Parents-- How much did you spend during your child''s first year?

[goldenstar]

We are thinking about TTC next year and we are assessing our rediness. Everyone says that raising children is expensive but I can''t wrap my mind around that. Exactly how expensive? I know that it will vary widely and some of it is a matter of choice (eg buying a $100 stroller vs an $600 one).

So... can you guesstimate how much your monthly expenses increased during your child''s first year? Include absolutely everything: healthcare, diapers, food, baby gear, child care and all. If you have special circumstances that increased or decreased your expenses, please include that in your response so we get the whole picture.

Thanks in advance! I can''t wait to see what you come up with.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Goldenstar, I am in the same situation as you, thinking about TTC next year. So I am also in planning/researching mode!

Obviously, since I don''t have kids, I can''t help from that perspective, but I came across this "baby cost calculator" and have found it to be helpful in giving me some kind of idea of what we will be spending in the first year.

http://www.babycenter.com/babyCostCalculator.htm

Maybe those in the know can chime in and let us know if they think it is useful or not.

 

[TravelingGal]

Hm...let me see...

formula - $1500
diapers - $1000
Wipes - $100
healthcare - $1040 + $200-$300 or so in therapy copays
toys and books - $100 (I haven''t spent much. Water bottles and diaper wipe cases make great toys)
Britax car seat - $209
bottles and accessories - $60
BOB Stroller $212
Baby books (sleep training and other issues) - $50
Clothes - $300 (I might be over estimating here, as I did buy some stuff second hand)
Giddy giddy clips - you don''t wanna know.
Baby food - not sure...I made a lot fresh but she didn''t care for it.
Beaba baby cook - $230 (gift)
Sleep sacks and swaddle blankets - $150
Mcclaren Quest $100 (used)
Baby washes, sunscreen, and creams $100
Sippy cups - $50
Crib bedding - $50-100 (sheets, ultimate crib sheet and mesh bumper. Multiples of sheets)
High chair $35
Diaper bag - (I probably spent too much, and won''t include it since it''s totally unnecessary)
high chair, cart cover ($60) gift
Ergo - $100 (gift)

value of stuff I got at my shower and stuff that people let me borrow (which included cribs, swing, carseat, bassinet, playmat, SnG, boppy, bathtub, exergen thermometer, changing pads and covers, pack and play, baby monitor and gift cards $2000)

Hm, I''m sure there is more, but that is all I can think of. I should also note that I am a very minimalist person. Baby sleeps on $5 sheets and only has a crib bumper, that kind of stuff.

So I''m guessing about $8,000 in our first year?

 

[cara]

Tgal, where is the NANNY?

 

[TravelingGal]

Whoops, forgot about the bouncy chair, jumperoo (both gifts/loaners) and crib mattress (we bought a new one at $145). But more importantly, her first year I forgot childcare! I got a nanny when she was 4.5 month old, so add another $6000 to my figure - and that''s only for part time childcare as my mom helps for free 3 days a week.

I''d say probably $15,000 for the first year is a fair amount.

Geez, is it too late for a refund?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 6:18:24 PM
Author: cara
Tgal, where is the NANNY?

I know, I just realized that!

 

[cara]

Date: 7/30/2009 6:19:28 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 7/30/2009 6:18:24 PM

Author: cara

Tgal, where is the NANNY?

I know, I just realized that!

I was looking at your list thinking, small beans, where is the Biggie???

 

[somethingshiny]

We got the stroller, crib, dresser, washes, bottles, pretty much everything as gifts.

So, our expenses were:

diapers and wipes $60/month
formula $200/month
food $50/month
medicines (tylenol, gas drops, etc) 10/month (we had a very gassy baby!)
clothes $200-300 for the first year. That included winterizing.
out-of-pocket delivery cost $6000


We''re also minimalists, we don''t buy our child clothes and toys all the time. Formula is the biggest expense after the medical costs. Breastfeeding would of course save that money.

 

[D&T]

Daycare alone was $6500 for the first year (five days a week) plus some of what TGal has listed about $13000 yikes!

 

[goldenstar]

That''s it. This factory is closed for business. I''m telling my eggs to pack it up and move on out....

[

 

[fleur-de-lis]

One of my friends mentioned that they spent $18,000 on the baby during year 1.

As for special circumstances, that kid was better dressed than most adults I know. LOTS of Burberry.

 

[Mara]

 

[TravelingGal]

It''s not that bad gals. Think about it this way...

It''s not an ADDITIONAL 15K. It sort of overlaps with what you AREN''T spending anymore. TGuy and I could easily blow $200 a weekend on dinners and nights out. $200x52 weeks = $10,400. There''s the money right there.

