Unexpected Expenses for new parents

[DaisyDreamer]

Hey everyone,

I got to thinking about ways I could try to save money (everybody loves that) on expenses for baby. With a lot of free time I can make clothes, change mats, etc. But there are some unavoidable costs like car seats, strollers, diapers.

What are some of the other costly things that go with having a baby for the first time? How can one creatively save money on things for baby?

 

[flowergirl7]

Well our insurance went up $400 dollars a month once baby was born we did know that would happen though. Also I had a horrible appetite after giving birth and my son wasn't gaining weight from my breast milk so I had to supplement with formula and eventually just exclusively formula fed. So that was an extra expense for sure and very unexpected. I'm hoping things go a little better with breastfeeding this time.
Buying used is always a good way to save money. I love 2nd hand shops and yard sales! Also hand me downs are great too.

 

[Nerdy]

I too tried breastfeeding and then wound up getting discouraged after poor advise was given by a crappy lactation spcialist and holy heck did formula get expensive and FAST!

 

[winterbabies3]

Definitely formula and of course diapers and wipes. I have already started stocking up on all of it. Formula doesn't run out for awhile so getting it has helped husband relax as I am a sahm. I will plan on breastfeeding but like giving a formula bottle every now and than.

 

[flowergirl7]

Nerdy - I had a crappy lactation specialist as well. She was a little overly excited and stressed me out.

 

[NDH]

You can use cloth diapers - and even make your own (upcycled t-shirts, flannel sheets etc make them super cost effective) Cloth wipes are super easy to make as well - or a couple cheap packs of facewashers. Ive used a few packs of disposable wipes but theyre just for emergencies as I far prefer cloth ones. Dh flat out refuses to use disposable ones cause "they suck" lol

But ya buy second hand where possible. Car seat is a non negotiable new expense for us, but I don't think we've ever bought anything else new, unless it was a major clearance sale. Oh sippy cups is the only other thing we buy new.

 

[Nerdy]

Nerdy - I had a crappy lactation specialist as well. She was a little overly excited and stressed me out.

Mine told me to stop nursing/pumping when my nipples bled. Needless to say my supply went down the tubes and fast. Every other specialist was like "OMG NO!". Huge disappointment.

 

[flowergirl7]

Nerdy - I had a crappy lactation specialist as well. She was a little overly excited and stressed me out.

Mine told me to stop nursing/pumping when my nipples bled. Needless to say my supply went down the tubes and fast. Every other specialist was like "OMG NO!". Huge disappointment.

Hopefully this time we know a little more and it will be better for us

 

[Nerdy]

Nerdy - I had a crappy lactation specialist as well. She was a little overly excited and stressed me out.

Mine told me to stop nursing/pumping when my nipples bled. Needless to say my supply went down the tubes and fast. Every other specialist was like "OMG NO!". Huge disappointment.

Hopefully this time we know a little more and it will be better for us

I like to think I'm ready for it this time and prepared to be the ultimate nipple nazi.

 

[zmzerbe]

Formula for sure was a big one for us. We breastfed until about 2-3 months until we discovered he wasn't gaining weight like he should. He was born at 6lbs 12 oz, dropped to 6lbs 3 oz and then at his 2 month appointment was 7lbs 14 oz. We were told to start supplementing with formula, that instantly started working, but since I was only supplementing and determined to keep breastfeeding, he still wasn't getting enough. It turned out that he had a terrible lip and tongue tie that the lactation consultant in the hospital overlooked and that's why breastfeeding wasn't working for us. He ended up getting it clipped at 3 months and ever since then he didn't want to latch and my supply was almost non existent.

