We've talked about a lot of different things recently related to Having a Baby Without Breaking the Bank. As many of you know, I'm a big proponent of breast-feeding and believe that in most cases, with the right support and determination, most moms are able to breastfeed.
That said, I know there are cases where breastfeeding is not possible–such as when there are medical or physical conditions hindering a mom's ability to breastfeed or when you are adoptive parents, etc. And in those cases, buying formula can quickly become very expensive.
Sariah recently emailed me her predicament and I wanted to post her question for discussion since I know she's not the only one who is struggling or has struggled with this:
I'm about to give birth to our fourth child. For reasons that
are too long to get into here, I can't breastfeed my kids. The last three children have required a gentle formula for
digestive issues, and I've been very brand loyal to Enfamil. It's
scary to me to consider switching to another brand, but Enfamil is so expensive.
Do anyone of your readers have ideas on how to get name brand formula at a discount or input as to whether
any of the generic brands (such as Wal-Mart or Target) are comparable
to the name brands? -Sariah
If you have suggestions or input for Sariah, I'd love to have you take a moment to comment.
Note: As I do my best to keep this blog upbeat and free from debate and I understand that the topic of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding can (sadly) quickly become a very divisive issue, I would like to kindly ask that all comments be kept to the questions at hand. Thanks so much!
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Go onto their website and see if you can sign up for their newsletter and a lot of times they send you coupons. I know this works for Nestle Good Start and Similac. The coupons help!
We used Sam’s Club brand successfully with our first daughter. It is MUCH cheaper and the money you will save will more than make up for the cost of the membership.
You can also ask your doctor for samples; look on Freepeats; and check ebay for sales.
I’ve been getting $5 Enfamil catalinas all month at Walgreens and our Kroger store when I purchase other baby items (mostly diapers).
My son stopped nursing at 8 months…he was just done and was getting extremely difficult to feed. We used the Sam’s Brand (Member’s Mark) formula that is comparable to Enfamil. I think they have a Gentlease generic kind now too. I compared every since Vitamin and supplement in the containers and found that the generic had equal or more of each one. My dad is also a family physician and he says there really is no difference. The large cannister usually lasted me 2 weeks and it cost $19.99.
I also have had children with tummy problems related to normal formulas. I have found that the good start soy is really good. I have also used Sam’s brand soy and gentle on the tummy formulas and both of those work great.
I don’t know if you are eligible, but WIC is super great for when you have a baby cause they give you 9 cans per month and you can request the soy.
I’ve tried both the Wal-Mart and Sam’s brand (comparable to Enfamil). My babies didn’t seem to have any problems with them. And it’s a good thing because, as you said, Enfamil is super expensive!
After weaning at 7 mo. we used the Target brand of the Enfamil Lipil (yellow can @ Target) at the recc. from our pedi. We were using the free samples from enfamil and our daughter did well on them. Our pedi said that the Target or Walmart store brand is just as good and is probably made at the same factory. She said infant formula is strongly watched by the FDA. I believe it was around $13 a can (which we used one a week at 7 mo) and it save us at least $10 a week.
I’m not sure what Sariah’s income is, but she could check to see if her family qualifies for WIC. With four kids, it is possible that she could get free formula and other food items for herself and her baby.
If that’s not an option, then I highly recommend signing up for all of the coupon/rebate check deals for formula and watching the sales. Ask the doctor for free samples. Ask the hospital for free samples. Check out the couponing boards to see if you can trade coupons for formula rebate checks.
I have also used the generic brand (Walmart), but didn’t like it as much as the name brands.
I have heard that the store brands have to be equal to the other name brands, so if you can – you could try those.
Also, my pediatrician said that enfamil and similac were pretty much interchangeable, one had more stuff for eye health and one had more for brain health. She said that we could use both if we wanted, just not switching back and forth every feeding. If I was out of coupons for one, and had a bunch of the other, I would ween off of one to the other, like 3/4 enfamil and 1/4 similac then the next day 1/2 and 1/2, next day, 1/4 enfamil and 3/4 similac.
