The monthly costs of a baby - your thoughts!

[Lilly12]

So..
After reading , I realized that alot of our men think they are not financially ready to bring a child into this world.
So let's sum it up...how much does a baby REALLY cost (on average), a month?!

My view:
It all depends on what you want for your child,and what you feel is important like brand clothes or cheapies, or thriftstore shopping?!

Myself I'd do alot of thriftstore shopping because a child grows out of its clothes fast.. especially below age 6/7.
So that'd be cheap.

The first setup, like the crib, carseat etc etc, we'd buy online or at walmart/target/sam's club..plus we'd get ALOT of stuff on our babyshower!!
We'd buy a convertable car seat, and crib! That's cheaper in the long run.

Then the regular monthly costs like:
Diapers (I'd consider cloth diapering, but not fulltime since our laundry is quiet expensive too..since we share washer/dryer with our neighbours so it's 2 dollars to do 1 load and 1 dollar to dry).. if not cloth then disposables @ sam's club, around 100 dollars monthly.
I'd really try hard to breastfeed, but that sometimes still doesn't work out, so formula from Sam's club too..Around 100 dollars a month too.
Wipes - About 10 dollars a month @ Sam's club.
Shampoo and other bath stuff - Sam's club - Total costs monthly around 10 dollars.
Health- We'd apply for medicaid for our baby so that'd cover most of the medical stuff.
Solids- I'd make my own baby food with the food we eat.


Oh and the delivery itself - (if it goes to plan)
Midwife, that's around 2500 dollars including prenatal care, ultrasound, delivery, and 2 after check ups.

So Monthly it'll cost us around 250, IF breastfeeding doesnt work out, else it'd be around 150.
Now that's just for the necessary stuff.. I'd be buying toys of course..

But still my husband thought it'd be around 500 dollars?!
I don't know where he got that idea from, I decided to show him prices etc online, and he totally changed his view now.

 

[Marlarky]

First make sure what you and your husband make a month!! Make a budget!!

 

[NicoleLJ]

Having started out with being a single mom I discovered it was really not that expensive to raise a baby. And I was making less then the poverty rate. I breast fed my daughter, did cloth diapering, did clothing exchanges (so never bought a stitch of clothing) went to acutions to get toys. Got some really cheap that were brand new. So in reality babies are really not as pricey as people tried to make me believe when I was first pregnant and they were trying to convince me to give my child up for adoption. I am so glad I ignored their lies.

 

[Marlarky]

I am so glad you ignored them too!! Your baby was a blessing

I think its just as expensive as you want to make it. If you want to go around and buy every little thing they come out with and the most expensive diapers and all that, then yea it will be expensive. But if you know what to do to make it cheaper and give your baby the same healthy and happy childhood that he would anyways, then why not!?!?

I cant wait for my time to be a mommy because I also am going to breastfeed and make my own baby food at home with the food that we eat. I researched that a lot already.

Cloth diapering I am not so familiar with but I want to try it so I will probably just have disposables for when we go to "grandmas" or something like that.


@Lilly- does your county have a public aid that will cover the birth and delivery and doctors visits? In Cook County we do, so maybe you do too??

 

[tasha41]

It's not that expensive on top of your own living expenses to have a child. The first year is more because they go through more diapers and more if you use formula.

Diapers - $50/month... I buy Pampers, I use coupons (only $2-$3 off per pack) and buy on sale, now she is older and goes through far fewer. And I buy the biggest packs I can typically.

Personally I don't think cloth saves you a heck of a lot if you are paying for laundry and buying a lot of diapers (unless you use them for multiple children)... plus you have to factor in taking care of them, using correct diaper creams, etc. I think when deciding on what type of diapers to use it's lifestyle not budget that should be considered***

Wipes - $15/month or less, I buy the packs of Pampers refills for $15.99, those can last quite awhile, I have 2 wipes tubs going, one up in our room, one downstairs, and I don't refill even once per week now. If you have a Costco membership I really like their Kirkland wipes, I once bought them on sale for $11 and got TONS like 8 or 9 refills, in really nice packaging so they didn't even HAVE to go in tubs

Formula - $40/case for the first year. We always used 3 cases per month approximately.

