Costs of Having a Baby

[Shaquille]

I might sound silly but I need some help..

I've been married for 1.5 years now. We had a lot going on at the first year of our marriage with long distance, moving, changing jobs and so on. We lived with my mother-in-law before but we recently rent an apartment and have been living just the two of us since November.

I've been wanting to have kids and now since we live independently, we start to think more of them. But there are things that are not in our minds 'cause we just don't know. We just want to make sure that when we have a baby, we can give anything the baby needs.

How much do you spend for your babies needs, say.. per month? Thanks

 

[darkwater_soul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaquille I might sound silly but I need some help.. I've been married for 1.5 years now. We had a lot going on at the first year of our marriage with long distance, moving, changing jobs and so on. We lived with my mother-in-law before but we recently rent an apartment and have been living just the two of us since November. I've been wanting to have kids and now since we live independently, we start to think more of them. But there are things that are not in our minds 'cause we just don't know. We just want to make sure that when we have a baby, we can give anything the baby needs. How much do you spend for your babies needs, say.. per month? Thanks

Your biggest expense will be diapers... 4-5 a day (maybe more) so maybe a pack a week? Every two weeks? Utilities will go up, you will be buying rompers and stuff pretty regularly (babies grow so fast!) and it always seems that bottles, wipes, washcloths and other simple things seem to disappear. Safe to say around 200-300 a month for the few year or so (allocating for doc visits and other major or minor things that may happen.) Also, make sure you or the hubby has a great medical plan to cover expenses for you and baby too.

And don't forget all the cute stuff at Gymboree and Children's PLace!!!

 

[jdechant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkwater_soul And don't forget all the cute stuff at Gymboree and Children's PLace!!!

Naa..thats what the grandparents are for!!

Lol, but don't worry, you guys will manage. The biggest costs to you (especially in the beggining) will be diapers...and I think you will be going through about 8 to 10 a day when they are really little..less when they get a little older...but there are so many ways for you to get clothes (hand me downs from relatives, friends or garage sales/online lot purchases) so don't worry about the clothes (cause they can get expensive, lol) but the next thing you need to think about is feeding. Would u say that you would breastfeed or formula? Formula is also on the expensive side...and sometimes when you want to breastfeed (but can't) then you have to go to formula (trust me, i know) lol...but really, I wouldn't worry about a baby and extra money..its not that bad..(plus I found the extra money that we would normally be spending on going out was now available for babies stuff once she was born) Hope this helps!!

 

[divineflygirl]

My "baby" is now about 6 years old, but when she was born.

Formula: I breastfed so there was no charge here.
Diapers: I'm just going to approximate, but it has be somewhere over 200 per month maybe more.
Clothes & Toys: I would say over 200 per month, but keep in mind, babies grow fast. *L*
Daycare: I live in a small town so it started at about 400 per month. Depending upon your area, the cost of daycare varies greatly.


So just for that bit just under 1000 per month. And it's probably a bunch more, if you start figuring in the cost of formula, car seats, cribs, etc... Purchases that last a few months, but there are lots of little things that come up. You will be amazed at how much those little beings can cost.

Don't forget about insurance, well baby visits, immunizations, prescriptions, if needed....they are cost too!

It is by no means easy financially...*L*

 

[Shaquille]

Thanks for the answer Ladies.. I actually just mentioned it earlier today to my husband about diapers and stuff. My husband said "I never really thought about that". LOL.

I heard a lot about Bumwear but never really look at the price. I told my husband about it too and he said "I was just thinking about Huggies".

Anyways I never thought that diapers could be expensive in the first year. So I have to prepare for that one. Do you use cloth or disposable diapers? Which one do you think is better?

Grandparents. I guess I am not so lucky on this one

If I have a baby, the closest grandparent would be my mother-in-law. And she's even trying to make a living herself so counting on grandparents (say for a visit, a little entertaining and helping out) is a little out of the question

And yes I am also thinking about insurance

Great.. now keep it coming..

