Feeding Options for Your Newborn
With so many circulating opinions and judgments about how to feed your baby, it can be hard to parse through the right option for you. As moms begin to dive deeper, key questions keep arising: which considerations should I consider most? Should I make my decision based on what’s cheapest? Healthiest? The most time consuming? The most bonding? We’ll break down some of those factors and cut out the judgment, so you can more easily weigh what works best for you.
At a glance:
| Breastfeeding | Formula Feeding | Combo Feeding | |
| Cost | Free given there aren’t complications. | Around $150 – $300 a month depending on the brand (see below for comparisons). | Typically around $50-$100 per month depending on how frequently you supplement. |
| Health | Strongest immune benefits. Can lower the risk of ear infections, asthma, SIDs, and obesity. Lower’s mom’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Can provide antibodies to a sick baby. | Safe and provides the necessary nutritional value. Formula won’t prevent illness or infection, but formula-fed babies thrive. | Baby gets the nutritional and health benefits from breastfeeding, mom benefits from breastfeeding, and the baby is also gaining additional ounces from formula. This can help with a baby who has a harder time with breastfeeding, a mother who has a low breastmilk supply, or for ease of using breastfeeding or bottle feeding while out. |
| Time | Every 1-3 hours in the beginning, including nights. Every 3 hours through 1 year old. Additional time (15-30 minutes) required if pumping and cleaning your pump. | Every 1-3 hours to feed your baby a bottle. A few additional minutes will be needed to prepare the bottle. Additional time for washing the bottles. | Every 1-3 hours for baby to eat. The time commitment will vary based on if you’re breastfeeding or using formula. Very flexible. To maintain breastmilk supply, mothers may need to pump if giving formula. |
| Work | Would require breaks during the day to pump (PUMP Act, 2023) requires your job to allow for this time. | An easier option for working parents. No pumping is required and no accommodations required from work. | A totally viable option for working moms. This provides the flexibility of anyone helping to feed the baby while mom is at work, with the option and protection of pumping time at work. |
| Support | Higher support required. Especially if you have other children, additional support is helpful when caretaking for children and breastfeeding an infant. | Lower support needed. Anyone can prepare a bottle and/or feed the baby the bottle. | Similar support needed to other options. Allows for others to feed the baby, while needing some additional time if pumping. |
| Help from others | Others can provide pumped milk that is prepared in advance. | Others can definitely help by preparing or feeding the baby a bottle. Especially during the middle of the night, help from others can be more readily relied on. | Others can provide baby with pumped milk or formula. Allows for flexibility in your routine and responsiveness to your baby’s desires. |
Considerations:
- If you have to go back to work soon (6-8 weeks postpartum) and you desire to exclusively breastfeed, making a plan early can be helpful. Think through:
- Storage for frozen breastmilk
- A pumping schedule at work
- Ensuring work has a clean, private area for your to pump, timed breaks for you to pump, and refrigerator or freezer access
- A timeline for getting baby used to take a bottle with expressed milk
- Have little or no family support?
- Consider what you can handle on your own. If using formula ensures that anyone can feed your child, it may be a good way to reduce stress about feeding your baby.
- Some women find it helpful to buy a small can of formula for their child in case they’d like to try it out. This way you don’t have to scramble to buy some because you need it, but you have it on hand to ease into using it.
- Is money a little tight? Breastfeeding can be the cheapest option if your baby latches well. A good pump, lactation support, nipple shields, or special bottles can add up too.
- A pump is usually covered with insurance
- If cost is a barrier, formula can be free for eligible participants through WIC in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin was ranked the least likely state to overspend on formula in a 2026 study. 2026 Baby Formula Feeding Trends by State.
- Most parents feel the stress of the cost of formula or think it’s too expensive.
- Over 75% have a backup supply in their home for fear of running out of formula
- 1 in 3 parents had the experience of a store being out of formula
Formula Brand Comparisons:
Please note that these are estimates for a few of the major formula brands in the area. There are times when your baby may need a more specialized formula due to an allergy or complication with typical formulas.
For reference, a baby around 10 pounds in size may eat up to 25-30 ounces of formula every day if exclusively formula feeding.
| Type | Price | Size |
| Enfamil | $45- $50 | 28oz |
| Similac | $47.50 | 30.8oz |
| Up&Up (Target) | $33 | 36oz |
| Kendamil | $45 | 28oz |
| Parent’s Choice (Walmart) | $35 | 36oz |
| Kirkland ProCare (Costco) | $35.50 *membership required | 42oz |
| Advantage Premium (Sam’s Club) | $40 *membership required | 48oz |
