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Post by Mary_K on Jul 3, 2014 18:16:03 GMT
Is it true that when you buy formula you have to buy 5 cans at a time?
Thanks for any info!
Mary K
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Post by sunshine36616 on Jul 3, 2014 18:21:55 GMT
My mother was on WIC but it was like 25 years ago. I remember that you had to buy exactly what was listed. Even if the 1lb box of store brand corn flakes was cheaper, if the card said a 1/2 pound box of Kellog's Corn Flakes, that's what you had to get. I believe this applied to formula as well. It's been so long I don't remember.
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Post by sunshine36616 on Jul 3, 2014 18:24:23 GMT
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Post by Dictionary on Jul 3, 2014 18:27:12 GMT
No, no cards just vouchers and I can't quite remember but it seem like yes you have to buy a bunch at once but it's like in increments..some maybe you are allotted say 20 cans you buy min 5. But the vouchers are for the entire month. |
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Post by finally~a~mama on Jul 3, 2014 18:35:53 GMT
I think WIC varies from one state to the next. I've never used it, but I have noticed recently at the store somehow getting 3 or 4 small cans of formula with some sort of paper thing in her hand which I assumed it was WIC. Normally I don't pay that much attention to others but my cashier was incredibly slow.. LOL Anyhow, I thought it was kind of strange because those tiny cans don't last long at all (you would need several to get through a week) & I wondered if that was a WIC requirement.
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Post by MonkeysInk on Jul 3, 2014 18:38:26 GMT
A friend who gets WIC says that you have to get exactly what's listed and all in a single transaction, as any unused value gets forfeited. She says it's a PITA because sometimes the store doesn't have the entire quantity of WIC-approved items at one time.
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Post by MonkeysInk on Jul 3, 2014 18:40:09 GMT
I think WIC varies from one state to the next. I've never used it, but I have noticed recently at the store somehow getting 3 or 4 small cans of formula with some sort of paper thing in her hand which I assumed it was WIC. Normally I don't pay that much attention to others but my cashier was incredibly slow.. LOL Anyhow, I thought it was kind of strange because those tiny cans don't last long at all (you would need several to get through a week) & I wondered if that was a WIC requirement. I wonder if it was just the checks the formula companies mail out? I BF my kids, so when I get the checks in the mail (still getting them, even though my youngest are 2 and 3), I buy the smallest cans with them so I have the least out of pocket cost and then donate them to the food bank. Same if I get high-value diaper coupons. Our church's food bank says those are the two things people come looking for the most and that they get donated the least. hijack over.  |
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Post by finally~a~mama on Jul 3, 2014 19:01:07 GMT
I think the paper was bigger than check sized. I could be wrong though. That's great that you donate formula. The stuff is expensive. We got sample cans from Similac and Enfamil and donated what we didn't want.
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Post by eebud on Jul 3, 2014 19:08:42 GMT
A friend who gets WIC says that you have to get exactly what's listed and all in a single transaction, as any unused value gets forfeited. She says it's a PITA because sometimes the store doesn't have the entire quantity of WIC-approved items at one time. This is how WIC worked last I knew of someone using it. There was a specific number of each item as well as a max amount that could be spent and the certificate was turned over to the store to redeem for payment. That's why it all had to be used at one time. The max value kept people going to the large grocery stores instead of the higher priced quick stop type stores. |
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Post by greenlegume on Jul 3, 2014 19:11:25 GMT
Back in my Kroger cashier days, the rule was that the recipient had to adhere exactly to what was printed on the card. I never got a card where only 1 can was listed.
Not sure how different things are now, though.
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Post by melanell on Jul 3, 2014 19:12:39 GMT
I don't know, but I would think that putting minimum quantity requirements on vouchers might make things more difficult for some of those in need.
I know someone who lives in government housing and who does not have a vehicle. If you make people buy things in larger quantities it can be difficult for them if they have to haul everything home on a bus and/or on foot (especially if they are carrying and/or pushing small child/ren with them). And they may not have a whole lot of storage space, either. The person I know has a kitchen too small to even hold a table and there is no dining room at all.
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Post by greenlegume on Jul 3, 2014 19:13:08 GMT
This is how WIC worked last I knew of someone using it. There was a specific number of each item as well as a max amount that could be spent and the certificate was turned over to the store to redeem for payment. That's why it all had to be used at one time. The max value kept people going to the large grocery stores instead of the higher priced quick stop type stores. This. |
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Post by Mary_K on Jul 3, 2014 19:37:54 GMT
Well, looks like it may be true.
Seems kind of wasteful if your child doesn't like the brand you bought!
Mary K
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Post by sincity2003 on Jul 3, 2014 20:09:34 GMT
Well, looks like it may be true. Seems kind of wasteful if your child doesn't like the brand you bought! Mary K WIC doesn't allow you to choose the brand of formula. Depending on what area of the country you are in, depends on what type of formula you are given. In my area, it's Good Start by Nestle. That is who is the lowest priced non-generic formula in our area. I never got it, but worked grocery and saw them all the time. They had very specific requirements, such as 3 64oz bottles of Juicy Juice (any flavor), 2 gallons of whole milk, or 12 cans of 12 oz formula, that type of thing, but the formula was named. |
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Post by greenlegume on Jul 3, 2014 20:15:59 GMT
Well, looks like it may be true. Seems kind of wasteful if your child doesn't like the brand you bought! Mary K WIC isn't set up to cater to preferences. It's to provide adequate nutrition to pregnant women, infants, young children and nursing mothers. And, do babies really have preferences on formula??? They will buy special formulas (soy, hypoallergenic, etc.) for babies with allergies and true intolerances, but I'm kind of surprised anyone would think they were going to be able to choose whatever formula they wanted on WIC. As far as the waste-the unused formula could always be donated to a food bank or women's shelter. |
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Post by compwalla on Jul 3, 2014 20:22:18 GMT
It was explained to me that the WIC voucher is like a prescription and what's on the voucher is supposed to be the right balance of nutrition for the person getting WIC whether it was the infant or the pregnant or nursing mother. No variation is allowed. In some places WIC also provides coupons you can redeem at the Farmer's Market for fresh produce. When I lived in Arkansas my neighbor got them and I thought it was a great idea.
