Hi there,

Yes the government assistance can be of great help! If you are a low income earner you may be eligible for additional parenting payments as well as family tax benefit and baby bonus payments. In regards to your housing, you may be eligible for rent assistance also.

Get a pram that you can use for a few years, same with car seat - get a convertible one that can be used til bub is 16kg (app. 3 - 4 years) or whatever it is.

Get clothes second-hand if possible as bub will grow out of them so quickly you don't want to be spending lots of money on clothes in the first few years.

A baby shower is a great way to get clothes for the first year.

If you are able to, use cloth nappies - yes there's an outlay but you will never have to buy them again!

Stick to basics...you don't need a fandangle exxy pram, cot, high chair, nappy bag, etc!

Good luck amd congrats!

ETA...the $5000 baby bonus would cover the cost of the first year imo...providing you buy moderately priced stuff. Also, really look out for the big sales - Toys R Us, Baby Bunting, Target, etc have nursery sales quite often so NEVER pay full price for anything!!