How much a baby costs?

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biscuit
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How much a baby costs?

Post by biscuit »

We're expecting out first baby and i'm wondering how much a baby costs per month?

We both are full-time working professionasl and we try not to spend above our budgeted amount each month. I'm trying to create a budget for the baby. But don't know how much to allocate for the baby each month.

I'm not including the day care cost here.

For everything we buy, we look for deals and buy ahead to stretch the money. So far it works well.

Thanks!
livesoft
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Re: How much a baby cost?

Post by livesoft »

Congratulations!

Do you have friends or family that have a 1-year old or maybe a 2-year-old? If so, you shoud be able to get everything you need from them for free. Well, except for diapers and food I suppose. So the costs should be whatever diapers cost nowadays and not much else since you have already figured out daycare. Wipes are cheap, too.

Food is formula or breast milk at first. Some mothers will rent a breast pump, too. But one sometimes can get a pump for free.
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MN Finance
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by MN Finance »

You'll get lots of replies with numbers, but question is what top do with it. It's not like your budget for eating out, which if you max out, you just stop eating out. As long as you can afford it, you will probably just spend what you need to spend so to speak.

The biggest costs are probably in the future and dependent on lifestyle choices and the number of kids you have. Having 1 is one thing, having 3 is another. Private school, suvs, larger home, family vacations, sports teams, etc are the "real costs" compared to groceries or diapers.
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biscuit
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by biscuit »

livesoft,

Thanks for the response. None of our friends have babies and we live far away from home. So, cannot borrow things from our siblings.

My insurance provides free breast pump. So, that's covered; We're planning to breastfeed, if it works out.

For other things, how much will it cost every month? (what is the average budget for the baby)
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

A large box of diapers in the grocery store runs anywhere from $20 to $25 for Huggies/Pampers. Don't be fooled by the large diaper count - you will go through them - like 8 or 9 a day, if not more in the early months.
Every month you will burn through 2 to 3 boxes until about age 3 when you start potty training. Buy a diaper genie - to contain the odiferous contents. :wink:
How much does a can of triple paste cost? - about $20 and oh! so worth it! Or maybe you use A&D in the tube instead - a bit cheaper. Diaper rash can be painful for the baby and your ears when you are unable to soothe it.
Breastfeeding? - the cost of the pump plus some extra bottles - figure somewhere between $75 and $150.
You'll want to purchase some of those I forget what they call them, but they help your wife with the sensitivity of having a machine pump on them. I think they were like $20 a box - just head over to the local grocery store in the baby aisle, it's all there including the prices.
Bottle fed - buy the powder mix it with water and save a bit off the liquid canned stuff. Though some babies require a special liquid that sorry, comes in liquid form only and it is expensive! Hopefully that will not be the case for you.
A crib, bassinet, child seat.
Clothing - maybe someone will donate or give you some of it, otherwise maybe $100 to $150 every few months.
How much is your time worth? - you will be spending quite a bit of it tending to the baby's needs (even though they sleep alot in the beginning).

Trust me, once your child is born you won't be managing it to the budget - you will do whatever it takes for that child.

Good Luck!
Last edited by Grt2bOutdoors on Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Kosmo
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Kosmo »

I've got a 17 month old and a 4 month old. Our total baby-related expenses for 2013 (excluding day care) were about $5700. That's $475 per month. This includes diapers, formula, clothes, etc. and a few non-recurring purchases like car seats. Daycare cost is far more than the cost of everything else, not sure why you wouldn't include that.

My budget is more of a guideline than "we absolutely cannot spend more than this number". The one item that I vastly underestimated in my budget was clothing. We spent more than double what I estimated we would on baby clothes. They grow fast!
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Kosmo wrote:I've got a 17 month old and a 4 month old. Our total baby-related expenses for 2013 (excluding day care) were about $5700. That's $475 per month. This includes diapers, formula, clothes, etc. and a few non-recurring purchases like car seats. Daycare cost is far more than the cost of everything else, not sure why you wouldn't include that.

