Cost of a baby

[bikerKath]

Hi we are expecting and just wondering how much extra a month baby essentials would cost ive done a rough estimate using supermarkets but how long would an 800g tub of formula last

Your looking at 1 to 2 tubs a week to start with ranging from £7-£11 per tub depending on brand. I used aldi own brand, when I stopped breast feeding, it was the cheapest. I'd really recommend breastfeeding, it's basically free and less hassle, no buying formula or just the little bottles when you needed to if you Combi feeding. No need to get up at night to make a bottle or sterilise the bottles everyday.

Nappies I'd recommend supermarkets own brand they are just as good as pampers if not better these days. What surprised me was the unexpected costs like some baby classes £5 a class to play with a wooden spoon, I'd look into the locally run clubs that are usually cheaper and more fun.

As pp has said, BFing is the cheapest but if you want to ff, it doesn't really matter which brand you use as they all have to conform to the same standards so one costing £11 isn't any better or worse than one costing £7 and over time £4 a tub adds up.

We used mainly washable nappies but for the odd time we used disposables, the supermarket brand ones were fine.

When they start weaning at 6 months, there's a small list of things you can't give them but other than that they can have more or less what you eat, as long as you're not living off microwave meals and takeaways . So there's no need for expensive specially prepared baby foods and juices.

Same as other pp, probably allow for 2 tubs a week for the first few months then 1 a week. My dd dropped her milk quite quickly after she started weaning so for the last few months before she was 1 I found a tub would last almost 2 weeks. And nappies I used aldi's and they're amazing, a jumbo pack now lasts me about 3 weeks, maybe 4 and they're less than a fiver. You could start buying g tubs of formula now with your weekly food shop to stock up before you go onto mat pay

There is also a huge amount of stuff that you don't really need for babies and if you do need it, you can usually get it second hand. See if your local NCT does Nearly New Sales and check your local market place on eBay.

The only thing I wouldn't scrimp on is nursery fees. If you have the choice between two and one is better but more expensive, I'd try to go with the one that you were happy with.

There's a lot of outlay at the start I found - cot, car seat, pram. We use Aldi nappy and wipes which are cheap but really good. We were using a tub of formula every 5-6 days by about 5 months plus bottles of ready made so that was probably the worst bit money wise and once DS was eating and on cow's milk at 12 month's our food bill dropped considerably.

We didn't really factor in for a new car seat which was an extra early expense - we thought his baby one would last till 1yo but he was too tall. I asked for vouchers for places like Boots or m&s so I could pick up new clothes when I needed them. Charity shops are great for toys and books.

Just be careful if you’re buying formula in advance; we bought loads of Cow and Gate as we knew medically I couldn’t breastfeed, but ended up giving it to a friend. For some reason C&G made her unite poorly, and after various trials to exclude CMPA, we ended up on another brand that suited her.

Nothing against C&G - a good friend’s baby had it from when she stopped breastfeeding at 6 weeks until she was one with no issues.

Thanks for all the help and advice. We are quite lucky with cot, prams moses basket and other things as my sister had kept everything for us. I just wanted to get an idea of how much extra a month it would cost

Depends. Are you budgeting for childcare any time soon? Using disposable nappies or reusable?

For most people the biggest effect is being in Maternity Leave and the possible drop in pay.

Babies are relatively low cost. There is so much stuff that is marketed towards new parents that you don't even slightly need. Like a changing bag when you can just use any bag.

It's more expensive the older they get.

Electricity bills go up a bit because you'll want the heating on more (if it's winter months) and you'll be washing a lot more (and tumble drying if you use one).

Clothes can be expensive if you're buying new - I costed it out at Primark/supermarket prices and I reckon about £20 a month at a bare minimum. That does include shoes and coats, once you need them.