How much does a baby add to your budget?

Birdie85

Rambosmum wrote: »

We will be using reusable nappies, which will add 2 extra wash loads per week, plus one extra for baby clothes.

And the rest! :rotfl: Our newborn got through about 4 changes a day thanks to bringing up milk after most feeds and poo-splosions. Don't forget that when these things happen the poor sod who happens to be holding baby at the time gets covered too so I went through at least 2 changes of clothes a day, as well as all the muslins to wipe up the mess. We went from doing 2 loads of washing a week to at least one a day, and we don't use cloth nappies. We had a brief hiatus when the escaping poo stopped happening and we was keeping his milk down really well so we all managed to keep our clothes clean all day... then the weaning started and we were back to 2/3 changes of clothes a day and this time everything needed a pre-wash as it was stained orange!

Lunar_Eclipse

The biggest cost of having a baby by far, is loss of income and/or childcare.

I imagine nappies is the next biggest, but tiny in comparison. Wipes aren't necessary, but helpful (especially when out & about.)

Many people will be willing to help out with clothes, necessities such as prams and toys, but if you're the first amongst your circle of friends to have a child, there are plenty of options to buy second hand.

roses

I would also invest in a battery charger and rechargeable batteries. The amount of batteries your baby will go through is crazy, I used about 8 a week for the night music projector, vibrating chair, playmat etc.

Lunar_Eclipse

roses wrote: »

I would also invest in a battery charger and rechargeable batteries. The amount of batteries your baby will go through is crazy, I used about 8 a week for the night music projector, vibrating chair, playmat etc.

It's a good suggestion, though not necessarily for that reason: we had nothing that required batteries.

We had a few Christmases when the kids were say 4-8 where DH bought batteries for anything that needed them or just in case. Smart man.

meer53

roses wrote: »

I would also invest in a battery charger and rechargeable batteries. The amount of batteries your baby will go through is crazy, I used about 8 a week for the night music projector, vibrating chair, playmat etc.

:eek::eek::eek:

Babies need a dark room and a cot to sleep in, what do they need a night music projector for ? Or a vibrating chair, or a playmat that needs batteries ?

roses

My son loves his loves his music projector while he settles down. He has been using it from birth and is now just over 2.5 years. He uses it for naps and at night, it is brilliant:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Years-Starlight-Dreamshow-Yellow/dp/B00020IPDW

Vibrating chair: where do you put them when they are awake? You can't carry them around everywhere (I paid £10 on ebay & it is from newborn to toddler age range):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisher-Price-BCD29-Newborn-to-Toddler-Portable-Rocker/dp/B00HA0FB9S/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1443709059&sr=1-2&keywords=newborn+toddler+vibration+baby+bouncer

Playmat: he had a pad that played music whenever he kicked his feet on it (£10 on ebay):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Coast-Nursery-Gymini-Discover/dp/B001IEJKSK/ref=sr_1_5?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1443709092&sr=1-5&keywords=kick+playmat

He gets bored of things that didn't move or make sound.

Former_MSE_Andrea

A lot, lol!

Two, even more

Our Baby Checklist may help!

meer53

roses wrote: »

My son loves his loves his music projector while he settles down. He has been using it from birth and is now just over 2.5 years. He uses it for naps and at night, it is brilliant:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Years-Starlight-Dreamshow-Yellow/dp/B00020IPDW

Vibrating chair: where do you put them when they are awake? You can't carry them around everywhere (I paid £10 on ebay & it is from newborn to toddler age range):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisher-Price-BCD29-Newborn-to-Toddler-Portable-Rocker/dp/B00HA0FB9S/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1443709059&sr=1-2&keywords=newborn+toddler+vibration+baby+bouncer

Playmat: he had a pad that played music whenever he kicked his feet on it (£10 on ebay):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Coast-Nursery-Gymini-Discover/dp/B001IEJKSK/ref=sr_1_5?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1443709092&sr=1-5&keywords=kick+playmat

He gets bored of things that didn't move or make sound.

Both my kids went to sleep with a cuddly toy, in the dark. I had a chair which i put them in when they were too small to sit by themselves, it moved with their own momentum. Mine played on the floor on a rug with their toys when they were old enough. My view is that babies should learn to settle themselves and not be overstimulated.

LilElvis

meer53 wrote: »

Both my kids went to sleep with a cuddly toy, in the dark. I had a chair which i put them in when they were too small to sit by themselves, it moved with their own momentum. Mine played on the floor on a rug with their toys when they were old enough. My view is that babies should learn to settle themselves and not be overstimulated.

Times change. If you were a first time mother now you might well do things differently, just as you probably didn't do what your own mother did.

When my (now 5 year old) daughter was moved into her own room at 8 months we would turn on her lullaby CD as we left the room after settling her for the night. She soon learned that her music meant that the lights were going to be turned to low, Mummy and Daddy were going to leave the room and it was time for sleep. She was usually asleep before the end of the second song.

My sister gave us a vibrating chair. My nephew loved it, daughter not so much. It did come in useful on the odd occasion when she was fractious but fighting nap time - similar to children being trundled in their pushchair or being taken for a car drive to settle them.

We didn't have a musical playmat, but we did have one with sensory areas, an overhead arch with dangling mirror, toys and a mobile for the time before she could roll over or crawl. Basically a rug with toys attached.

ViolaLass

OP, reusable nappies were easily our most money-saving purchase. We calculated that even with cleaning costs, we have been in profit since our daughter was 3-4 months old. The nappies are showing little sign of wear and tear and with luck will do us a second child too, should we have one.