Whether medically necessary or by choice, formula should not be as expensive as it is!
And for medically necessary formulas (meaning babies tolerance/allergies) you should not have to jump through hoops for insurance.
I chose formula for the start knowing the costs and itās still nuts. Iām expecting our second and already starting to mentally recalibrate the budget to accommodate. I canāt imagine the insult to injury for mothers who wanted to breastfeed but canāt, and then have to deal with the unexpected costs of formula.
Agreed. Formula is too expensive. I chose not to breastfeed from the very beginning but thereās no reason anyone should have to spend these crazy prices just to feed their baby.
Thanks for the heads up. We use the Kirkland brand but baby has been spitting up a LOT, especially after a formula feed (she spits up breastmilk too though). Going to try the gentle stuff.
it is still more expensive than formula in other countries. An easy example is Kendamil since it is in US and England. In England Classic is like Ā£12. in the US the same size tin it is $34 which is Ā£25. So double the price. And yes you can say well it is imported, but Kendamil is cheaper than Similac/Enfamil which AREN'T imported. and Kendamil in England is cheaper than Costco in US which is our cheapest formula possible.
Iāve gotten formula from the clearance section at my stores very often, and Iāve even been in pharmacies that had them on markdown/sale/clearance, in America.
it is still more per oz than kendamil in England is my point. Costco formula is the cheapest per oz in the US. and it is still more per oz (convert to per g or vice versa) than brands in the UK
yah, itās one of the most regulated consumer products (for good reason!!!) and thatās partially what keeps the cost so highā¦.personally I think there should be government subsidies to offset the high costā¦.but no one asked me. sigh.
Itās odd that some countries have much cheaper formula though even though theyāre just as regulated š¤ and itās odd how store brand can be as cheap and affordable when name brands charge exorbitantly more even though theyāre regulated to the same degree
The costs are high because companies know you have no choice unless you want your baby to starve to death. They price gouge formula the way they price gouge everything else.
Does your state have a family WIC program? Try getting on that ā¦ They supply the powder formula for free. I get the expensive special formula (elecare) about 11cans a month. For free. Itās a blessing. They have income requirements for each household.
We started with Similac 360 Total Care because that's what the hospital sent us home with and being new parents we figured it was a safe bet. But at over $300/month it became a bit difficult.
With the pediatricians ok we ended up switching to Kirkland's Pro Care brand of formula that's similar to the Similac we were getting.
We get 82 oz of the Kirkland brand for a few dollars more than what we paid for 31oz of the Similac formula.
mood. i wish WIC made exceptions for babies with medical needs. there's a big difference between being able to afford $60 a month formula vs $600 a month
This. We were stunned when we left our kids first appointment with 5 cans. They said to make sure we get more every time we come and to call before buying more if we ran out before then
Iām sorry I must be completely blind but in what country is formula $600 a month??? I am shook. We use either Enfamil or Kirklands and itās like $30-$60 a week depending on what we buy.
Ours is $640 a month. We have a CMPA baby who has to be on Elecare amino acid formula since she was 4 months old. insurance wonāt cover it so itās all out of pocket. $54 per 14.1 ounce can.
If a baby is required to take that itās so fucked up to me that itās not covered at least partially by insurance. Donāt have abortions but donāt feed your babies, right? We are so backwards in the US.
Iām in the US heās on rtf Alimentum so 8 32 oz bottles last us 8ish days, plus 2 small cans of the powder a month because we have to fortify it to higher calorie
buying just normal similac (360 blue or the sensitive orange, they've been about the same price) was $20*8 (12.4oz iirc) cans (covered by wic), not counting extra cans of generics we got ourselves for the growth spurt months š„²
Not to be a contrarian, but I spent 1000s of dollars when "breastfeeding" on lactation consultants, pumps and all the replacement supplies, not to mention the lost wages from developing recurrent mastitis and having to stay home because I had 104F temperature and felt like I was gonna die, as well as blocking my schedule for pumping (I'm commission based). My formula spend is nowhere close to how much I spent torturing myself for the alleged "breastmilk benefits." And I am able to make more money at work AND keep my baby fed AND spend more time with my family. Even if I had to spend more money, formula is worth it
I did all that stuff to TRY to breastfeed, didnāt make it, and still had to pay for formula. Breastfeeding definitely isnāt free like some people make it out to be!
I'm not impacted by this as I chose to not breastfeed but there is a limited program bobbie sponsors with the breasties for women who cannot breastfeed https://www.bobbieforchange.org/bobbie-breasties . It would be nice is WIC was available for all infants for the first year of life for their formula. All insurance covers a pump for mothers, and mine sent bags/new parts monthly so it would be nice if you could get x cans allocated per month
Insurance translating the cost of a breastpump/resupply for formula feeding mothers would be awesome! Those resupply kits are $30-$50 for a double set, send a rebate for formula feeders.