My budget is more of a guideline than "we absolutely cannot spend more than this number". The one item that I vastly underestimated in my budget was clothing. We spent more than double what I estimated we would on baby clothes. They grow fast!
Go to Kohl's or Target. The baby isn't going to remember not wearing the hot clothing of the year when they were 1.
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Toons
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Toons »

As my Grandmother passed on to my Mother,"Just throw another potato into the pot" :happy
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DoWahDaddy
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by DoWahDaddy »

A whole lot more emotional cost than financial. Comparatively, it's not even worth the time to budget dollars and cents.
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Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

DoWahDaddy wrote:A whole lot more emotional cost than financial. Comparatively, it's not even worth the time to budget dollars and cents.
Exactly. +1
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sscritic
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by sscritic »

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:
Kosmo wrote: The one item that I vastly underestimated in my budget was clothing. We spent more than double what I estimated we would on baby clothes. They grow fast!
Go to Kohl's or Target. The baby isn't going to remember not wearing the hot clothing of the year when they were 1.
For hot clothes, pick up a grandparent or two or even four. They are always good for the latest stuff.
livesoft
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by livesoft »

OK, if no friends and family nearby, then have them ship you stuff they no longer want. Otherwise, thrift and goodwill stores. Babies will not remember what they were wearing at all.

And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.

I am serious that one can get the cost close to under $100 a month if they want to or if they have to.

And fortunately for us, we had many friends who were 1 year ahead of us on babies, so we got tons of stuff most of which we simply passed on and did not use. You can imagine that I don't buy into all this baby consumer crap.
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Professor Emeritus
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Professor Emeritus »

:D I'm a grandfather :D the easy answer is "every penny you have". More seriously everything about children depends on what you want to spend. I recall one new mother who said she would "die" before her children wore "hand-me-downs" or used clothing. I grew up on hand-me-downs. Heck , my wife has a "used" diamond and I got married in a rental tux.

It is VERY hard to "budget" for the equipment you absolutely need. You just buy it or get it or borrow it. My grandson accumulated 3000 dollars in capital equipment by age 1. (ok that included a rocking chair for mom to feed the baby.) Virtually all was provided by doting relatives so make sure you send lots of photos and your amazon wish list.
Clothing- kids grow-FAST. get in your local clothing pipeline whatever it is. Get it, use it.pass it on.

But don't worry, you will save all the costs of going out to dinner, plays, sporting events and movies. You will not buy yourself any new clothes for a year, unless it is vomit colored and washable. Make sure your cars are in absolutely tip top condition since you will have no time to have anything fixed. Buy very large bibs.(for you, not the baby) you will need them if you don't wear your ratty old painting clothes all the time. Do budget for replacement cell phones your 10 moth old flushes down the toilet . If you wear eyeglasses assume two new pairs.

I'll send this to my daughter and see if she has any more thoughts
mommyshock13
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by mommyshock13 »

Congrats!

But to be honest, PP is correct. I haven’t found that the cost of a newborn or infant to be super significant to have to adjust my monthly budget. Sure, I may have to spent a little more of diapers and clothes but then I definitely will not be going out for dinners as often so that basically net each other out.

The most significant impact on finances when having kids is the daycare, larger homes, extracurricular activities.

Perhaps you are looking to spread these upfront costs? Not including my registry, I maybe spent $800 on upfront costs, including stroller, carseat and crib. I also spent maybe $600 on the actual delivery. But if you are really looking to save on your newborn, here are a few things I did that are NOT for everyone:

Cloth diapering – not for everyone but it definitely saves on buying disposables. The upfront costs might be a little high but in the long run, it saves. Better to use prefolds instead of all in one diapers.

Breastfeeding- Although one can argue that the savings on formula is negated by the voracious appetite of a nursing mother. Free pumps might be available to you and even then, its not a necessity. If your wife is a professional, perhaps her work offers lactation rooms with hospital pumps. Just need the small parts.