 

[jetgirl]

Diapers, laundry, water (for the laundry); later milk, food... the list seems to go on. But you can get by with very little if you are frugal and creative. The biggest expense for me is daycare because I work. If you have friends with kids, there will probably be a wealth of baby gear available. Good luck!

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

Diapers and baby wipes are the biggest consumer for $$$
If you bottle feed forumla is costly too.
Toys and clothes always need to be replaced.
Health insurance + medicine + doctor visits.
When you first buy the intial crib, diaper changing sation, car seat and strollers can run well into the hundreds. Also day care and baby sitting will probably cost more than you make per hour! sadly

As they get older the more expensive they become

to give you a firm price i'd say the first year can cost anywhere between 10,000-16,000 dollars per year.

Here is my yearly break down
Forumla + food $1,700 a year [I had difficulties breast feeding]
Diapers + baby wipes $2,000 a year
Clothes/Toys including blankets, etc $2,000 [$200 a month isnt bad, they grow fast]
Furinature, car seats, stroller, crib, play pen, etc around $3,000 if your lucky
Medical expenses for you and your child with insurance mine was around $1,200
Throw in some random expenses i forgot to mention $2,000
Thats a good $13,000 during my childs first year

 

[Prinsesa]

Dont forget the few months when you cant work etc.

 

[aqua_butterfly]

My youngest baby is 2 months old now, so I can kind of break down the expenses that we've had so far:

Diapers: he uses about a pack of diapers a week or so (aprox $10-11 for a 48 pack of Huggies)
Formula: he's bottle-fed, so we buy either the Parent's Choice formula from Wal-Mart or the Target brand. It's $11.88 a can, and he goes through a can every 4-6 days. The Parent's Choice is the same exact ingredients as Enfamil, and actually I prefer it to Enfamil b/c it dissolves so much better.
Clothes: eBay is awesome for baby necessities! You can get a huge lot of onesies, sleep n plays, etc for really cheap! They need a ton of those things. If you have a baby shower, you will usually get lots of cute outfits for going out, plus other necessities.
Bottles/nipples: We got a 6 pack of bottles at the baby shower and they've lasted us the first 2 months so far. Unless you lose them like crazy, you really won't have to buy a ton of bottles. Just invest in some good ones and get some extra nipples.
Insurance: Other than the obvious hospital expense, the baby will be visiting the pediatrician a lot in the first year, so good health insurance is a must. There will be tons of immunizations to pay for, and several of your "unexpected" vistits... fever, etc.
Big stuff: Car seat, stroller, crib, bath tub, bouncy seat, bassinet... like I said if you have a baby shower you will most likely get most of your bigger stuff. If not, you(hopefully) won't need to replace any of these things until he outgrows them.
Childcare: If you plan to go back to work after the baby, childcare can be very expensive... not to mention stressful. We decided that I should stay home due to the expense and the lack of finding a trustworthy, close-by caregiver. You won't want to leave your baby with just anyone!

One more thing... they get more expensive as they get older (especially if you have a girl!

Mine's 11 and OMG) but you really learn to make do and adjust to the expense. I was scared before I had mine, but everything turned out fine and it was the best thing I've ever done. Good luck!!!

 

[Kayteuk]

I love this topic! Thanks so much OP! It got my Mum and I talking for 2 hours about babies and the future! Its been so fun figuring this all out!! We wrote out a lot of things last night and this lectures boring my pants off. So heres my mad rambles.

I just went through the cost with my Mum who's a midwife in the UK, about my costs if I had a child.......UHhm...Put it this way.
I am not showing you the figure because you may all move here!!

Off topic, my mum told me I am not allowed to formula feed my baby (She actually glared at me when I said I may do at some point to supplement) . Shes a midwife with a HUGE specialty in teaching women to breast feed even in impossible situations. And she does it...Crazy Mum...
So here is a Lot of money saved!

I am the one getting our baby toys (from the whole family) which are still pretty modern, and a really fancy stroller. So $0 there.

Health care in the UK is free....So no expenses here for mother or child, including dentistry.

Clothes and toys, again, mother saved all of them from age 3 months-6 years. I will probably buy my child some new toys but I wont spend that much, I probably will spend a lot on extra activities after school like I did....
She invested in some really good quality baby grows and little shoes, dresses, and boys clothes which when she showed me, I was amazed I wore them 19 years ago, they look brand new.

