the one doing the feeding
Anyhow she's said "we've" made the decision so I'm sure they've come to it jointly.

The facts all support breastmilk as being superior, however breast feeding is not for everyone (although if I was a woman I reckon i'd give it a go).
Its been my experience that there's a very strong breastfeeding lobby and those who choose not to breastfeed are regarded as doing wrong - perhaps i'm reading things incorrectly. I think that the most important thing is that the mother is comfortable in her chosen method of feeding her child and doesn't need other people adding pressure to the whole thing.
just my 2c.

good points. there is also a very strong artificial baby milk lobby. watched a documentary recently, it showed nestle baby food advertising in africa that portrayed breast feeding as unnatural. just so they could sell more bloody powder. evil baxtards. people should boycott their confectionary products.

Das Kitty

branners69 wrote: »

Only advise I'd give is avoid Pampers nappies, especially if you have a girl. There is a huge connection between Pampers nappies and severe nappy rashes!!

Have you a link for this? All my friends with girls use Pampers and have had no such problems.

bad2dabone

M three wrote: »

good points. there is also a very strong artificial baby milk lobby. watched a documentary recently, it showed nestle baby food advertising in africa that portrayed breast feeding as unnatural. just so they could sell more bloody powder. evil baxtards. people should boycott their confectionary products.

thanks for that info, just done a little research and there's a documentary on youtube about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYDPKQOVUE&feature=related

horrifying to be honest.

borderlinemeath

M three wrote: »

good points. there is also a very strong artificial baby milk lobby. watched a documentary recently, it showed nestle baby food advertising in africa that portrayed breast feeding as unnatural. just so they could sell more bloody powder. evil baxtards. people should boycott their confectionary products.

But legally (in Ireland anyway) formula cannot be advertised or discounted as the government backs all WHO initiatives on breastfeeding. (Yet offers little or no support thereafter - it's up to the parent to seek out support)

The low take up on breastfeeding stems from lack of support in the crucial first few days in our overstretched maternity hospitals. Perhaps Mrs Rook heard some horror stories and decided that it wasn't for her. She probably feels bad enough about it - but it's still her decision.

(incidentally - the laws on advertising and discounting on formula in ROI is more than likely why consumers have it in their heads that it's cheaper heading North to buy it - as they advertise and discount the top brands week in week out)

Moonbeam

It is never discounted up north either but this time 2 years ago it was 1/2 the price up there that it is here,then irish shops copped on and brought the prices down.
Allowing 80c to the pound formula is still a little cheaper up north but very little.
Nappies at normal price are still a little cheaper up there but you can nearly always get 2 packets for 7 pounds(boots and sainsburys),6 packets of johnsons baby wipes are 5 pounds(semi chem)most baby wipes can be got for a pound so the special offers are pretty similar .
For baby equipment there can still be huge differences.
Basing this on my shopping earlier this week:)

implausible

MrsA wrote: »

People are entitled to make choices on feeding their children without other people giving them "facts" about how their choice is wrong.

I don't know why you have 'facts' in quotation marks. It is a fact that breast-milk is the perfect food for babies. It's great that you and hundreds of thousands of others have very healthy children, but it doesn't negate the fact that breast-milk is the ideal and anything else is an inferior substitute. Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to point this out without people getting defensive.

OP, be careful about stocking up. As others have pointed out, one brand of formula may not suit your baby. Also, you don't know the weight of your baby, so only stock up on the bigger nappy sizes.

As for baby gear, do your research online e.g. kiddicare or mothercare and compare north and south. However, for cots and buggies, you really need to go into a shop and physically see them and try them out. Personally, I found the southern shops really competitive and I live very close to the border. I was surprised that TK Maxx has good value on smaller things like grobags, bedroom furniture, baby carriers and clothes.

mohawk

branners69 wrote: »

Only advise I'd give is avoid Pampers nappies, especially if you have a girl. There is a huge connection between Pampers nappies and severe nappy rashes!!

