to think £5200 is a ludicrous amount to spend on a DC's first year?

[dustbunniesmakegreatpets]

According to this article, it's the average amount. Does that seem crazy/incredibly unlikely to anyone else?

I know we spent nothing like it but then we've always been very cheap careful.

It includes a grand on baby food and formula fgs, which surely must be a maximum, rather than an average, given all those who bf and don't buy bespoke jars? And 800 quid on toys (not including bouncers - they're in a separate section) - surely this is unusual?

Lovingthecoast - which bag did you buy?

I gave up work - so you can factor in a year's salary x 8 as well.

This one but in red

Forgot about the birth pool for DS1 and the electric breast pump for ds2.

I used pillowcases for moses basket sheets. Cheap and they didn't slip off when the baby wriggled. Was especially good for DS3 who puked all the time as I had loads.

Loving - deceptive isn't it - it doesn't look like you'd fit a laptop in it!

No but tbh, in ours you can only fit those extra wanky small ones in which is fine as that's what DH uses on the go!

I think Pacapod are an entire range of changing bags to hold laptops and some were bigger than others. There's obviously a market for them-or maybe just in John Lewis!

Surely there's no longer a market for laptop bags - I thought mothers just wanted Smartphones Although if that is the case I guess that's another 500 quid on to the budget. I know DP went from a 10quid simple phone to a smartphone after DD1, but it wasn't really related.

Maybe it's aimed squarely at the 'Daddy working from home' market. Or even Mummy WFH although the bag is a tad masculine. Thing is, if it was just for emails then I'm sure his stupid Blackberry thing would fit in any bag but he actually works on it.

Nappies=500
Formula=300
Food=250
Cream,wipes=70
bottles,dummies=50
breast pump=100
cot=150
changing table=100
moses basket=50
bedding and blankets=100
toys and books=100
pram=250
2 car seats=250
high chair=25
clothes=500
Hypnobirthing classes=250
baby groups=500
Maternity clothes=100

=3645

I've been doing this on a budget and don't think I'm extravagant so can easily see how one could spend over £5000

The only things new we've bought have been cots - I've become totally addicted to ebay and local second-hand sales. I reckon we're spent about...

Clothes - £100 (all ebay - all her 0-3 clothes were less than 20 quid. We're not quite there yet, but we'll be getting more before she turns 1.)
Moses basket - nope
Changing table - nope, just an Ikea changing mat for £4.50
Cot - £110. (This was for two cots - one bedside cot, for £50, and now an Ikea cotbed that should last a couple more years - got it for £40 when it was on special offer, and a £20 mattress)
Bedding - £30 (a couple of adult-size sheets cut down to make 4 cot-sized sheets, and 4 sleeping bags, again from ebay. The current sleeping bags will last until 18 months in theory.)
Pram - £70 (a babyjogger city mini, ebay)
Nappy bag - nope. For me this isn't even a "nice to have" - I'm happy with the bags I already have, and feel the nappy bag phenomenon exemplifies something designed to meet a non-existent need and thus create the perceptions for a need. It feels very manipulative to me. (But that's just me, and each to her own. I know some people like bags and gadgets and things - I'm just not one of them.)
Baby Monitor - nope
Toys - £80 (all second hand toys from local sales, including a baby-gym!, and a pile of cloth books from ebay)
Nappies - £60 (for second-hand cloth nappies) plus I'd estimate about another £80 on disposables
Wipes and bumcream - not sure, probably £25 so far
Formula - £10 (she doesn't much like it, don't think we'll be getting any more)
Bottles - £10 but she refused to bloody drink from them
Cup - £2
Steriliser - nope, just a saucepan
Highchair - £30
Carseat - £5 (second hand - but I figured shed not be looking me in the eye and selling it to me if it had been in an accident)
Sling/carrier - £90 (but we do have three - a stretchy wrap, a ring-sling and a macpac sturdy backpack thing. All ebay)
Bath/toys/shampoo - £3 (she initially bathed in the kitchen sink, now in the bath with one of us. Toys were £1.50 for some second-and stacking cups and a bath book, and she's still on her first bottle of bubble bath - we only use it when she's grubby otherwise we just use water. And we already had plenty of towels, so that was fine.)
Maternity clothes - £100ish (all ebay!)

