Baby Benefits

curly07

Hi there! I'm hoping someone can help me! me and my bf are thinking of having a baby! We are just doing the maths and research to make sure we can afford one! We are both 23 (24 later in year) I am really just wondering what sort of benefits do you get when you have a baby? I would def be returning to work, possibly part time if the piggy bank allows it after maternity leave is over. I know its all money money money when a child is born so just wondering what sort of money you get to support you from the government! Our combined income is under £40,000. Hope to get some info to help us. Its all a bit confussing!

Thanks

P.S if anyone can give me any other advice on whats the important things to buy at first for the baby etc please do! Just want to make this big decission a good one!

caz2703

I'll warn you now - babies are expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our combined salaries mean we're entitled to very little so as far as I know we get a small amount of child benefit which is £20/week and nothing else. You *may* be entitled to Child Tax Credits given your salaries but you'd need to try the HMRC website to get an idea. You will also be entitled to a Health In Pregnancy grant which I think was £160 regardless of your financial situation.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/TaxCreditsandChildBenefit/TaxCredits/Gettingstarted/whoqualifies/DG_181268

When it comes to what to buy for a baby you will walk into shops and think you need everything but in actual fact you can save yourself a ton of money if you shop wisely. Things you will need:

Cot or cotbed plus mattress - cotbed converts from a cot to a bed for a toddler
Pram - try eBay or Gumtree for second hand ones unless you have money to burn
Car seat (if you have a car obviously!) - try to buy this brand new as second hand ones cannot be guaranteed to be fully safe and not involved in an accident
Clothes - buy cheap babygros from supermarkets as you'll forever be changing leaking nappies or puke so no point ruining good clothes. I also buy clothes in advance in the sales such as M&S or Next so the little ones have nice clothes on the cheap
Nappies - Asda do a baby event every 3 months or so where you can stock up on boxes of nappies and baby wipes on the cheap
Steriliser and bottles - be warned, babies don't always do what they should so you could end up formula feeding or if you're lucky, you can express and freeze milk so your partner can do a bottle feed while you get some well earned sleep

You will also need bucketloads of patience and a strong partner to lean on. Pregnancy can be horrible and sleep deprivation can make the most even tempered person turn into a monster. I suffered 3 months of nausea, 3 months of relative normalness followed by 3 more months of nausea. It's all worth it but this isn't a decision you take lightly. I held off until I was 30 before having my baby and I think only now can I say I've enjoyed my life and done what I wanted without having a baby that I may resent. Waiting until I was 30 also allowed me to build up some savings that are starting to dwindle.

Good luck whatever you decide but don't rush in - a baby is for life, not just for Xmas :rotfl:

curly07

caz2703 thanks very much for your reply! alot to consider!! We both feel ready to have a baby within the next year, just trying to work out if we can actually afford it! I wouldnt bring a baby into the world if i couldn't support it.

We had thought of gathering bits and pieces as we went along, but part of me wants to wait and do that nearer the time! I think we would be entitled to Child Tax Credits, reading what that link said! Will look into that further though!

Why are things that bring so much joy so dam expensive?? lol

Again thanks so much for your advice! the more the merrier!

quintwins

babys don't have to be expensive, i'm still breastfeeding ,my 8month old i used reusable nappies for the first few months, however he has exzema and this flared it up, he costs very llittle

you can get secondhand cbaby bits, i also have 31/2 year old twins babys are only as dear as you allow them to be, we had no money at all once our twins were born but we managed fine

you will be entitles to childbenefit, however you may not be entitles to much tax credits, but if you are theres a good chance you'll get a surestart grant, but you might have to wait til your babys born (as you ahve to eb on a higher rate which you are after the babys born as you get a childcare element) but there is a cut off for this and every mother now gets £190 grant in late preg

don't buy a bottle warmer, or baby carrier as you will never use them, don't buy too many newborn bits as they grow out of these very quickly, so much so my youngest never even fitted into them

curly07

quintwins thanks very much for the reply!

I have been trying to think along those lines of it being as expensive as you make it! Just my mum puts doubts in my head as to weither we can afford it or not! I know people buy alot of things for the baby at first and my mum auntie and granny are all knitters! so thats a bonus!! lol I had looked into reusable nappys earlier.. my, they have changed since I was a baby!! not what i thought they were, plus saves a fortune!

I think i might just be worrying too much!! we are alot better of than some people I know who have feel pregnant and are younger than me! So I'm trying to think about what we have got.. not what we havent!

