How much can we expect to spend on things for first baby?

[1990shopefulftm]

We should have about £1300 saved by the end of the month which originally I thought might be enough.
We'd like to get a new pram/travel system and new car seat, furniture and blankets and things, I'm happy to get some second-hand clothes but I'm starting to wonder if it will be enough?

Hi OP, this is what we spent.

New travel system £250 (DS Is 16 months and is starting to outgrow the car seat)

New Curtains for nursery £40

New Chest of drawers and wardrobe £150

New Changing table converter thing to put on chest of drawers £20

Second hand cotbed and second hand next2me £60

New mattresses for both and sheets, £100

New baby video monitor £50

New clothes, maybe £200 max for first year of life?

New plastic padded mat to put on the changing table, £5-£10

New Blankets, bibs, Muslin clothes maybe £20 max

Second hand bouncer £5

Second hand high chair £10

New Breast pump £15

New sling £40

New toys £20, we got lots as presents

@Asiama thank you for the breakdown that's really helpful :)

Need or want? Without second hand even it's possible to keep expenditure to under £500 but could cost £5000 if you go for designers brands and unnecessary extras.

You need just a few things - somewhere for baby to sleep, travel gear, simple clothes and blankets ... I was very economical out of necessity, breastfed, cloth nappies (higher outlay but lasted 2 kids and resold on eBay did what I paid for them!) top of chest of drawers as changing table, used my backpack I owned etc. Didn't do them any harm, both predicted a 1st at university (fingers crossed)

New baby video monitor £50

I haven't got one of these as I figured the baby would be sleeping next to me during the day anyway - and when they do move into their own room, I should be able to hear them at all times as my home is quite small!

I would advise to buy second hand transport system as they are expensive and sell second hand for less than half price. Some are in pristine condition. My dd bought a new cot and matress for £190 pounds and I bought a second hand cot from ebay for £10 and when my dd saw it she said she wished she had done the same as it looked as new and was bought from a grandma who said her dgs had used it half a dozen times in 3 years. I bought a new mattress. Buy a new car seat that will last. I paid for my first new dgs bedroom futniture wardrobe, chest of drawers, changing unit and cot anc it cost over £650. When dd has second son she reused most things and what she did not have she bought second hand or borrowed from a friend. Second dgs had money I gave him put in bank for when he is older. You can get many things second hand but as new and you would not be able to tell item was not new. Enjoy your baby.

Good point @wondering7777 we didn't actually use the monitor until he was 8 months and went into his own room. It was good to have the monitor to see if he was just moaning in his sleep and we should leave him in peace, or if it was serious and we need to go in. Also I'm a super deep sleeper and even with the baby monitor next to my ear it takes a few mins before I wake up

It’s a real “piece of string” question.
You can spend over £1000 on a brand new high end pram, or you can get everything second hand for probably less than £500. NCT nearly new sales are fantastic (you don’t need to be a member, but some sales give priority early entry to members), especially for large items, supermarket baby clothes are fine, charity shops often have very lightly used baby clothes and toys. NCT sakes happen in March/April and September/Oct. there are lots of other organisations doings “mum and baby sales” now though.

@catfeets

Totally agree.

I couldn't breastfeed and ended up wasting so much money on nursing bras/tops/pump/pads etc that were never once used

Our cot top changer wasnt wobbly at all. We used it until DD was 18 months, no problems.

We also didnt bother with a video monitor and hardly even used the audio one. They were in our room until 6 months and then in the room next door so you could hear if they cried anyway.

We found a Bugaboo Cameleon travel system (carseat, buggy and carry cot plus accessories) on ebay for £370 including postage. Absolute bargain as it is in very good condition. Definitely consider getting a 'good' travel system second hand - the big names often are better in terms of pushing ability, terrain, safety for newborn,etc, but can be so pricey if new! If you want new tho, I think Ickle Bubba has a sale on atm and this looks prety good and also Cosatto has a sale atm too. These are kind of mid-range/cheaper options but still quality as far as I can see.

We bought a barely used Chicco next to me cot second hand off FB market place for £70 (just need to get a new mattress for £40 to go with it). We got a HUGE bundle of NB and up to 6months baby clothes, two slings, a changing mat, some NB nappies, muslins, nipple guards and other bits and bobs from the same lady for £70 so we thought this was an amazing bargain as it is all quality stuff. Check out FB market place it's great.

Have bought some clothes off H&M, Tesco and Zara - you can certainly get cheap stuff, a 5 pack of baby grows for £7 for example, from Tesco.

Just make sure with clothing and blankets to get breathable fabrics - cotton and wool are best - because babies can't regulate their heat like we can as adults.

You need to do a lot of proper research into travel systems and car seats.

For example we bought the Maxi Cosi Pebble and isofixbase as did most of my friends. Was about £300 for both. What I didn’t realise is that at 12 months baby had grown out of it and the next size seat (the Pearl) didn’t rear face on the type of base we had. We got a Joie 360 instead but meant paying out another £200. This can be used from birth so could save you the first £300.