I was a 100% basket case when breast feeding didn’t work out for us, but my daughter is fine and I was able to feed her name brand organic formula without breaking the bank. I used similac for no real reason other than the hospital where I delivered offered that as a supplement when she was born. It agreed with her so we kept it. I was able to find a variety of coupons on ebay (ranging from $1-$10 off each formula product). I was able to use them at a store that doubled them so most of the time I fed her for free or at max $5 per can of formula. Her doctor’s office also had heaps of coupons and no one asked for them so they usually threw them out. I would ask the pediatrician for coupons and sign up for all of the fomula companies mailing lists. It wouldnt hurt to call them to ask for coupons as well. I was able to swap samples, coupons and “checks” (from the fomula companies) with other local moms who were using product lines we were not and vice versa. Best of luck with your new bundle of joy!!
I had trouble breastfeeding my daughter due to some health issues, and after exclusively pumping for two months, switched to formula. We were spending so much on a name brand, until finally, our pediatrician told me that I should consider switching to a store brand. She said that there are very strict government standards on formula, and that store brands have to be, by law, on par with the name brands. So I did my research, and compared formulas. She was right. So we tried both Target and Walmart brands with my daughter, and finally settled on Walmart’s. There was no difference at all, and the switch was easy. I would recommend giving store brand formula a try. It’s about half the price of national brands. Even with coupons, you can’t make up that difference on the national brand. I hope that helps!
Our daughter had to use the Lacto-Free formula, and you’re right that the cost does add up! I always tried to snag a few coupons when we went for check-ups. It seems like there are always tear pads of coupons at the doctor’s office.
Now that I know how to do the CVS Extra Care program, I would recommend earning Extra Care Bucks from other items, and then using them to reduce the cost of your formula (if you can get it at CVS).
I’m not sure if Enfamil has a mailing list, but I know Similac does. And if it’s any help my first born had a lot of problems with digestive issues and we used Similac Advance – the pink kind. So of course that’s what we went with for our second one as well and we’ve never had a problem. Similac has a mailing list and they mail you 3 to 4 coupons at a time and if I’m not mistaken it’s $5 off ONE CAN! Which would then bring it down to about $12 a can in my area. Hope that helps.
https://similac.com/signup-similac
As a nurse, one of the best resources I’ve given my patients is to speak with Social Workers directly concerning financial issues BEFORE they become a problem. I would think that maybe Sariah’s OB could give her contact information for someone. You’d be surprised at how willing and helpful they are. It may be something as simple as contacting a formula rep on her behalf to helping her complete any needed paperwork.
http://thefrugalkennedys.blogspot.com
I was determined to breastfeed for a year. However, my little guy decided he didn’t want to after 6 months so I pumped for awhile. After becoming very sick for a few days I basically could not get back the supply I needed and had to supplement with formula. I did use some Enfamil but because of cost used mainly Target brand. I had no problems with this. A friend of mine (who’s also a pharmacist) used the Wal-mart brand and said there are basically no differences.
Sam’s Club sells Member’s Mark, Infant Formula that’s comparable to Enfamil Lipil. The can is 3 lbs. 3.4 oz. and sells for $20. You would be required to have a membership.
I love, love, love Target forumla. We started off on Enfamil and after a few days of half and half it was smooth sailing. Less than half the cost, too. I think we pay $11.89.
I am also unable to breastfeed because I had breast reduction surgery when I was just out of high school. I attempted with both, but because my ducts were permanently damaged, I was unable to produce milk. That being said, I had to 2 formula fed babies. With my first, we used strictly Enfamil. This time around, with the economy being as it is, we could not afford name brand formula. Our pediatrician recommended Kirkland brand (Costco) formula. It is a gentle, milk-based formula and costs 19.79 for 2 large cans. Much cheaper than Enfamil which costs 23-25 for a single can. We have not had one single issue with the Kirkland formula and I could definitley recommend it to others who are in the same situation.
5 tips for saving on formula:
1. Make sure you’ve signed up at the sites of the major formula manufacturers to receive formula checks and coupons.
2. Ask your baby’s doctor for formula samples. You’ll get them.
3. You can often pick up free formula samples from your local Freepeats.org Formula Offers board if you live in a city where there’s a group.
