Trying out Dutch Lady Infant Milk Powder for the First Time

Last week Friday, Mommy went to a Chinese medicine hall by the name Kedai Ubat dan Pasaraya Mega Grade Sdn. Bhd. (Jalan Sepadu, off Old Klang Road) to survey the price of infant milk powder. Mommy has heard of many feedbacks from other mummies that milk powder is cheaper if bought from Chinese medicine hall rather than hypermarkets and supermarkets. And yes, indeed it's true! The brand Mommy had in mind was Dutch Lady Step 2 and Mommy was very keen to try this brand firstly, because of the relatively low price and secondly, because this variant still has the same amount of common nutrients, except for DHA content which is roughly half of that found in Dutch Lady's more expensive infant milk powder, Frisolac. Mommy reckons that probably it is the high content of DHA in those expensive brands of infant milk powder that contributes to the 'smelly' smell and taste which is what fish oil supplements also smell like. So, probably if the DHA content is not so high, maybe Juan Or will like the taste better. (Anyway, Mommy has already been taking fish oil supplements since pregnancy till now just to make sure Mommy's breastmilk has enough DHA or Omega 3 or Omega 6 in it!) In Tesco, the price was RM15.99, whereas in The Store was RM15.90. In Mega Grade, the price tag showed RM15.50 which was even cheaper. So Mommy bought it from Mega Grade.

Then Mommy left the shop and drove home. Upon reaching home, Mommy realized that Mommy had forgotten to check whether the scoop was attached to the packaging or not. And much to Mommy's frusfration, the scoop was not there! So Mommy drove back to Mega Grade and told the shopkeeper that Mommy wanted to change to the one in which the scoop was still attached.

So Mommy went to the shelf to choose the packet with the scoop attached and went back to show the shopkeeper. Guess what! The shopkeeper laughed at why Mommy took so much trouble to change the pack just because it lacks a scoop. Mommy felt like slapping the shopkeeper! Hello, this is a medicine hall! You as someone with some knowledge about traditional Chinese medicine and perhaps some Western health knowledge SHOULD KNOW that milk powder measurement is VERY IMPORTANT if preparing milk for INFANTS! And you can't just simply use any scoop of other brands as substitute! What's more Juan Or has dilated kidneys, so Mommy has to make sure his kidneys are not put to unnecessary strain.

(Dutch Lady's scoop [pink colour] is so much smaller than Similac's scoop [blue colour]. Can't just simply substitute the scoop!)

Not wanting to waste time with the shopkeeper (Mommy needed to pump breastmilk already), Mommy left the shop and vowed never to ever buy from Mega Grade anymore. As Mommy was walking back to the car, Mommy saw another Chinese medicine hall (Kedai Ubat Wah Seng) further up and so decided to drop in to check out the price. The price tag showed RM15 only. Dammit!

Anyway, about suitability of Dutch Lady Step 2, Mommy got the feedback from the babysitter that this brand is suitable for Juan Or because he still has daily bowel movements and the bowels are of the normal type. So Mommy will stick to this brand until Juan Or is ready to drink growing up milk (for ages 1 to 3 years) which Mommy has already stocked up (Dutch Lady 123 at RM18.45 per pack of 1.1 kg bought during a 3-day sale in Tesco).