What to do with formula samples?

[supervee]

What should I do with the giant canister of formula I received unsolicted in the mail from a company? And now they're following up with coupons.

On one hand, I don't want to discourage new moms from breastfeeding so I have an inclination to toss it.

On the other hand, it's a big canister, and if someone is already formula-feeding, it would sure save a poor mama some $.

I asked around my friends but no one knows any formula feeders.

I'm sure y'all have received samples/coupons...what do you do with them?

[Emilie]

feed em to my baby of course.
just kidding.
I donated mine to a thrift store- I do not know if that is ok or not( selling"food")
Look into your area and see if a pregnancy crisis center will take it- or possibly a domestic violence shelter?
Maybe include some literature on breastfeeding- so that will even it out in your mind!
Emilie

[Freesia]

We have a local womens shelter tht deals with families in crisis. I gave them all my samples. Al ot of the moms there don't BF due to illness or addiction. I also gave them any coupons I recieved for dipaers and formula.

[thepeach80]

I always give any unneeded baby things, even foods and formula, to the pgcy center I used to counsel at.

[supervee]

quick replies! and good ideas. thanks so much!

[EmmalinesMom]

I take them to a food bank. And these companies can never seem to get my last name right so I end up with a TON of these cans all sent to my address, but with a zillion spellings of my last name.

[Belle]

I did that too. Mine went to the local food bank.

[MTBto5]

I donate all of mine to our local food pantry, they are always in need of formula!! A womens shelter would be great also.

[Hawkeyemama]

I offered mine up on freecycle, and a woman responded who will be taking them to a shelter on an Indian reservation. (Except the Enfamil samples, which I gave to my SIL when she decided to stop BF )

[Hawkeyemama]

edit to remove personal info

[mamamillie]

I donated a bunch to a crisis pg center and felt really bad about it, still do. I think in the future I would flush it.

[annettemarie]

I feel that any formula samples/coupons should be returned to the company.
Alternately, you could give samples to someone who legitimately cannot breastfeed. The coupons should never be given away, for reasons stated below.
Donating the samples to a food bank could possibly interfere with someone's attempts at breastfeeding.
Donating them to a crisis pregnancy center definitely puts them in the hands of pregnant women.
Offering them up on freecycle has a host of ethical issues as well.
I think selling or giving away the coupons is possibly the worse thing you can do. You are making money at the possible expense of babies' health (if you sell them) as well as doing a disservice to breastfeeding women. Your tracking information is on those coupons. When they get used, the formula company doesn't know who it is that used them. All they know is that their tactics of aggressively marketing formula to breastfeeding mothers (and there is proof that they send MORE samples and coupons to moms-to-be who mark indicate that they will breastfeed than they do to those who say they will formula feed) are effective. Additionally, the formula companies are certainly not giving their stuff away out of the goodness of their hearts- someone is paying the price. Formula is insanely expensive, and their are babies with legitimate needs for formula.



You may also want to read these old threads:
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...hlight=formula
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...hlight=formula
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...d.php?t=257989
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...hlight=formula

[supervee]

Thanks for ideas everyone. I will most likely chuck the coupons.

The ebay idea is interesting. I imagine anyone who would pay for the coupons is already using formula.

annettemarie, that is my dilemma. If someone needs the formula I'd hate to waste food by flushing it. I'm just trying to figure the best way to make sure it gets into the hands of that person & not someone who would BF.

There should be a formula Do Not Call list. LOL.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Your tracking information is on those coupons.

Aww, that sucks. I never thought of that, all the times I was giving all that junk to our neighbors.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by tayndrewsmama

Aww, that sucks. I never thought of that, all the times I was giving all that junk to our neighbors.

I know. A lot of people don't realize that.

[Hoopin' Mama]

I donated mine to the local domestic violence shelter. My friend works there, and says many of the women don't bf, so it's not really influencing their decision, kwim?

[birdie22]

I remember being really cheesed off when the samples came to me a week before my due date from 2 different companies.

First let me say that I was not one of those beautiful pregnant women - I was sick and miserable a good bit of the time, and the last month was almost unbearable.

Secondly, I come from a long line of ff'ers, and was uncomfortable at the prospect of having samples in the house. I wouldn't put it past my own mom to mix up a bottle while I slept if it was right there.

Maybe if I had been more "myself" I would have found a good outlet for them, but I didn't ask for them and I was embarrassed that our mailman had to deliver them. I was exhausted, grouchy and stressed.

So I threw them in the garbage can. Better in the trash than in my baby.

It would be a few more months before I got my act together enough to call and tell them to stop sending me junk mail.

[lilylove]

I gave mine(the samples) to my friend who was already FFing, but the urge to burn them and send a video tape of it to the formula companies was strong

[srmina]

Here's an idea I don't think anyone can shoot down. :LOL Donate them to a family with a special needs child who is unable to eat by mouth. You can contact your local Children's hospital or pediatrician to get the name of a family. These kids cannot breastfeed and are often on infant formula for as long as two years before switching to enteral formula. Many moms do pump breastmilk (I did for 13 months), but the need in this population is particularly great. They have medical bills that can be stacked up to the ceiling. Sometimes formula is covered by insurance, but even so, it is a 20% copay.

If anyone is interested in this, I can also give you the web address of a tube-feeding parent support group where you could find a family.

[MamaTT]

I would throw them out.