Home birth and/or midwives- Save on hospital or doctor fees and get a midwife. Watch the Business of Being Born.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by mommyshock13 »

DoWahDaddy wrote:A whole lot more emotional cost than financial. Comparatively, it's not even worth the time to budget dollars and cents.
+100
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Kosmo
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Kosmo »

sscritic wrote:
Grt2bOutdoors wrote:
Kosmo wrote: The one item that I vastly underestimated in my budget was clothing. We spent more than double what I estimated we would on baby clothes. They grow fast!
Go to Kohl's or Target. The baby isn't going to remember not wearing the hot clothing of the year when they were 1.
For hot clothes, pick up a grandparent or two or even four. They are always good for the latest stuff.
We go to Target and Walmart almost exclusively. It doesn't help that my son is 17 months old and wears a 3T.
Old Guy
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Old Guy »

Don't buy anything in white. Buy larger sizes than needed they will grow into it by the end of the day.
mommyshock13
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by mommyshock13 »

livesoft wrote: And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.
Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Another tip, hospitals practically give away newborn diapers and formula. Take it all!!!!!!!!
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by sscritic »

Kosmo wrote:
sscritic wrote: For hot clothes, pick up a grandparent or two or even four. They are always good for the latest stuff.
We go to Target and Walmart almost exclusively. It doesn't help that my son is 17 months old and wears a 3T.
Your children have no grandparents? I know that some families adopt grandparents. That's another possibility.
Andyrunner
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Andyrunner »

I wouldnt even attempt to keep a baby budget. Too variable of cost to keep track of.

I have a 5 month old and here are some things that can help:

Most clothes come from garage sales. I hate spending clothes on a kid that will poop and spit up on them. Chances are they wont even wear some cothes you bought as they outgrow them before he/she gets to wear them. I hate garage sales, but for kids clothes..Ill go out there.

Cloth Diapers: Big upfront cost but in the long run save money. We like best bottom brand, but everyones different.

high chairs, toys, carseats, swings, bottles, etc. A lot of that is one time costs but you will be buying something big every 3-6 months.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

livesoft wrote:OK, if no friends and family nearby, then have them ship you stuff they no longer want. Otherwise, thrift and goodwill stores. Babies will not remember what they were wearing at all.

And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.The technology is pretty good, it's the emotional part of "I don't want my child sitting in it - and doesn't matter how much triple paste you use, that stuff will turn a kid's skin red fast if you stay exposed to it long enough"

I am serious that one can get the cost close to under $100 a month if they want to or if they have to.
Yep, I think the first month set me back about $80 or so.

And fortunately for us, we had many friends who were 1 year ahead of us on babies, so we got tons of stuff most of which we simply passed on and did not use. You can imagine that I don't buy into all this baby consumer crap.
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Andyrunner
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Andyrunner »

mommyshock13 wrote: As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Thanks for the flashback....hated those first few blackish tar type bowl movements.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by rkhusky »

mommyshock13 wrote:
livesoft wrote: And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.
Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Another tip, hospitals practically give away newborn diapers and formula. Take it all!!!!!!!!
+1. Size up from newborn cost less per diaper. They'll use less as they get older - 3-4/day once they are 2+.

White clothes can be bleached.

Can find lots of children clothes at garage sales, 2nd hand stores, Goodwill. Friends and family also give loads of presents, especially for a first child. Plus you can get a bunch of stuff at a baby shower, if you have friends/family who might give you one. I've even heard of ghost showers if you don't live near relatives.

Second child costs a lot less initially, especially if it is the same gender.
Last edited by rkhusky on Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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greg24
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by greg24 »

We had so many people giving us clothes, we really didn't have to buy any. In fact, my wife was kind of peeved that she didn't get to buy them clothes, as it'd be "wasteful".
Caduceus
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Caduceus »

Congrats!!

