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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask if a newborn baby is expensive

158 replies

brownpaperbag1 · 29/09/2019 09:03

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

OP posts:
Celebelly · 29/09/2019 20:47

We didn't have a pram carrycot as we had a lie-flat car seat for pram instead, so not sure where she would have slept downstairs without a Moses basket. But you never know if you're going to get a Velcro baby or one that's happy to sleep in a basket so it's a gamble really. They're one of the cheaper things to buy anyway. Some people get loads of use; others don't. It's kind of the same with almost every baby item, really, as babies are not all the same.

Proseccoinamug · 29/09/2019 21:21

You don’t need much. For dc1 we spent a few hundred. By dc4 we only had nappies, babygros, vests and a sling.
We hadn’t kept the baby stuff from previous dc as we really didn’t need to.

Proseccoinamug · 29/09/2019 21:22

Sorry, forgot car seat. That’s one thing I would splash out on.

Meshy23 · 29/09/2019 23:55

The only expensive things can be a pram, nursery furniture (cot and/or crib), a car seat and possibly an electric breast pump - but you don’t need to spend a lot on them as there are cheap good value for money options and you can get a lot of things secondhand. With prams in particular - that huge travel system may look good but when your little one is 6 months plus you may wish your bought a more compact, smaller pram!

Everything else - nappies, clothes (which you will receive in abundance as gifts), blunder etc is relatively cheap. Babies grow out of things so quickly (in weeks) so I really wouldn’t spend too much on clothes in particular!

Formula is also cheap (and breastfeeding is obviously free and convenient if it works out for you).

You can buy a few toys/books as your little one grows but you don’t need to spend a lot.

The only thing you may want to think about is your maternity leave pay - if it is anything less than full pay then it’s a good idea to to save what you can beforehand. Congratulations!!

sapphirejean · 30/09/2019 00:01

We didn't spend much on DD. Nappies from Lidl, multipacks of wipes from Amazon, multipacks of bodysuits and sleepsuits, a sling, a cotbed (no moses basket) and a lie-flat stroller (no pram or carrycot). She's used the stroller since birth and we expect to use it until she stops needing one. It lies flat, folds quickly and is really light so I can carry DD in it up stairs etc so I can get out and about on the tube on my own (our local station isn't step-free). No changing table, wardrobe, car seat (London based so we don't have a car), swing, nursing clothes (just lift your top), floor seat, Sleepyhead, pregnancy/feeding pillow, nursing chair. She slept on the playmat when in the living room, although we'd often just go to bed at the same time she went to bed. We got a cotbed for her which she went into the day we came back from the hospital, and will last until she's about 5. We spent nothing on decorating/furnishing a nursery as we're in a small flat and she's sleeping in our room until we move house! Breastfeeding was cheap, I never needed breastpads (though I bought a pack to start with) or nipple cream, as I didn't have many issues with breastfeeding and I took to it pretty naturally. I bought a couple of nursing bras in the M&S sale which lasted the whole time I was breastfeeding. We bought a breast pump and bottles so DH could share the feeding, but that was a waste of money because she refused the bottle! We also wasted money on cardigans, and some sleepsuits, as we had DD last summer when it was sweltering and she spent most of her time in a bodysuit or just a nappy on some days. DD has never been a very sicky baby so we never had to change her that often, though she did have more poo accidents in the early days (rare now she's on solids). But that meant we didn't need a large amount of clothes for her. She gets most of her clothes from her two sets of GPs and my DSis who has two older girls. We got a high chair when she was nearly six months and about to start weaning.

We did buy mostly new, though we were given some things from family. None of it was top range stuff (Ikea, Silver Cross, Argos) so still not too expensive. We have a comfortable income so we could afford it, but didn't see the point in splurging on expensive brands or items that would go unused.

I also wasn't working for a while, before we had DD, so we were used to not depending on my income and hadn't budgeted into our mortgage or other spending, so didn't really suffer for the lost income.

WaterSheep · 30/09/2019 07:14

brownpaperbag1 I would start looking for items now. That way you have longer to find bargains.

Newborns really don't need much. But I would make a list of what you think you would like to buy, and begin searching for bargains and freebies.

For example, if you think you would like larger items like a cot, pushchair, moses basket then have a look on Ebay / Gumtree for local collection. Because items like these are bulky people want to get rid, and they often sell for very low prices, providing you can go and collect.

stucknoue · 30/09/2019 07:30

As much as you are willing to pay! At its most basic you need:

Nappies (I used cloth, though not until out of the newborn size because they are only in them for 2-4 weeks)
Wipes (reusable, set for bottom, set for everywhere else)
Clothes (body suits and sleep suits are cheap and come in multi packs, plus you need a coat/snowsuit in winter and hat)
Somewhere for baby to sleep and something to transport in (if you get a system with a carrycot it can double up as a bed until about 6 months, particularly easy in a flat plus you will need a car seat if you have a car, we had one that lasted from birth to 4) Ikea has cheap cots

Most other things are extras eg a mat is handy, you could use an old towel, any bag the right size is good for a changing bag, breastfeed (free), a stick blender is handy once weaning starts, just blend unsalted veggies etc. Most people buy a new soft towel with a hood, you'll need bedding but secondhand or supermarkets are a cheaper way - Aldi baby events I recommend. I honestly think (cloth nappies aside) it's possible to buy everything for a couple of hundred new if you are super disciplined. They will sell you all kinds of gadgets but simply not necessary

blahblahblahblahhh · 30/09/2019 07:31

Depends on how much you want to spend. I'd say my first cost me a fair amount but my second hasn't cost me anything except nappies really!

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