Breast feeding is so not cheaper

[Bodicea]

So breastfeeding my little one. Love it and wouldn't change for the world first of all.

Just pondering the costs of all the breastfeeding parephenalia I have had to fork out for and starting to think that the argument that is is significantly cheaper unless you plan to do it for a seriously significant amount of time is rubbish.

So I am three and a half months in and so far have bought a breast pump, four nursing bras, two ridiculously overpriced nursing tops, other clothes that make breastfeeding easier as most of my wardrobe was not suitable, three packs reusable breast pads, three boxes of disposable pads, all the bottle and storage parephenalia for my expressed milk, nipple shields, breast shells, nipple cream, expensive breast feeding supplements, a breast feeding scarf and now some formula too for mixed feeding.

Granted that not everyone is going to buy everything on that list but even so, That is a fair amount of money to spend on formula.

Hoping to make it to 6 months. And like I say wouldn't change it for the world but still think it is a bit of a false argument that it is cheaper.

Your admission that, yes I could have got really cheap stuff but that isn't me makes the thread title very irresponsible.

I think everything to do with babies now has got all sorts of ridiculous paraphernalia with even more ridiculous price-tags attached. Nearly all of it utterly unnecessary. If I were to go back to the beginning I would not buy anything in advance, and only buy stuff when I needed it. Most of the stuff I bought in DS1's first year was utterly unnecessary.

For bf (have bf for 4.5 years across 3 kids now) all I need are some Primark vests under my ordinary tops. I needed almost nothing else - I found I had no need of expressing as I was on mat leave for the first year, and after that morning and night feeds were fine. The only additional things I needed were disposable breast pads for the first couple of weeks (and tissues would have been fine) and Lansinoh - which I did need copious lashings of for the first couple of months. That was only two tubes though. I bought too many tubes, but it has made excellent lip salve/hand cream since.

Cor, if you look in Mothercare you'd be amazed at all the 'stuff' there is to buy. You could look in there and think you need all that or you're a rubbish parent or something.

DS will be my only, so i cant spread my essential electric pump over several, I bought nipple shields several pairs - not for me - him, nipple confusion, long story not for here.
Hot milk bras, I love them, (will be wearing them till Im 96, or thereabouts) so not an extra really.
Lansinoh. 1 tube - lots of freebies available in hospital.

Breast pads, bought some given some.
thats it.
Despite all this & (I mixed fed for first six weeks til we got ourselves sorted), now rising 3 & still going strong it is sooo much cheaper

Sauvignon - no need to take so seriously. I did point out I love breastfeeding and wouldn't change for the world. I was just having a little rant. And for what it is worth I don't believe in shopping in primark for ethical reasons.

A couple of bras and some washable breast pads lasted us through both DSs feeding for a year each. Bought nothing else because twenty years ago all of this stuff didn't exist. My sister passed on a pump, but it was hardly used as neither DS would tolerate bottles and, in the end, I decided not to bother with the hassle. I think that a lot of this so-called "necessary" stuff is just marketing hype to part anxious new parents from their cash!

Yes breast feeding is cheaper than formulae by far. You seem to have bought a lot of unnecessary paraphernalia...in the name of breaStfeeding - but it isn't usual, normal or necessary to own specialised tops, or a pump! Crop top type sports bras and some washable absorbent pads may be useful at first, and some nipple cream for comfort if you need it. The rest of what you bought wasn't needed.

This isn't really a BF vs FF discussion though, more a first time mum vs second/third time mum discussion. I spent a fortune on all that stuff for DD1 (who I stopped exclusively BF at 6 weeks). When I had DD2 I spent nothing as I realised I didn't need any of it (not even breast pads, my boobs don't leak, weirdly) and I BFed her for 3.5 years!

I have never heard of most of that stuff - a breastfeeding chair ??? - there is so much 'marketing' geared to new parents, it's no wonder that so many of them get sucked in to buying all that crap.

99% of what is marketed for pregnant women/breast feeding mums and babies is just not necessary. .

Sorry, OP but it is serious if anyone is put off BFing by thinking it has to be costly.
I accept we all need a rant sometimes, MN is great for that.

I think it is cheaper overall. But I do agree re: the clothes - I had to but lots of bras as I leaked constantly for four months, new tops as most if mine would not accommodate the bigger boobs, tons if disposable pads as I leaked constantly. No way would washable have been manageable.

I also bought a cushion, a breast pump and several bottles. Those I didn't have to buy, the rest I really did.

Breastfeeding saved me money. I didn't have my period for 15 months after DS was born!
babies cost some money. People will spend money on babies. It isn't free breastfeeding directly at "point of service" is free a bit like say the NHS. Breastfeeding has some background costs like clothes (which you wear anyway) as the NHS does like tax pounds (which you'd pay anyway).

I am a complete sucker for buying baby kit and yet even I didn't buy that much!