We do still go out, but not as much as we did before. I also don''t spend money on myself as much.

 

[puffy]

i admit to way over spending on DS. he had to have all the toys, and he had to have all the designer clothes. i mean i bought the designer clothes, but that didn''t work well with a then 1 year old so all his designer clothes pretty much went to waste.
and i am a total stroller person, i think in strollers alone, we spent close to more than $1500 on 3 strollers.
and i did spend $2000 on 2 diaper bags that were completely useless.

i think in the first year, we easily spent $20,000 but that is including the cost of his healthcare which we do have to get ourselves.

good news is that since i am having a boy again, all the stuff will get re-used, well most of it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:05:52 PM
Author: puffy
i admit to way over spending on DS. he had to have all the toys, and he had to have all the designer clothes. i mean i bought the designer clothes, but that didn''t work well with a then 1 year old so all his designer clothes pretty much went to waste.
and i am a total stroller person, i think in strollers alone, we spent close to more than $1500 on 3 strollers.
and i did spend $2000 on 2 diaper bags that were completely useless.

i think in the first year, we easily spent $20,000 but that is including the cost of his healthcare which we do have to get ourselves.

good news is that since i am having a boy again, all the stuff will get re-used, well most of it.

20K and you''re a SAHM puffy? Good thing that boy''s a comin!!

 

[lili]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:07:21 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 7/30/2009 7:05:52 PM

Author: puffy

i admit to way over spending on DS. he had to have all the toys, and he had to have all the designer clothes. i mean i bought the designer clothes, but that didn''t work well with a then 1 year old so all his designer clothes pretty much went to waste.

and i am a total stroller person, i think in strollers alone, we spent close to more than $1500 on 3 strollers.

and i did spend $2000 on 2 diaper bags that were completely useless.


i think in the first year, we easily spent $20,000 but that is including the cost of his healthcare which we do have to get ourselves.


good news is that since i am having a boy again, all the stuff will get re-used, well most of it.

20K and you''re a SAHM puffy? Good thing that boy''s a comin!!

Can you imagine how much more it would have been if it was a girl?

 

[lili]

I don''t know how much the one time items added up to,
but our current monthly cost for DD is roughly a little more than 2000 (which includes healthcare, childcare, food, diapers/wipes, misc).

 

[Mara]

for you moms who like to bargain hunt, what sites or blogs do you like to use for not paying retail?

 

[puffy]

tgal LOL!!! i know, right...i''m kinda thankful we''re having another boy now. i was just looking through all of B''s old clothes and a bunch of his designer stuff still had tags on them....WTF was i thinking?!?!
i guess it''s a good thing that DH is super wonderful about me overspending. haha. he just kinda looks at me like i''m crazy.

 

[MustangGal]

My expenses are probably close to what TGal did, we''re only to month 6 of the first year, so I''m hoping it doesn''t get any more expensive!

We did receive a lot of the essentials as shower gifts. Crib, dresser, stroller, clothes, and enough diapers to get me through 5 months! So out of pocket wasn''t quite as bad. You''ll also have to keep in mind the medical cost of hospital for delivery. Some insurance covers this much better than others. On top of that is limited/no income while you''re on leave if you work.

We budgeted 10k per year extra for baby, 6.5k of which is daycare. But on the up side, babies and daycare expenses can lower your taxes!

 

[goldenstar]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:03:51 PM
Author: TravelingGal
It''s not that bad gals. Think about it this way...

It''s not an ADDITIONAL 15K. It sort of overlaps with what you AREN''T spending anymore. TGuy and I could easily blow $200 a weekend on dinners and nights out. $200x52 weeks = $10,400. There''s the money right there.

We do still go out, but not as much as we did before. I also don''t spend money on myself as much.

Good point. That helps.

I''m so glad I asked this question but now I''m just scared!

When we do have a little one it will be the first grandchild for both sets of parents. Since I am a first grandchild I know that they might be extra generous when the time comes....

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:15:28 PM
Author: puffy
tgal LOL!!! i know, right...i''m kinda thankful we''re having another boy now. i was just looking through all of B''s old clothes and a bunch of his designer stuff still had tags on them....WTF was i thinking?!?!
i guess it''s a good thing that DH is super wonderful about me overspending. haha. he just kinda looks at me like i''m crazy.

You are fortunate and should enjoy...ya only live once!

But yeah, designer stuff for babies makes no sense for sure. I got a couple of things as gifts for her and they never got worn. People laughed at me when I bought a giant box of used clothes on craiglist but it was the best thing. It was all clean, worn and soft and I was going through those used onesies like crazy because Amelia spit up all the time. Each item was around 50 cents apiece. Now I''ll buy her some nice, newer clothes but it makes more sense as a toddler. Nothing really "designer" though, unless it''s super cheap at Loehmann''s!

