UK Baby Budget, first year.

[Kess]

As a spin-off from the US budget thread, does anyone want to talk budgeting for the first year of baby's life in the UK?

Milk: I'm planning on breastfeeding, and will obtain any help I can to make as sure as possible that I can, so I personally won't budget for formula.

Nappies: Reusables. Perhaps £350.

Transport: Ergo baby carrier £70. Pushchair maybe, £200 (my Mom is threatening to buy this. I want to try and manage with just the carrier and some wraps).

Extended rearfacing carseat: £200-300

Cot: £100

Steam steriliser and bottle, plus breast pump: £18 + £85

Table seat: £35

Door bouncer: £20

Growbag egg thermometer (OTT, I know, but I love it!): £20

Clothes: Gifts, charity shops, etc. Negligable in other words.

What have I forgotten?

So far that's £1148.

What are your budgets?

 

[Damita]

We are saving 5k for the year I am off and about 2k for the baby before it comes, worked out after bills we will have a spare £800 a month for food and baby. We are going to use reusable nappies and hopefully breastfeeding, we are very eco and frugal so we won't be spending huge amount of money plus I really want to do Attached parenting

 

[Kess]

I'm the same, Damita, I want to do attachment parenting, hence not really wanting a pushchair. We're also very frugal generally, but I'm not averse to spending a bit on things I really want - I just don't waste money on random nothingnesses.

 

[winegums]

the only things i have spent money on so far (my sons 11 months) is formula (unfortunately), teats for bottles, nappies and wipes.

everything else i have spent money on (pram etc) i have then sold on and made either the same or more money back!

i generally use freecycle (lots), ebay, preloved, loot, gumtree, local adds, free adds, nearly new sales, car boots, jumble sales, used to use charity shops but a bit expensive now

also for birthdays etc i ask for useful things instead of toys or clothes

for my sons christmas presents (he was 7 months old) he got a high chair, stair gates, play pen, cot mattress etc

things like toys and clothes i can get for free or super cheap so yeah

it's been a good year.. we've spent hardly anything and still have great stuff for him! loads of clothes, mamas and papas moses basket and cot + mattresses, fisher price jumperoo, graco vibrating bouncy chair, silvercross pram, lindam stairgates etc

people spend so much money on babies i don't know how they do it!!

the only other thing i can think of is the pregnancy vitamins and folic acid (before the free prescription once preg)

xxx

 

[fuffyburra]

I'm exactly the same as you Kess, I don't mind spending money if it's necessary but I think some people go a bit overboard just buying stuff without thinking whether they'll even use it or not lol. I believe you can raise a baby on very little money, all the want is kisses and cuddles, the occasional toy maybe, but usually they end up playing with sweet wrappers My sister did it, despite being quite well off. There's just no point!

Personally, OH and I are very DIY. He spends the majority of his time building things (anything he can get his hands on!) and he's determined to make the cot. I was a bit wary at first, but to be honest once he's looked at a few to find out relevant safety features, he'll end up making one that looks shop bought! :hehe:

Mattress about £100-£130

Sheets £10

Sleeping bag £10

Room thermometer £4

I'm gonna make muslins, nursery decorations (curtains, etc.), blankets, bibs, baby booties, the lot. No point really making clothes, you get so many in the first year just as gifts.

As far as non-DIY stuff goes I'd like a Silvercross, so that'll be around £300. That would be my only guilty pleasure I'd like to try babywearing as well, but again I'll make the wraps.

I intend to breastfeed so formula is N/A.

Breastpump, steriliser and bottles around £50-£60

All the breast pads and nipple cream and stuff that goes with it. Don't know how much I'll use to can't really add that up just yet lol.

Carseat about £100

Reusable nappies £300

Highchair £50

Baby sponge bath support £7. My sister has one and it's the best!

Change mat £8

Grooming set £10-£15

Bath thermometer £4

That's all I can think of right now. My brain is frazzled trying to think of all that XD I have a little list somewhere that I wrote for myself but I can't find it lol.

xx

 

[fuffyburra]

Exactly, as winegums says most of it gets bought for you! My mum's the type to spend a fortune on babies whenever she gets the chance, and OH's parents will probably buy one of the expensive things too. My twin sister will buy us one as well me thinks, and my older sister will probably be able to give us some of her old stuff too.

