How much to babies REALLY cost?

I would love to get some ideas from you mummys out there about how much a new baby really costs.

I would love to be able to BF, but I have very large BB so I don't know how I'll go. I'll express if I can't BF, so I won't have to worry about formula for a while.

I know about the other big things too, like the cot, pram, etc. But I was really wondering about the week to week stuff.

I like to think I'm an optimist and will use cloth nappies when at home, and just disposables when we're out.

Any ideas?

Breast size has NO impact on breastfeeding capability. Only about 3-5% of women truly are incapable of breastfeeding or the human race would have died out millenia ago ;) Oddly enough that's about the same percentage who truly need caesareans. Nature is smart!

The cost of a child depends on how you parent. If you want to do the whole nursery experience, pram, cot, bassinette, changetable, bouncy chair thingys, that kind of thing it will cost you significantly more. Parenting is about how much love and security you provide however not those expensive consumer items which don't actually parent your child.

The needs of newborns are very simple - arms, boobs, something to wear, nappies. My son has slept in my bed from the day he was born because cosleeping is better for babies than making them sleep separately. It's also cheaper ;) and means I've never been really sleep deprived or had any trouble breastfeeding. We bought a secondhand cot when he was 6 months old and it is pushed up against my bed with the side off so it gives us extra room. He was in a sling (cost me $40) for most of his first 6 months and we bought a pram from a seconds shop which had some marks on the box so they'd reduced it by $400! Amazing! He was solely bf and I had a pump which I used to siphon off a little when my milk came in to be more comfy. We had a few bottles but he never liked them so I've thrown them out and won't buy them ever again. He is still bf at nearly 2 1/2 incidentally and I'm pregnant with #2. I've bought secondhand nappies and was given a heap of terry flats. The nappies I've bought will be used by our next child, as will the clothes our son has worn. So with cloth you're saving a lot of money!

A car seat is really important and if you don't spend money on unnecessary stuff like bassinettes, cots, bottles, monitors etc you've plenty for something so vital!

You can spend as much or as little as you like on a baby but really, they barely actually truly need anything but boobs, arms, nappies and clothes. Simple! :D

Hi Davesbubby
Im TTC#1 and i think yours is a very good question. Although im not an expert, these are just my thoughts
There needs to be $ consideration for medications/herbal things you take while pregnant, doctors visits.
The cost of the birth and the stay with hospitals + excess

I think clothing and furniture wise. its like any adult person you can be buying from a discount store or an upmarket boutique or going secondhand. Safety should be considered foremost. Ive started looking at baby clothes, and there are these little things with huge price tags!

Nappies- cloth vs disposables - can you put a price on convience?
Forumula vs Breastfeeding-

Lost of baby sites, give an "essential lists" they could be useful to see all the things you can have. I dont know if i can mention them or not, so i wont for now.

Those lists of 400 things you MUST have always crack me up. As for nappies and convenience, I do an extra load every 3 days so I don't notice it. And I can't ever run out of nappies on a Sunday night, or run out of formula after dropping it all over the floor. And to the best of my knowledge, breasts have never been recalled but lots of formula is all over the world LOL. There's not a lot more convenient than "Lift top, whack baby on" ;)

I've found that the main week to week expense has been nappies. I have some cloth but I just don't like getting any more up close and personal with poo than I can help so I only crack them out in an emergency.
One trick is to stock up before bubs arrives when things are on special (especially bulk) so that you don't need to buy it after the birth ie laundry powder, bum creams/powders, toilettries etc.
I've also found another big expense which I could easily avoid is cute little outfits - I'm a sucker for funky little baby cloths :oops: .
You could save heaps by shopping on ebay and at op-shops for second hand clothes.

We planned on using cloth nappies at home and disposables when out too..


That lasted for all of about 1 week for us :oops:

About the only thing we kept to was BF \:D/

The week to week expenses change from a newborn to a bigger baby & I assume to a child.

As a newborn, if you don't / can't breastfeed you'll have the fortnightly expense of formula (plus the startup cost of bottles, teats, steriliser, formula divider etc). Otherwise nappies are the big one. Baby washes etc you'll take ages to go through & I would suggest buying a little something each grocery shop whilst pregnant (and still getting 2 incomes ;) ). Obviously the power & water bills will go up with you being home every day.