So that's about £700ish.

I bet I've forgotten some stuff - but not enough to get me near the 5K mark!

Horses for courses and all that....

I've spent more than that, all in, on DD 11 months. In the main, because her travel system and bedroom furniture (cot bed, wardrobe and dresser/changer)were really expensive and come in at around 3k. Everything else has been bought new, and I admit I have had a bit of a field day with clothes and toys. I don't think I am ludicrous though. I set up a separate savings fund for baby paraphenalia when I found I was pregnant and researched what I wanted in the latter stages of my pregnancy.

thanks for feedback re my panic over the cost of things. I have had a look on ebay and am feeling a bit more positive about it now. Have had to stop myself bidding for bargains though- i'm sure i dont need to buy cot etc at 11 weeks PG even if they are cheap! Sorry not to reply sooner I have been distracting myself in chat trying to change my username to something cooler sounding.

A big advantage of having your DC much later than your friends is that (with luck) you will be lent/given everything - so if you are happy to have second hand stuff then that can be a huge plus.

Don't think I had to buy anything new - apart from a monitor which was a complete waste of money - we ended up with three pushchairs/prams as friends were so keen to off-load them .

Don't forget that it is a huge marketing opportunity for stores to get new parents/and indulgent grandparents to spend exceptionally large sums of money.

I have no idea how much i have spent in the first year per child. With dc4 who is now 14 months I already had the big things so didnt buy them and breastfed so i suppose i didnt spend much.

Will be more on dc5 due in feb as i got rid of all the baby things thinking dc4 was the last and things liek the pram just need replacing because after 3 children it was on its last legs.

onlinefriend

Check for NCT Nearly New Sales in your area. You've (probably) just missed the October-November ones, but there will be more in March/April/May.

They are brilliant, and no payment for postage required!

Do you have to be a member/ have been on a course to go the the NCT sales or can you just turn up as a punter? (no way could i afford the course at the moment!)

Nope! Just turn up and buy, buy, buy! Heavily pregnant women are generally allowed in 15 minutes early, too.

Check your local Sure Start centre. They sometimes hold sales.

Nope! Just turn up and buy, buy, buy! Heavily pregnant women are generally allowed in 15 minutes early, too.

Check your local Sure Start centre. They sometimes hold sales.

Its not the average, its downright extravagant!

We still haven't taken dd out of her first car seat, it hasn't been necessary. So whoever said you have to go up a stage was wrong.

Sorry about the double-post. That's just how enthusiastic I am about NCT sales

I have got so much stuff from them. Practically the entirety of the What You Need For The First Year list.

Just consulted my excel document. I was rather obsessive about it while pregnant, and updated it with all the rest of my purchases to date. I have estimated the cost for the rest of the year and I'm at £1700. £430 of this bought by friends and relative though. Ofc this doesn't take into consideration the stuff that hasn't been "bought" with money. I often save my Tesco Clubcard vouchers for the exchange and spend that on clothes for DD. That must be way over £75 worth of clothes. Then my littlewoods rewards - another £60 spent on clothes to see her to the end of her first year. I can easily see how people spend £5200 though. I mean, I bought a lot of the expensive stuff on e-bay and am quite the bargain hunter. Some of the "baby" furniture too is very expensive!

never owned a pram (doesn't fit into the boot of a Porsche 911) or a cot with either child and bfed for years and all clothes are hand me downs... but i've probably spent more than that on lego

"never owned a pram (doesn't fit into the boot of a Porsche 911)"

How cool is that !

And a no cot three-in-a-bed extended BFer too

• A woman after my own heart !

< removes lego from sole of foot. Aoww ! >

it quite easy to spend that much.

especially from pregnancy to 1 year that is almost 2 years.