Budget per week for first baby - £100?

[Bucketwee]

Hello,

DH and I are expecting our first baby together in the spring and working out a budget for my maternity leave.

We currently pay all bills from the joint account and take a personal allowance each month for clothes, entertainment etc. which will continue.

I suggested £100 a week, thinking this would more than cover baby groups, coffees, nappies, clothes as they grow and days out as a family. DH thinks this might be tight and we should cut back elsewhere to allow more maternity spending from his experience 10 years ago with DSC.

I hope to breastfeed so hopefully no formula (but if so it would come from the joint account food shop), we will buy a travel system and nursery furniture before hand. Car is electric so not expecting a huge uptick in cost for the extra miles.

Is £100 a week reasonable? Too little / more than enough? I originally thought it was ample and we would be able to save a portion of that for bigger spends like season tickets to the zoo but perhaps I’m being optimistic. Views very much appreciated.

Thank you! I would really like to be part of a mums group as we don’t know many people with young children

When you get further along in your pregnancy, the Midwife will let you know about classes you can go to with other couples who are due around the same time. So you will have an instant group of new parents you can keep in touch with. Of course, you won't necessarily hit it off with all off them, but you'll have a starting point with a group of people in the same boat as you, and most people find it beneficial to keep in touch for the first year or so as you are all in the same position. Occasionally people are lucky enough to really hit it off with someone and become friends over a longer period of time. It;s a bit like colleagues really, you are together by circumstance and you might hit it off with someone, but even if you don't, you can get along and support each other through the first few months.

Thank you! I’ll ask my midwife at my next check in with them (25 weeks I think)

I had half of that for feeding us all and nothing for baby glass the first year and we survived! You will be fine.

I met some Mums at a baby massage group when my daughter was 4 weeks old. She’s now in secondary school, I’ve moved but not far and I still see one mum regularly and our daughters are friend’s too. My point being that groups can be great for making friends. I agree that if you can afford it then go to one of the more expensive classes and then the church/village hall ones too. 4 weeks was pretty young to start a class but it was that or 3 months later and I wanted to get it stated. I don’t agree that there won’t be classes for baby’s on maternity leave. Maybe I was lucky but there were ones specifically for baby’s around where I lived. The same women run them and they kind of followed on so when baby massage finished there was a different one which was more sensory etc, then another one after for the next stage up. One was sing and sign but can’t for the life of me remember the others as it was a while ago! They were things that were useful and fun. The baby massage can help with wind & signing can help with them telling you what they need before they talk (although don’t think mine ever did!).

Also if you want to make friends with baby’s of a similar age, there’s NCT antenatal classes. They aren’t cheap and they mostly cover the birth in detail and then breastfeeding and nappies which you can get from reading books or going to free ones organised by the hospital. But l, again l, I still have friends from going to this and we go on holidays and days out still - either mum’s, couples or as a family. Just thought I’d mention it as you said you were hoping to meet people.