Cost of formula?

[meow951]

I haven't decided yet whether i'm going to breastfeed or formula feed, just going to decide when she's born so there's no pressure on me.

I formula fed my son as he had reflux and a possible milk intolerance so he was prescribed prescription milk and i never had to buy any and he was a very small drinker.

I was just wondering if anyone would mind sharing how much they tend to spend on formula per week/month? I know it varies with age as they start drinking more, but i was thinking about this and i have no idea!

 

[Tweak0605]

We use Parent's Choice Organic and it's $16 a can. We go through roughly 4-5 cans a month, so around $80 a month. I know if you go with the regular PC formula, it's even cheaper.

 

[Monalissa]

DD wouldn't drink the powdered stuff after she had a taste of the ready made formula. It wasn't too expensive at first because she was getting a good amount breast milk in addition to the formula. Now she's getting 100% formula, about 36 oz per day, and it's so expensive. It probably costs us about $200 a month. Next time if I BF and have to supplement I won't even introduce ready made.

 

[lola_90]

Now around 3 tubs a month so £30 but when he was younger it was £9.50 every 4 days!!

 

[flamingpanda]

I think I worked it out at about £36 a month. Depends on what brand you buy, of course. We wanted to breastfeed and unfortunately it didn't work out. One of the main draws for me was the fact that it's free. Of course now we're a little further down the road I realise you really can't base your choice to BF or not on cost. I think you have to really want to do it. In some cases it "just works" but if it doesn't in no way will the cost play a factor.

 

[meow951]

I'm not using cost as a deciding factor either, i jsut had a horrendously stressful time with my son so this time i'm keeping my options open with a more relaxed approach. If it works it works, if it doesn't it doesn't

I just wondered how much formula a normal baby uses, just in case i'm in for a shock if we do use it

 

[fides]

If you are in the US, you can sign up online for Similac, Enfamil, Good Start & Parent's Choice samples to come in the mail for free. If you need them, you'll have some on hand, and if you don't need them, you can donate them to a crisis pregnancy center or a food bank.

 

[Pennyb]

We use ready to feed and use a bottle per 24 hours at £2.69 per bottle so approx £80.70. I don't mind the cost it is very easy and convened plus the powder does not agree with him, he had two bottles of the powdered one and it turned his poo green !!

 

[sequeena]

In the beginning a £7 box (hipp organic) lasted at least 2 weeks... maybe more? As he got older he obviously drank more and by 6 months plus I was buying a box every 6-8 days. It helped that at that age he was on stage 2 milk which was allowed to be reduced in baby events so I stocked up when they were £5 a box.

 

[flamingpanda]

I'm not using cost as a deciding factor either, i jsut had a horrendously stressful time with my son so this time i'm keeping my options open with a more relaxed approach. If it works it works, if it doesn't it doesn't

I just wondered how much formula a normal baby uses, just in case i'm in for a shock if we do use it

Sorry I didn't mean to suggest you were, it was more me remembering how I thought it would be a deciding factor for me and then it mattering very little in the end.

I'm not sure what's average exactly. We fill Hadley's bottles though as she went through a stage of draining 9oz every 3-4 hours. Now she's teething she's taking a bit less but I top it up just incase. So currently that would be 9oz 4 times a day and a tub lasts roughly a week. But of course that was more when she was tiny. I found the guidelines on the tub completely unhelpful. She was a big (9lb at birth) refluxy baby and always took a few oz more than was suggested at every feed.

I think the attitude you have towards it is very healthy and it's one I wish I could have had. I tortured myself for weeks worrying that it hadn't worked out. If you're considering formula I'd easily write off at least £30 a week but as I say it's pretty baby dependent I think. Good luck!

 

[rbourre]

Our formula costs $48 for 12 cans of concentrate. She eats approximately 1 can a day (25oz). She's not a big eater, never has been. I like to try to trade things I have (clothes, etc) on mom sharing pages (on Facebook) for formula and coupons. Similac also sends out cheques for $5 or $10 off which helps. Powder is cheaper, but my daughter will not eat powder.

 

[kat2504]

I believe an average spend in the UK is about ten pounds a week - perhaps less at first although newborns do waste a lot sometimes, and perhaps more in the couple of months before weaning, and perhaps more if you use some cartons out of the home for convenience. So you can essentially write off your child benefit money for a second child.

 

[special_kala]

£30-£40 a month

 

[lozzy21]

To bloody much, before we started weaning and for a month or two after it was costing around £50-60 a month.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

7.99 a week atm but you cans get milk tokens if low income x

 

[greenbeans12]

I use Enfamil Gentlease. I buy the formula in bulk at a store called BJ's in the states. I get much more for my money there. I spend about 150 a month in formula and my son eats a lot!

 

[LynseyPynsey]

LO goes through a tin every 5 days at £9 a tin so £55 roughly a month?

 

[cem130]

My 7 week old went through about $200 last month... but we are on WIC, which paid for 9 cans ($145). WIC only gives cans, not the cheaper tubs, and they give you Enfamil, which is the most expensive one out there and stingy with coupons!

Figured we could feed store brand for much, MUCH less if we weren't on WIC, but baby doesn't like switching between formulas.

 

[Mummy2B21]

We used Aptimil and it was around £10 a tub and would last 4/5 days.

 

[lch28]

i use parents choice advance and spend about 80 a month