I bought:

Breast pump + storage bottles

Second hand (closed system), about 40. Not actually necessary for BFing, only because I wanted to be able to give DD a bottle a day so as to make it easier to switch over later. So really a cost of bottle feeding rather than BFing.

Breast pads

Only needed these for first couple of months. Anyway a FF mother would need at least a couple of weeks' worth of pads until her milk stops.

Bras

I needed maternity bras from when I was 20 weeks pg due to enormoboobs. So not a cost of BF, a cost of being pregnant.

V shaped pillow

Second hand, 5. Not actually necessary anyway, I used sofa cushion much more.

Lansinoh

This I grant you is a cost of BFing. Mind you, had DD's tongue tie been spotted early on I don't think I'd have needed it.

Clothes

Didn't buy any BF tops. Used vests and baggy T shirts/cardigans.

FF definitely involves WAY more kit, even leaving aside the cost of the formula itself.

Good point hazchem about saving money by not having periods!

I bought two nursing bras ( only used them for the first few months) and a few boxes of breastpads. Total cost about £40.
I have breastfed for a total of 7 years so works out about 0.1p a week.

A lot cheaper than formula. I never bought bottles, pumps, sterilisers, Lansinoh, special nursing tops or shawls, cushions, nursing shells or nipple shields.

Because of breastfeeding I was without periods for 3 years in total, saving me around £100.
Shops and magazines will always try to convince us to buy stuff we don't need.

" but still think it is a bit of a false argument that it is cheaper" OP- you have been taken for a mug by thinking all that stuff is necessary.

I bought a pack of reusable breast pads for about 5 pounds. Nothing else.

As another poster mentioned breastfeeding can actually save money, I spend 5 pounds a month on pads/tampons, breastfeeding kept my period away for 6 months.

I calculate I am actually 25 pounds richer thanks to breastfeeding.

I must admit, I did spend quite a lot on extra food for me! BF made me starving

Babies only need around 600 calories or so a day. So mothers need only increase their intake by that amount. Much cheaper than formula. A sandwich and a bowl of cereal extra will suffice- or less if you are trying to lose some baby weight!

Not at all.

X3 bras -£60
X1 reusable bamboo breastpads -£12
X1 cream -£10
= £82

That lasted x2 children being bf 2+ years each. So £41 each, or £20.50 per year.

You can't formula feed a child for £20 for a year

I definitely needed to buy a few bits, especially first time round - Multimam compresses, disposable breastpads because I leaked like a big leaky thing for months and reusables didn't cut it, proper breastfeeding cushion because I have a really long torso and was giving myself backache leaning over DS on a regular cushion, new bras and tops because I was a B cup before my first pregnancy and a DD after and literally nothing fitted (though presumably that would have been the case if FF for a while at least, even if I hadn't had to factor in "able to BF in"). Ooh, also bought a breastpump because I continued BF when I went back to work.

Obviously most of the above would have been unnecessary if I hadn't minded wearing ill-fitting uncomfortable clothes soaked in milk and having an incredibly sore back, but they certainly made life a lot easier. While I agree there are a lot of ridiculous products for mums around, I do think you can go a bit too far in the "it's all expensive unnecessary indulgent faff, I just wore the clothes I already owned with a couple of facecloths in my bra, stuck a bit of lard on my nips and I was grand, anyone who does otherwise is an IDIOT CONSUMERIST SUCKER" direction.

Still was probably loads cheaper than FF, especially as I had two kids so was able to reuse the cushion/nursing bras etc. (sadly had to get a new pump as I burned out the motor on the first one).

How musch does it cost to formula feed a baby? A genuine question as I have never bought formula and have no idea how much babies drink.
I expect you will need a number of bottles/teats etc- how long do they last? How do you sterilise bottles- a machine?How much does that cost to buy or run?
I expect there is a lot of formula feeding equipment that you don't really need- much like for breastfeeding- a bottle warmer for instance? Can you just dunk the bottle into a jugful of hot water instead for instance.
Forgive my ignorance- just wondering how much it would cost to formula feed a baby with just the absolute necessary and the milk itself.

I think the clothes are a bit of a none issue. Unless people regulatory go say 12 months without buying items of clothing. You just are spending money on clothes that you would have anyway.

OP, I found the same.

I had an electric breast pump and a proper steriliser for the pump and bottles and bottles and teats as DH fed DS1 expressed milk on weekend nights. Sterile bags to freeze the milk in, pads, nursing bras, nursing tops, nursing cushion. They all made the experience much better for me but of course I could have done without if we didn't have the spare cash.

However, I didn't need to buy new stuff for DS2 and SIL ended up with the steriliser and pump so that makes the spend more even.

True, hazchem. I just normally wouldn't have not been able to wear almost anything I already owned, so it made the clothes shopping a bit more urgent!

thinks about the lovely dresses her boobs will never fit into again, sighs