I walked into an OshKosh B'Gosh to look at some gifts for my nephews, and wow the on-sale clothes were really, really cheap. Babies don't really care about the fashion of the clothes they wear (it's usually the parents/adults who want the clothes to be cute), as long as they are comfy. I think $300 ought to cover the first year.

As they got older, my nephews got more and more clothes gifted to them from everyone else, so ended up not having to buy much.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by bungalow10 »

+1 for cloth diapers. They are especially appreciated when you have baby #2 or #3 and don't have to buy any diapers. We've had no issues using cloth diapers with daycare.

As far as the people who are advocating letting their child sit in a soiled diaper... um, no. Most daycares won't allow for that (if they do, find a new one). The correlation I've seen with parents who are lazy/cheap and let their kid sit in soiled diapers also have kids that don't potty train until they are well over two (or three, or even four). Put the energy and the few bucks in to keeping them clean when they are little and you it will pay off at potty training time.
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froman118
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by froman118 »

Had a little girl back in April 2012 and we've kept things around $200 a month on average. I shopped around and kept diapers under $50 a month (Amazon Mom S&S discount mainly, Pampers Swaddlers size N-3, but transitioning to Costco Huggies/Kirkland for size 4 and up). Wife breastfed with some supplementing of formula. We've bought some clothes/shoes, but grandparents have bought a ton and we have hand-me-downs from nephews/nieces/friends.

It depends on your current spending and buying habits. Our daily stroller is a free hand-me-down from a cousin, but we could have bought a brand new $1200 Bugaboo. Or a $100 crib instead of $500. Or a $30 high chair instead of a $100 one. Or a trash can with pop up lid and plastic grocery bags instead of a Diaper Genie and refills.
trackermike
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by trackermike »

I assume you've already budgeted the cost of labor and delivery? I budgeted 10k in my HSA and "luckily" it was only about 8k for a normal birth after everything was submitted through insurance (our deductible was 5k).

As for ongoing costs, do you know the sex of the baby? I would suggest looking in spring for rummage/garage sales (this can literally save you hundreds on clothes and toys). You'd be surprised at how much nice stuff you can find, especially if you are looking in the more up-scale neighborhoods. Look on Facebook or online as many neighborhood associations will post dates of community rummage sales and some will even post the items that people are selling. For example we picked up a burley (trailer that hooks up behing bicycle for the child) for $50, they cost about $300 new.

Other posters have given some good estimates on diapers. It's true, you will go through 8-10 a day in the early months and it will level off to probably 5-7 a day after 6 months, but every kid is different.

For food, breast is best, but you have to be stubborn about it in the early weeks. A good lactation consultant is worth it IMO if you are having problems as it can be frustrating. When it comes time to try solid food, baby food is fine, however my wife and I decided to make the majority of our own food. We still buy baby food for when we're on the go, but making your own food is definitley cheaper and more healthy.

As other posters have mentioned, your time will become even more valuable once you have a baby. So make sure you don't lose your sanity just to save a few extra dollars. I used to carefully hunt for the best deals on diapers/wipes etc, but the time and mental energy I had to invest was not worth it so we decided to just stick with target products.
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Kosmo
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Kosmo »

sscritic wrote:
Kosmo wrote:
sscritic wrote: For hot clothes, pick up a grandparent or two or even four. They are always good for the latest stuff.
We go to Target and Walmart almost exclusively. It doesn't help that my son is 17 months old and wears a 3T.
Your children have no grandparents? I know that some families adopt grandparents. That's another possibility.
Applications being accepted now!


Changing a diaper every 3 hours is about right. You'll get longer stretches overnight. But then you might have to change 3 in an hour if you do it at the wrong time. Target diapers are 180-220 per bulk box depending on diaper size. So that lasts maybe a month at most.

PS- Daycares around here will not allow cloth diapers. Check with the one you want to use.
seamonkey
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by seamonkey »

Responses will be all over the map. Most of the cost is food, diapering, health care, and whatever you decide to purchase in the way of baby toys, furniture, and clothes.