I really want to go for it... everyones advice is greatly appreciated! thanks

dianeio

I'm with quintwins. I have a 6 month old I breastfeed and use cloth nappies. I only had a preloved pram and had asked by siblings to buy the car seat, that was all I had the day my baby was born - oh and three sleepsuits/blanket. I borrowed a mosses basket and the rest was gifts. I buy second hand clothing a head of her age and stocked up in the xmas sales.

Babies are only as expensive as you want them to be. If your both use to a luxury lifesyle (holidays, eating out, nice cars, shopping etc) then you will find it tough when your income in slashed by half - real shock at first. Their health then becomes more important than your previous lifestyle.

blueberrypie

There's very little that you *need* for a baby. Most of what you *can* buy is completely unnecessary. The biggest expense with a first baby is loss of income (if you don't return to work) or childcare (if you do return to work).

If I had a new baby and absolutely nothing, I'd buy a carseat and a sling/wrap (not the kind of carrier where the baby's legs hang down, but something like a Storchenweige or Maya Wrap). The vast majority of mums can breastfeed (often people stop because of problems that could have easily been sorted out - such a pity.) People will give you clothes - as well as gifts, babies grow out of tiny clothes so fast that there are always lots of people happy to pass things along. I have a pram but it's rarely used (and more often that not it's only used because it's handy for carrying things other than the baby!) - I wouldn't bother replacing it. We use cloth nappies (and have saved a fortune there - some of them have seen us through five babies). And babies never slept in cots until less than a century ago (and still don't sleep in cots in much of the world now).

Later on, there are more expenses - grocery-bills increase, if you have more children you might need a larger car, the cost of things like holidays can go up (depending on what kind of holidays you take), clothes and shoes cost more as they get bigger, etc. But at the beginning - well, you can spend an absolute fortune, or you can spend almost nothing.

quintwins

you don't need a moses basket, altho they are nice to have, you can get by with a cot, some nappies and wipes, and a few sleepsuits and vests, some sheets, and a car seat,

breastfeeding saves a fortune, blueberrypie in sompletely right most women can breastfeed, and women need to be informed that it is sore, but only for the first few seconds of feeds, but it's an awful pain, this completely passes after around 2 weeks or so, i feel that not being informed of this is why alot of women give up

get yourself on freegle not sure where you live but there is baby stuff on the belfast one at the monment, you can get loads of baby stuff off there

dianeio

I would agree, not enough honest advice about breastfeeding. The early weeks are hard but its well worth it later.

Good advice about wraps/slings - I have a Moby one, they can be pricey. She did not like it in the early days - but loves being in it facing outwards. The sling is great but I still get use out of my pram. Its amazing the price you can get for some barely used designer prams on Gumtree - was just looking last week and a Bugaboo with full package extras £250. used for only 6 months, now thats one hell of a financial loss for the silly people that bought it.

quintwins

i saw that bugaboo aswell

i never really used my sling, didn't have one with the twins, as it would have been dificult and jacks never went in his then he was 2 big i recently gave it to a friend however i have a mothercare baby carrier which is lovely and can be used to breastfeed in

(has anyone else read this? i saw it this morning it seemed relevant http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1259358/yummy-mummy-baby-slings-kill.html )


i also wanted to add jars of baby food are a complete rip off and when we gave the twins some we found they came out the same colour they went in, and it worried me that there was so much colouring in it they couldn't digest it, so jack has never had a jar and i find making my won food alot cheaper and you know whats in it, i don't do big patches either i give him what we have and make extra to freeze for his lunchs or if we're having an unhealthy day


if you really want to suceed with breatfeeding, don'y buy any milk, you can pick it up at any point if you need it, however if you acually have to go and get it from the shop your less likely give in, in the middle of your 10th night with no sleep, cause if you just stick at it for another few days it gets better

dianeio

Cradle hold - however I just looked at the instructions for that position with my Moby wrap and the newborn does not lie low - is more sitting up at the breast area, but I can understand that lack of knowledge and wearing a wrap wrong can be dangerous for a newborn.

So true about the formula milk in cupboard, I now a few people that fell for that one.

Another thing don't get all the marketing packs - bounty etc. I had three phone calls today from marketing people selling me baby portrait session, financial services, etc (I could swear that I asked for no marketing referrals on the forms).

Gona do baby Led Weaning so no jars of baby food will be taking up space in my cupboard.