Hey Everyone! We just adopted dd last month and due to some of her medical issues we are feeding her pediasure. We were getting it free from a program she was involved in pre adoption, but that is over. Our insurance will pay for part of it eventually, but that is taking a lot of paperwork and time to get it rolling! In the meantime we are paying. Are there coupons in the paper? I signed up on the companies web site for special offers, and hopefully they will send me a few. I saw some on ebay, but they are selling for more than 50% of face value, and it doesn't end up being a great deal. Target sells their own brand of the vanilla flavor for $7.89. I can get the pediasure brand for $9.99 at the cheapest. We're mostly using Target's vanilla, but we're also working on introducing other flavors, and we also like the other flavors to hide her medicine she takes 3x per day. She LOVES the strawberry!! Anyway, I did a search and saw a few other regular poster's mention they had children using it. Hopefully y'all will have some ideas for me!!! Thanks!

Do you think you could experiment and make your own?  I totally understand about having to hide meds/supplements, I do that with my kids too.  I looked up the nutritional facts for Pedisure online, they honestly seem fairly easy to replicate.  Here is what they are: http://pediasure.com/info.aspx

I would think that would be pretty easy to do at home with milk/soymilk, some whey or soy protien and a good liquid or powdered childrens multivitamin.  You could also easily add fiber, fish oil, flax seed and others amino acids as well.  The medium chain triglycerides that are mentioned in the pediasure ingredients are things like coconut/palm kernel oil or even butter.  Here is a website with some healthy smoothie ideas for kids, you could make hers with strawberries since she likes them so much and hide her meds just as easily I would think: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040401.asp 

 

PinkLemonade:

We just adopted dd last month

 

Congratulations!!

Congratulations!!     can you add nestle strawberry flavoring to the target vanilla pedisure?  they have other flavours too. 

Hi ... Have you tried contacting Abbott directly and explaining your need for their product? Below is the link with their customer service info. Also, maybe a local-rep could help you purchase cases at a discount? It never hurts to ask ...

http://abbottnutrition.com/products/products.aspx?pid=224

I have just 2 75 cent coupons right now, not worth the price to mail, but at our grocery store there is a store brand sold also, that is about $2 cheaper.  So it would be cheaper even with a Pediasure coupon, the highest coupon I have seen in about 1 year of using a nutrition drink is $1 off.  

Other ideas- my youngest is failure to thrive, low weight, here are some things from her feeding clinic-

Carnation Instant Breakfast highly recommended.  High calorie, high protein- add cheese to everything.  Add peanut butter,  Add margerine or corn oil to hot foods like soups and vegetables, mashed potatoes, cooked rice, pasta.  (We add extra butter to her mac and cheese, and her scrambled egg has extra butter.)  Add chopped hard cooked egg to salads, and extra egg to pancakes, French toast.  Serve foods that are breaded and fried.  Use mayo at 100 calories a Tbs over salad dressing at 50 calories a  Tbs.  Add granola to baked goods.  Instead of water, drink fruit juice, yogurt drinks, eggnog.  Make shakes with Carnation Instant Breakfast, whole milk, and ice cream. Dip raw veggies in salad dressing, yogurt dips, sour cream. Dip fruit in marshmellow creme or cream cheese. Use whipping cream or half and half in puddings, on cereal, in cocoa. Have crackers with cheese, butter, peanut butter, frosting. Add powdered milk to anything you can.  

Hope some of these can help, it is nice to have the complete meal in the Pediasure, but look for ways to add calories, fats, proteins every meal and for two snacks a day.   

Thanks for all of the ideas. We got two $2 coupons from her Nutritionist. She is on an all liquid diet due to some health issues, so she doesn't eat any solids for calories. They did also suggest adding powdered milk to her drink, or carnation instant breakfast. We're trying to get her switched to the Boost prescription that is higher concentrated in calories.

Is she digesting lactose?  The Pediasure is lactose free, I think.  One good drink woud be to put the Instant Breakfast, whole milk, and a pasterized egg in the blender, maybe with a few strawberries as she likes that flavor.  Congrats on your adoption, I am very excited for you!  

This website sells coupons, nominal fees involved from what I can tell.  They unfortunately don't have any Pediasure coupons right now, but maybe bookmark them and you can check from time to time?

http://www.thecouponclippers.com/coupons/home.php

There is a rebate form on mysavings.com for a free refund.