For food, if you're exclusively breast feeding for 6 months and have a pump, then there's not a whole lot of surprise costs to consider.

Depending on when you want to introduce solid foods (usually between 4-6 months) then you'll have a variable cost of food, whether you want prepared baby food or want to puree your own for a few months before getting into finger foods. You could do this on $30-60 a month from when they start eating solids if you're buying prepared baby food. You could do this for $10-20 a month by making your own, pureeing a bit of food that you were otherwise making for yourself. (And often by 8-10 months, they'll have soft textured foods anyway, depending on teeth).

For diapers, you could go disposable or cloth. Assume 8-10 diapers a day for 1-2 months, then maybe 6-8 for months 3-6. Factor in either these costs through some Amazon research or assume 30-40 cents a diaper. Or if you decide on cloth, you may want to call a local diaper service for pricing or recommendations. There's more upfront cost with cloth than disposable, but if you plan on more than one kid, cloth can turn out to be significantly cheaper. Anyway, you're probably looking at $80-100 a month.

Health care costs should be relatively predictable if insured and if all goes well.

Baby toys, furniture, and clothes. If you really have no opportunity for hand me downs, look for coupons, buy on sale, and don't go pricey. They will wear an outfit once for 7 minutes, spit up on it, and get changed again. 22 minutes later, they'll pee through the new outfit. When it finally gets back to be worn, they've grown out of it. Seriously. Clothes can be shipped easily across the country so don't let distance be an issue for receiving clothing from others.

Get a safe crib and car seat. These are pretty much what you have to buy new unless you're absolutely sure you can trust the source. A crib can run $200+. Car seats can be $100+ for infant, or $200+ for toddler. Infant strollers can be under $100 for serviceable strollers, but if you're a runner or hiker you may get enjoyment out of strollers in the $300-400 price range. Pricier means fancier / brand name / more features but they'll have the same quality standard as the lower cost alternative.

As for toys, don't buy one without thinking it over for at least a week. Toys are educational for kids, and a small variety of toys introduced at appropriate times is really helpful. If you don't have hand me downs, this is where YOU set the budget. $20-50 a month? $50-100? More? Often, the best toys are the boxes they come in, so I'd aim for value here (assuming safety).

Bouncy seats, jumpers, play saucers, etc. are $60-100 and up. I'd budget for 2-3 of these items for the first year.

So, while you can do this with far less, maybe about $300 a month is fair. You have a lot of control over the budget... maybe a little less flexibility with health care, diapering, and food. And remember that you can take an exemption for a dependent. For 2014 you could be looking at $3900 or more.
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Jay69
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Jay69 »

Just remember if you buy cheap leaky nasty diapers for your child your child is going to buy you cheap leaky nasty diapers :wink:
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by stoptothink »

seamonkey wrote:Responses will be all over the map. Most of the cost is food, diapering, health care, and whatever you decide to purchase in the way of baby toys, furniture, and clothes.
This. I have a 2yr old daughter, it can vary a ton. For one, there are so many avenues to get clothing and furniture for free that you should almost never have to pay for it and small children couldn't care less what they are wearing as long as it is warm. Our church has somewhat of a freecycle system, we just all trade clothes/toys as the children grow out of them. We have spent almost nothing on clothing. We were also able to get a crib and pack-n-play for free, and are waiting for a toddler bed to become available. She only goes through about 120 diapers a month because she is in daycare 8-4:30pm 5-days a week and they are provided.

Another thing is we have asked family and friends to not buy her toys for birthdays and christmas (although grandma still does), she has so much that we are constantly giving them away; we instead ask for clothes, diapers, and books and it has worked great. Outside of daycare ($450/month, I get over half off because I am the health director of the organization that runs it), food, clothing, healthcare, diapers/wipes, etc. run us less than $200/month. You are going to want to buy your child everything, and the best; just stop for a second and think about the difference between needs and wants and a child isn't as expensive as they seem. ~$9k/yr that my little one costs us is significant, but I know parents who easily spend 2-3x that for no real added benefit.
Mr Rosco
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Mr Rosco »

Look into a Sams Club membership for diapers and wipes. They deliver for free and are cheaper than anywhere else I can find. Or you could look into a Amazon.com Mom account.