Never heard that. Alot of people I know use pampers and no one ever had a nappy rash problem. Boy or girl! Its down to the individual baby some are just more prone to nappy rash. Different brands tend to suit different babies.

mohawk

borderlinemeath wrote: »

But legally (in Ireland anyway) formula cannot be advertised or discounted as the government backs all WHO initiatives on breastfeeding. (Yet offers little or no support thereafter - it's up to the parent to seek out support)

The low take up on breastfeeding stems from lack of support in the crucial first few days in our overstretched maternity hospitals. Perhaps Mrs Rook heard some horror stories and decided that it wasn't for her. She probably feels bad enough about it - but it's still her decision.

(incidentally - the laws on advertising and discounting on formula in ROI is more than likely why consumers have it in their heads that it's cheaper heading North to buy it - as they advertise and discount the top brands week in week out)

As far as I am aware its an eu directive to ban advertising and discounting on infant formula. They are only allowed to advertise follow on formula. Also why they dont give you points when you buy formula in shops. The same law is in place in uk.

Ayla

branners69 wrote: »

Only advise I'd give is avoid Pampers nappies, especially if you have a girl. There is a huge connection between Pampers nappies and severe nappy rashes!!

Agree with the other posters who disagree here...I've used Pampers on both of my girls & never had an issue (any more than with any other nappy anyway).

What's your source?

The Rook

Hi all,

Thanks to all who have given really really helpful advice as to the whole formula nappies etc etc thing.

To those who want to make this thread into an unsolicited advice giving session let me make the situation perfectly clear.

I am the Dad to be and it's my wife who is pregnant. We made a joint decision not to breastfeed. We don't have to give any reasons to anyone on-line, in person or anywhere as to why we have made this decision, and I wouldn't expect people to tell me what to do as "this option is best" ...I did say in my original post that I was aware that breast is best, however it's simply not what we're going for.

I wasn't breastfed, nor were my three brothers and two sisters, nor were my parents and we are all as healthy as can be, so while yes breastfed is best-fed if my child turns out as healthy as all my family I will be delighted.

Bad2theBone I'm a bit offended by your post saying that as I'm the husband I won't be feeding the child. Even if you said it in jest it still rankles with me. I want as much to do with feeding, changing and every aspect of the baby's life as they come into the world and make their way through it, so I think you're out of order making blasé assumptions (or jokes) that in my role as husband and father I will be doing otherwise. You know nothing about me and while it's possible that what you said was based on your own experiences, please don't project those experiences onto others.

Once again I want to thank everyone who has offered genuine advice and I can't wait to get started in my new role in the near future!

Cheers

bad2dabone

Sorry Rook I meant no offence at all by my post, I meant it in jest and when i look at it now I can see how it came across to you.

I want as much to do with feeding, changing and every aspect of the baby's life as they come into the world and make their way through it

I feel the exact same way about my child and I'm feeling like a twat for making such an ill considered off the cuff comment.

I had meant the fathers not going to be the one doing the feeding if the feeding was breastfeeding btw

gogo

branners69 wrote: »

Only advise I'd give is avoid Pampers nappies, especially if you have a girl. There is a huge connection between Pampers nappies and severe nappy rashes!!

Never heard of this either, my son has very senistive skin and we have had no problems at all with pampers? Do you have a source?

branners69

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2010/05/pampers_causing_a_stink.html

Just google nappy rash and pampers, there is loads of information out there!
Check out rollercoaster and magicmum for more threads!

I have two girls and both were destroyed by pampers, I was only advising the op to keep an eye out!

lilu

The Rook I wish u all the very best. I buy pampers in Boots they have a great offer almost all the time. I much often use a calculator for checking a price for one nappy like some of u said it if they are really cheap...
About a cheap formula check this web:
http://www.buy4now.ie/sammccauley/aspx/shopping.aspx?loc=C&catid=8.22&sort=0&sdir=asc&pg=1
and also if u are interested in European branch milk:
http://www.babymilk.de/
milk is really cheap on this web and is humana.
I hope so that this helps u...
Any questions let me know...
You can also login online on http://www.eumom.ie/ u will receive some samples and money off coupons for pampers.
www.pampers.ie they will send u a money off coupons for pampers product,
http://www.aptamil.ie/ they will send u a free samples vitamins for pregnant women..., and when your baby turn on 6 month they will send u a money off coupons,
http://www.feedingforlife.ie/ will give u some samples and support etc
https://www.smanutrition.ie/ maybe u like it too
I wish u both a lot of luck, happiness and enjoy.
Having a baby is the best what I could do...