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

[Pandora II]

I tried a load of disposables and now use Pampers - I''m hoping to go back to the eco-friendly ones when she''s a bit bigger, but they were no good for newborns and leaked like crazy. Also wasn''t that keen on Huggies. I get through about 6-8 nappies a day. Daisy was 8lbs 3oz at birth and the size 1 lasted her for about 3 weeks, the size 2 until she was 7 weeks old and she''s now in size 3.

Regarding expensive strollers, I bought an expensive one and it has been worth every penny. I''m absolutely not someone who cares about name brands or fashion - opted for it because it is so high up and so I don''t wreck my back putting Daisy in and out. It''s also fab on public transport and in shops as it''s very narrow, very lightweight to push and takes a huge amount of shopping in the bag. It comes with a 3 year warranty and should last her until she''s about 4 years old. It''s definitely an urban stroller though and would be a PITA if you were taking it in or out of a car all the time.

 

[waxing lyrical]

Cloth diapers and wipes: I spent about $750 (I went overboard)
Travel system: baby shower gift
Pac n play: gift
Old fashioned cloth dipes: $20?
Lansinoh (nipple ointment): $30
Swing: gift
Clothes: $500 (I received a lot of clothes at my baby showers)
Bobby pillow and covers: $60
Ergo carrier/warps: $300
Miracle blanket: $60 for two
Breast pump: $40-50 (I used it less than a dozen times)
Bottles: $40 (a few breastbottles that were only used a few times)
Baby toiletries: $200 (I only buy organic/natural products)
Medicine: $50

________________________

No furniture items since we have no need for them and I exclusively breastfeed so no formula costs. Our expenses were rather minimal. Roughly $2000 was spent the whole year, if not less.

 

[steph72276]

I have no idea. But I took a leave from my teaching job for a year, and hubby made roughly 1/3 of what he makes now, and honestly it didn''t seem like a big deal to me. I mean, all the costs just kind of fit in somehow. I guess it is just changing up priorities....less travel, less going out, less extravagant gifts to each other, etc. and the added expense was hardly noticed...at least that was my experience.

 

[D2B]

A big ditto to Steph7226

Unless you have money issues, it all works out.

You travel less, eat out less, spend less of non essentials as you will be around the house a lot more.

You can easily spend a fortune but you dont have to. I suppose unless you have financial issues it is not something you can put a price on, as the money side is only one bit - the money I found easier to adjust and budget than the change to my own time and free time which just disappeared to zero - I would easy and happily have paid money for a good nights sleep and a trusted babysitter

and not cared a jot about the expense.

It is a good idea to make sure you can afford to have a child, but dont get too caught up in the numbers, unless there are financial issues you will manage and love it.

db

 

[Steel]

I find this thread a little daunting. But I suppose fore-warned is fore-armed.

 

[LaraOnline]

I can''t really remember spending hat much in the first year: before the birth, the biggest outlay is the car seat, then I spose the pram, but that can be a layback stroller, and quite cheap. A
n automatic rocker is a nice luxury to have, if your in-laws are feeling indulgent and want a nice present to give you

A bassinet if you want the babe near your bed, and a high nappy change table is nice to have if you can.

Two months in you''ll want to start looking at a cot, and chests of drawers / nursery furniture.

Six months later, a high chair.

*shrugs* I find babies fantastic value for money, really.

 

[swingirl]

Date: 7/31/2009 8:28:45 AM
Author: stepcutnut
What a great thread-we''ve been pondering this too!

Interesting to see a range of expenses to get a better idea of what those little ones cost.

As far as the increased health care costs listed-do you all feel like you have good insurance coverage??? I ask because we have no coverage for labor, delivery or post natal care(we are both self employed and you pay a lot and don''t get a lot) . So we are trying to get a good out of pocket guesstimate of what we will likely be paying out of pocket for an uncomplicated birth! Any good site suggestions?

Call a hospital and ask. But I wouldn''t want to have a baby without coverage. There is no way you can predict costs in case of a complication.

 

[cara]

The two biggies that my new-parent friends mention are childcare and health care. If a families budget is already adapted to having a stay at home spouse, then it makes sense that the budget could easily adapt to a new child cared for by that SAHP, but I don't see how lifestyle changes would compensate for the added fixed costs of childcare in my area or for dropping the salary of a person that was previously working, at least for families earning less than 6 figures. Childcare at a proper day care is $1800/mo, which until last year was more than 80% of my take home pay! In home care at an unlicensed provider (and illegal worker) was cheaper but still about over $900/mo. Nanny *sharing* is somewhere in between, even for nannies with no English skills, if you can find another nearby family to share duties with. I had friends that had babies on my old salary, but they either had spouses that were earning more money or a staying home spouse + subsidized housing or parental subsidies or they had saved up and planned to move or get a higher paying job within a year. Even though *I* knew how hard it would be to have a kid on that salary, I was still surprised that a few friends got pregnant before realizing exactly how expensive child care was in our area and it did kind of throw them for a loop.

One also had issues with health care as our health insurance didn't cover dependents. If your baby is perfect, buying a separate child health care policy on the open market is fairly affordable, but if there is any minor problem health insurance can be completely unaffordable. For the woman contemplating paying for childbirth without insurance, I know people must do it everyday in this country but it is such a risk. You can't guarantee a normal childbirth and even perfectly healthy robust women with prior normal deliveries have unexpected complications that can easily end up costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is a real risk of bankruptcy involved.

On the rest, it is good to hear that lifestyle changes help cover the diapers/formula&food/clothes/strollers expenses, especially if you are good at not buying designer duds or are good at deal shopping. That is something I had wondered about.