 

[jlw617]

There aren't many...we too had to supplement with both our babies, our first dd was 6lbs 12 oz but she was lethargic and I was really uneducated so when the pedi told me I should supplement, I did and it killed my supply, my second was even smaller, 6lbs 5oz and once again they started to freak out when she wasn't gaining as quickly as they wanted her to and said I needed to start supplementing except she had severe gerd and had to be on super expensive hypoallergenic formula, it was $20 for the small cans so it was crazy expensive, all in all I feel much more educated now, I'm quite a bit older and have changed my views on a lot of things when it comes to natural living, when my midwife asked me about breastfeeding and I told her about my past breastfeeding experiences, she told me she couldn't believe that my pedis told me to supplement as early as they did, this time I'm not going to let them freak me out about the initial 10% loss...I guess it was just easy to freak out when your babies are tiny to begin with and your child's dr is scaring you! Anyhow after that novel, I really think babies are not as expensive as people can make them out to be!

 

[zmzerbe]

There aren't many...we too had to supplement with both our babies, our first dd was 6lbs 12 oz but she was lethargic and I was really uneducated so when the pedi told me I should supplement, I did and it killed my supply, my second was even smaller, 6lbs 5oz and once again they started to freak out when she wasn't gaining as quickly as they wanted her to and said I needed to start supplementing except she had severe gerd and had to be on super expensive hypoallergenic formula, it was $20 for the small cans so it was crazy expensive, all in all I feel much more educated now, I'm quite a bit older and have changed my views on a lot of things when it comes to natural living, when my midwife asked me about breastfeeding and I told her about my past breastfeeding experiences, she told me she couldn't believe that my pedis told me to supplement as early as they did, this time I'm not going to let them freak me out about the initial 10% loss...I guess it was just easy to freak out when your babies are tiny to begin with and your child's dr is scaring you! Anyhow after that novel, I really think babies are not as expensive as people can make them out to be!

Wow, so she had you supplement right from the start? I'm at least happy that my ped didn't step in until he was a few months old I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that! I am much more confident this pregnancy about breastfeeding with this one than I was with my first. I had a bunch of doubts instilled in me, I was shy and conservative with where to feed him and I wasn't very confident in my ability to feed him. That all has changed and now I know what signs to look for as far as the poor latch and the tongue tie and everything.

 

[victoria1987]

For us it was a breast pump. I really really struggled with bf and wound up buying a pump a few days after he was born as I wasn't producing and needed to boost supply, plus my nipples were torn apart and bleeding so pumping helped.

We went with a good quality double electric, plus bottles and nipples. It cost us about $350.

I also ended up having to supplement and after 4 month switched over to FF. That got expensive fast.

Oh, also DS was pretty tiny and we didn't really buy any nb size stuff as everyone told us not to bother. Well he was just swimming in the 0-3m clothes we had so we needed to buy a whole bunch of nb sleepers and he ended up wearing them for like 8 weeks!

We also took a trip out when he was a few days old for extra scratch mittens and some of the velcro swaddle blankets as he really liked them.

 

[zmzerbe]

For us it was a breast pump. I really really struggled with bf and wound up buying a pump a few days after he was born as I wasn't producing and needed to boost supply, plus my nipples were torn apart and bleeding so pumping helped.

We went with a good quality double electric, plus bottles and nipples. It cost us about $350.

I also ended up having to supplement and after 4 month switched over to FF. That got expensive fast.

Oh, also DS was pretty tiny and we didn't really buy any nb size stuff as everyone told us not to bother. Well he was just swimming in the 0-3m clothes we had so we needed to buy a whole bunch of nb sleepers and he ended up wearing them for like 8 weeks!

