Good start protect plus!

Hello ladies!
My twins will be 9 months on 1/6 (7 months adjusted). We have had bottle feeding forever. They hated the bottles. We were so sure they had bottle aversion. We always had to dream feed them bottles. But just the past 2-3 weeks, they started loving their bottles ahd hating solid food lol. They drink so so much now. I used to count every single oz they drank. But now after couting 24 then I just forget about it lol.We switched to good start protect plus from similac almimentum. It might be one of the reasons...Oh now, they even drink the whole 6-8oz awake yeah!!!They still have EBM and good start now. BUt now they drink so much more than before (10oz extra/day/kid). I just cant pump enough. I work fulltime, come home take care of them until 9:30. So I know I cant put much effort to produce more. So Im ok with them drinking good start after im out of milk lol.I cant believe at this time, they drink about 30 oz even more/day. This is the first time in their life they drink that much. I think they are going through a growing spourts. But it has been almost a month now. And they gain weight like crazy. My son gained almost 1/2 lb just during xmas time....I have couple questions

does any of you have some kind of special discount from Good start like Similac and Enfamil? We have coupons/6 weeks. But thats it.
Is anybody giving your kids good start protect 2 for toddlers? We plan on letting them have it after 1 year old. its because they were premature and they love it so much. Oh if I decide I still pump for them, then of course they will have EBM first...My mom said she let us drink formula until we were 3. There is a debate. MY SIL said that no need for that. She believes formula for toddles is just the way companies try to make money. I am not sure if I totally agreed. She stopped giving her kids formula and started whole milk when they were 10 months. I totally disagree with that. What do you think?

Thanks ladies and happy holidays!

 

1) I never did find any discount plan for good start, I just used coupons whenever I could!! We tried the protect plus but it upset my babies tummies so we stuck with the good old fashioned good start.
2) I never used the toddler formula's either, and agree with your SIL to a point. I believe if your child is not growing properly, or has other health/eating issues, then the toddler formula is a good idea. But if there are no apparent issues, and they are at a decent weight, then I don't think the toddler formula is necessary.
3) I started all my kids on whole milk around 10 months old Sorry, I'm no help to ya there My oldest ds had horrible reflux and did much better on lactaid milk, my oldest dd was a BIG baby (9lbs 12 oz at birth) and we were going on a 3 day drive to visit family and it was far easier to pick up cold milk along the way then try to find appropriate places to mix formula up for her. And the twins were both eating so much solids by 10 months they weren't on much formula/milk anyways. All my switches were done with the approval of my ped.

 

I get coupons from some girlfriends on another forum...up to $15 off the can.... and with my first DD we used the good start 2 till she was about 15months...sooo expensive! ack!

 

1.) I would sign up at Goodstart's website for possible coupons or a mialing list if you haven't already.

2.) Never gave my kids formula once they were over a year. I agree with you sister in law... I think it's a marketing ploy. It's there because SOMEONE will buy it. Just like q-tips. We're not supposed to stick things in our ears... LOL! But someone will buy them! And plenty of people do!

Unless told to otherwise by your pedi, I don't see a problem with starting milk once they are a year, or a year adjusted.

3.) We did whole milk at a year, starting with the transition around 11 months old.

 

Definitely. And register with different names/email addresses with addresses of friends and families. After registering with some sites (Enfamil, Pampers, etc) when my boys were born i was very disappointed with how little coupons I would receive (even after entering stupid codes online!!). Then when the boys were close to a year I registered with Gerber's website using my "junk email" account and a bogus name. I then received SEVERAL high dollar coupons in the mail for Gerber Good Start (anywhere from $2 - $5 per coupon, sometimes 2 or 3 coupons in a mailing), which I offered to other twin moms here since our boys were on Enfamil Premium then and we started switching to whole milk at 12 months. I received such coupons for several months, though haven't received any lately.

 

We started Good Start Protect Plus 2, the toddler version, at 9 months just because the store was out of the regular version at the time. I'll use it until the pedi says it's ok to stop. I agree about the marketing ploy in general but there are times when an underweight toddler may need some extra nutrients.

We've even been getting formula flyers in the mail for toddler formula with little charts about everything toddler formula has that cow's milk doesn't. Of course, they don't talk at all about how toddlers are getting those same nutrients from table food!

 

My girls love Good Start, too! I also nurse and supplement, but I plan on stopping the formula at 12 months. Talk to your ped and do what feels right to you, though. I will say that there are MANY healthy alternatives to pasteurized, homogenized cow's milk. I'm planning to start with goat's milk, which is easier to digest. And I will also give mine full fat plain yoghurt, plain Greek yoghurt (plain does not have the sugar that the flavored varieties contain), plain kefir, cream top non-homogenized cow's milk, etc. And there are so many excellent sources of calcium, like seaweed, for example!! Our diet in the US is high in sugar and salt, it's good to round it out with the other tastes, eg bitter and sour, etc. ok, I'm getting off topic!

Good luck with your decisions. I'm so glad yours are eating more. I remember when both of ours were only night eating and how nervous we were.

 

I think Good Start Protect Plus is for kids who need extra calories. In theory by the time they turn 1 they eat a large enough variety of food to get all vitamins/minerals (just like us). If you think your kids need more calories than they can get from regular whole milk/solid food, then you can give them the toddler formula, but honestly, I don't see the benefits so much.

 

Thanks ladies! I did registered with good start before the kids were born. I got coupons very often before when we used similac lol but not now. I called gerber they said its because the twins got older and we got less coupons. So I just registered with another email. Hopefully we will get more coupons. I also trade enfamil and similac coupons for good start ones with local mom here. I bought coupons on ebay too lol. So I have enough now. I will go pick up 1 case tonight.

Yeah I think I will supplement them until they are 1 year old adjusted. After that, I will give them ebm and cow milk. But I will discuss it with their pedi at our 9 month well check.

And good start protectplus is not an extra cals formula though. It has 100cals in 5 fl oz. The PLUS is the extra break down step so its easy to digest. We never tried the regular one. This one got probiotic. I used to give them probiotic before. Now I don't have to. Its in the formula.

I totally agree that american diet is so unhealthy.our main food in the house are rice, miso soup, veggies, fish, seaweed,...my kids love veggies and goyurt. They don't like meat yet. I tried many times. They gave me puking faces. And I don't think they need it that bad.I will try to give them so tofu this week hehe

Thank you ladies! And happy new year! Be happy and be safe!