Mommy Money Matters: Crunching the Numbers on Formula!

Breastmilk comes in one variety only – yours. If your child and you are successful, there can be an elaborate dance to learn how and when your child best eats, foods that my upset their digestion, and maybe a little self-care in the process. One thing you don’t have to account for is price. Formula is a whole other ball game. Especially with your first, you really only know the variety your hospital or other medical professional recommended. This tells you very little about knowing how often to feed, powder versus liquid, low iron, soy, and all of the other questions you may have! Well, I’m not a nutritionist, or a paediatrician, but I am a mother who values her budget.

I’ve done a little research – and a lot of math – about all of the various formats we find formula on the shelves. From those adorable little nursers that you can feed your newborn, to those cases of concentrate and powder refills, I’ve compared the prices of the top three brands sold at Walmart across the country. These prices reflect the national average well, but might be higher or lower in your area. These also do not reflect any rollback, sale, price matching or coupons that you should be using to improve your cost!

Nursettes/ Nursers

Small and portable, these ready to serve wonders are sold to be paired with nipples that attach directly to the bottle. Enfamil and Similac sell them identically in 59mL servings. As far as I know, Good Start does have the attachable nipple, but their smallest container, 89 mL, is often in glass bottles! Not as practical for your diaper bag. Of course, with this convenience comes a price, and this format is by far the most expensive of the lot. Once partially consumed, or left opened for over an hour, this product needs to be thrown out, so be aware!

		Enfamil	Good Start	Similac
Nursettes		6 x 59mL	8 x 89mL	8 x 59mL
	Per package	$9.98	$19.97	$11.98
	Per mL	$0.0320	$0.0280	$0.0253
	Per oz	$0.9463	$0.8280	$0.7482

Ready to Serve

When your child gets a little bigger, multiple nursettes is not very cost effective, but there may still be reasons why you would want the same sort of ease. If you’re camping, travelling on a plane, or just to have some spare at Nana’s house, bottles of prepared formula do come in handy. While not quite as expensive as the nurser, it is definitely more pricey to spare yourself the preparation. This bottle can also be chilled after opening, to extend it’s life if junior doesn’t consume it all at once. Remember to use it within 24 hours though!

		Enfamil	Good Start	Similac
Ready to Serve		18 x 337mL	16 x 250mL	1 x 945mL
	Per package	$44.93	$48.87	$10.98
	Per mL	$.0105	$.0122	$.0116
	Per oz	$.3105	$.3608	$.3431

Concentrate

*In this case, per mL and per oz price take into account the addition of water for an accurate comparison.

For daily use, my preference was this method. Cans of concentrate are mixed with equal parts water. The instructions give you the exact method of preparation for optimal results, and after you do it a few times, it becomes second nature. You can prepare a couple cans in a pitcher for easy portioning, and the batch is good for approximately 48 hours. We found it to be the perfect balance of ease and cost effectiveness. The only downside being, this is the only style that requires a little more planning. Prepared bottles need to be chilled when not in use, and finding a heat source is sometimes a pain!

		Enfamil	Good Start	Similac
Concentrate*		12 x 385mL	12 x 359mL	12 x 235mL
	Per package	$49.98	$48.87	$34.98
	Per mL	$.0054	$.0056	$.0062
	Per oz	$.1596	$.1656	$.1834

Powder

When looking at weight and cost of formula products, powder wins hands down. The lack of water makes it cheaper to produce and ship, which is a big win to the end user. You can pre-measure bottles, either in the bottle itself, or a handy portioned container, and add water later on without having to worry about chilling. The two main disadvantages this style has have to do with its preparation. It’s very difficult to make ahead, which is a pain if your child is going through a growth spurt and is eating often. It also needs to be mixed very well to avoid clumps, etc. There are special bottles and kits to assist with that, but it detracts from the cost advantage!

		Enfamil	Good Start	Similac
Powder		900g	660g	638g
	Per package	$25.98	$25.83	$25.38
	Per g	$.0288	$.0391	$.0397
	Per oz	$.1267	$.1720	$.1747

As you can see, while there is a small difference in price between the top three, the actual style of formula has more impact on the price than the label. A good handle on sales and coupons will also really help, with Enfamil coupons of up to $8, Similac cheques, and Nestle Good Start promotions, your favourite will always be available at an even better price. There are also many more brands of formula on the market to try; organics, store brands, and specialty products with custom ingredients. When buying these products, it is even more important to check the expiration date, as the stock is rotated much less frequently.

How do you save money on formula? Have you tried freezing it in to pops for your teething little one? Tell us about it on Facebook!