You also have Drs appointments and any other medications bubby might need - colic relief, teething gels, panadols, nappy rash creams etc. This is a continuing one....

For a bigger bub, about 6months + you have food to add to your groceries. I haven't given Zander any jar foods, so it has meant more veges in our trolley. You'll need snacks, meals & formula (if you need it again you may not). You also need to get all the feeding stuff - bowls, forks, spoons, sippy cups, bibs & a high chair. You might also end up at this stage doing swimming lessons, joining a playgroup & having other outings that may cost you a bit.

Nappies are definately the biggie. I had all intentions of using just the regular terry towelling square nappies for Zander but he has never had one on his bottom. He had quite severe reflux (still does now :( ) and I was forever washing & I just could not deal with the thought of having nappies to wash on top of everything else. If you do go the disposable route, try out different brands & see what works for you. Huggies seem to be the best, but of course are the most expensive :rolleyes: I've worked out a combo of a cheaper nappy ($20 for 100 compared with $40 for 72) for day & Huggies for night.

I agree that Huggies are the best.

If you don't mind me asking, what brand are the cheaper ones you use Sarah? Sounds like great value.

The cheaper brand that I like are the woolworths ones - they're not as good as the huggies but they are great value for money.

Disagree on the Huggies, I found BabyLove to be better or at least equal. Anyway one expense often overlooked is visitors and visiting.

Having visitors means having to go though much more tea, coffee, biscuits, beer, wine etc Maybe even paying to have them over (we paid for MIL to come over) Also there is visiting, so petrol, food on the way etc. It was hard on us, as DH likes to show off and tends to buy things that I think the visitors should have provided in such a situation.

Another expense is the telephone. Phone calls go up in the following months after the birth.

Safety proofing the house, not needed straight away, but needs to be considered. Gates, putting up shelves to get little things out of the way etc....

Actually our biggest expense was a new kitchen and bathroom, the state of them was barely ok for a couple, but not anygood for dealing with a baby.

The Big W brand are the ones we use during the day MiyaMummy. They are $23 for 100, I can't remember the exact brand (maybe Dymples), but they are in the dark blue boxes at Big W. The Mamia brand at Aldi are good as well.

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I have some cloth but I just don't like getting any more up close and personal with poo than I can help so I only crack them out in an emergency.

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Just on this issue, a lot of disposable users are (blissfully :lol: ) unaware that it is actually illegal to put a disposable nappy with poo on it (if it's anything other than totally runny) in the bin. It is illegal to put human waste in landfill. So you should technically be scraping/rinsing all the poo off the disposable nappy into the toilet and flushing it away, exactly the same as you would with a cloth nappy. Also, with the plethora of modern cloth options available these days, and the emergence of the Little Squirt, there is no need for anyone to touch poo or suffer whilst getting it off their nappy. There are biodegradable liners you simply lift out and flush, you can blast that poo off in a second with the Little Squirt, fleece liners help the poo to simply roll off them into the toilet in a moment - it's all truly so easy, as well as cheap! Gone are the days of rinsing, soaking, pinning, folding...most modern cloth nappies go on just like a disposable and the only difference is, rather than chuck them in the bin when you're done, you chuck them in your pail, close the lid, and forget about them until you do a load of washing, when you simply throw them in. No muss, no fuss, and no extra cost to speak of. There's also economical ways of washing the extra loads if that is a concern. I can't say enough about modern cloth - I used 'sposies for the first 6 months of my son's life, thinking that cloth would be too difficult, messy and inconvenient. How wrong I was! :D I am a complete cloth convert.

Breastfeeding is obviously the free way to feed your baby; having spent some time breastfeeding and some time formula feeding, the difference in cost has been felt very strongly in our household.

I don't personally see having/raising children as expensive. I believe it can be as cheap or as expensive as you wish to make it. It all comes down to the parenting style and living style you have - the cost is largely within our control. I would rather have a large family filled with love, laughter and full bellies and warm bodies, rather than a small family with all the trappings money can buy. That's just me; maybe it also has to do with how you were raised? I know I wasn't expensive to raise at all. ;)

LOL I've tried the disposable liners and the little squirt and I still ended up retching. Its just not for me especially since my boy is a champion crapper. I'm full of admiration for mums who can do full time cloth but I'm never going to be one of them.