I have a car seat in my room from my god daughter which I was given and they dont want it back.

I have a milk ex presser and loads of bottles too because of Mum and her work, she always has to sample the latest technology on other people for her work.

I have a tonne of blankets from her work too! And loads of hand made ones from grandma and grandpa.

Also I was thinking of reusable diapers? Because I am a bit "green" at the moment and hate waste! I wouldent mind a second opinion on these though.

Daycare will probably be done by my Grandma who's baby crazy and still has her wits well about her!

It came to below $1300 when we worked out EVERYTHING (I am not listing 100 things, in the middle of a lecture, possibly later ;-) )

I think the medical factors in the US mean children can be so expensive for some people and that really sucks. :-(

I wont be having kids for about 11 years, but It was fun to think about for a afternoon.

 

[jetgirl]

Yes, if you can breastfeed, it saves you soooo much money. I was able to not introduce formula until my daughter was 10 months, I was shocked at the cost when I went to buy it at the store!

 

[jetgirl]

Oh, and for baby gear, Craigslist Craigslist Craigslist!

 

[kaliraksha]

I'm pretty sure daycare is most parent's biggest expense. One other thing to think about is you may want to start a college fund to get the most benefit of compounding interest.

 

[kaesiashden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaquille I might sound silly but I need some help.. I've been married for 1.5 years now. We had a lot going on at the first year of our marriage with long distance, moving, changing jobs and so on. We lived with my mother-in-law before but we recently rent an apartment and have been living just the two of us since November. I've been wanting to have kids and now since we live independently, we start to think more of them. But there are things that are not in our minds 'cause we just don't know. We just want to make sure that when we have a baby, we can give anything the baby needs. How much do you spend for your babies needs, say.. per month? Thanks

If you can get on assistance, I highly recommend doing so.
WIC especially!
They pay for your nutrition essentials during your pregnancy and up to 6 months postpartum. And once your baby is born they recommend breast feeding though if you cannot, or dont, they pay for 9 cans of formula a month. then they change your checks to formula juice babyfood and cereal when they get older.

thats over a hundred and 150 dollars you dont have to spend a month on formula and baby food.
also
medicaid for you and your baby majority of all medical costs, prenatal care, hospital, delivery, tests, and pediatric care is paid for.
if youre having a boy, they dont pay for circumcisions. so you'll have to pay for that out of pocket, its cheaper in the doctors office than at the hospital.

pretty much i just pay for diapers, wipes, bath products and clothes i doubt i spend more than 125 a month on my son.
i doubt i even tip over a hundred.

i buy parents choice diapers (their diapers are actually pretty nice, for a jumbo pack is like 5-6 dollars), huggies supreme wipes in bulk (13 dollars for 650) when they are on sale at walmart, and generic bath products when i dont have coupons for the real deal..


coupons coupons coupons,
sign up online at huggies, pampers, similac, enfamil, johnsons, they all give free samples and coupons, the formula companies give you full size cans of free formula plus a ton of 5 dollar off checks. sign up in both your married and maiden name

do your baby registry at target cause they give you an extra 15% off your registry items you dont receive as gifts.

and most hospitals give you diaper bags filled with samples too.
i received two brands of huge diaper bags with goodies at the hospital.
take advantage of the free diapers they give you too. and the blankies etc.

dont feel like a mooch or a penny pincher,
youll feel awesome not spending so much money!!!

 

[*Stargazer*]

I. Wow. I have no words for the first time in recorded history.

 

[*Stargazer*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetgirl Oh, and for baby gear, Craigslist Craigslist Craigslist!

Absolutely agree. Only two things to be careful with - please buy a new carseat and please make sure the crib meets safety standards. If someone you know gives you a carseat and you are CERTAIN that it hasn't been in a car accident, however minor, check the expiration date on it.

