Milk Money
Is breastfeeding really cheaper than formula? Not always.
by Kate Tuttle
July 7, 2008
You hear it all the time: one of the reasons to choose breastfeeding over formula, in addition to all the well-known health advantages, is that it's free. No need to stockpile expensive formula, bottles, and so forth. You can meet your baby's nutritional needs, for the first six months at least, with zero economic outlay. Just think of how much more you can deposit into junior's college fund!
But if breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it? Between the lactation consultants, nursing bras and tanks, Boppy pillows with vintage cloth covers from Etsy, and a hospital-grade breast pump for when mama goes back to work, a nursing mother can end up spending a small fortune. And that's not even counting the financial hit involved in taking time away from work or negotiating a schedule that allows for nursing or pump breaks.
If breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it?
Every mother is different, and so is every baby. So it's impossible to quantify the expenses of the average nursing or bottle-feeding mother: and many, many women do both. But a little research and a handy chart can provide ballpark figures for just how much each option costs.
Certainly, the decision to breastfeed is a very personal one, but there has to be a reason why the women most likely to initiate breastfeeding and most likely to continue for the full year recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics are those inhabiting the highest income brackets.
Here's the breakdown of real-world bottle versus breast costs. It's a far cry from the "free vs. thousands" quote we usually hear.
©2008 Kate Tuttle and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Kate Tuttle is a writer and editor raising two children just outside Boston. |
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