The cost should at least be capped. Costco or generic formula should just be the price through insurance or subsidies. I should at least be able to use FSA money to pay for it pre-tax.
Why does it need to be capped? We have stable low cost options. If someone wants to pay more for āpremiumā formula, thatās a choice that theyāre making. That formula isnāt actually better.
Totally, I mean if your kid needs alimentum or another specialty formula for a medical need. Not like, capping the cost of organic grass fed European formulas
Yeah, I donāt really see how this is different from any other food. We just think of it as different bc some subset of people are able to feed their babies for āfreeā.
Iām all for food assistance for people who need it, and that includes formula. I also think an adjustment to the income thresholds for said assistance people who need more expensive formula makes sense. Really, WIC in general should be funded more too (I know they often donāt provide enough formula/the income thresholds are too low).
But I donāt see why it should just be free across the board, any more than eggs or blueberries should be free for everyone, just bc some people need food stamps. The fact that some people might be able to get these food āfor freeā (bc they have backyard chickens or a blueberry bush on their property) doesnāt change that either.
For standard or gentle formula, not really. It shouldn't be anywhere near as expensive as it is but it's a parent's responsibility to feed their child. Unless treating a medical condition, formula is not a medical food. It's just food. Using formula should $150 a month max, a normal increase in a family's grocery bill for another person.
I know this is a US-dominated sub, so I hate to be this person, but in the UK if you need infant formula prescribed because your baby has CMPA, it's free. All prescriptions for under 16s are free, as are all prescriptions for over 65s and anyone who's pregnant or less than 1 year postpartum.
Regular formula costs money here, but so much less than it seems to in the USA. A tin of 800g of Aptamil is Ā£13.50 right now. I don't know why it seems so much more expensive in the USA. I don't know if we have laws around how much you're allowed to charge for formula here or something.
Shoutout to Bobbie who is working with an org called The Breasties to advocate for legislation that would require insurance companies to cover formula for those impacted by breast cancer.
(Bobbie also has a program in which they give a year of free formula to those impacted by cancer, my fam included!)
This is the baby product hill I've chosen to stand on! I also love how open perrigo is on their website. Very easy to figure out which formulas are comparable. Expecting my first and we have a couple to try but I'm hoping to use Costco's formula as we shop
There regularly!
Cost of formula is crazy. I had to stop pumping due to constant clogs, vasospasms, mastitisā¦ and my baby only tolerates enfamil gentlease. We tried to switch her twice throughout her first year and failed both times, miserably. Sheās almost a year now so we are tapering down and thank goodness! Iāll miss the bonding time with bottles but a can is now like 63 dollars?! And she was going through it in 5ish days. Yikes!
I am obviously grateful that my baby doesnāt need special formula because of a milk allergy, but I am slightly jealous that if she did, sheād get a prescription and it would therefore be free! But again, I am more grateful sheās happy and reflux/colic free!
Our ped has given us multiple full sized cans at each visit. The formula companies send them to the doctors as āsamplesā. Do other offices do this or did I find the golden goose?
100% agreed! I wanted to breastfeed but could not. Turns out I most likely have IGT and my supply was almost nonexistent. And then turns out my girl has CMPA too. So she cannot use most formulas and needs soy based. Which means none of the generics around us work either :/ We've already gone through all the coupons from Similac. Wish there was more out there for financial assistance.
They also haven't adjusted what low income means. With inflation an $100k salary doesn't go nearly as far as it did 25 years ago, but alas no general help for that bracket.
Formula is way too expensive. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed, partly to save a little money while on mat leave, but couldn't so it's been an unexpected cost. It really should be capped or more support should be provided to make it more affordable.
Def sign up for Enfamil and similac coupons. You can find ppl selling on fb marketplace or Nextdoor. There may be food pantry options near you. Ask your pediatrician
In our country (Hungary) this is the normal procedure. The pediatrician writes a prescription, and you can buy it for a discounted price in the pharmacy.Ā
When I had my son a can of his store brand formula was $19. When I had my daughter three years later the same can was $35! I felt like crying everytime we had to restock for her
Agreed as a mom of twins and another singleton, all formula fed due to a low supply. It's not fair that my body wouldn't do what it was supposed to in producing milk and I've paid a small fortune for formula š
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u/emilouwho687 6d ago
Whether medically necessary or by choice, formula should not be as expensive as it is!
And for medically necessary formulas (meaning babies tolerance/allergies) you should not have to jump through hoops for insurance.
I chose formula for the start knowing the costs and itās still nuts. Iām expecting our second and already starting to mentally recalibrate the budget to accommodate. I canāt imagine the insult to injury for mothers who wanted to breastfeed but canāt, and then have to deal with the unexpected costs of formula.