John
livesoft
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by livesoft »

mommyshock13 wrote:
livesoft wrote: And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.
Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Meconium works its way out in a couple of days.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by bungalow10 »

mommyshock13 wrote: Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Another tip, hospitals practically give away newborn diapers and formula. Take it all!!!!!!!!
"If it's yellow, let it mellow" refers to flushing a toilet, not sitting in a soiled diaper. Almost all newborn poop is yellow if the baby is breastfed.

Free formula isn't free... you have to keep buying it. Breast is best.
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DoWahDaddy
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by DoWahDaddy »

livesoft wrote:And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.
I've done 10 diaper changes in a day before, and just as often only 1 change. A baby's bowels know no schedule. Which is why I think when Sheldon and Amy finally copulate, Amy will become pregnant and destroy Sheldon's world. (Copulate seemed the appropriate Boglehead term.)

I get frustrated when I see people recommending cloth. There isn't an expense I would hesitate to due without, outside of the mortgage, in order to ensure my kids wore throwaway diapers. It's not even close. Mortgage, diapers, everything else. I think it was one of our wedding vows.
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bungalow10
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by bungalow10 »

DoWahDaddy wrote: I get frustrated when I see people recommending cloth. There isn't an expense I would hesitate to due without, outside of the mortgage, in order to ensure my kids wore throwaway diapers. It's not even close. Mortgage, diapers, everything else. I think it was one of our wedding vows.
Why would it frustrate you if someone else wanted their kid to wear cloth diapers? Some people don't like the waste, not to mention the chemicals that are in constant contact with their children's skin, that come with disposable diapers.

While a disposable diaper affects many people because it will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years, my children's cloth diapers don't negatively impact you.

The majority of our friends and family cloth diaper without issue, and I get that it is something that you see more in well-educated communities (it skews with breastfeeding) so some people might not be exposed to it often, but it should not bother YOU that others do it unless they are asking you to wash their diapers for them.
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ProfessorX
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by ProfessorX »

livesoft wrote:
mommyshock13 wrote:
livesoft wrote: And 8 or 9 diapers a day sounds excessive to me. That's one every 2 to 3 hours. Diaper technology was much better than that 20 years ago.
Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Meconium works its way out in a couple of days.
If you had kids in diapers I bet they would constantly have diaper rash. No amount of technology can make it feel good to sit in it for too long. You gotta change it.

I pay $320 a week for a good 5 day daycare for one small child in a city. Suburbs usually cost less. Don't really track the other expenses but they add up.
Last edited by ProfessorX on Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by ProfessorX »

Double post
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doug91
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by doug91 »

bungalow10 wrote:
DoWahDaddy wrote: I get frustrated when I see people recommending cloth. There isn't an expense I would hesitate to due without, outside of the mortgage, in order to ensure my kids wore throwaway diapers. It's not even close. Mortgage, diapers, everything else. I think it was one of our wedding vows.
Why would it frustrate you if someone else wanted their kid to wear cloth diapers? Some people don't like the waste, not to mention the chemicals that are in constant contact with their children's skin, that come with disposable diapers.

While a disposable diaper affects many people because it will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years, my children's cloth diapers don't negatively impact you.

The majority of our friends and family cloth diaper without issue, and I get that it is something that you see more in well-educated communities (it skews with breastfeeding) so some people might not be exposed to it often, but it should not bother YOU that others do it unless they are asking you to wash their diapers for them.
+1. We've cloth diapered for the last 2.5 years or so, except for day care (don't allow it) and when we travel (they do take up space). It doesn't pose any risk to the outside world that might be cause for frustration. And it's definitely cheaper after the initial outlay, which is why I recommend it to folks looking for ways to keep family costs down.
Rupert
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Rupert »

bungalow10 wrote:
DoWahDaddy wrote: I get frustrated when I see people recommending cloth. There isn't an expense I would hesitate to due without, outside of the mortgage, in order to ensure my kids wore throwaway diapers. It's not even close. Mortgage, diapers, everything else. I think it was one of our wedding vows.
Why would it frustrate you if someone else wanted their kid to wear cloth diapers? Some people don't like the waste, not to mention the chemicals that are in constant contact with their children's skin, that come with disposable diapers.

