Baby and monthly budget

M

Monica11

Cathlete
Hi everyone. Everyone tells me how expensive babies are, and it got me wondering just how much difference it will make in our monthly budget. I want to plan for it now to ease the pain a bit. I plan to BF and won't need day care for a while, so I assume the biggest chunk of change (aside from the big upfront expenditures like a crib, car seat, etc) will be diapers. I have NO idea how much diapers cost or how many a baby typically goes through. And are there any other costly items I am overlooking in figuring out how much of a dent this will make in my budget?

Thanks for your wisdom!

Monica
 
Well you should probably figure in things like baby wipes, diaper rash cream, babywash/shampoo, baby lotion, etc. Wipes you will go through quickly. The other stuff should last a while...Generally speaking you will go through 6 to 10 diapers every 24 hours with a baby who eats every 2.5 to 4 hours, unless you change the baby between feedings because you smell it ewwww lol! Or because they are leaking or something. Breast feeding will definately save you $ on forumula/bottles but please be prepared to buy them anyway JUST IN CASE! I didn't believe it when some people said this to me but not every baby/mom is successful at BF'ing. I wasn't. I'm not trying to discourage you or be a downer. I just want to encourage you to be realistic and be prepared JUST IN CASE! Enfamil/similac powder formula is $20-25.00 per 1 pound can where I live in NJ.

That's about all I can offer....I haven't had to purchase any other supplies yet as I received a bunch of stuff at my shower, etc so I can't comment on the actual cost of things.

HTH!:)
 
Quite frankly, Monica, I didn't find a baby made a huge dent in our budget, until at least the 8 month. I breastfed for a year, and she didn't start daycare until she turned one, so the only costs really were her diapers, wipes, etc. that Wendy already mentioned. By month 8 we were also buying jars of baby food, cereals, and what not, which can get expensive. I don't know. I really didn't feel that having a baby was very expensive. It's the stuff you need to pay for when they get older that really seems to hurt: lessons, admittance to amusement parks, restaurant meals, clothing (shoes!), dental care, health care (antibiotics!), gifts, treats, education savings plans, babysitting.

You're smart to plan ahead. Sorry I couldn't offer you more specific dollar costs. I don't know how much infant things cost in US dollars.

All the best,
Sandra
 
Hi Monica. I have a 4 month old boy, so I don't have too much info. to offer. You could spend a lot on clothes and toys, but I get a lot from my mother-in-law, and I go to yard sales and 2nd hand stores for anything I need. That saves a lot of $$$. I b'feed and only supplement with formula about 2 times a day, but I will be weaning more soon. We just bought a 32 oz. can of Enfamil at Sam's, and it was $28. We got a lot of diapers from people as gifts, but when we bought them, we bought a large box at Sam's (225 for around $25). And, yes, they do go through a whole bunch! I spent a little more on diaper cream (I bought a big tub of Triple Paste), but I still have about 1/2 left. I make my own wipes, which saves a little (and it can add up). If you are interested, let me know and I will tell you how. A nurse friend of mine told me about this-they work very well! When you start to feed your baby solids, you could make your own food, although I am not at this stage yet. I also agree that as they get older, you will gradually begin to spend more and more. Good luck!
-Jen
 
Hmm, so if we go through about 10 diapers a day, and 225 cost $28, we should get by on about $30 a month for that. That's not so bad--less than basic cable! I sure hope BFing works out for me, but I know that there's no way to be sure so I shouldn't be surprised if I have to buy formula too. Anyway, I know there'll be more expenditures for clothes and toys and the like, but I just wanted to get some idea of the regular stuff that adds up every month. I waited a while to have a baby (I'm 34) so I'm in better shape to handle this than I was a few years ago so I'm not too worried, just like to know what I'm in for!
 