I had a £1000 travel system (Joolz Geo). After 6 months I bought a City Mini GT instead and wished I had saved my £1000 and just had this from birth with the carry cot on.

Furniture wise- you just need something for baby to sleep in. A Moses basket will last you 3 months- I’ve never used one for either of mine. We had a crib upstairs which baby slept in until 6 months then went into their cot. Downstairs they slept in the pram carry cot or a TinyLove Napper/Rocker which I got second hand for £15.

I’ve never had a baby monitor, we could always hear baby if they woke up and I don’t see the point in watching a sleeping baby on a video!

Cot plus mattress- £60 from ASDA
Travel system like new from shpock- £60
Sheets and bedding- £30 online somewhere
All baby clothes either gifted or from from eBay maybe £30 including delivery.
Muslins, bibs, mosquito net, sunshade from jojo sale £25
Bouncer chair- £50
Cot top changer - £30
Close caboo baby carrier - £10 eBay
Video baby monitor- £85
Medela swing Breast pump - free from cousin (she used it once, was considering splashing out on an elvie but free is free!)
Already have a maxi cosi car seat and base
Angelcare bath seat- £5 from shpock.
Changing bag - £10
Online4baby have some good deals and ex mothercare lines.
So I would say £1300 is definitely doable if you bargain hunt and you can save loads of baby clothes by buying second hand.

Hello,

Since you are still quite early on in your pregnancy it is worth checking out your local Nearly New sales once lockdown is over. They normally happen once a quarter. I bought most of our little ones clothes from here and picked up a few extra useful items. It is also a chance to chat to some Mums and get some tips. I've also found eBay really useful for second-hand items.

We have found our baby bath really useful (Tippitoes Mini Bath, second-hand on eBay), but they do take up space and so you may prefer to use your sink to start with.

We didn't buy a Moses basket, after reading that babies outgrow them very quickly. A friend gave us one and it became a storage basket for baby items. :)

A cot bed that will last up to the age of 4 is a great investment.

Another vote for the cot-top changer. I picked up mine second-hand on Gumtree for £20 and use it all the time at home. They are very sturdy.

We didn't buy nursery furniture, for the reasons stated in previous posts. We only have a chest of drawers from Ikea and the clothes are stored in four boxes on the top (easy to grab a new top when needed).

Our video monitor has been useful to help us work out whether the noise is a genuine cry for assistance or a shout out in their sleep. It has saved us from going into the room unnecessarily. The monitor also displays the room temperature which can be useful when working out how many layers to dress the baby in.

A lot of companies seems to have huge sales on at the moment online to entice people to shop so you may get some bargains!

My advice...Ikea furniture if you need new, we got a cot, wardrobe, mattress and changing table on a chest of drawers for less than £500 - they also do cheap bibs/towels/blankets. For me personally, the changing table was an essential, some people are very happy on the floor etc but I just found it better for my back, I’m still using it for dressing and she’s just turned 3!

Get a cheap pram, I’d go second hand as they are only used for 6 months max. My pram bit for the travel system was used about 3 times as she hated it and we used a carrier instead. Also you can get an idea of what’s important - steering/size/folding/sunhood etc so that when you buy a stroller you will get one you actually like. Lots of people spend £800+ on a pram that barely gets used and then use a £60 stroller for the next 3 years... (this was me).

Get a good pump if you plan to pump. This is not an area to economise, they are not all the same, I recommend medela.

A sling was an essential for me - I got a wrap around one on eBay new for about £15.

If you’ve got friends with babies, it’s worth putting on Facebook that you’re in the market for hand me downs - people will be delighted to dump a load of stuff on you to sort out!

I recommend the angel care baby bath insert over a baby bath. Less mess!

One thing I personally wish I’d bought new was a bouncy chair, I got a couple second hand and they were both pretty duff but I may have been unlucky!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

@myfav Yes, the recommendation is to purchase a new mattress for each child to reduce the risk of SIDS.

OP, we are very kindly being gifted a travel system and furniture by family but our total budget including these would have been about £1800. However, we would have got a cheaper travel system and furniture if it hadn't been gifted so your budget looks fine. Here's a breakdown of our costs (including those big gifts/brands of things we've already bought/got), in case this helps:

Travel system (incl. car seat + mount): £600 (Silver Cross but half price)
Nursery furniture (cot, mattress, wardrobe, drawers): £600 (again Silver Cross and again half price)
Moses basket: £40 (ALDI)
Baby sling: £150 (Ergobaby but lots of cheaper options out there)
Changing mats: £30
Re-usable nappies (enough to wash every other day): £150–200 (Little Lamb)
Re-usable baby wipes: £45 (Cheeky wipes)
Breastfeeding pillow: £30
Bottles: £60–100 (will wait until after baby is born to get these)
Thermometer: £30
Baby bath: £20
Clothes and blankets: £0–100 (depends on what we get gifted but you only really need vests and babygrows for the first few months)

If you're using disposable nappies, then the upfront cost would be a lot less, of course. Once you've found a brand/item you like, shop around; there are lots of websites with discounted stuff, like Emma's Diary; Online4Baby; Amazon; even direct from sellers – lots of places offer discounts on first orders. Also have a look at The Baby Show, which is doing online events and discounts; there was one yesterday on Facebook and there'll be another next month.