While a disposable diaper affects many people because it will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years, my children's cloth diapers don't negatively impact you.

The majority of our friends and family cloth diaper without issue, and I get that it is something that you see more in well-educated communities (it skews with breastfeeding) so some people might not be exposed to it often, but it should not bother YOU that others do it unless they are asking you to wash their diapers for them.
Re the cloth vs. disposable diaper issue, see http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... ggies.html. I found the article informative when I was trying to decide how to diaper my kids.
livesoft
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by livesoft »

We used both cloth (diaper service) and disposable back in the day.

We probably could've used no diaper at some point like the Chinese often do:
http://chinahopelive.net/2011/03/18/spl ... experience
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by nash031 »

Haven't seen anyone mention it, and it's a personal choice, but funding a 529 for Baby is a good idea if you intend to pay/help with college as required. There was a thread on here a few months back about how to start a 529, and the $300/month from birth to 18 seemed like a good idea to me.
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doug91
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by doug91 »

In re: the initial post, if you're buying everything vs getting hand-me-downs (and by the way, used baby clothes are easy to find, and many cities have a large consignment event for clothing & toys), breastfeeding, and cloth diapering, you're probably looking at a first-year outlay of about $2,500, based on my spending records in Mint from our first year. That assumes consignment / used clothing (new could add substantially to that total), some used & some new furniture (added), factors in one or two "urgent care" visits for that first high fever, higher-end cloth diapers (hemp & wool are much more absorbent, which leads to happier baby), the inevitable set(s) of nice clothes for holiday / family portraits, and a decent breast pump.

Note: Didn't factor in daycare, it varies wildly by geography.

Edit: Forgot about the crib, high chair, etc. when I ran the Mint numbers the first time.
Last edited by doug91 on Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
erutio
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by erutio »

I don't have much more to add, as the general gist of the messages above are accurate, but I just wanted to add two things:

1) Do not skimp on changing the baby's diapers. Cloth vs disposable, walmart brand vs pampers, doesn't matter your preference, just change her whenever she needs.
2) Second hand for furniture, strollers, high chairs, clothes are all a great idea, but DO NOT get a car seat second-hand. Of all the baby needs, this is the one expense you should not cut corners on.
mommyshock13
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by mommyshock13 »

bungalow10 wrote:
mommyshock13 wrote: Actually that is very accurate for a newborn. As they say, if its yellow let it mellow but if its blackish green, change it!
Another tip, hospitals practically give away newborn diapers and formula. Take it all!!!!!!!!
"If it's yellow, let it mellow" refers to flushing a toilet, not sitting in a soiled diaper. Almost all newborn poop is yellow if the baby is breastfed.

Free formula isn't free... you have to keep buying it. Breast is best.
It was a joke. However, I do not rush to change baby if it's only wet. I will if baby pooped. Agree on the yellow color. I was referring to meconium which passes in the first week.

I EBF but took the free formula as just in case. Sadly, not every woman can BF so hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by NateH »

Your washing machine will instantly get double the work when you bring the little one home, or more. You will have to wash all of the burp rags, clothes, bedding, etc, etc. You will also be washing more of your own clothes too.
If the machine is old, prepare to buy a new one. All the laundry also means lots of baby-friendly detergent (Dreft or store brand).
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by yolli71 »

biscuit wrote:We're expecting out first baby and i'm wondering how much a baby costs per month?

We both are full-time working professionasl and we try not to spend above our budgeted amount each month. I'm trying to create a budget for the baby. But don't know how much to allocate for the baby each month.