4. Join a coupon trading group and trade for the coupons and checks you need.
5. You can save up to 50% by buying store brand formulas (and yes, they have the same nutrition as the premiums).
HTH!
I found a lot of my formula from Craigs list. Companies send out samples all the time and not all mom need them. I was also able to get coupons and the checks that companies send out for formula on Craigs list.
I know you can sign up for Enfamil checks on their web site. Maybe you can get checks from other moms who either use another brand or breastfeed. You can get checks on sites like Freepeats or eBay.
Congrats on your baby-to-be!
I have always used the parents choice brand at walmart, but a friend told me that Costco has 2 large cans for $20 I believe. I hope this works
Sherri
I have used formula with my 5 kids. The first 2 my pediatrician told me to only use Enfamil (some would say theirs told them Similac)…anywyas, the last 3 I used Sam’s brand. It is SO SO much cheaper and you can compare on the pacakge all the ingredients compared to Enfamil and Similac. Mine did fine with all of them.
Hope this helps.
I was unable to breastfeed also, so I understand your predicament. We had several family members who would go to the companies’ websites and request samples of the formula. That led to them getting good-sized tubs of the formula and being on their mailing list for future sample-mailings. The downside is that they will be getting coupons, etc for a year or more, but I know we saved quite a bit of money doing this. Also, the sample-sized tubs were perfect to leave in the diaper bag.
We spent an entire hour at Wal-Mart one evening, holding the generic and name brand tubs side-by-side and comparing. I don’t know how much it has changed in the 6 years since we did this, but they were identical as far as RDA of vitamins, nutrients, etc. The only difference was the name on the label! Look closely, too, some of the generic brands are packaged in the name-brand factory…read the fine print! Good luck!
With my first child, I used only Similac. When my son was born, he was started on Enfamil. One day while we were in Sam’s I compared the ingredients of Enfamil with that of the Sam’s brand. They were the same! I discussed it with my pediatrician (who also happens to be a very good friend), and we made the switch. My son had absolutely no problems whatsoever, and it saved us loads of cash. All formulas have to meet strict guidelines to be sold in the US (thankfully!), so store brands should be just as good. And for us, they were. JMHO, though.
After breastfeeding my daughter for 6 months I was giving her Simlac, to save a few bucks I changed her to the target brand and all has worked out fine I even think she digests its better! I asked the doc and he says by law they have to have all the matching ingregients! So give it a try? See what u think? Love the target diapers as well!
I could never breastfeed exclusively–there isn’t enough fat in my milk to give my babies enough calories. I always had to supplement with formula, and I too was loyal to Enfamil. The less expensive Walmart brand made my babies spit up way more than they would with Enfamil, and my pediatrician recommended only Enfamil for my girls.
A few things to help offset the costs: sign up ahead of time for the Enfamil program. They will send you some free samples (I think I got 2 or 3 small cans of powdered formula this way), a diaper bag, and $$ off checks to use. The checks are usually $4 or $5 off a can. Buy at Walmart and then use their checks first, just like you would a check of your own, then pay the balance. Those checks also used to be transferable, so I sometimes got them from friends who were not formula feeding. I don’t know if you can still do that, but if your friends have the checks they won’t use, ask them to buy the formula for you and then reimburse them for the discounted price.
Also, ask all your friends to sign up for the Enfamil club too, and accept any formula they don’t plan to use.
If friends are giving you a baby shower, ask for a formula shower. I’ve been to diaper-only showers when the family already had all the basics. Why not formula too?
And if you qualify financially, I don’t see any reason not to participate for a little while in your local WIC program. They will provide vouchers for the formula your baby needs for the first full year as long as your income is below a certain pre-set level. (That level differs by state. Check with your county health department.)
My only suggestion is to be sure that you register with Enfamil so that you get the checks/coupons in the mail, those really help. My understanding is that you can use other folks checks…so you could put the word out that you are using formula and see if you have any breastfeeding friends that will give you their formula checks. Another way to get more checks might be to use your local Freecycle.