Cloth discussion
HERE

Thanks Astrid, but I wasn't looking for the cloth discussion, I was responding to the OP and also the posts by other respondents in relation to the OP. :D

Felicity - just putting it in incase others wanted to know more after reading your post ;)

Ah! In that case, excellent idea, Astrid! =D>

If you're going to go with cloth nappies then, like with disposables, it's a good idea to start buying them well before bub arrives. Helps spread the cost out a bit. If you can, get a few odds and ends for bub when you do your regular grocery shop. I agree with Dachlostar, clothes were a big thing for us... too hard to resist all those cute little outfits LOL. You tend to get a lot of clothing as gifts once bub arrives though so best not to go too overboard before bub's born.

Felicity, I was surprised to recently discover that many disposable users aren't aware of the poo disposal requirements. Even I've read the side of the disp. nappy packet and we're full time cloth users (Kynan's only ever worn 4 disposables and they were bounty bag samples!).

Thanks Sarah...I'll have to go for a look next time Ray has a day off :D:D

I agree with a lot of Janet's comments, ie you can spend as much as you like but there is very little that you actually need. The biggest items most people buy are cot and pram, and my kids didn't use either of these. We also paid virtually nothing for clothes as we're lucky enough to have a few friends and relatives who gave us heaps of hand-me-downs.

My list of "essentials" would be car seat (if you have a car, that is), sling (or hug-a-bub or something similar), nappies of whatever kind you intend using, and a small amount of clothes (if you ever intend having another baby, get unisex things - unless of course you don't mind your baby boy wearing nothing but pink later on).

Main things that you might be able to do without buying: cot / cradle / bassinet (most people say they'd hate to co-sleep but end up liking it, so it's probably worth a try, and you can always change the arrangement if it doesn't suit you), pram (why get a big heavy thing that you're always having to fold, unfold and carry up steps when you can use a sling?), capsule (source of many back problems, better to get a 0-4 reversible seat that doesn't have to be replaced later), heaps of expensive clothes (either your baby will be a spewer and wearing a bib all day, or your baby won't spit up much and will grow out of half the clothes before they get worn! so why not just get the basics and let the grandparents buy the occasional nice outfit for special occasions and family photos), any lotions, potions or powders (most babies don't need a shop full of "products" - you can bathe them in plain water, and if they have skin problems it's better to sample a few things to find the most suitable product to use), toys - yes, shock horror, we basically buy toys for special occasions like birthdays and that's it. You get given way too many, and even if you don't have a big family to give you things, you can get good stuff from charity shops or garage sales for very little money.

Anyway, if you believed all the "oh no, look how much kids cost!!" articles, nobody would ever have a baby and humans would become extinct!

I was a single mum when DS was four months old and doing it on my own was tough. i think the age between new born and 4 are great they dont care what they wear, anything will amuse them. nappies and formulae where my biggest expense but when they get to pre school age they want brand names and all the food with cartoon charcters on them. make the most of the first 4 years because it not really that bad. DS is 6 now and i think it is worst now then when he was a baby money wise. i had school fees the other day $800 for the term. $350 for winter uniforms. $200 for his birthday party he wants with his friends in june. $80 month on swimming lessons. $50 month on karate. plus food. plus i drive him to school 20 minutes each way 5 times a week. give me a new born/toddler anyday.

good luck. ](*,)

Im not a mum yet, although would love to be. Im going to post this comment and dont want to offend by saying it.
The co sleeping thing, i just dont know. Im scared enough of squishing the cat when he snuggles in, during winter.Recently there was a radio station appeal for a family whose baby had died because of co sleeping with their parents. they ended up smoothering the baby.

I totally agree with tommygirls comments about babies not caring about what they wear. I still remember mum saying, would you have rathered those $45 pair of shoes when you were 2 or the money saved in the bank! thank you mum for saving the money for me. Think back 20+ years to the real costing of shoes that expensive!
I think there are so many beautiful cheap clothes out there as well. Of course there are so that are sooooo cute. I scan some website. My Dh though it was the price for the whole outfit, not just the little top

The true blessing of being able to have a baby shouldnt be affected by money (i know you need some) but its about growing your family and love.