Laundry - I use regular detergent (I use a mild one because I have sensitive skin) but I do treat myself to the luxury of $5/bottle Baby OxyClean spray, some months it lasts longer than others. But baby laundry is probably 1-2 loads extra per week.

Shampoo/bath - I got so much shampoo/baby lotion/baby oil/etc that I have only bought 1 bottle of shampoo (for curly hair since my LO has super curly hair) and one bottle of detangler spray (now that she's older & her hair is longer). I still have BOTTLES of baby washes etc in the closet. Diaper cream for us seems to last a long time, I hardly ever deal with diaper rash and I lose the cream before I empty it typically. $10/tub or tube normally.

Health - well for me doctors/etc are covered living in Canada but the extra costs would be health insurance (for dental, prescriptions, etc). Here you pay for single or family benefits and it's $250/month for family here.

Solids - I made most of my own purees, save prunes and meats. She had teeth young and has been eating the same things we have since 9 months.

Toys & clothes - what you want to spend per month really.

Activities - lots of free programs around at community centers, but I bring her to a Boys & Girls Club for swimming lessons and they're $15 for 8? or 10 weeks.. they are non profit...

 

[tasha41]

Also with 'start up costs' of a baby... not sure what else to call 'em! But those one-time pricey purchases... go into it expecting to buy your own but never refuse an offer for a used item or if someone wants to buy something for you.

I took 3 secondhand playpens; we have 1 for each grandma's and one to travel with. Sure there were pretty ones out there I would have liked.. but I have ones that work. Elyse doesn't know the difference.

Baby showers... I got mostly clothes, but lots of really great more helpful things like:
- baby bath, baby bath sling
- baby carrier
- stroller x 2 (this bothered me - MILs sisters chipped in to buy her a stroller for her place, they don't use it a lot)
- Exersaucer
- Jolly Jumper
- high chair
- bouncy chair
- baby monitors

My parents also bought us the crib.. which is convertible.. the grandparents bought convertible car seats for their own cars (since they can be used through until she's out of a booster)

My grandma bought us a glider/ottoman set too.


I got loads of hand-me-down clothes up to 24 months also.

 

[Marlarky]

Im not sure because some disposables turn urine into some gel or something and as someone else once said, "I don't want my baby's poop hanging around ina landfill 50 years from now"

So Im kinda going with the cloth now that I'm reading about it. I guess they are supposed to last through 2 babies??

 

[NicoleLJ]

I know I saved a ton of money by using cloth. I got the good ones from Sears. cost 30 dollars for 6. I had a dozen of them. I only used disposable at night and when we left the house. And I didn't have a washing machine and no money at the time to go to a laundry mat so I did them by hand in the tub with my other laundry.

Plus making my own baby food. Going to garage sales for the tings like the crib, carrage, change table. The only thing I bought new was the car seat.

 

[tasha41]

Wow!!! The ones at Sears here are $75 for 4 - 6! They are Kushies.

 

[NicoleLJ]

Thats the brand I used too. THis was 11 years ago. Now they are 69 for 5. But even at that price I think they are worth it. They pay for themselves quickly since a pack of diapers usually cost about 30 and last less then a week.

 

[panther19]

I think a baby can cost as much as you want it to.
My OH thinks the same, thinks we can't afford it and that it costs a lot. But I don't think it does.

We'd be set for a lot of things, my sibling is having a baby soon and there will be TONS of hand-me-downs for that. My parents still have a feeding chair, a changing table (That I already have in my house, hehe, as a dresser for now) and stuff like that.

The only 'big' purchases me and OH would make would be a stroller and a car chair... the rest will be hand-me-downs or on the cheap.
Also, we would get the child tax benefit and another family benefit... I figured out that that alone would cover most the expenses... and if it doesn't we do have the disposable income to have enough.... so money wise there is really no reason not to have a baby.

