New Born

Baby, Motherhood, New Born, New Mom, Sponsored
5 Hacks for Shopping for Baby on a Budget
- 2:28 pm
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club. As always, all opinions are my own.

I am a regular mom with three kids living in my beloved New York City. I love raising my kids here, but it’s no secret that it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the country. With my first child, I overspent on everything like most new moms, but during my second pregnancy, I started to look for ways to save money and now that I have three, I am conscious of how I spend my money. I wanted to share a few hacks for shopping for babies that I’ve discovered over my past eight years of parenting. I know these would helpful, whether you’re a new mom or you’re looking to tighten up your budget.

Hack #1: Buy in Bulk

This is my top hack because I can hold on to my money and just as importantly my time. I would rather buy almost 200 diapers at once instead of making several trips to the store purchasing small packets with only 25. I’ve found that those small packets are much more expensive, and my baby uses them in just a few days.

As most of you know by now, I am a BJ’s Wholesale Club shopper, and that’s my preferred store for getting all of my baby’s products from baby food to detergent, to diapers and wipes. I joined BJ’s when I was pregnant with my second baby five years ago. My first child was still in training pants, so I knew that I would be buying diapers for two children. It’s not just diapers though, baby food, lotion, and formula are more economical to buy at BJ’s. For my older two children, I purchase their fruits, snacks and juice boxes. All at much better prices than the regular supermarket.

If you’re not a BJ’s member yet, you can sign up here for only $25 for a limited time, I’ve paid $55 for my membership for the past five years, and it’s been worth every dollar.

Hack #2: Shop online to save time.

My cousin told me last week that she can’t seem to find a moment to go to the store with her 5-week old baby. I told her that she needs to shop online if she can’t get to the store. We both laughed because we hate paying shipping fees, but I let her know that’s one of the reasons I shop for my baby at BJ’s Wholesale Club. They offer free online shipping so many products including diapers, training pants and wipes. Other retailers charge up to four times the cost of BJ’s annual membership fee for this service.

Hack #3: Use coupons.

I am no coupon queen; I have friends who have stockpiles that they could use to open a store. I’m your regular girl who wants to save a few dollars on products I purchase frequently. I use the BJ’s app to find coupons and save them while I shop. BJ’s also take manufacturers coupons so that you can double up on savings.

Hack #4: Use a pick-up in club service.

This is my go-to during the school week or if I am running errands. I place my BJ’s order online, and I receive an alert when it’s ready to pick it up. I’m able to get everything I need and get everything else on my to-do list done.

Hack #5: Shop for everything at one store.

There was a time when I would spend hours going to different stores to get everything I needed. Groceries, baby items, new pajamas for the kids, books, etc. Now, I shop at one store, BJ’s Wholesale Club. It’s less stressful for me, and I get all of our favorite brands and products usually at a better price. Groceries are 25% less than supermarkets, and I can find organic food, fresh fruits, and vegetables to keep my family healthy.

I hope these baby shopping hacks help you save money and spend more time with your baby. If you’ve read to this point, you’ve probably decided if a BJ’s membership will be worthwhile for your family. If you decided that it is, use my unique link to get your membership for only $25 for a limited time.

What is your hack for baby shopping on a budget?
Baby, Breastfeeding, Motherhood, New Born, Sponsored, Toddler
Tips for Weaning Your Baby and Picking a Formula
- 3:10 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Everything that I thought would be easy about motherhood turned out to be more complicated than it seemed. Weaning a baby was hands down one of the toughest things I did. For me, my first time was even harder than potty training. There I was pregnant and weaning a baby, and it took me all of three weeks to wean her off breastmilk, but I managed to learn enough that it was much easier with my son. Now that I have a third baby, I know exactly how I will be approaching weaning her. She isn’t very interested in nursing during the day because she’s distracted crawling and playing with her siblings, so I think that might make weaning her simpler. In the meanwhile, I wanted to share a few things that I learned while weaning my older kids for those of you going through this experience for the first time:

Be patient.

I know this might not be what you want to hear but weaning a baby can take time, while it can happen quickly it’s important not to set a timeline. Keep an open mind, so you’re not disappointed or worse get frustrated. It can be even tougher if you’re the one initiating the weaning so be patient with your child.

Take a gradual approach.

Instead of going cold turkey, try replacing a nursing session with a bottle. I’ve found that this works better when we’re not in the same environment so instead of giving your baby a bottle in the rocker where you usually nurse her change the location. I take my kids out to play most mornings now that it’s summer, so the baby is getting used to having a bottle while we’re out. Creating a new routine in a different environment will help your baby adjust.

Continue to enjoy bonding time.

Whether you’re weaning a 3-month-old or 1-year old baby, what you’re both going to miss most is the bonding time. Honestly, my older kids and I still enjoy so many sweet moments, and I never eased up on the cuddles even when I stopped nursing them. Find ways to continue to give your baby your undivided attention, so your baby continues to feel connected to you and secure.

