To wonder how much you spend on 1 year old a week? This seems like a lot?

[munnyworries]

I spend around 400 a month on ds who is one, outside nursery fees. This includes a weekly shop of six ready meals so I don’t have to cook every meal from scratch (I work full time), a pack of 32 nappies 11 pounds, whole milk, 2 packs of wipes, one pack of Milton wipes and snacks like organix bars etc then fruit and veg. This comes to around 35 a week. On top of this there is petrol to and from nursery, ten pounds a week. Entry to farms or soft play twice a week, 15-20 quid. Then things like new vests or socks here and there, or the odd toy now and then. Easily spend 100 a week. I don’t think I spend too much or too recklessly, I consider these things ds needs? Is this similar to other people’s spending? A family member has said they can’t understand how I would need to spend more than 25 a week!

Everybody I’ve ever known with a culture involving spicy food has given the same to their small children, with added yoghurt if it was too spicy.

Definitely give sainsburys nappies a go, I personally don't like pampers, they let off a horrible smell and are ridiculously priced.

Confused how , and why, you are going to farms and soft play twice a week, if you work full time ?

Also why you are buying toys on a regular basis.

Your little one is in Nursery FT, having access to every toy they might need.
Yes, of course you have some things at home as well, but there can't be that many hours they are playing with things at home, that you need to be continually buying.

You can't attribute your petrol costs to your baby. That's ridiculous.

If your child is already one, then aren't they just eating whatever you eat now for most of the time ?

Your figures seem completely OTT to me.

I'm pretty spendy and I don't see anything wrong with what you're doing if you are happy with your outgoings.

But if you want to cut down, you could save loads by cutting it the kid specific food and have him eat what you eat. There's clearly no need to spend that much per week on toys, though if you want to, crack on.

Up to you really 🤷‍♀️

Hi OP, I'm in similar boat. But instead of buying toys every week or so I managed to cut it down to about once a month. And also, once there is a huge pile / clutter of toys you won't feel like buying new often then. I understand he's your first. I also have one and only who's turning 3 soon.

Let me also add I use pampers and water wipes brands. I don't use supermarkets own brands as they are itchy on my son's skin. I have tried a few.

I used to get organix, etc and he used to love them but in the end by around 2 years he got picky and stopped eating organix/ kiddylicius and other similar brands.

He's now eating M&S biscuits (malt / rich tea) just like us.

For meals. I don't batch cook. I just make a tiny portion of rice / etc. I'm Asian and we eat curry / etc which is always spicy and my son can't eat that and I don't have the energy or patience to cook it for him. So I either boil lentils that go altogether and add a tiny bit of curry powder or just separate out his food without adding salt and spices.

Hope this helps.

We have 2 under 2 and do a big "baby shop" at the start of the month including everything nappies, formula, wipes, nappy bags, baby snacks, Milton, extra dummies, oat milk and any extras

We have a £250 budget for this. I only buy pampers and both still use formula although the toddler only has 1 bottle a day.

Just to add all the fun stuff like activities, classes, clothes, Christmas, birthdays and holidays comes out of our £400 a month sink fund

Nursery is 2 days a week each and comes in at £1050 a month

Your money, your choice.

£100 a week seems like a lot though... All the ready meals aren't necessary though. By 1yo, both of mine were basically eating what my DH and I were eating.
For free/cheap activities, we went to mum and tot groups at the library, one at a local school, and another 2 at local churches. People are put off the churchy ones, but honestly, even as a committed atheist, they aren't overly god-y, I promise!

OP works full time, most of the free/cheap activities are during the week and not possible for full time working parents to attend.

Library, local park, browse charity shops. Open at the weekend. Free or cheap. Good habits. Stick some money in savings. Later, be glad you instilled sensible spending habits and have some cash to spare.

If you can afford it; why does it matter? Although I don’t know how you can feed your child all that crap, those ready meals are full of rubbish. It takes 15 mins to make a meal that you can all eat. Don’t buy anything ‘baby’ branded. I’d look at getting some reusable wipes, and possibly second hand reusable nappies (if you think you might have a second child will be worth it).

I’ve never bought new toys or books for mine, only odd ones from charity shops, otherwise wait for Christmas and birthday. And all clothes second hand.

I think farm and soft play twice a week is a lot. We do those things much less often because farms in particular are quite expensive, but if you can afford it it's lovely to do!