 

[maybabydoll]

Great thread I think an important factor in using cloth nappies, is not only the cost, but the posistive environmental factor. Time will tell if I will use them, but in principle they sound better than their disposable counterparts.

 

[babesx3]

yeah i use kushies.... on my third child so have saved me tons of money!!
Will be using them for #4 too!! although they are tired looking now...
use disposibles occasionally too.... i think like someone else said.. babies can cost a fortune..or a little... depends on u really!!!

 

[Mrs Poppy]

I agree that babies are as cheap/expensive as you want them to be. What my oh is worried about is my loss of earnings with a baby. He worries that we will struggle when my pay goes down to half pay whilst on maternity leave before I go back to work.

 

[beccad]

I think you have to factor in loss of earnings/cost of childcare into these costs as well, any maternity pay/benefits you receive after you've had the baby.

I'm eternally grateful not to have to worry about the cost of medical care or giving birth in the UK. For all its faults, you've got to love the NHS!

 

[Blah11]

Amelie is 16 months old now and apart from her nursery fees she only costs about £40 a month including food, clothes and nappies!

 

[Blah11]

ETA - i breastfeed and use reusable wipes

 

[fuffyburra]

I think you have to factor in loss of earnings/cost of childcare into these costs as well, any maternity pay/benefits you receive after you've had the baby.

I'm eternally grateful not to have to worry about the cost of medical care or giving birth in the UK. For all its faults, you've got to love the NHS!

I sure do LOVE the NHS!! I was inspired by this thread to work out how much the basics would be, and it was about £50-£60, maybe a little more some months. But then as you say it's the money you'll lose on mat. leave OH has said that won't be a problem though, and I'm only gonna be working 2-3 days a week. Hopefully my mum will volunteer her babysitting skills a lot!!

 

[Boothh]

after the intial purchases like everyone else has said can be as much/little as you want really

formula -
when newborn - £28 a month (one tub a week)
now - £14 a month (about 1/2 a tub a week)

solid food -
when newborn - nothing!
now - 12packs of dry food (8 savoury 4porridge) £20 a month, and he eats whatever we eat apart from that so just a couple spoons from your plate (helps with the weight loss too lol!) extra finger foods say £10 a month

wipes - buy big boxes when they are on offer, i normally get pampers wipes on offer 6packs for £5 or get supermarket brands normally works out about £1 a pack say we use about 2packs a week so less than £10 a month

nappies - buy when on offer in bulk, used to buy the most expensive but now buy the pampers simply dry range and im saving around £3 a pack from the top pampers range, under £40 a month for nappies

health care - free thanks god like above bless the NHS

clothes - used to buy him the best of everything all new but weve been struggling after moving house so now iv been selling his too small stuff on here and using the money to buy him other stuff, he still has the odd new outfit but i dont mind buying off ebay or here, say £30 a month on clothes but you dont really need to spend that,

toys - again sell what baby has outgrown for new, also lots of people tend to buy jess toys as gifts so generally doesnt cost me much to keep him occupied you will probably find toys are covered by birthdays and christmas and not much extra you need to spend

activitys - swimming - £3 a session, to the park on the swings free, baby classes at sure start etc free, visiting friends/family free, going for walks free,

generally loving your baby and the way you treat them and bring them up is by far more important than how much money you spend,

when you look back on your childhood do you think of - i remember this time my mum and dad took me here/did this with me or think - i always had the most toys out of everyone in my class/ i always had the best trainers? xx

 

[Gille01]

Since I'll be a single mom on a smaller income, I'm trying to make it as inexpensive as possible. I agree with the others who have mentioned that its only as expensive as you make it.

I want to breastfeed, use cloth, make my own wipes, use hand me downs or thrift stores. make baby food, buy only the necessities (co-sleeper, car seat, rocker, sling/stroller). I do think I'll get a pump but want to learn to do it by hand.

I think if you are planning to have a baby shower, you'll be able to get some good things there too so it wont be just you paying for everything at once.