You can spend as much or as little as you want.

I spent:

Diono Travel system - brand new for £250 including maxi cosi car seat
Icandy all terrain travel system - £150 second hand on Facebook.
Isofix bases x2 - £15 each from Facebook
Cot - £145 wayfair inc mattress
Chest of drawers and wardrobe we already have and just painted to make them match the cot.
Reusable nappies x32 - £135 from Alva Baby
Reusable wipes - £4 for polar fleece I then cut up to create the wipes
Baby carrier - £20
Changing mats x2 - £5 each from Aldi
Moses basket - £30 Aldi
Clothes - I was given a lot second hand but I probably spent about £60 on bits that I liked in the shops.
Breast pump - £35 from Amazon
Bottles - £20 Mam ones on sale
Baby bath - think it was £7 from Ikea
Maternity bras - I got 4 from H&M sheikh were great to start but once my milk came in, they became the most uncomfortable things in the world. I ended up getting some bandeau bras for £3 each that are so comfy and easy to feed with.
Next to me crib - £125 from Argos and well worth the money but they do come up second hand a lot.

Facebook is great for picking up bargains so if you are happy to get things secondhand, have a look on there.

I did it on more of a budget, not because I couldn't afford to spend more but I just like to be sensible and didn't see the point in spend 1k on a travel system (not judging anyone who does spend this!) when I could get one for 1/4 the price and put the rest of the money towards a nice holiday!

If you want to buy it all at once/get things delivered, I’d recommend doing a baby wish list on Amazon. If you spend £800 (I know that sounds like a lot), you get 20% off. Also means that if grandparents etc want to contribute, they could buy you a voucher to use towards it but you don’t need to ask them to get one specific item, like a car seat for example, that they can’t afford.
We did that for all the big items like cot, travel system etc then smaller things like changing mats, baby monitor, bottles etc and bought some outfits at supermarkets.
Happy shopping

Once the baby has outgrown your sink, just use a plastic storage box instead of a baby bath - cheaper and you can then use for other things.

Personally I always much preferred changing nappies on the bathroom floor at home (so clean) - no worries about rolling when they're slightly older. I'd suggest to your DH that see how you go and buy a changing station a couple of weeks post-delivery, if you find you still want one.

Just to clarify as you said you've told people not to buy you things in response to my post, all those things we accepted werent bought for us, they were all things people had already and didnt need anymore as their kids have outgrown them! I wouldnt expect friends to buy expensive things for us even in normal times!!

Spend as much or as little as you like hun, it's getting the balance of want and need as others have said and also your personal taste like what things you like the look of.

I'm currently pregnant with my 2nd and hoping to spend a lot less this time around, with some hindsight about waste, what wasn't used etc.

Just remember the baby's not going to care about how much stuff costs - they will poop or puke on anything and will probably prefer to play with what's in your handbag rather than a big fancy toy lol x

Sign up to bounty, they send me their offer emails all the time and have amazing deals on there especially for travel systems x

It can cost as much or as little as you need

However I do agree with @wondering7777, in that some people say 'oh babies cost nothing, just a few babygrows', but in reality there are lots of little bits that can add up.

Ie we really haven't bought any extra random 'luxuries' but basic white baby grows, vests in newborn and 0-3 months and a few cardigans have still cost us around £150.
Things like a shop in boots for several packs maternity pads, some breastfeeding cream, some pregnancy vitamins, pack nappies and wipes for hospital and theres not much change from £40

Also as mentioned by someone above, sometimes you save money by spending a bit more to start with. Ie baby car seat and base may be a bit cheaper, but they will outgrow by 18 ish months, then you need to buy another rear facing seat that many can be suitable from birth so you could have just bought to start with. I think the basic maxi cosi baby seat was £100 ish, and base £100. But rear facing 0-4 year old seat can be bought for around £150-200 and would last longer.

Moses basket can be cheaper to buy, but ikea cotbed lasts newborn- 4/5 years so £150 ish for cot and mattress would cover you until virtually school age rather than 4-6 months before another purchase

I think buying all new here (second hand market doesn't really exist here, and no family), fairly decent brands, but most things suitable for several years, including reusable nappies etc has cost us around £2000-2500.

no matter how rich or poor you are, you will always over-spend by around 20%. if you had managed to save £100 you would spend about £120. if you had £10,000 you would find a way to spend £12,000. so given you have saved £1,300 I expect you will spend about £1,560.

there is always going to be a cheaper option that you don't like quite as much as a more expensive option that you really love the look of but can't justify, no matter what price points you look at.