 

[Shimmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaesiashden If you can get on assistance, I highly recommend doing so. WIC especially! They pay for your nutrition essentials during your pregnancy and up to 6 months postpartum. And once your baby is born they recommend breast feeding though if you cannot, or dont, they pay for 9 cans of formula a month. then they change your checks to formula juice babyfood and cereal when they get older. thats over a hundred and 150 dollars you dont have to spend a month on formula and baby food. also medicaid for you and your baby majority of all medical costs, prenatal care, hospital, delivery, tests, and pediatric care is paid for. if youre having a boy, they dont pay for circumcisions. so you'll have to pay for that out of pocket, its cheaper in the doctors office than at the hospital. pretty much i just pay for diapers, wipes, bath products and clothes i doubt i spend more than 125 a month on my son. i doubt i even tip over a hundred. i buy parents choice diapers (their diapers are actually pretty nice, for a jumbo pack is like 5-6 dollars), huggies supreme wipes in bulk (13 dollars for 650) when they are on sale at walmart, and generic bath products when i dont have coupons for the real deal.. coupons coupons coupons, sign up online at huggies, pampers, similac, enfamil, johnsons, they all give free samples and coupons, the formula companies give you full size cans of free formula plus a ton of 5 dollar off checks. sign up in both your married and maiden name do your baby registry at target cause they give you an extra 15% off your registry items you dont receive as gifts. and most hospitals give you diaper bags filled with samples too. i received two brands of huge diaper bags with goodies at the hospital. take advantage of the free diapers they give you too. and the blankies etc. dont feel like a mooch or a penny pincher, youll feel awesome not spending so much money!!!

I would hope that you're not recommending governmental assistance as the first choice of providing for a child. I would sincerely hope that you're encouraging someone who needs it to use it, as a last resort. And I sincerely hope that you're also encouraging those who do need it to be motivated to not only provide for their children using those benefits but also to diligently endeavor to make a life that will provide for the children without government benefits.

I'm sincerely hoping that's how you meant this post to be interpreted.

 

[nursee81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaesiashden If you can get on assistance, I highly recommend doing so. WIC especially! They pay for your nutrition essentials during your pregnancy and up to 6 months postpartum. And once your baby is born they recommend breast feeding though if you cannot, or dont, they pay for 9 cans of formula a month. then they change your checks to formula juice babyfood and cereal when they get older. thats over a hundred and 150 dollars you dont have to spend a month on formula and baby food. also medicaid for you and your baby majority of all medical costs, prenatal care, hospital, delivery, tests, and pediatric care is paid for. if youre having a boy, they dont pay for circumcisions. so you'll have to pay for that out of pocket, its cheaper in the doctors office than at the hospital. pretty much i just pay for diapers, wipes, bath products and clothes i doubt i spend more than 125 a month on my son. i doubt i even tip over a hundred. i buy parents choice diapers (their diapers are actually pretty nice, for a jumbo pack is like 5-6 dollars), huggies supreme wipes in bulk (13 dollars for 650) when they are on sale at walmart, and generic bath products when i dont have coupons for the real deal.. coupons coupons coupons, sign up online at huggies, pampers, similac, enfamil, johnsons, they all give free samples and coupons, the formula companies give you full size cans of free formula plus a ton of 5 dollar off checks. sign up in both your married and maiden name do your baby registry at target cause they give you an extra 15% off your registry items you dont receive as gifts. and most hospitals give you diaper bags filled with samples too. i received two brands of huge diaper bags with goodies at the hospital. take advantage of the free diapers they give you too. and the blankies etc. dont feel like a mooch or a penny pincher, youll feel awesome not spending so much money!!!

f


I had a feeling this post would get some people started.
But SHIMMER I completely agree with what you said. WIC and medicaid are for people who really need it and its not there just for the hell of it.

 

[*Stargazer*]

The idea that someone would choose to actively attempt conception with the notion of using WIC and Medicaid as a way to get by disturbs me.

 

[stronqerx]

i dont have any kids, but my sister is on wic (because shes a single mom and only works 2-3 days) so she needs it...anyways, i've noticed that she buys the diapers and wipes that come in the big boxes and that seems to last her a long time and it comes out cheaper that way rather then buyin a small pack every week !