I am 33 and couldn't imagine doing this (having a baby) at like 25-26-27 years old!!! That is when I originally had hoped to be married and having kids by! I am glad I waited..even though it wasn't truly by choice! ;) DH and I waited over a year to get pregnant after we got married but I wanted to be married in my earlier 20's, not at 30 years old. I guess things happen the way they do for a reason! :)
 
I don't find they are all that expensive either! It sounds odd, but they just aren't. I have gotten quite a bit of clothing from my shower to last a good while. I went yard saling when I was pregnant and found good name brand stuff that was barley worn so that helps a lot! We use the parents choice diapers and right now dd is in size 3 so there are 80 per large pack and they are only $10.74.. vs pampers/huggies I think for that size are $15-$16.. and once they are older (DD is 11 months) we only use 5 or so diapers a day so it's not as bad as the newborns.. but there are more diapers in the newborn packs! I also breastfeed so there was no cost there. :) Honestly we might spend total $30 a month on stuff for the baby.. now that will all change when we have this new one.. the younger 2 will be 20 months apart so we might have more expense, but it's still no a great deal! I think when they get a bit older they can be more expensive. my son eats like there is no tomorrow and he's only 3 1/2. :) The only other bill I can think of is the medical bills and ours are pretty cheap w/ a $10 copay for each visit and early on they go at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and then 9 and 12 months. so depending on sick calls you might need to go in for there are quite a few dr. visits.. if your insurance doesn't cover all of that you might have some money involved for that.
 
Have you read Baby Bargains (author Fields) yet? Lots of great tips for saving money on all the products out there. Plus, reviews of baby products so if you're going to spend a lot, you buy the right stuff. You'll feel like a truly educated consumer.

I agree with the PP's that babies really arent's that expensive per se. For me, because I work, child care is a FORTUNE. I spend $1300 per month to school a 2 and 4 year old 3 days a week. That cost varies by area obviously. #3 is going to put me at $2000 per month, but only until the 2 year old can go to parochial school with her sister.

I don't ever like to spend more money than I have to, so here are some of my tips: yard sales and consignment shops for clothes and toys, as mentioned above. keep an eye on the toys and equipment for recalls; i saw my local Once Upon a CHild selling a totally recalled highchair. Also, keep an eye out for quality and stick to the good brands, like Gap, Lauren, European brands, LandsEnd, Hanna ANdersson. Old Navy and Target are great for 'disposable' clothes like tee shirts, tights, underwear, etc. Even if you know the gender of your baby, buy unisex in case you have another, especially on coats, jackets, sleepwear.

go Target/WalMart brand as much as you can: mylicon drops, sudafed, benadryl, ibuprofen, etc. Buy diapers in bulk; i have found that the bulk diapers at Target are cheaper than Sams because you can use coupons at Target. breastfeed if you can. see how your baby responds to fragrance free detergent before limiting yourself to Dreft.

don't think you have to buy a whole baby bedroom set- the only baby furniture in our nursery is the crib. Everything else is regular furniture (stick a changing pad atop a regular dressing for a changing table).

find a friend to swap kids with. My friend and I have had this arrangement for years; every other Friday I have 4 hours of time to myself in exchange for watching her kids the next Friday.

That's my budget rant. Kristan, due 11-1, #3
 
I have been comparison shopping for the daily needs type things (diapers, wipes, etc) and am finding that with coupons, Target is as cheap as Wal-Mart. I can't help it, I hate Wal-Mart so I will almost pay more not to have to go there.

Otherwise I am accepting all of the hand-me-down clothes and toys I am offered and have so far not bought a thing. People are so kind about that.

The largest cost I have found that we will have is insurance. We are on a spouse-employee plan only and the employee-family plan will be over $100 more per month. However, since I will not be working, we will save way more than $100 per month on gas, clothes and lunches.

We are also adding to the budget college savings right away so that is another thing. Otherwise, unless I am completely surprised, I do not think it will hit us all that much until the child is older and we have to pay for so much extra-cirricular stuff.
 
Don't forget dr visits - that can add up. Diapers - best buy is the Sam's Club brand - hands down. I've used them forever and they work just fine!
 
I LOVE BABY BARGAINS!!! Their book - AWESOME, AND SOO HELPFUL! Their message boards www.babybargains.com - amazing. I'm a poster on there and have learned lots of ways to cut corners from other moms!

TWO THUMBS UP!!!
 
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