 

[Mummy2jayden]

Id def recommend trying to buy stuff second hand, obviously not all things but definately where you can, do! I bought everything new with ds and I wish I hadnt now because you can get fantastic quality used items on ebay etc and even freebies off the likes of freecycle like the above mentioned. Having a baby is very cosstly so I definately recommend buying bits second hand to save. I bought a gorgeous swinging crib for £10 and just bought a mattress to go with and an avent bottle steriliser for less than £10 which was great. Although I wouldnt buy a car seat second hand and nor a pushchair

 

[fuffyburra]

Wow that's incredible the crib and steriliser were so cheap! Thanks for the tip

 

[emilyjade]

well lol!! my 1st dosnt seem to of cost alot at all!!!

cot - 130 pounds

mattress - 70ish

clothes - 500 ish what iv bought up 2 over 1 year!

sterilizer - free

bottles - too much !!! 22 on 4 dr browns - 6 closer 2 nature 15 - 1 4oz dr brown just under 5 !

toys - to much again! went way over board for christmas!

high chair 30 in sale!

milk- hundreds!! he loves his food!

pushchair- 140

wardrobe and draws - 150

nappies - i buy the box's in advance so i always have them in 11 pound a box

wipes - got them at 3.33 at boots for 6 pampers sensitive so stocked up lasted months!

food - he has jars and home made so i couldnt put a price on it.

well looking at that it does look like alot but i dont buy it all in one shot i always do it bit by bit so it dont seem as bad- we got things bought us to

get things in sales, thats the best thing iv ever done, got a sleeping bad was 34 got it for 9!!!


ETA - his swing was 140 but a life saver and wel worth it and baby walker was 20 ish from a site online

 

[caz81]

I have spent quite a bit I think - Some of these i have to change from rials/pounds as we are currently in oman but have been in uk & going back again so most things we got there
Formula - per month 50pounds (really wanted to bf, didnt happen so this was a completely unexpected cost!)
Nappies - 25 pounds per month
Clothes - Initial cost - 60 pounds now spend about 20 pounds a month
Moses basket & bedding - 50 pounds
Crib - 50 pounds
Bouncy chair - 30 pounds
play mat - 20 pounds
other toys/books etc - 20 pounds
Pram - 100 pounds
car seat - 50 pounds
Baby sling - 20 pounds
bottles etc - 40 pounds

so far at 3.5 months we have spent... 890 pounds approx

 

[angie79]

i intend on getting most of my stuff 2nd hand from ebay etc.
I worked out i will need about £700 - £800 for all the equipment - i know that will go down if my mum and dad were to buy something for us.

I thought maybe £150 a month on nappies, formula (incase bf doesnt go as i want) and any other bits - Wonder if that is realistic?

In total i'm saving for £2500 to cover me until i was to go back to work

xx

 

[Damita]

I'm the same, Damita, I want to do attachment parenting, hence not really wanting a pushchair. We're also very frugal generally, but I'm not averse to spending a bit on things I really want - I just don't waste money on random nothingnesses.

Yay! Glad it's not just me who wants to do that and yay for another frugal living lady

 

[amyclaire]

i have a list with approx budgets on the computer if anyone wants sending? pm if u want it

im aiming for 5k for the newborn then another maybe 1.5-2k for the first year.

bathing stuff-around £50 but may not get a baby bathtub as so many people have said they just dont get used..

bedding-around £60 then lots of extra blankets

carseat - this should be in the price of the pram as i want a travel system, but otherwise around 150.

pram/travel system - aroudn 700. i really want a jane!

feeding- not budgeting for formula,i really want to bf - but 150 ish for breastpump, then a bit extra for breast pads, nursing bras, nipple lotion ha, bottles for expressed,and many many tissues....

nursery - about 1000

clothes - variety of newborn and 0-3mnths, havent added up but estimate around 100

nappies - using disposables but i'll get a couple of reusables for emergencies... around 500 a year i think it works out to for pampers

xxxx

 

[angie79]

blimey my budget seems so much smaller than yours Amy
I'm planning on spending

£250 on travel system
£150 for clothes, bedding,bibs,musins and blankets
£60 steriliser, bottles etc
£250 on all nursery items which includes monitor, cot mobile, cot, moses basket, storage, curtains etc
£100 - outlay of formula?, nappies, changing mat and bath items

written down it actually comes to around £800 for everything - maybe less depending on the deals that can be had on ebay

xx

 

[plutosblue]

You know what?

I'm not number crunching nothing.

Money stresses me out bigtime, and at the end of the day we always cope somehow, so I'm not counting anything up to what is costs as it only seems like a mammoth amount to me! We took the same approach to my wedding, no savings, just the money we get every month spare after our bills and we have done really well, we have gone without nothing and feel really positive.

So thats my approach.. sounds mad.. but it works for me!

Edit: Plus I'm cheap and intend to breastfeed, hooray for the boob!

 

[Blah11]

I think I must have spent close to £7000 on Amelies 1st year of life. She has a lot of clothes, 2 prams, had to buy a new carseat, she has a lot of toys, had christmas and her first birthday presents, days out, food, weaning equipment, stairgates, highchair, cot, crib, duvet sets for her cot, all her nursery furniture+ new laminate, paint, curtains etc etc, calpol!, nursery fees.. the list goes on and on!

 

[maaybe2010]

We did something like this a month or so back

We worked out we would need £1300 for things baby would need before being born.

I can't be sure of what else we worked out
I think we got £40 - £60 a month on nappies
and I would try to breastfeed as long as possible

xx