To ask if a newborn baby is expensive

[brownpaperbag1]

I’m pregnant with DC1 and due to give birth next year. I was wondering how much it costs to buy everything you need for a newborn - is it a lot? How much should I be aiming to save to ensure I can afford everything the baby will need?

I’m not talking about childcare here - just all the basic stuff, food, clothes, nappies, pram and any other essentials.

TIA

If you are really determined to bf imho dont take formula to hospital. You are setting yourself up for failure. Also bf is hard - if you have an alternative sat right there, you will use it. Everyone I knew who took formula to hospital quickly used it (often encouraged by midwives etc who should have known better) and gave up on bf quite quickly.

If you need it, the hospital has it & you can get it really easily in 24 hour shops if you decide you want it when you get home.

You don't have to buy a matching travel system. Most mainstream car seats attach to most mainstream prams via adaptors. I would focus on safety first when it comes to car seats rather than just getting a matching set. We have a Baby Jogger pram and Kiddy Seat, and can attach it to the pram with some cheap adaptors.

Barely anything for the actual baby, lots from FreeCycle, hand me downs etc.
By the time I'd given birth I'd lost about 10k in earnings due to time off for pregnancy nausea.

Charity shops/car boot sales are a great way to get what you need at a fantastic prices.
You can`t put a cost on bringing children up as you never stop buying even when they become adults.

It’s a piece of string Q. I know people who went nuts on top of the range prams, all new nursery furniture, designer clothes etc. And people who used a sling and second hand clothes and equipment.

We hardly spent anything. We were skint, but the type of parenting we wanted had a low cost too.
No pram/ buggy as we used a sling which we were given.
No cot because we coslept. Which also meant that we didn’t need a nursery, so no nursery furniture/ decorating. We did nappies on a mat on the bed/ floor.

Cloth nappies cost a lot to setup , and you have to factor in washing costs. I’ve read they work out cheaper in the long term, but I’ve never done the sums myself.

Breast feeding is low cost, apart from bras and pads.

Did lots of nct sales for second hand stuff and got some beautiful things.

Generally speaking a conversation that should have been had before conception!

Meh - bit late now isn’t it? We will scrape by!

Check out NCT Nearly New sales OP. They happen twice a year in about March and October and can be very good value. You don’t need to be a member of NCT to go. Yiu could potentially get kitted out for £100.

@Celebelly I agree with most of what you’ve said and lifestyle is so imp. It’s depressing not being able to afford opportunities for your child/ren and nowadays they often see their friends doing diff things so it’s imp to be able to provide for them.
Holidays should be a staple for every family, at least once a year. I can’t believe people see it as something that’s desirable rather than a necessity. Shocking!

Holidays should be a staple for every family, at least once a year. I can’t believe people see it as something that’s desirable rather than a necessity. Shocking!

I can't believe that some people are so privileged they would say that, but whatever.

Holidays should be a staple for every family, at least once a year. I can’t believe people see it as something that’s desirable rather than a necessity. Shocking!

What a weird thing to say! We have a high income, plenty of savings and provide our children with lots of opportunities. We didn’t go on holiday this year as with a 5 year old, 4 year old and non sleeping 6 month old it felt like it was more hassle than it was worth.
We had plenty of lovely times nearby over the summer. My poor, deprived children...

It all depends on how much you want to spend.

We were given a brand new travel system from a friend. She had been gifted it, but didn't like it.

Most of the clothes I got from friends second hand or they were gifts in the early months as they grow so fast. I then passed them on again if they were in good condition.

Cot and Moses basket were second hand with new mattresses. Same for bouncy seat

Big toys (jumperoo, play mat/gym) were passed on from friends

Highchair from Ikea, bumbo a gift.

We did buy some new things but probably spent less than £500.

I would warn against relying on a sling only, especially with a winter baby. I spent a lot of time sitting in coffee shops, the library etc and I would have absolutely boiled as in winter these places all have inferno heating on. I took DS to the Dr in a sling and nearly passed out in the waiting room.

I really recommend a basic bouncer so you can do things like shower and go to the toilet!

Our essentials

@SoyDora
I didn’t literally mean going on holiday every single year. Of course if circumstances don’t allow then that’s fine but what I meant is the possibility of being able to go every year if the family wants to.!!

Ah ok, so basically you’re saying poor people shouldn’t be allowed to have children.

You don't need to buy anything new (with maybe the exception of safety equipment like a car seat etc.). Buy everything second hand or look for free things on facebook / free cycle / gumtree etc. Far too much goes to waste as it is, no point in contributing to the endless pile of rubbish on this earth, and it'll save loads of money. Win win.

All this advice is brilliant, thank you! When did you start buying stuff? I don’t want to start too early just in case, but do want to get sorted!

About 24 weeks but loads was in packaging until about week 34.

Ugh to the super millionaire savers.

I manage on my wage, DP saves a bit, I don’t really have enough money left over to save so I just spend my disposable income how I want to. Usually on crap I don’t need tbh.

But we never saved before deciding to have a baby, we know that they’re going to cost, but we also know that if they need something we can definitely get the funds together for it.

We don’t go on holiday every year either, I see abroad holidays as a bit of a waste of money if you go every single year. There are so many beautiful places to go without having to go far, it’s less hassle and it’s cheaper. Even then we don’t stay away from home every year. What’s the point

I think we started around 20 weeks op

Depends really if you're looking to buy everything brand new or top of the range. I bought most of the newborn stuff (travel system, cot, swing etc) second hand - just a new mattress for the cot.
As a PP said the newborn stage is probably the cheapest part of having a child.

If you're breastfeeding it's substantially cheaper but cloth nappies in my experience don't work out much cheaper, especially if you're on a water meter and prepayment for electric like I was!

If I was to do it all over again I’d buy or borrow a lot more 2nd hand (except mattress: all babies need a new mattress)

@Jamal988 we hardly ever went on holiday as kids. Honestly didn’t do us any harm. A holiday, lovely as it is, is not a necessity

Moses basket and stand and bedding pretty much essential

I totally disagree, I think a Moses basket is a waste of money, I never found an occasion when one was necessary

When are you due? You might be able to wait for Black Friday/January Sales for any new things like mattresses and car seats.

I never had a moses basket either - carrycot of a pram works for downstairs/flats.