I am anxious to hear other responses, I am due with baby # 3 in 10 weeks and will hopefully breastfeed some, but my other 2 ended up on specialty formula and it does add up quickly.
My daughter is a formula-fed baby and we just use the Target brand that is comparable to Enfamil Lipil. She has had no problems with it and it’s the cheapest I have found so far. I had a whole stack of $5 off coupons for Enfamil, but even that combined with a sale has never beat the price of the Target formula. We still are currently spending about $50-60 per month on formula, but that’s far better than $125 or more!
I talked to my pediatrician about it and he said that the only difference between Enfamil (and other brand names) and the store brand is the same as any other product- marketing. You are “paying” for all those free samples and tote bags and cute brochures.
Check out the ingredient lists- the Enfamil and Target brand are identical. Formula has strict quality standards in this country and few companies would be willing to take a chance on something with such a heavy risk of legal issues.
I pumped and did Enfamil until my daughter was 6 months- then I switched to the Target brand. We saved a ton of money.
Two other things- You can also “mix” the formulas- by a can of each and mix them together half and half (if you are concerned that one may be a higher quality). This is also a great thing to do for dog food BTW- if you are brand loyal, just cut the food with whatever is on sale to make it last longer.
I know that Kroger is notorious for printing really good coupons for formula if you decide to stick to a name brand.
My daughter used the Members Mark soy formula from Sam’s Club. My grandson did fantastic on it. I would not hesitate at all using a store formula. They are all regulated by the FDA and meet the standards for nutritional requirements. The price was about 60% less than the Prosobee made by Infamil. Good luck!
I do know that store brands ARE comparable to the name brands. Formula is federally regulated and even the least expensive generic brand has standards. I’ve used store brand without issue.
If you qualify for WIC, you can get formula for free but right now it’s Similac, not Enfamil.
If your pediatrician writes a prescription stating it’s medically necessary to have a certain formula, you may be able to obtain formula through your health insurance company for a copay or even free. Your Dr’s office should be able to tell you all about it and you can always contact APRIA healthcare for assistance. APRIA got us formula for my son when he needed soy formula delivered to our door!
Hope that helps!
A great resource is your pediatrician’s office! I’m a pediatric nurse, and at our office, we get samples of formula in almost every brand and type imaginable! Unfortunately, sometimes it sits on the shelves until it expires. When parents ask me if we have samples of a particular formula, I try to give them several if we have extra on hand. Every office policy is different, so it may not work in all situations, but it never hurts to ask!
I also, for various reasons was unable to breastfeed my three children past their first month of life. We have used the Target brand gentle formula for all three children. I have a 7mo right now that is currently drinking this. My first child had terrible tummy pain from gas and constipation and this formula was one of the only ones he was able to keep down and gain weight on successfully. Hope this helps! Good luck!
I also used the Walmart brand and had no problems at all. I started out with the expensive brands and eventually switched over. I don’t think my son noticed. He’s 5 now and doing just fine!
I have adopted 2 beautiful babies from China. My first was 10mos and my newest princess is 16mos. So in my situaiton formula was the option. For my fist DD I had her in formula until she was about 16mos and I used any store brand and she did just fine. For my DD now 16mos I have her on soy formula for a variety of reasons and I am currently using Kroger brand as I am getting the large can for less than $9. I have compared labels with Similac and then store brand and they are identical. I am also seeing more store brands that are lacto free, ones for easier digestion and organic. Walgreen’s and Kroger had so many BIGI free coupons out over the last 6 mos that I was getting Enfamil dirt cheap as I paired it with a formula check and was paying approx $8 for 2 smaller cans.
Laurie
Sariah,
I am expecting my fifth. I’ve had to supplement 3 of the 4 children we have so far and used the Walmart brand, Parent’s Choice. I have another friend with 6 kids and she was the one who told me about it. She’s used it as well as we both suffer from not being able to breastfeed completely. Be sure to sign up for all the formula clubs at the hospital and if other mom’s you know are expecting ask for their coupons if they don’t need them.
