Newborn Costs??

Planned Parenthood says that a baby averages about $199 a month. I'm also a military wife and there are somethings that are paid for but there's so much that isn't. If you haven't already you can go to Navy Relief (or whatever branch you're in) it's part off fleet and family support center. And do a "Baby Finaces" budget overhaul. You can get baby tylonol from the pediatricain, but it's a tiny bottle and doesn't last very long. And you can get rash creams and such from them too. Just ask and you can pick them up at the miltary pharmacy. But baby soap and shampoo, daipers, bottles, formula if you should need it, toys, bibs, and the everyday stuff you and your husband use such as laundry soap and utilities go up in cost because you've increased your family size, and you end up doing WAY more laundry. Congratulations on your soon to be new little one.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi S.. Congrats on the new baby! Your life is fixing to change indefinitely!! Well, I have to say the 1st year really didn't cost a whole lot (excluding the fact that I couldn't go shopping without buying her clothes, even though she already had plenty :) ). Breastfeeding cuts the cost of formula (which is expensive) & at 6 months when we started feeding her, I made her food, sooooo much cheaper than buying pre-packaged baby food, & healthier & tastier too! The biggest expense was the diapers. I wished I would have had it in me to use cloth. They are a little pricey at 1st, but in the end less expensive than disposables. Good luck & have fun!
God bless!
H. B

1 mom found this helpful

Congrats S....While I was expecting my children I got the walmart, babiesrus and target cards and with each paycheck I put $25-50.00 on each of them. So you can see which store you want to buy from the most and start setting aside money for baby needs on. I also brought a pack or two of diapers and wipes each payckeck. By the time I had my kids I didnt have to buy diapers til they were wearing a size 3. ( I got different sizes) As my kids were born in June and July so I always got a bargain on their clothes because of the clearance sales (just be careful, some kids grow fast) Good luck. Hope this helps

1 mom found this helpful

Hey S.,

Are you at Fort Bliss? That's were my family and I are. I have 3 little ones my oldest son 35 months, daughter 20 months and baby boy 6 months, we are also a military family so here is where our budget sits.

Yes all the medical stuff will be paid for except. I had to readjust my budget for childrens tylonol, supositories, butt cream and special soap. Every mom hopes their kids will be healthy, but if you budget $30/month for these things you should be safe.

Diaper budget (shopping at PX/Commisary) We have to buy the name brand diapers because of allergies, so we spend about $80/month/kid on diapers. A little less on the baby, because there are so many more in a pack, but you can expect 10-12 diapers a day, and then what brand you would like and go from there.

Baby food (6 months on) we budgett $10/week for the baby and $22/week each for the older 2. Mostly they eat smaller portions of what we are having, but I try to buy healthy snacks just for them and really with the both of them we are only adding an extra 1/2 portion to what we already make.

Activities for you and the tiny one. around 5 months we started once a month outings to places like the zoo and parks. We budget $50/month for the family for just plain fun.

Toys/Games for the little one. They seem to outgrow things quickly and we always look for nice second hand things. we budgett $15/month for all 3 for something new for them each month. It goes a long way at thrift stores and they can get 3-4 new things each. We also sell/donate their old stuff that doesn't get played with much.

Don't forget to budget a date night as well. Being a stay at home mom is nice ( I really like it) but you will need to get a break once in a while. If for no other reason than to be sure if something happens and you need someone else to watch your little bundle, it won't be such a culture shock since they have always had only you. We budget about $40/month.

Thats all I can think of for now. If you ever want to chat just let me know. We just moved to El Paso from Pennsylvania and haven't had a chance to make many friends yet.

:)
R.

