Do you know that parents can spend about $2000 to $3000 on the baby formula for the first year? Yes, that’s so much money, especially for families with a limited budget and moms who can’t breastfeed. However, after reading this article, you will be able to save a ton of money on baby formula and spend them on other things. Here are 14 easy ways to save money on baby formula. Let’s dive in!

Here you will find the list of the 14 easy ways to save money on baby formula in order to optimize your time :

1. Get Cans from Your Local Food Bank
2. Ask your pediatrician for samples
3. Buy from grocery stores
4. Join the WIC program
5. Store brand formula
6. Sign up for checks and coupons
7. Buy/Trade formulas
8. Cow’s milk formula instead of soy formula
9. Buy in bulk
10. Contact your insurance
11. Buy powder instead of the ready-to-feed formula
12. Use Rebate Apps to Get cashback and Gift Cards
13. Collect points on Shoppers Drug Mart
14. Sign up on Swagbucks and get gift cards

Now we will go into detail about these 14 ways:

1. Get Cans from Your Local Food Bank:

The Feeding America Nationwide Network of Food Banks gives 4.3 billion meals each year throughout the United States. They can provide you cans of formula for free if you have a low income, just find a local food bank in your area and ask them. 

To find a local food bank in your area, click here.

2. Ask your pediatrician for samples:

Pediatricians will be happy to give you samples because they have a bunch of them, especially Enfamil and Similac, these samples hold about 12 ounces. Thus, you try these samples to see which brand is best for your baby without spending a cent.

3. Buy from grocery stores:

Target has gift card offers every few weeks. For example, when you buy 3, you get a 20$ gift card, when you buy 2 you get a 10$ gift card, or when you spend 100$, you get a 20$ gift card.

Try to get these offers and use them on your next purchase combined with coupons and checks and the 5$ off of the red card. Plus, the subscription on target offers free shipping and 5% off every order. In this way, you will save a bunch of money.

click here to know more about Target subscription.

Furthermore, Target allows you to use Cartwheel deals, Target coupons, manufacturer’s coupons, checks, Gift cards, and Red cards for 5% off all on one item and combine them on a purchase.

If you are near Meijer (a grocery store), you are lucky!! They offer some crazy stuff. They will let you use checks and coupons on top of sales. An example of a tub of formula that costs 20$; using checks of $5 and coupons of $8, that’s a $7 for a container. Plus, they have some great offers like “spend 40$ to get 4$ off”. 

Thus, a tub will cost you 3$!! That will save you a lot of money if you are exclusively formula-fed.

4. Join the WIC program:

WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) is a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for pregnant women with low income, breastfeeding women, and children under five years old.

This program will help you pay for formula and more. However, you must be eligible for the program. Here you will find details about WIC eligibility requirements.

And you can check here how WIC will help you. 

5. Store brand formula: 

Since all baby formulas are approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) before being marketed. Therefore they all provide your baby with the same nutrient value he needs for growth and brain development.

Therefore, using a store brand formula will be less expensive than the name brand one by 50% and save you money. 

An example of Walmart’s generic brand is the same formula as Enfamil, with half the price, and Costco’s generic brand is the same as Similac.

I have created a whole category of generic brands of different name-brand formulas to choose from, click here to read more.

6. Sign up for checks and coupons: 

Another way to save money on baby formula is to sign up for the rewards program of Enfamil, Similac, and Gerber. They will send you free formula and coupons to use at any grocery store. 

Similac and Enfamil give you checks from 5 to 60 dollars, which can be used as a form of payment for your formula on their websites or stores.

Even if your baby doesn’t drink all these formulas, get coupons, trade them in groups, and get coupons for the type you need.

How to sign up:

Enfamil can send you in a year up to 400 dollars as gifts, coupons, and baby formula samples when you sign up for their rewards program. All you have to do is submit your full name and your email here on Enfamil’s website.

Similac also has a rewards program in which you get coupons and a lot of free formula samples. To sign up for their program, click here.

Gerber is another formula brand that can send you coupons and gift cards when you sign up and buy on their website. This program consists of collecting points and redeeming gifts.

Sign up; get 10 points. Follow them on social media; and get 10 points for every social network (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest). Write a review on a product; get 10 points, and for every $1 spent you get 1 point. 

Moreover, join the Mygerber family to get exclusive coupons and offers to help you save money if your baby is on the Gerber brand, or just get them and trade in groups with the type you need. Sign up here and get coupons!

Nestle Baby also has an excellent rewards program. When you sign up, you receive a ton of coupons in your inbox and mailbox, a pack of goodness for your newborn, a bunch of free samples of the brand your baby drinks, and helpful advice from experts to help you during the first year.