If you are still able to nurse a little, I did that. My midwife told me that even if you have very little milk they still get antibodies from nursing. I would just let them nurse and then follow with the bottle. My last one did that and nursed until he was 10 months. I had another that went 18 months like that. Just an idea that lets you have the closeness and gives you the chance to give them what you have.
Thanks for keeping the discussion positive. I am totally pro-breastfeeding, but much to my disappointment I’m not able to do it exclusively. It’s hard for us moms who want to do it, but have to get that bottle out and use it!
I understand the feeling. I had to stop nursing my third child at 6 months after a serious injury that required weeks of pain management. What help our family save…….
ASK: Your pediatrician will have formula samples. I asked at each check up and left with no less than 3 cans and coupons for more. The samples are there, all you have to do is ask.
SIGN UP; Emfamil, Good Start and Similac all have online programs. You sign up, and receive checks, coupons and information each month.
TRY; Don’t be brand loyal. Unless your child has special needs, there is very little difference from one brand to the other.
TRADE; Formula checks and coupons are traded just like other coupons. There are tons of forums out there that allow you to trade coupons, formula checks and more.
BUY; My first experience with formula, I purchased the bulk of it from ebay and craigslist. People purchase too much or are given excess samples often sell them to make extra money. This is a great opportunity to buy formula for around 50% of what you would pay at the grocery store.
Make sure that when you are at the hospital, you make it clear that you aren’t breast feeding. They will give you samples. Make sure that you tell your babie’s doctor that you are formula feeding. They should give you some samples. You know those checks that you can sometimes get in the mail from Enfamil? There are people that will sell or will give you their checks that they aren’t using. I will check those sites frequently for those. Kroger stores often have BOGO catalina’s for enfamil. If you combine the checks and BOGO, you could really save some dough!
With my first daughter, I switched back and forth between enfamil prosobee and similac isomil without any problems. I signed up for coupons and had my friends and family members sign up as well. There weren’t but a couple of times that I bought formula without a coupon and then I just bought the store brand (no problems with that either).
My second daughter ended up on a prescription formula due to her medical and developmental problems. It was super expensive and there were no coupons. Thankfully our insurance ended up covering it. I’ve heard of insurance companies covering nutramigen and alimentum as well, but I don’t think that happens too often. Its worth looking into though.
My third daughter was on enfacare at first and then ended up on nutramigen. We used coupons, but it was still more expensive than regular formulas (but not as expensive as the prescription formula DD#2 had been on). We tried to get it covered by insurance, but they wouldn’t cover it. I would ask her doctor for a sample every time I was at the office for any of my girls. They had no problem giving them to me and it helped a lot.
If you need to use Enfamil, I’d suggest searching around on Craigslist too! Many times, people like myself, give catalinas or coupons away to those who need them. I’ve had 4 catalinas print at Walgreens this month for Enfamil, and I have no use for them, so I post them on Craigslist and they are usually gone within a day. Most of the time people will just send me a SASE, or I’ll even send them paying postage out of my own pocket, just so they go to someone who will use them!
If she’s willing to contact me, I would be happy to send her the formula coupons that I receive in the mail. I never use them.
Also, you can buy additional coupons on eBay. They usually sell for less than half of face value, which would still save a fair amount of money.
I gave my daughter Enfamily and she did fine on it. My son, constantly cried and spit up all the time. I took him to the doctor several times over the first few weeks and the doctors said he was fine. Then I didn’t follow their advice and I switched to Good Start. The crying and spitting up completely stopped within 4 days.
Honestly, I think we have been a bit brainwashed about Enfamil. Doctors push the brand to us constantly and put fears in us about other formulas. Formula has come a long way in the past 30+ years since I was a kid and I turned out alright. It’s come a long way even in the last 10 years. So basically what I’m saying is, don’t be afraid of the other brands.
As far as saving money on formula, my best savings came from signing up through the formula companies. I loved all the free samples, coupons, and checks they sent.
I also lucked out one time when Winn Dixie was going out of business. Everything in the store was 75% off. They only had the expensive Enfamily Neutromigen left. I bought it and sold it on ebay and made enough to buy my son’s formula for a while.