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Post by Mary_K on Jul 3, 2014 20:22:40 GMT
Well, looks like it may be true. Seems kind of wasteful if your child doesn't like the brand you bought! I'm hoping she'll let me donate what she didn't use. Mary K WIC isn't set up to cater to preferences. It's to provide adequate nutrition to pregnant women, infants, young children and nursing mothers. And, do babies really have preferences on formula??? They will buy special formulas (soy, hypoallergenic, etc.) for babies with allergies and true intolerances, but I'm kind of surprised anyone would think they were going to be able to choose whatever formula they wanted on WIC. As far as the waste-the unused formula could always be donated to a food bank or women's shelter. Actually, it's not that babies have preferences, but some babies tolerate some formulas and don't tolerate others. My step-daughter's (the one using WIC) son only tolerates a certain kind and gets an upset tummy with another. I'm hoping she'll let me donate what she didn't use. Mary K |
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Post by greenlegume on Jul 3, 2014 20:46:32 GMT
WIC isn't set up to cater to preferences. It's to provide adequate nutrition to pregnant women, infants, young children and nursing mothers. And, do babies really have preferences on formula??? They will buy special formulas (soy, hypoallergenic, etc.) for babies with allergies and true intolerances, but I'm kind of surprised anyone would think they were going to be able to choose whatever formula they wanted on WIC. As far as the waste-the unused formula could always be donated to a food bank or women's shelter. Actually, it's not that babies have preferences, but some babies tolerate some formulas and don't tolerate others. My step-daughter's (the one using WIC) son only tolerates a certain kind and gets an upset tummy with another. I'm hoping she'll let me donate what she didn't use. Mary K If the baby has an allergy or intolerance, I'm sure she can get the formula changed. Like I said above, even way back when, the WIC program did pay for specialty formulas for babies who had a medical need for it. She could probably contact the WIC office and talk to them about it. |
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Post by donna on Jul 3, 2014 22:04:24 GMT
We were on WIC back in 1992 when my dh was cut from the military in the downsize. Our youngest was 3 months old and had to use Nutramgin due to colic caused by a lactose and soy intolerance. WIC did cover the specialized formula. The voucher has exactly the size and quantity of each item that you have to get. To qualify for WIC the boys had to have a screening by nurses at the WIC office. Any intolerance would have been notated.
We only did WIC for a few months, but it was a program that helped us a lot during that difficult time of being without jobs and having a 2 year old and an infant.
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Post by darkangel090260 on Jul 3, 2014 22:57:26 GMT
they now give you something like a ATM Debit Card to use. You can only get what is list on the card and that is WIC Approved.
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Post by SnowWhite on Jul 4, 2014 3:04:31 GMT
In some places WIC also provides coupons you can redeem at the Farmer's Market for fresh produce. When I lived in Arkansas my neighbor got them and I thought it was a great idea. My local farmer's market takes the WIC coupons too. The one day I was standing in line behind a young gal with three kids trying to get some fruits & veggies and her WIC didn't cover the cost of it and the farmer refused to take any of her cash for the difference. I totally bought a ton more stuff from that guy because I was so touched by his gesture.  |
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 4, 2014 4:45:11 GMT
If your child doesn't need as much formula, you can ask that they reduce the amount on the check. I used WIC when DS was born and since I breastfed, I didn't need the 1000 lbs of formula they will have you buy each month or bi-weekly. I think at the time I got to tell them Enfamil or Similac, but honestly I don't remember exactly.
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ladygodiva
Shy Member
Posts: 37 
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Post by ladygodiva on Jul 4, 2014 12:23:54 GMT
I'm not sure if you have to buy 5 cans at a time. I do know that there is a designated WIC formula. It is currently Enfamil. For the last 10 years or so, it was carnation, and prior to that it was Similac.
If your baby is unable to tolerate the standard formula offered , it can be changed but usually requires a doctors's prescription.
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Post by formerpea on Jul 4, 2014 13:27:25 GMT
"She says it's a PITA because sometimes the store doesn't have the entire quantity of WIC-approved items at one time."
So sorry for her...
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Post by melanell on Jul 4, 2014 14:14:44 GMT
My older son did.
He would drink Similac, but when we tried to give him a sample of Enfamil from the hospital, he spit it back up each time. After a few times we realized that it wasn't random, it was just something about that brand. I have no idea what.
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Post by melanell on Jul 4, 2014 14:21:13 GMT
I can definitely see that as an issue. If a voucher is for 5 cans, and you really need all 5 cans, then you wouldn't want to waste 2 cans of the voucher by purchasing only the 3 cans available.
So then you have to start going to other stores, which for someone with time, a well-running vehicle, and plenty of gas, that's just a minor inconvenience, but for those without their own transportation, that can be a real issue.
I think people imagine that if you don't work you have all the time in the world, but after seeing how it works for someone with no car, I see that her schedule is crazy. And her time is very limited because she has to schedule so carefully around the timetables of buses, medical transport vans, friends' time, etc.
One day I drove her to a store and she said she had to be back home in time for the medical transportation van to bring her to a 1pm appointment. The appointment was 20 min. from her home, and when I brought her back at 11am, that van was already pulling into the drive for her. She was so concerned about him waiting long enough for her to unpack her refrigerated items.
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