So how much does a baby cost?

The scary figures quoted in the press are primarily made up of nursery fees. If you buy 2nd hand then babies and children can be quite cheap. Buy a sling and not a pushchair cost £50 compared to £250+. Use reusable nappies and not disposables and save a few hundred.

There's loads you can do. It doesn't need to be expensive well until they become teenagers and you're looking at Uni fees but hopefully by then their mum might be able to work and contribute too.

I think a lot of the high figures quoted include assumptions of lost earnings while one parent stays at home.
Some of my friends have an only child, both parents work in well-paid jobs and they stress about money.
Other friends have got 3 children, both parents work but one only very part time, and they have got 2 at uni now.
Inkie is right - it can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.
I'm sure you and your partner want your child to have the best things in life.
Do remember that the best things in life aren't things

I think a lot of the high figures quoted include assumptions of lost earnings while one parent stays at home.
Some of my friends have an only child, both parents work in well-paid jobs and they stress about money.
Other friends have got 3 children, both parents work but one only very part time, and they have got 2 at uni now but they manage very well financially.
Inkie is right - it can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.
I'm sure you and your partner want your child to have the best things in life.
Do remember that the best things in life aren't things

I have six and am not bankrupt yet! My oh earns a bit more than you but not much and he keeps me at home too, barefoot and quite often pregnant of course! Remember you will save money because you won't have a social life or foreign holidays etc perhaps. Also, I gave up work once I had two children, I was a teacher earning a reasonable salary, we found that the savings in terms of nursery fees, getting rid of a car and needing much less convenience food etc meant that it didn't make much difference. (We did move from London to somewhere much cheaper, but took a pay cut too, so that balances). In my experience, it's getting all the initial stuff that costs, but you can do this through freecycle and charityshops very easily. After that, they are cheap for a while, until they get a bit older and start needing football boots, money for school trips and so on, that's when they really start costing you imo.

Ness.