 

[Blenheim]

George was born in April, but we were obviously buying stuff for him before then. Year-to-date we''ve spent $888.37 in general baby supplies and $1499.41 on increased medical costs (prenatal care, birth, copays, brief hospitalization on my part during pregnancy). FWIW, $200 of the "general baby supply" budget was spent on prenatal massages, which weren''t exactly necessary. We''ve also been spending an extra $20/mo for medical insurance since he''s been born. Oh, and I think our water bill went up by a total of about $40 when I was pregnant because I was taking so many baths - they felt sooo good. We''re still sticking to the same food budget, but are just being wiser about how we spend our food money so I can still get my extra calories in as I was pregnant then nursing.

Special factors:
-- My husband has been laid off since December, and so we haven''t had to pay for childcare and he''s currently collecting unemployment - so while his income is reduced, we don''t have to factor in loss of income from a spouse choosing to SAH. Yet.
-- I''m breastfeeding.
-- We''re using cloth diapers.
-- We''re being fairly minimalist.
-- We''re buying as much possible used, when it''s safe to.
-- We have a generous family who purchased some of the "big" items - car seat, breastpump, stroller and baby carrier.

 

[lili]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:20:20 PM
Author: Blenheim
George was born in April, but we were obviously buying stuff for him before then. Year-to-date we've spent $888.37 in general baby supplies and $1499.41 on increased medical costs (prenatal care, birth, copays, brief hospitalization on my part during pregnancy). FWIW, $200 of the 'general baby supply' budget was spent on prenatal massages, which weren't exactly necessary. We've also been spending an extra $20/mo for medical insurance since he's been born. Oh, and I think our water bill went up by a total of about $40 when I was pregnant because I was taking so many baths - they felt sooo good. We're still sticking to the same food budget, but are just being wiser about how we spend our food money so I can still get my extra calories in as I was pregnant then nursing.


Special factors:

-- My husband has been laid off since December, and so we haven't had to pay for childcare and he's currently collecting unemployment - so while his income is reduced, we don't have to factor in loss of income from a spouse choosing to SAH. Yet.

-- I'm breastfeeding.

-- We're using cloth diapers.

-- We're being fairly minimalist.

-- We're buying as much possible used, when it's safe to.

-- We have a generous family who purchased some of the 'big' items - car seat, breastpump, stroller and baby carrier.

That's right, I completely forgot about utility bills.
Those definitely went up (water and electric especially for the many loads of laundry and running either the heater or AC).

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:15:24 PM
Author: Mara
for you moms who like to bargain hunt, what sites or blogs do you like to use for not paying retail?

Mara, a great blog site is babycheapskate.com. She blogs all the hot deals and I used that a lot in Amelia''s first year.

mamabargains and babysteals are good sites, but they lead to a lot of impulse shopping, so I don''t bother with those anymore.

Amazon is a great resource to price things out. When I go out and shop and see something on "sale", I whip out my blackberry and check out the price on Amazon before I buy. If the price is better on Amazon, I order it from them.

The best is obviously friends who will give you used stuff or sell it to you for cheap. I am in a circle of friends with 10 couples, most who have kids. We all cycle stuff around....it''s awesome.

I also love craigslist for toys. Lots of stuff in affluent areas aren''t even ever played with (because these kids have SO much) so I do searches in those areas when I am looking for something in particular. I obviously make sure it''s something I can disinfect, but I was also blessed with a child who does not drool or put much in her mouth, so it was a lot less of a concern. I also like craigslist for strollers, although it''s harder to find steals there.

As you know, online is your best resource. I also always check retailmenot.com to see if there are coupons for online sites that I shop at.

I am a pampers user (which are not at Costco) so I did buy those at BRU. I always waited until they had their $5 off on value boxes and also signed up for their buyer program which is buy 9 boxes get 1 free. Wipes and formula are purchased at Costco.

Those are just some of the things I did. I was like a second time mom, I''ve been told. Most wouldn''t dream of buying used crap for their kids. I saved a bundle and don''t regret it. Most of the moms I know said they spent and wasted too much money in that first year. Babies don''t need much at first - they really don''t.

Where you DON''T want to skimp...camera!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:27:41 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 7/30/2009 7:15:24 PM
Author: Mara
for you moms who like to bargain hunt, what sites or blogs do you like to use for not paying retail?