• Milton spray and reusable wipes
• Toy library, swap with friends or Vinted/FB Marketplace when bored.
• Clothes on Vinted. Sell old and use the money to buy the next size up.
• Ask for an annual pass to soft play/farm for birthday or Christmas.
• Reduced sugar biscuits for a snack.

But how often? You're saying a new toy a week?

At one, your dc can eat what you eat, and the small amount wouldn't cost a thing because you wouldn't miss it off your own plate.

Tbh I never worked it out like that.

The twins needed whole milk, I swapped us all. Nappies were endless - 80 a week?? Baby wipes brought by the box load so 30 packets at a time. Monthly.

Food, they had what we had.

Snacks, they had a mix but not all expensive named brand.
What are the Milton wipes for?

Clothes brought when they sizes up but lots of hand me down, Vinted, sales.theyre not walking round in Nike and Versace

Toys - Christmas and Birthday mainly, smaller boys as and when seen nit mostly second hand so a few pounds each

You could take the little one on a nice holiday with what you're spending.

Your children need presence not presents. Borrow and read a book from the library, go to a garden centre. Our local one has aquariums, fish and soft play plus a cafe. In Summer, go to the beach, take a picnic. You don't need to spend willy nilly.

Why do people say toddler meals are 'full of crap'? They're really not

At random I've picked the first two that came up on Google:

little dish korma ingredients:

Cooked Rice (45%), Cooked Chicken (12%), Water, Coconut Milk (8%)*, Sweet Potato (6%), Onion, Yellow Pepper (4.5%), Mango (3.5%), Cauliflower (3.5%), Cornflour, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Purée, Ginger Purée, Desiccated Coconut, Yeast Extract, Garlic Purée, Spices, Lemon Juice, Sunflower Oil

Little dish fish pie ingredients:

Potato (33%), Carrot (14%), Whole Milk, Pollock (Fish) (12%), Water, Double Cream (Milk) (6%), Onion (3.5%), Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (2.5%), Leek (2.5%), Haricot Beans, Rapeseed Oil, Cornflour, Parsley, Butter (Milk), Lemon Juice, Sunflower Oil, Nutmeg, White Pepper

I mean, it's fine not to buy toddler meals if you don't want to, but don't try to make out like they are somehow damaging to children because of their ingredients.

@NeverStopTwinkling

I agree with you.

Of course many "ingredients" are also processed (bread, pasta) and I don't see that using ready meals is any worse than buying dried pasta.

I checked the labels on everything when DD was very small. We don't live in the U.K., but have spent a couple of months there, and I noticed there are loads of great ready-made options without additives etc. They are a really good way of getting a good variety of food as well, because often they put in loads of different types of fruit/veg. I loved adding them to our DD's repertoire. Plus the veg crisps/snacks are so good for when you go to a restaurant or something and want a young child to sit still in the high chair. Love them !

The position is different in the USA where some of the "baby" foods are shocking... I don't buy that stuff.

You work full time yet still manage to do farms/soft play twice a week? When do you get to just chill at home?

What do you eat for yourself? If you are cooking for you then just freeze some portions for the 1yp.

What do you mean when you say ready meals? Baby jars? Frozen meals?

Buy own brand snacks or stick with things like fruit and veg sticks with cut up brown pittas

check out charity shops for toys and books etc

do more free activities like library song sessions, trips to the park etc

Cut down on the ready meals. Setting aside two hours to batch cook chilli’s, bolognese, soups etc makes life easier and cheaper in the long run.

It does seem a lot to me but if you can afford it and are happy to spend your cash on baby why not?

I used washable bamboo nappies and wipes which though expensive to buy initially, meant that for Dc2 and DC3, I had no costs except washing.
I would buy the occasional book for DC's but usually used our local toy library for large toys so I could change them regularly and keep the toys relevant with their development.

By one, Dc were eating what I was eating so I'd do a bit of batch cooking at the weekend to have during the week which gave me a couple of weekdays of easy ready dinners Snacks were rice cakes with peanut butter, fruit, breadsticks and soft cheese, raisins and digestives etc.
Clothes, well, I would ask for clothes for their birthdays when they were little as they didnt need much else. I probably spent £100 a month all in, plus nursery fees

Get annual membership for farm amd soft play
You can easily cook pasta for a quick dish in almost the time it takes to heat a,ready meal
Buy toys and books from charity shop