Hi there, My husband and I are planning to start trying for our first baby in the next couple months. As I tend to be a real planner, I was hoping to get some guidance as to what to expect financially in the first year. With all the items to consider, crib, mattress, bedding, bottles, diapers, clothing, toiletries, toys, etc. I am having a hard time, so i thought i would post a few questions...

What would you estimate the first year for baby would cost? We plan to use disposable diapers, and will try to breast feed, however formula may likely be in the cards.

What would you say would be the monthly cost for the necessities?

Do you buy many toys for baby in the first year? and which do you recommend?

Are there any items you would say you didnt plan for or came as a surprise?

Also, if you are bottle feeding - do you need different types of bottles for breast milk vs formula?

Thanks in advance for all of your answers - I know these are somewhat loaded questions, but i appreciate all responses! Thanks Ladies!

it all depends on what u want if u wanna go expensive or cheap as u can but your first baby is expensive cos u gotta by everything

I'm up for buying some thing brand new as well as others preowned - your suggestions are all welcome
Thank you!

I suggest you look at some sites. And decide on whether u are going to go all out or just the basics and low cost. I know u said ur willing to do second hand but make sure u research the safety regulations too.
http://www.babycenter.com/cost-of-raising-child-calculator

This is a site u can go to and enter how much u earn and what area u live and it can give u a rough estimate on how much it will cost to raise a baby for the first yr.
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-a-child-in-the-united-states.htm

This is also a good site which helps u understand how much it cost to raise a child in the US. Which is around 11,000 dollars a yr.

Just a few facts:

1) Diapers cost about $80/month for a newborn, and slowly the cost drops until potty training. Purchasing cloth diapers can cut the diaper costs dramatically, but increase the amount of laundry you need to do.

2) If you need it, daycare is the single largest child-related expense you’ll have. A good daycare can easily cost over $800/month. Dayhomes can be a cheaper option, but they have their own pitfalls. Having “free” daycare from grandparents, if possible, is the cheapest solution.

3) The initial “set-up” cost for a nursery is around $500, less if you can get things used.

4) If you end up bottle feeding, baby formula costs up to $25/can for powder, and a can lasts about ten days – that’s $75/month for formula alone. Obviously breast feeding is cheaper, but it isn’t always possible.

5) Baby clothing adds up very quickly. But u will prob get lots of things from family and friends.


Hope this helps and happy concieving!

Hello

first of all, my baby is only 6 weeks old, so im not sure how much a year will cost yet lol and secondly.. i live is australia... so not sure if things will cost the same, but i'll do my best...



for a month so far i (well my baby...) have gone through about 230 disposable nappies, which has cost me about $80... which only works out to be less than $15 a week, but this was buying bulk boxes... works out cheaper...

then there's whipes... a warm facewasher when at home works just as well, and washes baby better...but all up they cost me around $15 a week.

i breast feed, so not sure about formula, but here apparently it's about $25 a week. Yes you can use the same bottles for breast milk and formula, but when using formula you will need to steralise, so a steraliser will ba handy. Hot soapy water for breast milk is fine. Keep in mind also you will need to change the teat type for bottles as your baby gets older, eg one hole on the teat for newborn, two holes for 2months, etc...

breast pumps cost around $100 at the cheapest, which surprised me! i didnt expect to buy one, but its alot easier than doing it by hand!

With clothes, ALOT of ppl make the mistake of buying too many small clothes... and the truth is, they grow too fast to be able to wear most of them. My son only fitted into 0000 for about 4 weeks, so i have heaps of unused clothes this size... so dont go overboard, try to buy a variety of sizes, its better to have more to grow into, as they wont shrink back into the smaller ones! lol

you can never have enough singlets, bibs and facewashers!!!!!!! so be prepared with lots of these...

Big items for your baby aren't cheap, especially when buying new...i paid $300 for the cot, $300 for the pram, $250 for the car seat, $200 for the change table, $70 for the rocker.. all new, so some second hand things might be the way to go... i'd try to borrow from family members if you have the option...

i hope this helps a bit

Good luck!!!!

I read a article today at it said in australia. it cost a average of 1,028,000 million to raise a chile from birth til 18.