Realistically, how much do you spend per month on a new baby?

Aimless

On the breast pads front, last time round I leaked, a lot! I used to use a flannel each side, folded into 4. Ok not the most aesthetic of solutions, but better than buying boxfuls of pads. I never had breastfeeding clothes, just tucked baby under the edge of my tshirt.

RedwoodBrook

With all due respect Weird Nev, if you didn't have £30 to spend every 3 days then you would find other ways to buy/go without with the things you say you 'need'.

My son was also early, although not as little as yours, and nothing I had fitted him. He is 7 weeks tomorrow and still in premature baby clothes as his growth and weight gain has been very stunted. That said, I have made do. Premature/Tiny baby clothes are often the first to be reduced in shops as they have the least demand.

I also agree with GillyX - if you are savvy you can often pick up £££'s worth of nappies and wipes for a fraction of the retail price. I am tempted to post a picture my little boys room. I could quite easily set up a shop with all the stock I have at the moment. If he continues to use them at the current rate, I easily have enough of both to last 6 months (atleast)...and its cost me very little.

Reading the thread again, I agree that unexpected costs need to be taken into account. That said, we didn't have a straightforward pregnancy or birth and the last 7 weeks haven't been as rosy as they could be. But... the only unexpected cost we have had was a set of 8 new bottles (at £6 each) because baby has had lots of difficulty feeding and needed specially designed ones.

At the end of the day, your budget (or opinions) will determine what people define as essentials. I do not have a baby monitor, room thermometer or most of the other stuff people have listed as 'needing'. I could afford to buy them, but personally don't see the need.

Oh, and despite not needing them anymore Poundland have packs of 40 breastpads. Had I known they sold them when I needed them I would certainly have bought them there - they're so bl00dy expensive everywhere else!

maryjane01

thetope wrote: »

As she is breastfed she doesnt barf much and we rarely need to change clothes during the day.

Sorry, hate to break it to you, this has nothing to do with being breastfed, it is luck of the draw. Which reminds me, another cost was racing out to buy extra muslin cloths after the 10 I had bought before the birth turned out to not be enough in our case (some people never use them though, just one of those things, and I was constantly washing!), and luckily for me my sister gave me loads of bibs. My exclusively breastfed son chucked up his milk all the time.

I have a friend who has just had her second and she told me she didn't understand why small babies needed bibs (as her 1st didn't), but her 2nd baby brings up her milk (both breastfed) and now she understands why.

thetope

maryjane01 wrote: »

Sorry, hate to break it to you, this has nothing to do with being breastfed, it is luck of the draw.

Oh fair enough, it was just something someone told me, but happy to stand corrected. This is my first baby and I'm certainly very happy that bibs rarely feature! She doesn't burp much but can fart like a 20 stone rugby player!

*Redhead*

I think it's a case of shopping around really, but it costs as much/little as you want it to.

Shopping around for me worked wonders. As did using codes/vouchers, making the most of Asda/Tesco baby events and signing up to baby clubs.


This time I've got over 700 nappies and over 40 packs of wipes stashed away, in sizes Newborn to 3, and it's cost less than £40 thanks to various vouchers etc.

I also would suggest buying some things second hand. We bought our pram second hand for £150 and it's in almost new condition. I then bought all the added extras (parasol, covers, changing bag, saddle bag, car seat adaptors) for another £50, when in total it should have cost over £1200. I definitely couldn't have afforded to buy it new and it really is my dream pram.

If you're thinking of Formula feeding, Tubs of SMA (from birth and follow on) are £5.99 at Home Bargains, by far the cheapest I've seen.

I wouldn't think about things too much though, you'll manage

Gillyx

*Redhead* wrote: »

I also would suggest buying some things second hand. We bought our pram second hand for £150 and it's in almost new condition. I then bought all the added extras (parasol, covers, changing bag, saddle bag, car seat adaptors) for another £50, when in total it should have cost over £1200. I definitely couldn't have afforded to buy it new and it really is my dream pram.

:happyhear

We've not bought any of the extras yet :eek: I don't want to think about it to be honest. We bought the mattress, that's it

grey_lady

Hats off to everyone on this thread - however much you plan ahead though - things might not work out like that. E.g. you may have stocked up on Pampers nappies when they were on special only to discover that your LO's bum doesn't suit them and they leak/cause rashes only to give a load away. I gave away a lot of formula to a foodbank because I'd stocked up on SMA and Cow&Gate and neither suited LO's tum.

Relax - I think you can spend a lot or a little and bubs probably won't notice the difference.

grey_lady

Especially hats off to Weird Nev - hope the LO is doing well :beer:

Aimless

If the nappies I bought don't agree, I shall do my best to trade in any full packs before I think of giving them away. Same if we outgrow the huge stack of newborn ones next to me.

As other people have said, it costs as much as you let it really. Muslins hadn't even been invented as far as I know with my last one, I used bibs, flannels or old terry nappies (washed!) to mop up. I was astounded to see how much muslins cost!

MarilynMonroe_2

I think I used to spend £12 a week milk, £10 on nappies/wipes/cream/bags?

Those are you 2 main things, anything else can be as long as a piece of string. Clothes, you can do well getting charity shop ones cos they grow out of them so quick you can get immacualte clothes for next to nothing ... newborns don't need much once youve bought the basics like pram and cot, blankets and clothes.

If I had to put a figure on it I would say you could comfortably keep a baby for £30 a week.


(The good side is by the time they are 2 you've forgotton what you spent lol)