I'm not including the day care cost here.

For everything we buy, we look for deals and buy ahead to stretch the money. So far it works well.

Thanks!
biscuit,

My kids are almost 4 and almost 2. I tried keeping track of the cost at first, and maybe I'm just not as dilligent as some others, but I gave up on that quickly. There are just so many things that you end up buying that you don't think about or "plan" on buying, but it just happens. What I found was that my wife and I tried cutting down on some of our own costs a little bit so that we wouldn't stress on what we're getting for the kids (I negotiated down our internet bill, slightly downgraded the cable tv bill, ate out less for work lunches, etc.).

But yes, you're on the right track as far as deals and buying ahead to stretch the money. I'm probably not as hardcore as some of the savers on this site, but I'll give you some tips on things we did to save money after doing lots of research and talking to our friends w/ kids...

1. Ordered diapers from Amazon.com on their Amazon Mom program. Target brand diapers are also pretty good.
2. Wipes from Costco
3. Desitin, lotions, etc. from either Costco or Walmart (buy their brands...not the name brands)
4. Clothes from Costco or hopefully you'll receive a bunch from friends and family.
5. We didn't buy used toys, but I would certainly look at that. We ended up selling lots of our big toys, swings, etc. on Craig's List and those people got a steal compared to what we paid.
6. If you must use Buy Buy Baby since they do have everything there, make sure you use the 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupons (same company). Same with Babies R Us...use their coupons before buying stuff there.
7. If you must do formula, Similac is cheaper than Enfamil and of course powder is cheaper than liquid. If your wife has trouble breastfeeding and the hospital gives you Enfamil liquid formula to supplement, I'd just stick with that. I wouldn't try switching things up at home.
8. Crib was from Walmart
9. Car seats were expensive and we bought them at Buy Buy Baby. My wife didn't want to go cheap on those.
10. Keep stuffed animals to a minimum...babies have no interest in them for a long time (if ever). I also wouldn't overdo it on the toys. Both of our kids got way more than they were ever interested in when they were babies. Human interaction is all they need at first, and then when they get slightly older they want to play with items like pots, pans, your wife's purse, etc., more than most toys.
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by Bacchus01 »

I thought I posted, but it looks like I didn't.

Taking into account those things that we would have anyway (mortgage, car payment, car insurance, property taxes, etc.) I estimate that each of our three kids "consume" about $11,202 per year (pretty scientific!) in food, clothing, water, electricity, gas, heat, toys/stuff, sports fees, etc. That doesn't include the $3K per year we put into each of their 529 plans.

I would estimate that a 0-3 baby and a teenager is 25%-40% more than that.

Call it $1K/mo and I think you are close.

If you are looking to save money, there are suggestions above, but here are some things:
- See if there is a second-hand clothing store in you area for kids. We found LOTS of clothes there that were new on hangers for 75% less than new
- Powdered formula is not just a little less expensive than liquid, it is a LOT less expensive
- We used Target's house brand formula on our third child with no ill effects
- Don't skimp on car seats, not just for safety, but comfort. There's nothing like a screaming baby in the car seat because it sucks.
- The mega strollers are a waste quickly. You'll find that the small more mobile, and cheaper, strollers are better
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doug91
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Re: How much a baby costs?

Post by doug91 »

NateH wrote:Your washing machine will instantly get double the work when you bring the little one home, or more. You will have to wash all of the burp rags, clothes, bedding, etc, etc. You will also be washing more of your own clothes too.
If the machine is old, prepare to buy a new one. All the laundry also means lots of baby-friendly detergent (Dreft or store brand).
Actually, this was one area where we were able to save a ton - my wife makes our laundry detergent at home, and it really doesn't take very long at all. This detergent doesn't work for cloth diapers, they kinda need their own thing (we use "Rockin' Green"), but it works great for everything else and is dirt cheap: http://wellnessmama.com/462/how-to-make ... detergent/

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