Mara, a great blog site is babycheapskate.com. She blogs all the hot deals and I used that a lot in Amelia''s first year.

mamabargains and babysteals are good sites, but they lead to a lot of impulse shopping, so I don''t bother with those anymore.

Amazon is a great resource to price things out. When I go out and shop and see something on ''sale'', I whip out my blackberry and check out the price on Amazon before I buy. If the price is better on Amazon, I order it from them.

The best is obviously friends who will give you used stuff or sell it to you for cheap. I am in a circle of friends with 10 couples, most who have kids. We all cycle stuff around....it''s awesome.

I also love craigslist for toys. Lots of stuff in affluent areas aren''t even ever played with (because these kids have SO much) so I do searches in those areas when I am looking for something in particular. I obviously make sure it''s something I can disinfect, but I was also blessed with a child who does not drool or put much in her mouth, so it was a lot less of a concern. I also like craigslist for strollers, although it''s harder to find steals there.

As you know, online is your best resource. I also always check retailmenot.com to see if there are coupons for online sites that I shop at.

I am a pampers user (which are not at Costco) so I did buy those at BRU. I always waited until they had their $5 off on value boxes and also signed up for their buyer program which is buy 9 boxes get 1 free. Wipes and formula are purchased at Costco.

Those are just some of the things I did. I was like a second time mom, I''ve been told. Most wouldn''t dream of buying used crap for their kids. I saved a bundle and don''t regret it. Most of the moms I know said they spent and wasted too much money in that first year. Babies don''t need much at first - they really don''t.

Where you DON''T want to skimp...camera!!

Oh, if I saw things for very cheap, I bought and stocked up for later. Onesies, socks, that kind of stuff. I would not recommend buying shoes until they need them. I made that mistake. The shoes were too wide and my kid wasn''t walking anyway. Buy shoes when they need them, and then from there if you know what works, you can buy on sale for bigger sizes (although that''s still a gamble). I buy shoes in advance from Stride Rite. They will take back unworn shoes anytime and give you what you paid.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 7:20:20 PM
Author: Blenheim
George was born in April, but we were obviously buying stuff for him before then. Year-to-date we''ve spent $888.37 in general baby supplies and $1499.41 on increased medical costs (prenatal care, birth, copays, brief hospitalization on my part during pregnancy). FWIW, $200 of the ''general baby supply'' budget was spent on prenatal massages, which weren''t exactly necessary. We''ve also been spending an extra $20/mo for medical insurance since he''s been born. Oh, and I think our water bill went up by a total of about $40 when I was pregnant because I was taking so many baths - they felt sooo good. We''re still sticking to the same food budget, but are just being wiser about how we spend our food money so I can still get my extra calories in as I was pregnant then nursing.

Special factors:
-- My husband has been laid off since December, and so we haven''t had to pay for childcare and he''s currently collecting unemployment - so while his income is reduced, we don''t have to factor in loss of income from a spouse choosing to SAH. Yet.
-- I''m breastfeeding.
-- We''re using cloth diapers.
-- We''re being fairly minimalist.
-- We''re buying as much possible used, when it''s safe to.
-- We have a generous family who purchased some of the ''big'' items - car seat, breastpump, stroller and baby carrier.

That''s excellent! I would have loved trying cloth diapering but we live in an apartment with only 3 washing machines for the entire complex. I hear it leads to early potty training (I was in cloth and was fully trained at 1 year, 8 months, or something like that.)

 

[Mara]

yes TG for me i def am like...ok diapers are a huge expense, how do you make that cheaper or more affordable. formula. food. and yes things like onesies etc. buying a box on ebay or craigslist is a great idea.... my sister went through like 5 onesies a day when she was a baby (i was 16 so i remember this stuff really well)...so i def want to stock up on those basics over anything designer. i am also telling people to not buy me anything that is not on my registries for ''big'' stuff, i don''t want extra crap i have to store just cuz they think it''s cool. things like a onesie or a paci or whatever is cool since they are tiny but anything else no thanks!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/30/2009 6:51:00 PM
Author: goldenstar

That''s it. This factory is closed for business. I''m telling my eggs to pack it up and move on out....

[

don''t let TG scare ya.

believe me,babies are cheap compare to teenage yrs.

 

[puffy]

mara the only way really to save on diapers is to buy when they are on sale, depending on the brand you choose. i know costco carries huggies, but not pampers. so if you choose to use huggies, buy at costco, i would say. but we used pampers and just stocked up when they were on sale. also babies r us does a rewards program now if you buy 9 or 10 boxes of pampers (not sure if it''s any brand diapers), you get 1 box free.
we have a garage full of diapers as we, or i didn''t think that B was going to potty train so quickly. that''s how much i stocked up!!