You might also try the Target clearance rack. I picked up some Good Start there one time on clearance. If I remember correctly it was 75% off. It’s because it was one of those promotional cans where you get 25% more free or something like that. I ended up getting these big cans of formula for about $6.24/can. I remember buying a bunch of it and stocking the shelves in my garage.
Ask your friends to keep an eye out for sales and clearances on formula. Also, they might pass down their formula samples to you.
If all else fails, go to the generic brand of formula. Sam’s is supposed to have a generic Enfamil that is significantly cheaper.
Good luck!
After my first son was 4 months old I began supplementing with formula. I settled on the Target brand. I compared the labels and found them to be the same and my son had no problems. I think I was paying around $11 to $13 for the large can. If you do want Enfamil I would follow what others said and get on their mailing list and request samples. I received tons of few formula and checks for $5-$7 off for doing this. (I settled with the Target brand because it was still cheaper than this). Also, if you can somehow get on the Target baby mailing list, I think I did this by registering but there may be other ways, they send out baby coupons which include different formulas. I have seen Enfamil coupons and if you combine that with a manufacturer coupon/check you could get them fairly cheap.
I too had problems nursing and had to suplement formula. With my second child I discovered the Kirkland brand at Costco – I could get 2 large cans for less than what I was paying for one can of infamil! I saved so much money shifting to the Kirkland brand and had no problems but I’m not sure if they have a “gentle” formula ….
I used Sam’s Club or BJ’s brand — the ingredients are exactly the same as Enfamil, and it’s about half as cheap. My dauhter did great with it.
I found Parent’s Choice formula (at SAM’s Club) to be comparable to Enfamil, if you compare the ingredients and nutrition info, it’s very similar. I did breastfeed both my children but my son weaned himself at 8 months and he loved this formula. We used the milk based one cause he didn’t have any digestive issues but as you see they have a “gentle” one. Visit this link to get FREE samples: http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/baby-formula-samples.aspx
Even though I breastfed, I received so many formula coupons in the mail from Enfamil and Nestle for the first year of both my children’s lives. If I knew someone who was currently formula feeding, I’d give the coupons to them, if not, I’d sell them on Ebay. So if you know anyone who’s breastfeeding, ask them for the coupons they get (and the sample canisters) or you might try Ebay. Many people sell a bunch of coupons in one listing. You could potentially get $30 worth of coupons for around $10 or less. If you have a blog, you may also want to solicit your readers for their coupons, it only costs a stamp to send them to you. I’m not sure if that is considered rude or against “blog etiquette”. I’m sure the veteran bloggers out there will correct me if I’m overstepping there. I’m new to blog world.
Due to medications I take I was never able to breast feed any of our children. First off ask your favorite nurse caring for you when your baby is born for additional samples/supplies at the hospital. Usually they will happily provide extras. Then start asking each time you go to the Pediatrician for samples, coupons, etc. If your Ped isn’t getting the formula you prefer ask them to sign up to start receiving them from a representative from that company. Make friends with your Ped’s nurse! When our twins were born one of the nurses would put back a case of formula for each of my twins to give to us at each appointment. One time they sent my husband home with 4 cases!
I quit nursing my daughter at 7 months… and she was a part-time nurser becuase I worked parttime. We put her on the Walmart Parents choice formula. You can get a free sample from them to try out… they have a basic and either a gentle or a soy I think. Its always worth a shot, as the walmart fomula was half the price of the others. Google “Parents Choice Formula” and you should easily find the site to request your free sample.
Darn, I gave the wrong link, the formula I was talking about at SAM’s is Member’s Mark (not parent’s choice) here is the correct link http://membersmarkformula.com/free_sample.aspx
Heck, try them both. I think Parent’s choice is Wal-mart’s brand but I know you can get a 3 lb canister of Member’s mark at SAM’s for just under $20
We used Target (yellow can) for my first and now use Target fussy (purple can) for my seven month old. It is comparable to enfamil fussy baby. We have no problems with either baby. Good Luck!
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