7. Buy/Trade formulas:

Sign up for Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber checks, or ask the pediatrician for more samples every time you visit him. Then, trade with someone to get more of the type you need (you will find them in buy/trade formula Facebook groups or in your neighborhood).

Moreover, you can buy formula on those groups from other mommies at a low price. Other parents may have some unwanted baby formula and want to sell it. In that way, you will save some money.

8. Cow’s milk formula instead of soy formula:

In case your baby is not allergic to dairy products, there is no need to feed him soy formula. 

First of all, it is more expensive than cow’s milk formula. Secondly, there is no evidence that soy formula is better than cow’s milk formula. Pediatricians recommend feeding soy formula in special cases. Therefore, feed your baby cow’s milk formula to save money.

I wrote a full article about the best soy formula in 2020, and when to feed, when to avoid soy formula if you want to check.

9. Buy in bulk:

When you find the formula your little one loves, buy in large quantities, so you get discounts. Thus, you will save a lot of money. 

Enfamil, Similac, and Gerber offer 10 to 50% off when you buy in bulk.

10. Contact your insurance:

Some babies have allergies or health issues and need a hydrolyzed or an amino-acid formula. These types of formulas are expensive. Therefore, to save money on these types, call your insurance and ask them if they cover that brand you want because not all insurances do. 

Usually, in case of an allergy, they will cover it, but you may need a prescription from your pediatrician and filled by a pharmacy. It is better to see pharmacies in Walmart, Target, Walgreens, or any supermarket pharmacies because not all pharmacies will order the formula. 

11. Buy powder instead of the ready-to-feed formula:

Although the ready-to-feed formula is easier to deal with and saves you time, it is more expensive than the powder formula. So, there is no need to choose the ready-to-feed formula except if your baby doesn’t like the powder formula. 

You can even save time on powder formula; use the manual formula dispenser (the automatic is pricey); it will make your life easier and save you time, especially at night.

Just measure and store the formula in the dispenser. When you are out or sleepy, and your baby gets mad about hunger, prepare a bottle easily by filling in the premeasured powder and water. 

If you want some cheap dispensers, I wrote an article about the top best dispensers in 2020 (including warmers and mixers).

12. Use Rebate Apps to Get cashback and Gift Cards:

Ibotta app For Cashback:

Ibotta is an app where you sign up for free and get Cashback when you buy from stores like Walmart, and Target. 

Before buying baby formula from one of these stores, check first on the app if there is an offer. Then, buy and submit your receipt on the Ibotta app and get Cashback, you can get up to 20% of the rebate.  

The minimum amount for withdrawing money from the app is 20$, which is easy to get.

Fetch app For Gift Cards:

This is an easy way to get some gift cards. Just follow these three actions:

1. Scan your formula receipts of whatever you bought and upload them on Fetch App.
2. Earn points.
3. Get your gift cards and other rewards.

13. Collect points on Shoppers Drug Mart:

Shoppers Drug Mart has a reward program for collecting points. For every 1$ spent, you get 15 points (that’s not interesting). But, sometimes they do special offers like “spend 75$ get 18500 points or 20x points,” which means for every 1$ spend, you get between 246 and 300 points. 

Therefore, try to buy your needs on those days (except tobacco products, lottery, crossing tickets, prescription items, gift cards, items including codeine, and Canada post items).

After earning enough points, you can redeem them on your next purchases (every 600 points give you 1$. For example, 30000 points will let you buy a total of 50$). Thus, you can buy formula and diapers for your little one and save some money. 

However, Shoppers Drug Mart doesn’t have a big stock because it is not a big seller. That’s why you must call them and let them know that you want formula or diapers, and they will order extra formula for you.

To redeem rewards, just tell them, and they will scab your phone or your card.

14. Sign up on Swagbucks and get gift cards:

Swagbucks is a website where you do tasks to get points. These points can be redeemed for gift cards (2500 points = $25 gift card). You just watch videos, take surveys, and do other simple things to get points.

Swagbucks’ gift cards can be used at Walmart stores. It will help you a lot, especially if you are just staying at home and doing nothing. 

Combining all these ways will let you get your baby’s formula for free. They are effortless to do.

DO NOT do this in order to save money:

• DO NOT try to make a homemade formula. You can’t make it with the same nutrient value and quality as the manufacturers

• DO NOT give your baby straight cow’s milk before reaching one year old. Your baby can’t easily digest the straight cow’s milk because of the immature digestive system he has. I wrote an article about when and how to stop feeding baby formula and switch to cow’s milk if you want to check.

If you have tried other ways to save money on baby formula, write it in the comment to help other parents.