1 mom found this helpful

I personally don't think babies cost that much. Aside from medical costs, or formula, there is not a whole lot a baby 'needs'. There are a lot of products in stores but you don't know if your baby will even like them such as a bassinet, swing, etc. Both my kids have ended up in our bed. If you breastfeed its great and free. You can find thrifty ways to get things like on craigslist, resale shops. For big items I ask my parents on birthdays and Christmas(they ask what I want). Diapers do get pricey but you can buy store brands or luvs and it saves quite a bit. Creams and soaps I got so much from my shower that I have not had to buy any yet. Tylenol and mylecon I have. This is for the first 6 months, then you have to start buying food. Now I do spend tons of money on my kids (ugh) but they are not necessarily needs. Toys and cloths I buy at a resale store I love or have lots of hand me downs. I buy my son organic food. Things like sippy cups, a backpack, holidays there is always something. Taking them places chuckecheese, etc. Shoes are expensive, my son has extra wide feet and can only wear stride rites. Invest in a good carrier, they are priceless at soothing a fussy baby. I didn't factor in the cost of pictures, taking them to have pictures is expensive but priceless I am glad I did that with my son throughout his first year and I am now doing so with my daughter. I have also had to buy myself clothing cause my body has changed so much. Use coupons, I can't keep up with food coupons but I use them for activities, pictures, diapers, clothing, lots of stuff. Don't fall for gimmicks, pay attention to what you buy baby juice is the same as regular juice, you can make your own food, you don't have to buy the supreme diapers, generic brands do work, and on and on I could have saved a lot of money if I had payed more attention. Congratulations!!

We shop at Sam's club and buy diapers and formula. The bulk costs are much cheaper. The thing I was supprized about was shoes there expensive for the amount of time they wear them. Our son was a winter baby and we went threw socks again because he grew quickly. Shampoohs, bath products. We have only bought about five tubes of diaper rash cream. Toys for the bath tub, bath tub seat, dreft laundary soap( that one i had no idea about) teething rings, theres little feeders with a net around it. I also planned on breast feeding but never produced anything...take a class...so we ended up having to buy formula. I find in our town walmart has cheaper clothes than the thrift stores!!! Compair prices at your army store.

hi, i breastfed for the first six months but had to supplement with formula at about 4 months..so factor in the formula just incase. and it is like $12-$15 a jar, depending on which one is good for your baby...and then comes food around 4-6 months depending on your baby..and not to mention diapers which can add up too. my boy is almost 8 months and we have a bugdet of $50 a week and most weeks we go over, i just have to rotate diapers and food week to week, and not try to get everything at once or it would be pushing $100. hope that helps.

Well, you have it made....people are the ones who make babies expensive, I don't agree with the cost per year only because I spend VERY LITTLE on my 2 and 1 year old. $100 goes a long way at walmart or target. I breastfed my daughter until she was 6 months and saved so much money. Daycares are probably the biggest cost you will come across when referring to kiddos so if that is eliminated you have it made honey!!:)

First congratulations....But I am confused...Are you in the military or are you out of the military? Because in your letter you said both..As a former military wife of long, long ago...I wasn't as prepared then as you seem to be now..I think any new addition to the family is rough and with the economy the way it is now..if you are in the military you should be fine. The diaper situation is going to be expensive. But both of my daughters clipped coupons for their diapers and it helped them considerably..I also think you should be able to apply for and get WIC (Women, Infants and Children) for the first 5 yrs. of the child. Should you get accepted, this would help you considerably in the formula area should you feel the need to go in that direction. I also know that they also help with the purchases of milk, cheese, and so on once the child is no longer breast feeding or they feel the baby should not be on formula anymore.
I know how tough the move to a new city must have been for you. I just moved to a new city myself last year...I left all my friends, my daughters and all of my grandchildren. I lived there for 35 yrs. So, I understand the hardship there.
But I think you will be fine. Try the coupon clipping for the diapers and the baby wipes also. You would be surprised. You might also want to sign up with Pampers.com and I do believe there are a few other websites out there for expecting mothers. Plus there is a free magazine you can get also.
I had a daycare at one time...it was to babysit my grandchildren. I went online and found things to do with them and it didn't cost anything at all except for ink for my printer maybe once a month, printer paper, crayons for the kiddos markers for myself. I tried to find stuff for their age, and then printed them, put them on cardboard I saved from pads of paper, colored them and cut them out, and then put clear Contact paper on them. My youngest is 5 and his Blue's Clues dominos are still in great shape. We used these as Match the Picture Dominos. I printed coloring pages and put them in a folder, made matching games from old calendars and so on. I know this is a little early, but you might want to start now on getting prepared for the second year of their life. These are just some suggestions.
Try making a mobile for the babys' crib.
Sorry, I got off track here, and definitely got carried away. Just some suggestions how you can save some money in the long run..
But congratulations agin, and you will be fine!

