So how much does a baby actually cost?

[Madratlady]

Assuming that I am on maternity leave, the baby is ebf and I use cloth nappies then am I right in thinking that costs after the initial cost of buying nappies, pram, clothes etc will be fairly small? Obviously when I go back to work there will be child care costs. Am I missing something because dh keeps saying how babies are expensive but I can't think of any major costs unless I was buying formula or disposable nappies, which hopefully I won't be.

[BadlyWrittenPoem]

Since gourd has mentioned throwing away expressed breastmilk, I feel obliged to mention that should anyone else have spare breastmilk they cannot use, you should be able to find a very grateful recipient on human milk for human babies (there;s a FB page for the UK) so please please don't throw it away when someone else desperately wants it for their baby.

[sixwoollydogs]

If it is your first - pram/buggy/car seat/clothes/various bits of equipment - monitor/baby carrier/cloth nappies/maternity clothes

[MaddAddam]

dd3 cost nothing as a baby, really. Reusable nappies from her sisters, by then I was good at the breastfeeding (finally), we had all their old clothes and equipment. She just cost my career in the longer term....

[ringaringarosy]

babies dont have to be expensive if you dont want them to,my dh would laughif he heard me say that because of the amount i spend on baby/kids clothes and things like toys and scooters and bikes,but i dont have to buy them,i want to and we can afford it.

as they get older and if you have more than 2,buying somewhere with extra space,a bigger car,and food are the biggest costs.we spend 200 a week plus on our weekly shop,i cant seem to get it lower than that without sacrificing the quality.

[Zara1984]

Babies are relatively cheap compared to children BUT you can't guarantee that breastfeeding or using cloth nappies will work out for you, nor do you know whether you'll get any hand me downs etc.

Formula was an unexpected expense for me, but conversely I lucked out with clothes because most are hand me downs.

Before you have a baby you have an idea in your head (like I did) that your child won't need more than one or two toys, it's all just plastic twaddle that your PFB doesn't need.... then the whingeing will start. And the destroying of your house. And no matter how much you try to entertain them yourself, take them to playgorups (€3 a pop, thank you), show them the wonders of nature around them.... bright colourful noisy shite by V Tech or Fisher Price is the ONLY thing that gives you enough time to have a wee or put the washing machine on.

Also you don't really have time (well I don't anyway) to find second hand toys unless they're given to me - DS gets bored and whingey going shopping (fair enough) and I don't have time to search online for toys and then pick them up.

My apartment looks like a creche. I have 2 prams (both second hand) and a sling. We now have a second car (a giant estate).

Expect it to be VERY expensive but aim to be frugal - and then you will hopefully be pleasantly surprised at the savings you can make here and there :D

[Zara1984]

Also you may need to buy new clothes for yourself for that time between when you're sick of wearing maternity clothes post partum and when you're thin enough to fit into your old clothes...

[delilah89]

lol hometown unicorn!!!

[QueenCadbury]

After the initial costa of cot/car seat etc then babies are relatively cheap. But as others have said do not underestimate the cost of heating/lighting if in all day over the winter months and the extra washing/drying.

If you intend to walk everywhere with baby you may need a decent warm and rainproof coat as well as comfortable shoes to buy. Also if your wardrobe consists of smart work clothes you my suddenly find you have nothing to wear and need a new casual wardrobe. I found I needed loads of clothes as I'd be lucky if an outfit lasted a day with all the puke/milk/not etc you get on you. Again, factor in extra washing/drying for you as we'll as baby!

If for any reason bf doesn't work (and it doesn't always despite best attempts) then you'll need to factor in price of bottles/steriliser etc).

Babies don't need a lot really and most of what you need you get given or can get in charity shops or cheaply in the supermarkets. Once they are walking then shoes are a major expense as that's the one thing I won't compromise on. You will slowly notice your food bills increase and now that mine are 8,6 and 2 I spend a fortune on food. Even buying fresh and trying to cook as much as you can is not cheap.

[Saracen]

Babies can be as expensive as you want them to be. They actually need very little money spent on them.

The huge cost is your lost wages if you have a career break (plus the longterm effect that can have on your career), or alternatively childcare. Everything else is absolutely trivial by comparison.

[Whereisegg]

The best thing I ever found for keeping costs down was car boot sales in 'posh' areas.
I once bought my ds brand new, in the box, with all stickers/tags still on, the next 3 sizes of Clarks shoes he needed. £2 each.
His entire wardrobe for the next 2 years for between 50p and £5 and item.
The vair posh lady informed me that they had bought him so much to put away, then 'forgot' they had it and bought new as they went along too.

[delilah89]

baby does not really cost anything -- it's childcare! (and losing one room of your house to them when they're 6 months or so, might have to move)

[Want2bSupermum]

We are in the US so need to plan on DC's college education. I got them their Canadian citizenship because it gives them an option to go north for their degree. A bachelor degree from McGill works out to be about $50k all in. This is a tiny amount considering a bachelor degree from a college here in the US of similiar standing would cost $200k.

