Whether it is personal choice, or health issues, many women prefer to feed their infants baby formula, as opposed to breastfeeding.

While breastfeeding is vaunted as the most natural way to raise an infant, today’s baby formula mimics the mineral and other nutritional content of breast milk, better than ever before.

The downside to bottle-feeding, is that baby formula isn’t free. In fact, there can be a significant cost to feeding your child with formula, depending on the type that you are using.

Generally speaking, the most cost efficient way of feeding your child, is with powdered formula. This allows you to make up only a small batch at a time, while not compromising the remaining baby formula powder. On the other hand, concentrated baby formula must be used up within a specified period of opening the container.

The ready-to-serve type of baby formula is the most expensive, and is usually saved for emergencies, or feeding while traveling, and other circumstances where a quick feed is necessary and you aren’t able to mix a new batch.

The larger the container or case of formula that you buy, the more money you save in the long run. In addition, many manufacturers have loyalty programs, where you can turn in labels for coupons, discounts, and even free baby formula.

Check out your local grocery stores, pharmacies, and other sources of baby formula. Keep an eye on weekly flyers for the best prices, and buy in bulk when you can. This not only cuts down on the cost, it means you’ll have a good supply on hand, and not have to worry about running out.