Sunny, the most important thing in being a parent is that you and your baby are both happy. What suits one family may be another family's idea of a horror show. Babies can be noisy little people when they sleep - they snore and snuffle and fart. Some people sleep through it and other wake up at every squeak. Until you're a mum you don't know what will work for you. I have heard of so many people who ended up doing the exact opposite of what they had planned.
Pinky McKay defines co-sleeping as the baby being within arms reach of its carer which means that a cot with the side off or a hammock next to the bed are both co-sleeping options. They also sell little bed capsules at Target now which are designed to go in your bed between you and your partner for bubs to sleep in.
There are safe guidleines for co-sleeping and its important to follow them. Most of the co-sleeping accidents you hear of are people who don't follow these guidelines.

I love this thread its great to see the diversity of parenting styles and needs - what some people love others can just do without and vice-versa.

Think I'm so lucky in the UK as I don't have to worry about huge obstetric bills as my NI covers all that! As our medical insurance (along with pension) is a tax, I don't even have to worry about forms or what I can or can't have!

But over here it's reccommended you don't have baby in bed with you. Though I do want a cot just off the bed so I don't have to get out of bed to cuddle/reassure baby in the night. There's also a drive for people to use real nappies, hope it's still on when I'm pg as you get a load for free if you want them!

I guess cot, car seat, baby carrier/sling OR pram (probably both, depending on where we're going) would be essential. And I know my in-laws bought some of that for BiL and his wife, though doubt they'll do that for us, but I think my parents will want to buy something (ha, be hard to stop them getting an entire nursery!). My mum can't wait to start knitting and my best friend has already bought baby romper suit patterns to make some cute outfits now she's into sewing! I'm not having DH's family's hand-me-downs as I don't get on with them and don't want to hear their snidey comments about it. Wouldn't object to some of my family giving us things though, just would have to be the people I really liked. Once we start TTC I'm going to be buying cute outfits in the sales for children up to the age of 2 so I won't have to worry about clothing the babies we have at first or when they grow.

We already have the things that people think are non-essential: The soft toys, digital camera/video recorder (in a camera, so computer movies only for now), baby music CDs, parenting and pregnancy books, we are currently baby-proofing the house too and getting rid of sharp corners or unsafe things that could, with encouragement, fall off a surface onto a head. I also have a ton of products that are fine for baby use, but DH is going to use them before I even get pg, so I guess I may need some more mild soap in a few years.

The only other thing we have to do is set up a savings account - tell grandparents, uncles and aunts the account details and tell them to spend half on the child for birthdays/Christmas/Easter and put the rest in their saver account so they can go to Uni/buy a house. I know I always got way too much when I was little as I had a big family and, TBH, didn't use most of the stuff. I still have favourite games that are battered and loved, but don't have the ones I didn't like in perfect condition: they're still taking up space at my parents.

The other thing that really helped us save money is don't be shy about telling people what you want/need. If you don't say anything, your friends and relations will buy you all kinds of things, half of which you didn't really want. And most people are grateful if you tell them, so they can spend their hard earned money one something that will be used. Also they can tell you if they spot any ridiculously good bargains.

About co-sleeping - not all babies like it. I have a bassinet and a cot, but when my babies were small I would bring them into bed with me at night if they wouldn't settle and it worked a treat and allowed me to get more sleep. My DS still likes to sleep in our bed, he will climb in during the night a few times a week. My DD however, once she got to about 6 months of age, hated it - if I put her in bed with me to settle her, she would toss and kick and cry, so I would comfort her and then put her back in her cot where she would go to sleep comfortably.

I like, however, that my kids have their own space for sleeping and co-sleeping full time is not my cup of tea. Whether or not it is "better" for babies, I think what is most important is that they feel secure and loved and I know I provide that for them even though they are not in my bed every night to sleep.

I agree, when it comes to buying baby things, babies do not need brand names and they do not care whether you buy them a $50 outfit or a $10 one. Shampoos, baby bath etc are not necessities and you may find that you get given a lot of this stuff anyway. I only ever used disposables, huggies are the best, but the woolies nappies are good value and even the home brand nappies are quite good.

Bon