How Much Money Can You Save By Breastfeeding?

When I was in high school I decided I would major in Business in college. I have no idea how I came to that decision. Maybe it was because my father was a business man or simply because every other major seemed oddly foreign to me, but the decision was swift and simple.

Deciding to breastfeed my little girl was just as simple. Prior to delivering, I knew I wanted to and the following was my list of reasons why:

1. I have incredibly bad allergies. I mean, I’m allergic to pretty much everything outside and whenever and wherever I exercise at. Some of the articles I’ve read said that breastfeeding can help reduce the likelihood that your child will have allergies if they run in the family. I would do anything for her to not have allergies like I do.
2. More than anything in the world I want to be a good mom. My relationship with my child(ren) (and husband) are of the utmost importance to me. In my mind, nursing would only help strengthen this relationship.
3. Other articles have said it’s healthy for both she, and myself. “Breast is Best” :) Ha!
4. To be quite selfish for a moment…. it burns up to 500 calories a day (or something crazy like that). So burn baby burn!!
5. And lastly, it saves money. Which leads me to my topic – How much money do you actually save by nursing your baby for a full year?

Unlike some, I don’t find much pleasure in doing math problems, but below is how I calculated the answer to my question:

• An avg. can of formula has 92 fl. oz.
• I calculated that over a year, a baby will drink approximately 11,202 fl. oz. How I got to this number is broken out below.
• 11,202 total oz/ 92 oz per can = 122 cans of formula
• 122 cans x (avg. formula price) $15 = $1,830
• $1,830 – (avg. breastpump price) $250 = $1,580

For us the savings was just slightly lower at $1,400 because we bought 1 can of formula for the last 7 months for supplemental purposes. But still, I was proud to share this figure with my husband when the 1 year mark rolled around. Nursing is definitely a time consuming and initially painful process and statistics show that only 22% of mothers nurse for a full year, and while I’m proud of this achievement, I also know that it’s the support of those around me that enabled me to do so. It was my sister-in-law saying ‘great job’ when I hit my 6 month goal and my employer who never questioned my need to pump during the day.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not really one of those mothers who insists that all children be breastfeed. Rather, it boils down to personal choice and preference. The child will be fine either way and hell - I was a formula baby and I didn’t turn out that bad! :)

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In the essence of documentation….The amount a baby drinks (of course) varies as they age, both in volume and frequency. So I had to break it out kind of odd, just in aiming for accuracy.

Wk 1: 2oz x 8 feedings per day x 7 days per week = 112 oz

Wk 2: 3oz x 8 feedings per day x 7 days per week = 168 oz

Wk 3: 3oz x 8 feedings per day x 7 days per week = 168 oz

Wk 4: 4oz x 8 feedings per day x 7 days per week = 224 oz

Wks 5 & 6: 4oz x 5 feedings per day x 14 days per two weeks = 280 oz

Wks 7 & 8: 5oz x 5 feedings per day x 14 days per two weeks = 350 oz

Months 3 & 4: 6oz x 5 feedings per day x 60 days per two months = 1,800 oz

Months 5 & 6: 6oz x 5 feedings per day x 60 days per two months = 1,800 oz

Months 7 & 8: 7oz x 5 feedings per day x 60 days per two months = 2,100 oz

Months 9 – 12: 7 oz x 5 feedings per day x 120 days per four months = 4,200 oz

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Cheers,

-The Bloggette