How many cans of formula do you use each week?

[KristinaM]

I'm helping my friend's daughter work out a realistic £££ budget for herself and her baby after its born. She wants to bottle feed - how many cans of formula will she need per week? I know its goes up after the first 4 weeks and stays about the same for the next 5 months. Is about 2-3 cans a week right? I mean the big 900g tins - I have already priced these at about £5.20 from the local health centre. I did try to work it out from the information on the can but its measured in scoops and the tin contents are in grams...sigh.....

I am 99% sure Thockenholt will forgive me for picking up on this...
About the food costs when breastfeeding.
Being an anorak, I actually figured out how many pence/100 calories different foods "cost".
So to get 100 calories from Kellogg's cornflakes costs (or costed, when I did the research) about 6p. 100 cal from potatoes costs about 1.3p -- but that doesn't include cooking.

Anyway, suppose you need 500 cal/day to breastfeed. If you get all those calories from 2 slices of wholemeal Tesco's own bread lavished thick with organic butter, it will cost you about 25 p/day (both the bread & butter about 5p/100cal).

So at the end of the week, that's 7*25 or £1.75/week... £91/yr.

That's not free... BUT breastfeeding has health benefits for the mother, too. For instance, I remember reading a rough guide that for every year of your life without periods the risk of ovarian or breast cancer decreases by 10%. One year wouldn't be that unusual to wait for your periods to return. I think most people would pay a one-off fee of £91 to have that risk reduction... In fact, some people would pay a lot more to have that 10% reduction in the risk of getting those cancers (I think I would).

Which makes breastfeeding, effectively, an economic gain -- it pays you to do it. At least, if you know that you think £91 is a scandalously bargain price for definitely lowering your risks for these diseases.

And that's without trying to cost in any possible benefits to the infant.

Not to mention the amount you save on tampax.

I used about a tin a week and I would recommend the mothercare bottles that dont need a steriliser.

HTH

KristinaM - sorry to bring this up again, don't want to start a fight! just incase your friend does consider bfing here's what I have spent, i'm on benefits too so understand why she needs to budget.

breast pump- £30

breast pads- £4.50 for 6 washable pads, only used for a week or so, would need them even if bottle feeding until milk dries up.

sterilizer- was given one which cost £19.99 new, there are cheaper options, cold water sterilizing tablet are less than £1 for 50ish. Again, would need this if bottle feeding.

bottles- £8.50 for 3 including teats.

bottle brush- £2, very fancy one!

nursing bras- £60, but did buy expensive elle macpherson ones, lots of cheaper ones available. wear them day and night so it's worth the expense. m and s has packs of 2 for £18 and mothercare 2 for £25 if i'm remembering correctly

so thats a total of £124.99.

I express directly into the bottles so don't need any storage bags.

I don't think my food bill is more than usual, you need extra calories to stay the same weight but i put on tons of weight while pg and so am eating my usual amount and losing weight. plus saving money by using my milk tokens on fresh milk.

Apart from the money saved it has saved me loads of time, as i'm the only one around to feed bean anyway it would just be extra hassle to prepare bottles.

I understand that some people find it difficult to breastfeed but it's worth giving it a go, apart from the obvious health and financial benefits it's so satisfying and can be really enjoyable once you get the hang of it.

just to add, I was bottle fed from birth and think i've turned out alright!

Thanks Beansmum - I had forgotten to add the cost of nursing bras. I tried the mothercare ones but they dont have enough supoprt for me. You know...when i was a teenager i would have thought it would be great to be so "well endowed" but now its just a pain as none of my old clothes still fit me. I've gone from a size 8 top to a size 16 - which is another thing i didn't budget for!!!I only needed maternity/outsize tops for the last couple of months of prenancy but have needed to buy huge ones for the last 6 months of breast feeding!!! And now will have to buy a winter jacket.
BTW I know I'm getting health benefits from Bf but sometimes i just like to moan

the elle macpherson bras are lovely. at £30 each they should be! and have found that most places don't do maternity or nursing bras in my size,(32E) m&s definitely doesn't.

i had to buy loads of new tops too, but mainly because I put on 2 stone!

I got a Royce one from John Lewis in a 32GG . Its really good support but looks like something your granny would wear...suppose i will never be a sex goddess again...sigh

Am and of people saying they only needed breast pads for a week or so. I spouted like a fountain for the whole 3 months I breast fed.

yeah, have seen some in john lewis in my size but horrible big white things. i hate wearing white bras, all my tops are dark and the bras show through, not a good look.

Still waiuting fir puddinggal and fairy dust to explain

a) where I was condescending and lecturing

b) where on this thread anyone who uses bottles is made out to be a 'bad person'

tinker, think i've been so lucky with bean. had no trouble feeding, he's slept like an angel until last week and no leakage really except first few days. [smug emoticon]

don't think anyone was condescending and lecturing so thats probably why they're having a bit of trouble explaining themselves

well, maybe, beansmum....in that case, we could maybe ask for an apology

Espesh me, as I was named as being guilty

just to follow up my comment about needing extra food when breastfeeding. I personally found I was ravenous in the early weeks - even to the extent of needing to eat in the middle of the night (I was up anyway feeding !). I was surprised by this - I genuinely needed to eat much more than I had before (I also had this while I was pregnant the first time - but strangely not the second time when I had twins). I ate much more than the extra 500 calories quoted - and my metabolism must have changed because I didn't put on weight. Some friends have also commented on this. This wore off after about 3 months I guess.

So while it doesn't happen for everyone, for me I would say it would have been the major expense of breastfeeding the first few months (excluding the need for breast pumps etc which I needed because my little blighters were stubborn and wouldn't latch on).

I think individual experience differs a lot, throckenholt, and yes, if someone finds themselves on the far end of the 'ohmygod I am ravenous!!' spectrum, they're gonna find they spend more money than most people, whose hunger pangs (if they have them, and some don't) aren't as strong or as frequent!!

That's one good aspect of the forthcoming Healthy Start scheme, which will allow tokens to be exchanged for items other than milk/formula. Makes things much more flexible.

[am now wondering if I should give up waiting for an explanation of where I was condescending or attacking ;)]

hope you dont think i was rude tiktok.

No, misdee, not you

phew paranoid moi?? lol