You can go as cheap or as expensive as you want. I don't do play based classes for my DC and freecycle whenever I can. Swim classes cost $25 each. They each go to 20 classes a year so that adds up to $1000 a year. The park is a great place to go to and doesn't cost anything. I get 'treats' that don't cost anything. DD loves stickers and at 2 a sticker from the price gun at the supermarket is just as much fun as a sticker from a pack I paid for. Another good treat is letting DD decide which playground she wants to go to. We have 6 or 7 playgrounds within walking distance.

For us, our monthly overhead doubled with DD and increased by 20% with DS. We both work. One off costs with the addition of DS was a 2nd washing machine as he had/has colic and a crib as DD is still in hers.

[Emily1974]

I think when people say "babies are expensive" really mean children are expensive. You don't just pay for the baby stage, it's all the way when they are grown up! Thats 16-18 years at least!

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

Just thinking here in UK we really should think about college/Uni costs these days Want2b - but it's hard for us to get our head around as it used to be free here. In my day there was even a government grant for everyone on top of a free place!

[Want2bSupermum]

Juggling I totally agree that it is a huge change for our generation. We are lucky that here in the US they have great college savings plans available that allow you to save up. All monetary gifts go to their funds. DH is Danish and his family were when I asked for college funds for DS's christening after they asked me if I wanted anything for DS. With DH's family none of them have gone on to university and although DH is doing his MBA they are the first to tell him it doesn't make him better.... Such odd people I know.

BTW - the first rule of saving for college here in the US is to only do it if you are financially ok. If you have credit card debt or lack savings for your retirement they say you should focus on that first. It makes sense as I would think it is far worse to be a burden on your children in your later years.

[DrCoconut]

Teenagers are expensive. They eat loads and wear big shoes! But seriously for little ones, childcare is the big cost either in fees or lost income.

[olgaga]

What your husband is actually saying is you won't have as mmuch money to spend on US.

Which is absolutely true.

I'd be worried if he was saying things like that. Perhaps he wants to wait a while and get a bit more money behind you? Or perhaps he's not as keen as you?

[Oceansurf]

Childcare. £400 a month for 2 days a week.

Just ouch.

The rest of it is all cheap - hand me down clothes and toys keeps them happy enough! Nappies and formula can be paid for out of child benefit.

Dreading though the 6.7.8 yrs old stage when they start to know what they want to wear etc!

[FreeWee]

Cost of heating the house as baby's rooms should be around 18 degrees. They'll puke, wee and shit on all the clothes, bedding etc so you need one on, one in the wash and one extra spare for all washable things. Baby wipes - god you get through loads of those. And then if you're going with cloth nappies the water and electricity washing bill and electricity for tumble drier or gas for the radiators to dry them. Our water direct debit went from £22 a month to £33.50 and we don't use cloth nappies! Then there's all the 'stuff' you need for weaning. Pots, spoons, bibs before the actual food. Then there's the toys which you can get second hand of course but teething toys you might want to get first hand due to the chewing. So yeah they're cheaper now than later but they're certainly not as cheap as I thought! Second the cake necessity for BF'ing

[girliefriend]

I don't think babies are expensive esp if bfing.

For your first baby I found that people generally are v v generous and you get given loads of baby clothes/ vests etc, my work did me a surprise baby shower and basically kitted me out for the first 3 months

I also was given a moses basket to 'borrow' which bearing in my mind they are only in for 5 mins worked out brilliantly, a kind colleague gave me a cot (it was about 10 yrs old but nothing wrong with it!)

I wasted a fortune panic buying a pram in hindsight wish I hadn't bothered and just used a sling until big enough to go in a maclaren buggy.

I didn't buy any loads of toys, ime babies don't really need a lot to entertain them and a few safe household items are fine. She only started collecting toys after her first bday.

I wish the fb buying and selling kids pages had been about when she was a baby as basically could have got everything from there and then sold it on after a month or two!!

Dd now 7yo and still not that expensive, I use charity shops/ car boots for clothes, she only gets toys at bday and xmas, childcare not too bad now she is at school, clubs etc through the school are either free or £1 a session! Feeding her I suppose is about £20 a week!

[minipie]

Oh yes - cost of heat and light as I am at home all day with baby rather than both out to work all day. Last winter's fuel bills were £££.

[jasminerose]

Some people on this thread have an awful lot of stuff for their babies. I bought a stroller, car seat, couplr of ebay clothes bundles, a bath seat for a fiver, about 3 toys and a couple of books. I havent needed anything else other than nappies.

[MortifiedAdams]

Dont need a bath seat imo. Other people have other things they deem necessary.

Cot? Co sleep
Pushchair? Sling the baby

[jasminerose]

I didnt have a cot and I did borrow a sling and only used that until 6 months. I didnt feel like I needed anything else really. I hate clutter though so I dont want it messing up the house.