Hi S.,

Congratulations! I would say you have things well in hand if you have clothes, some hats, socks, receiving blankets, and some old cloth diapers for burp cloths. I would recommend if you have the $$--a good sling (the Moby wrap is great for newborn to about 6 months and you can find them used on ebay, thebabywearer.com, and diaperswappers.com), cloth diapers which will save you money in the long run if you can afford them upfront (if you decide to do this post a specific question about them so you can hear what the mamas say about diapers). Also, have a little money set aside for a good lactation consultant and look up your local La Leche League meeting in case you have some initial trouble with breastfeeding. It can be hard to start, but if you get a little bit of help it makes a huge difference and will save you sooo much money over formula and bottles and the medical bills from having a child that gets sick more often. Others recommend a swing or vibrating chair--my little one wouldn't stay in one long, but you can find them on craigslist for a pretty good price, so you might want to have that. For tummy time when they are a few months old you might want an activity mat, but it's not necessary at all. My little one loved watching the mobile over the crib, which gave me precious time to run to the bathroom. LOL!

Good luck! The biggest thing your baby needs is YOU. If you are there and responding with love to your child the material things really aren't going to be a big deal. You'll also get to know your baby and have a good idea of some things he/she will enjoy after a while, so you can always look then. Make sure you have enough support (meals, laundry, grocery shopping, etc should be done by someone else for the first month if possible), so you have time to be with your baby and get to know him/her.

Blessings,
G.

With my first child, the expenses were a little greater. Things like bouncy chairs, the baby laundry detergents, toys, strollers, etc. were not things I considered in my budget. My goal was also to avoid paying for food/formula for the first six months, but she got sick and for a full month I had to put her on predigested (and also expensive) formula, so I was not prepared for those hits. I also had to buy a pump and things to go with it so that I could continue to make milk during that time. It ended up being very helpful for trips, so I could pump milk and use bottles on long car trips later, though. Also, things like baby bath soap, baby bathtubs, hats when I took her outside, jackets for cold days, and she was born with a full head of hair, so she was very young when she needed hair ties and hair detangle spray. I realized with my second child that we didn't need to spend so much and I made toys using stuff I have around the house and I learned to make my own detangle spray. I also started using detergent that is free of additives for all our laundry and I wash the baby's clothes with everything else. I learned to make my own baby slings, and I already had some stuff from the first baby. So, my advice is to plan on having some unexpected expenses to make your life easier, especially in the first 6 months when you are adjusting to your new life. However, I wish someone had told me that a lot of the stuff we think we need as new moms can be done simply, easily, and A LOT more inexpensively if you do it yourself. (Oh, and I HIGHLY recommend getting the Super Baby Food book. My library has it, so check there first, too! The book has great money saving ideas, along with baby safe cleaning ideas, in addition to helping you make your own baby food which is so much better for the baby and a lot more inexpensive!) A lot of stuff you can get at the baby shower and will be a one time expense, but you will find that after the baby arrives, you will realize that your needs are not what you expected. For example, I asked for a stroller, but found that I didn't really use a stroller until the baby was over a year old, and I liked baby carriers much better! Congratulations and good luck!

This may be considered a luxury... but you may want to start a college fund for your future graduate. Even if you contribute $25, $50, $100/month to a 529 plan.... it adds up ALOT if you begin at birth. Just a thought for the future :-)

It's so hard to quantify a question like this because even though you feel like you may have everything you need, inevitably, there is something you have forgotten about or didn't realize you need (or might just really want) until the baby gets here. This is especially true for your first. Diapers are pretty expensive (I think they are like $40 per box now for the huge ones at Babies R Us), wipes, doctor appointments for the baby (they go about 6-8 times in the first year just for well checkups). If you breastfeed, this will help to keep down your costs since you won't need to buy formula. I would say that you would need to add at least $200 per month to your budget just to be on the safe side. Then, after 6 months comes baby food! Although it doesn't seem like it's expensive (each jar is pretty cheap), it does add up when they eat like 6 jars per day like my son does. I have a 10 month old and a 3 year old and I breastfed both of them and it still seems like they suck up all of our money somehow! :-)

Congrats and best wishes on your delivery.