Picking a formula that’s right for your child is the first step. Here are few things to consider when picking a formula:
- Baby’s age
- Food allergies
- Budget
- Baby’s needs (colic etc.)
Formula for baby 0-12 months

I’m not sure if I will wean my baby before she’s one or after but I’ve already started to look into my options for both age groups. Like diapers and wipes, formula is something we can’t afford to run out of as moms. So as a BJ’s Wholesale Club member, I plan to take advantage of those savings on formula. Considering the needs of a busy baby like my daughter, BJ’s exclusive Berkley Jensen’s non-GMO infant formula, which is one of the closest formulas to breast milk and supports brain development is one of the best options. I’m a big fan of the quality of Berkley Jensen products especially their wipes and diapers which I switched to earlier this year. I’ve been recommending them to all the moms I know. If you’re on the fence about trying Berkley Jensen infant formula, keep in mind BJ’s offers a 100% money back policy on Berkley Jensen products, so if this formula isn’t a good fit you can return it.

Formula for toddlers 1-3 years

For older toddlers, a few of the moms in our music class swear by Enfagrow Toddler Next Step. What I know is most toddlers still do not eat enough to get all of their nutrients from food, so getting additional nutrients like DHA which is essential for their little rapidly growing brains. So, Enfagrow Toddler Next Step which also has probiotics can provide the nutrients that are lacking in their diet. If you want to save on formula, keep in mind that that buying wholesale is more cost-effective, and BJ’s accepts manufacturers coupons so you can combine them with their coupons for additional savings for all-around winning. Since I always lose my coupons, I started to select and save my coupons to my membership card digitally with BJ’s Add-to-Card feature. If you still do not have a BJ’s membership take advantage of this promotion and sign up for one here and you will receive a $25 BJ’s gift card. If you’re busy you can take advantage of several shopping options including free shipping on diapers and wipes online and shop BJs.com – Pick Up in Club.

Sign up for BJ’s for only $25 until 9/29.

What are your tips for weaning your baby?
Baby, Motherhood, New Born, New Mom, Sponsored
Simple Tips for Feeding Your Baby | Newborn to Toddler
- 11:23 pm
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Gosh! Who knew feeding a baby is complicated. Determining what to feed my kids and when to feed them has led to some of the most stressful moments on this motherhood journey. I drove myself crazy with the first child fussing about everything but I discovered simple is better for them and their bodies. So I wanted to share some things that worked for me because we’re all in survival mode during our baby’s first year, whether this is your first or third like me. Here are a few simple tips for feeding your baby through all the stages of the first year:

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding isn’t easy! Nursing can be complicated but to simplify things, I will tell you that getting the right latch is the most important thing. Focus on getting it right by getting informed, ask for help if you need to and keep at it. I always tell my girlfriends that if it hurts when you feed the baby that’s an indicator that the baby isn’t latched on correctly. Call a lactation consultant to get help, and if you can’t nurse your baby, please don’t be hard on yourself.

Paced bottle feeding

I breastfed all three of my children, and I always pumped so my husband would be able to bond with them by feeding them too. It seemed important to him to feed them, but I was scared that they would prefer bottle feeding. So, I researched and found the paced bottle-feeding technique which has worked well for us.

Paced feeding forces the baby to drink milk in her bottle similarly to when I nurse her. We alternate the position of the bottle (never removing it from her mouth) so that she doesn’t drink too much at once, so the feeding is paced. We let her lead, so she usually pushes the bottle away when she’s full.

The right bottle makes all the difference, and we love the Avent Classic + Baby Bottles. These not only work, but they’re also very easy to clean and they never leak. We got our bottles at BJ’s Wholesale Club; it’s such a great deal because the box included five bottles plus a brush. My baby doesn’t have colic, but these bottles are designed to reduce gassiness and colic.

Introduce solids only when your baby is ready.

It’s simple, don’t introduce solids before they’re ready. All three of my children were ready to try solids at different times in their first year. My oldest was interested much later than my younger two. This baby started showing interest by reaching for food and opening her mouth as we ate dinner when she was only four months old. To be safe, I usually wait at least three days before introducing a new food to her diet to monitor for allergic reactions.

Last month, when I took her in for her 6-month checkup, her pediatrician told me that this is a good time to get her started on yogurt so last weekend I got her Stonyfield Yobaby yogurt at BJ’s. It’s déjà vu because I used to buy this yogurt for the older kids too and I always got it at BJ’s because it’s the best price. Yobaby is my favorite for babies’ little tummies because it has probiotics. So far, she seems to be a fan of the vanilla flavor.

Get baby on a schedule.

This is most important for feeding your little ones because babies aren’t fans of surprises, they love structure. They like to know when to expect their meals and where they will eat them. If you’ve found that your baby wants to skip a meal or two, it may be because you’re off schedule. Consistency is key. During the warmer months, I usually take the kids outside after breakfast, so these days the baby expects a bottle around 11 am while we’re at the park before we head back home for her nap.

Keep Snacks Handy.

The next stage for us will be snacking. She only crawled a few times in the past few days, but mainly army crawls. As I shared before, I’m already prepared for when she starts crawling so she can snack on her Happy Baby Superfood Puffs. I even got her cute Skip Hop Zoo Snack Cups. My preschooler loves to borrow for his snacks, and I love that the cup is designed so snacks don’t easily spill but it’s easy to open and close. BJ’s sells the two pack so she can share one with her brother.

I hope you found these simple tips for feeding your baby during every stage of the first year helpful. As you can tell, shopping at BJ’s makes feeding my baby simpler for me. I save time too because I make these purchases while I shop for our groceries and other household necessities, so it’s a one-stop shop. I can even digitally clip coupons from the BJ’s mobile app and add them directly to my membership card with BJ’s Add-to-Card feature. Click here to sign up for your BJs Wholesale Club membership and you will receive a free $25 gift card from BJ’s.