We also took a trip out when he was a few days old for extra scratch mittens and some of the velcro swaddle blankets as he really liked them.

fortunately for us were were gifted a TON of nb clothes from a friend that had twin boys and I thought it was silly and said to myself, "why do I need so many nb clothes when he will only be in them for a week" and he ended up wearing nb clothes until he was 3 months old. Even then he only had grown out of them length wise

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I decided at the end of the pregnancy that we were going to do formula, so that wasn't a surprise expense for us. She was born with an ear condition though, which we were not expecting. The civilian insurance I had through my previous employer didn't cover everything from her first appointments, so we had to pay a couple hundred dollars out of pocket for the initial consultations and tests during her first few months of life. (thankfully Tricare Prime has paid 100% since we switched)

Hopefully that's not an expense you'll have to deal with though! (I just know I hadn't planned for it)

I buy her clothes from Goodwill during their big monthly Saturday half off sale for $1 a piece. I can get her a full wardrobe for around $60, and that's only because I love buying baby clothes and always get way more than she really needs. They always have gently used name brand stuff and I've created some adorable outfits for super cheap! I also shop generic for diapers since they work just as well for her, and she was on Walmart's formula so we only had to pay $60-80 a month which was easily do-able for us. You can join local Facebook groups too and find great deals from other moms trying to get rid of their baby things. (I see nice swings go for $20 here)

 

[DaisyAnne]

Some people mentioned lactation consultants... well I had crappy ones at the hospital, too, so frustrating!! I felt like it was just worse whenever anyone there tried to help, and we ended up needing to supplement with formula... after a tongue tie being fixed then seeing an actually GOOD lactation consultant, we were able to breastfeed again (it was nothing short of a miracle, I assure you!). What I learned is 1) you can never fully prepare for what may come, you may need to switch to formula and 2) shelling out a little extra money for a good lactation consultant who comes recommended from people is WORTH the money!!

Yeah, I agree with buying second hand, and in my area they have these big kid stuff consignment sales (like they fill 2 gymnasiums with baby/kid stuff galore that people want to consign) twice a year. Also, don't buy *everything* ahead of time... some things you just may find you won't need, it's ok to wait and see what you will actually use for your baby. For example, we never needed a swing- many swear by it for their babies, but some babies just prefer a bouncy seat like mine did. Saved money and space by just waiting to see and then we bought and tried a swing at some point, but returned it bc he hated it.

 

[jessmke]

We are using cloth diapers, reusable wipes (we'll already be doing the diapers in the laundry so we might as well do the wipes too!), and we have bought pretty much everything second hand. We have basically everything we need for the first 6 months and have spent maybe $300. We got our diapers from my sister who used them with her three kids but they are still in fantastic shape. I plan to breast feed, but if that doesn't work out then formula will definitely be a big extra expense.

 

[Indi84]

Buy second hand, I got loads of bits/clothes second hand, bought new mattress and car seat though. Buy a wrap rather then a buggy and baby wear, cloth nappies are expensive to start but work out cheaper overall etc.

 

[Fliss]

Cloth diapers - seriously!

Second hand from Facebook greoups or similar - maybe a few new (I bought 5 hybrids for £35 from The Nappy Lady) it'll save you hundreds of dollars and you can spread the cost.

For example, I need wraps for my hybrids to boost them for nighttime and I'll get those next month.

 

[DaisyDreamer]

There aren't many...we too had to supplement with both our babies, our first dd was 6lbs 12 oz but she was lethargic and I was really uneducated so when the pedi told me I should supplement, I did and it killed my supply, my second was even smaller, 6lbs 5oz and once again they started to freak out when she wasn't gaining as quickly as they wanted her to and said I needed to start supplementing except she had severe gerd and had to be on super expensive hypoallergenic formula, it was $20 for the small cans so it was crazy expensive, all in all I feel much more educated now, I'm quite a bit older and have changed my views on a lot of things when it comes to natural living, when my midwife asked me about breastfeeding and I told her about my past breastfeeding experiences, she told me she couldn't believe that my pedis told me to supplement as early as they did, this time I'm not going to let them freak me out about the initial 10% loss...I guess it was just easy to freak out when your babies are tiny to begin with and your child's dr is scaring you! Anyhow after that novel, I really think babies are not as expensive as people can make them out to be!

Agreed! Thanks, I didn't know so many moms had trouble breastfeeding the first time around. I know of 2 different LCs so we will see how that goes