How much would you budget for a baby?

[JLT24]

I’m trying to set a realistic budget for the first 12 months of having baby. How much would you budget a month for things such as:

Milk
Nappies
Wipes
Nappy bags
Clothes - was kindly gifted everything I need for up to 3 months
Toys
Books
Swimming lessons from 3 months old (once a week)
2 coffees/cakes a week to get me out of the house to save my sanity (will also try to attend free baby classes all within walking distance so no travel costs)
Food once weaning

We also want to save towards:

1. A new cot at around 6 months old as they will grow out of their next to me crib
2. Weaning equipment including a high chair again around six months old
3. A lightweight travel cot as we will be going abroad twice next year (I don’t want to use second hand equipment for sleeping)
4. £1000 to pay for their Christening (meal for close family and friends and our outfits plus donation go the church)
5. £200 for Xmas and Birthday presents for baby
6. £210 for a month’s childcare fee in advance

Is there anything I have missed that you would budget for?

This is our plan. DH is off work for the first 3 months and we’ve thought 8-2 and 2-8 plus tag team for another daytime nap. It’s going be be a huge challenge for sure.

This is a good idea and I can do this in the garden (I’ve never thought about it) but there isn’t a bench for a good 30 minute walk from our house it really annoys me as I’d be able to get out much more to the local shops if there was somewhere to rest!!

Get second hand cot off market place £20 and a new mattress off somewhere like John Lewis

Playgroups only £2/£3 here and include coffee / cake and baby actually gets something out of them rather than sitting in a cafe , oh and you'll hopefully meet like minded mums

"Thanks hoping to see if we can fit some specific savings for our child’s future eg driving lessons, first car into our budget once I know how much things cost! We have a long term plan to downsize and gift them a house deposit/support with uni. But we know better than most how life can change in an instant due to health and it can be very difficult to plan long term finances!"

Well at the moment it's £40 per hour for driving lessons and about £2k for the first years insurance. I dread to think what that will be in 18 years! The problem I found is once you get into the teenage years they just be one more expensive each year and it becomes harder to put money away. By the time they are 13ish you are paying for 4 adults (assuming you have 2 kids) to eat and clothe, and mens shoes/trainers/football boots are not cheap especially when they grow out of them in 3 months! And teenage boys can certainly eat. Especially if they are into their sports.

I think I would round up and budget x amount a month like someone else suggested. Maybe £300 a month for baby stuff into an account. Some months you will only need day to day consumed items like formula and nappies, other months a new larger item like furniture or swimming class course ( you often pay upfront for 10 weeks or whatever not weekly).

So after Several months you should start having a small amount building up for larger expenses as outgrown.

We have always had an Amazon wish list for Ds as family aren’t nearby. It’s had mixture of things on for birthdays and Christmas but I include things like books, games, clothing, etc. So if anyone wants ideas it’s something we were going to get anyway. I also use it to add items and buy ourselves if the price drops.
As a newborn it had things like first books, bath toys, wash cloths, teethers.

Maybe ask the home start people or your health care related to your disability if they have any recommendations for additional home childcare. You can also use a nanny agency

Firstly, I am stingy!

We didn’t have any gifts bar a few outfits. We bought everything second hand for our first, apart from the car seat and cot mattress. Clothes bundles from eBay, plus bedding. No moses basket, we had a cot that had two levels in the nursery that we sometimes used for naps, and a next to me cot by our bed.

We went to free rhyme time at the library every week and took out new books, plus used charity shops and eBay for books and toys. His favourites were household objects, a treasure box, pots and pans etc. We got a trolley and blocks from a car boot sale. We also used low cost church groups and took baby swimming ourselves to council pool. I am too stingy to buy overpriced coffeee and cakes out, it was cheap at baby groups or I took flasks etc or we rotated in houses.

I was able to BF ( appreciate you can’t), ikea high chair and BLW, Aldi nappies and wipes, second hand for birthday and Christmas etc. we got away with second hand birthdays and christmases for many years and resold as they outgrew things.

My point is you can do it on the cheap - until they hit teenage years and then you are screwed! 😂😂. Although the kids have started washing neighbours cars for extra pocket money. And whilst we buy new basic clothes from h and m etc, super dry and the like still come from eBay.

Breastfeeding is NOT easy or possible for everyone.

Please take into account op that your energy and water bills will go up for a while. You will be doing a lot of extra washing, you’ll be home more, cooking more possibly. Bathing the baby etc.

Set up vinted as you’ll likely be gifted things you won’t use as well.

A cost we are experiencing atm is teething. Pain relief, teething powders, teethers, which aren’t cheap.

Biggest cost for us is formula. Perfect prep machine has been worth the money.

There may be other random things. One thing we bought once having kids is an air con unit, as they were struggling to sleep in 28 degree rooms.

Oh as others have said, we also love the Ikea high chair :)

PP's point about energy bills - this is an extreme example but we used literally twice as much heating oil the winter DD1 was born compared to the previous winter. She was a very small baby and everyone kept telling us to keep her warm so we possibly over reacted a bit! But yes, you may have some of your bills going up in ways you didn't expect.

sure it’s been said already but add in a “we’re desperate” fund for any unexpected purchases. For us it was a sleepyhead (8 years ago when they weren’t identified as a safety issue- child still alive luckily) and with our second an Uber and takeaway fund for when he was often in hospital.
There were so many other unexpected purchases, mainly for things that felt absolutely essential at the time but weren’t really- helped us through though. Good luck- very exciting times!

Agree the ikea highchair is ace- didn’t bother with any other and had it for 2 kids across several years.

Definitely look into where dyes baby cinema near you
I had a baby that slept to a schedule so it was brilliant to time her naps to start just as the film started
Some provide coffee and cake with the ticket
It was the first place I took her by myself when my partner went back to work
I hope everything goes well for you

A million, different sized maternity bras,if you are feeding.

Maternity feeding tops.

Breast pads (can get washable)

Boob nipple cream

Fury pram liner

Tommy tippee cups

Baby plastic cutlery

Baby carrier? Baby and then toddler sized

Under baby monitor

Baby sleeping bags

NB might be able to get some of above second hand, to save

First baby shoes

Baby slippers

Sunhats/winter hats/mittens