Cost of baby - first year

ahealthiermoo

My son was born in September last year and I've been really surprised how inexpensive everything has been so far to be honest. I didn't want to have a baby shower as I felt they were a little tacky - asking for presents. Everybody wants to come and visit after you have had a baby though and they all bring gifts anyway!
We were given a Moses basket from a friend, who had only spent £10 on it to begin with having bought it on eBay.
My parents bought us a complete travel system from an auction for £20 and a highchair for £10 at the same time.
Two of my friends have already completed their families and were eager to offload their saved baby clothes when they found out I was expecting. I have a full wardrobe for my son for the first year of his life at no cost! I did feel a little sad that I didn't get to choose any of his outfits, but he has been given some lovely clothes, including several new ones from friends who came to visit after he was born.
I was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed and although we were gifted a cloth nappy set, we have stuck to disposables for ease as we stay away a lot at parents' houses.
Our most expensive purchase was his cot which cost us just over £250 with mattress as we bought it new to fit in with the other room furniture. But we used some of his Christmas money from relatives to pay this off so it ended up not costing us a whole lot either.
I take him to a free library-run stay and play class each week and meet up with friends who have babies of a similar age once a fortnight, but I also did splash(!) out on swimming lessons which I absolutely do not regret as his confidence in the water has grown so much and he loves it!
We put £2 a week into a bank account for him which we don't plan on telling him about and gifting to him when he turns 18.
Babies are basically as expensive as you want them to be. I doubt our weekly bill is a huge amount higher than it was pre-baby. The biggest change is that I plan on returning to work for seven weeks in June and then handing in my notice to stay at home with him full time. I shall have to become more frugal then!

andycol

The financial stress is the hardest thing I should say. We have a son via surrogacy. (The process itself was not the cheapest one.) I guess you'll spend almost $10,000 on your baby's first year.You really don't realize how much you need for your child. And how tempting it is to buy things! Even if youre prepared to shell out for diapers, food, gear, clothes, toys, childcare, and healthcare, some hidden extras may bust your budget. The reasons may be different sadly enough. For example, my child had chronic ear infections. It's the $20 co-pays added. Or emergency room visits which cost $150 co-pay for. Then I planned breastfeeding. So this plan didn't work. And we ended up buying formula. Also making room for our long awaited baby was quite money consuming. It may sound surprising but I also found sleep suits to be really expensive as DS grew so quickly. He had two or three for each season (vomit/nappy spills etc.) Sometimes we had one in the wash, one drying and one on him) for each size and they added up. Also consider things like occasional babysitting/music classes/gymbaroo/playgroups/swim lessons - all these things add up a lot.

andycol

Came back hereagain today. Just some of the thoughts. Those financial burden is nothing compared to money sums you pay to the fetility clinic just to try to get your little one..We've currently trying to decide between 2 surrogacy packages, EUR 40k and EUR 50k..Yet this is my friend's story. She's from Canada so any ultrasounds, blood tests, HSG's, endo surgery's etc are covered by healthcare. Here is the break down of what they have spent so far:!
IUI's : $1,500 each time x 3 =$4,500!
First round of IVF:!
registration fee $320!
lab work $7,900!
drugs: $2,900!
hatching: $780!
total; $11,900!
Second round of IVF:!
registration fee $320!
lab work $8,400!
Drugs: $6,200!
ICSI $1,910!
total $16,830!
So far they have spent $33,230 and have nothing to show for it.!
They have been using own eggs. first IVF they got 10 eggs, was implanted with two on day three, nothing survived. second IVF round they got 20 eggs implanted with two on day 5 and nothing survived again...
No one deserves these strugglings..

Blinkyspears21

My daughter is almost 7 months now. I've kept a spreadsheet since the delivery and the overall cost as of this date is roughly around $3000.

Yes, that's right. Only $3000.

We are a very minimalist couple so didn't buy much.

We didn't get a crib or pram. We only have two baby wraps and they are the best $50 ever spent for our baby. She loves being on the baby wrap. By one month, she can lift her own head. Four months, sit down on her own, and at 6 months, stand and walk assisted.

If you plan to breastfeed exclusively, you'll save a lot. I invested around $150 for a double automatic pump but after using it for a week or two, it is so much better to use the manual. You save time and you get more milk.

For baby clothes, we bought 3 full onesies for 3-6 months old and 1 full onesie for 6-9 months old, 3 onesies for 3-6 months. That's it. They grow up so fast so don't bother to buy clothes for 0-3 months.

Most of our expenses came from my delivery and vaccines. But if you have insurance, you'll probably save more. Aside from that, it's just the nappies for recurring expenses.

19carlymarie88

Hi! Congrats on the upcoming arrival!


Just thought I'd throw my 2p in - And I may not be the most moneysaving person but still found babies not that expensive in the long run.


Clothes: I bought bulk baby grows etc from ebay prior to birth. And stocked up for the first year so only had to pick up odd bits here and there once baby was here. Plus you get gifted so much so shouldn't be a massive expense!


Formula: Sure, breastfeeding is cheaper and natural, but not everyone has that option. I certainly didn't so I spent on average of £10 per week on formula (1 tub a week), which then reduced as baby had less feeds a day.


Nappies: Personally I couldn't wrap my head round washable nappies (I know its cheaper and more eco friendly, but just couldn't do it!) so I bought a big pack of nappies each week which again reduced as baby needed changing less. Cost maybe £6 per week I think.


Toys: To be fair we had a few gifted etc so didn't pay a fortune...and newborns really aren't fussed so not a necessity.


We were gifted a cot bed (handy as lasted until she was 4 and put away in waiting for baby nr2), and a pram and our real only 'expensive' purchase was a tommee tippee bottle steriliser set at £60. Moses basket I got for £7 off ebay and car seat was bought off a friend for £30.


My second is due Jan 2020 and I don't intend to spend any more than necessary this time round.....who knew babies don't need shoes when they cant walk lol!!

DCFC79

andycol wrote: »

Came back hereagain today. Just some of the thoughts. Those financial burden is nothing compared to money sums you pay to the fetility clinic just to try to get your little one..We've currently trying to decide between 2 surrogacy packages, EUR 40k and EUR 50k..Yet this is my friend's story. She's from Canada so any ultrasounds, blood tests, HSG's, endo surgery's etc are covered by healthcare. Here is the break down of what they have spent so far:!
IUI's : $1,500 each time x 3 =$4,500!
First round of IVF:!
registration fee $320!
lab work $7,900!
drugs: $2,900!
hatching: $780!
total; $11,900!
Second round of IVF:!
registration fee $320!
lab work $8,400!
Drugs: $6,200!
ICSI $1,910!
total $16,830!
So far they have spent $33,230 and have nothing to show for it.!
They have been using own eggs. first IVF they got 10 eggs, was implanted with two on day three, nothing survived. second IVF round they got 20 eggs implanted with two on day 5 and nothing survived again...
No one deserves these strugglings..

Hi Andy


Its expensive but those figures dont really mean anything in the UK.

AmberPick

Hello! I think if you plan ahead, you won't be surprised at how much money you spend. Besides, you don't have to buy everything new and expensive. What's really expensive is the treatment, kids get sick a lot. You have to be prepared. 

Siebrie

I know this is a very old thread, but I do want to add something. I always kept 'African baby' in mind... a baby doesn't really need that much: social interaction, a safe place to sleep, some type of cover to stay warm, food. Anything else is extra.