 

[Blenheim]

I forgot another expense - a car! My car was a teensy 2 seater convertible and we had to trade it in for a more family friendly car. That was a biggie.

On diapers - I did the math at one point and, assuming that you have your own washer and are doing diaper laundry yourself, even if you buy the priciest cloth diapers it will be less expensive than disposables. Plus you can reuse them for later children, or resell them and recoup a lot of your costs afterwards. And we bought most of our diapers and covers on Craigslist and diaperswappers.com and in the preowned bin at the local baby store and at yard sales, which further saves money. At this point I don't think we'll need to spend more than about $50 to get George through potty training.

On saving money - Craigslist, yard sales, and consignment stores. Especially for things that you won't use long (newborn clothing) or that you're not sure that baby will like. We bought a swing from the local consignment store for $60 (retail $130), found out that George didn't like to be in it for more than 5 minutes, and were able to turn around and sell it for $60 on Craigslist. Bought a Snap and Go for $12 (retail $65) on Craiglist and found that hubby didn't like it, so we resold it for $12 on Craigslist. Bought a ring sling for $20 (retail $89) from the preowned bin at the baby store, found out that we didn't really like it, sold it on Craigslist for $20. See a pattern?

And that stuff could have really added up! Also, if you go to yard sales, often people who are done with babies just want the stuff out of the house and will give it to you for free or for pennies if you'll take it. At least, that's been my experience.

Honestly, I don't think that newborns necessarily have to be that expensive if you work at it, unless you have circumstances out of your control like a baby in the NICU. It's later that scares me. Like car insurance for with a teenager in the household?! Or more expensive still, college?

Date: 8/1/2009 1:52:36 PM
Author: swingirl

Date: 7/31/2009 8:28:45 AM
Author: stepcutnut
What a great thread-we've been pondering this too!

Interesting to see a range of expenses to get a better idea of what those little ones cost.

As far as the increased health care costs listed-do you all feel like you have good insurance coverage??? I ask because we have no coverage for labor, delivery or post natal care(we are both self employed and you pay a lot and don't get a lot) . So we are trying to get a good out of pocket guesstimate of what we will likely be paying out of pocket for an uncomplicated birth! Any good site suggestions?

Call a hospital and ask. But I wouldn't want to have a baby without coverage. There is no way you can predict costs in case of a complication.

I've found something on www.marchofdimes.com from 2004 saying that the average cost of a vaginal hospital delivery was $7,737 and of a cesarean delivery was $10,958. My homebirth midwife charges $1800-2800 (sliding scale) for prenatal, birth, and postpartum checkups. BUT I have to agree with Swingirl -there's no way that you can assume that pregnancy and birth will be uncomplicated. I had to be hospitalized for bleeding, and those two days cost more than my midwife's fees for the entire pregnancy/post-partum period. And in the scheme of things, that was relatively minor compared to what some women here have gone through. Is there any way that you can buy a rider to cover pregnancy?

 

[steph72276]

Date: 8/1/2009 4:04:51 PM
Author: Blenheim
I forgot another expense - a car! My car was a teensy 2 seater convertible and we had to trade it in for a more family friendly car. That was a biggie.


On diapers - I did the math at one point and, assuming that you have your own washer and are doing diaper laundry yourself, even if you buy the priciest cloth diapers it will be less expensive than disposables. Plus you can reuse them for later children, or resell them and recoup a lot of your costs afterwards. And we bought most of our diapers and covers on Craigslist and diaperswappers.com and in the preowned bin at the local baby store and at yard sales, which further saves money. At this point I don''t think we''ll need to spend more than about $50 to get George through potty training.


On saving money - Craigslist, yard sales, and consignment stores. Especially for things that you won''t use long (newborn clothing) or that you''re not sure that baby will like. We bought a swing from the local consignment store for $60 (retail $130), found out that George didn''t like to be in it for more than 5 minutes, and were able to turn around and sell it for $60 on Craigslist. Bought a Snap and Go for $12 (retail $65) on Craiglist and found that hubby didn''t like it, so we resold it for $12 on Craigslist. Bought a ring sling for $20 (retail $89) from the preowned bin at the baby store, found out that we didn''t really like it, sold it on Craigslist for $20. See a pattern?

And that stuff could have really added up! Also, if you go to yard sales, often people who are done with babies just want the stuff out of the house and will give it to you for free or for pennies if you''ll take it. At least, that''s been my experience.


Honestly, I don''t think that newborns necessarily have to be that expensive if you work at it, unless you have circumstances out of your control like a baby in the NICU. It''s later that scares me. Like car insurance for with a teenager in the household?! Or more expensive still, college?

Date: 8/1/2009 1:52:36 PM

Author: swingirl

Date: 7/31/2009 8:28:45 AM

Author: stepcutnut

What a great thread-we''ve been pondering this too!


Interesting to see a range of expenses to get a better idea of what those little ones cost.


As far as the increased health care costs listed-do you all feel like you have good insurance coverage??? I ask because we have no coverage for labor, delivery or post natal care(we are both self employed and you pay a lot and don''t get a lot) . So we are trying to get a good out of pocket guesstimate of what we will likely be paying out of pocket for an uncomplicated birth! Any good site suggestions?

Call a hospital and ask. But I wouldn''t want to have a baby without coverage. There is no way you can predict costs in case of a complication.

I''ve found something on www.marchofdimes.com from 2004 saying that the average cost of a vaginal hospital delivery was $7,737 and of a cesarean delivery was $10,958. My homebirth midwife charges $1800-2800 (sliding scale) for prenatal, birth, and postpartum checkups. BUT I have to agree with Swingirl -there''s no way that you can assume that pregnancy and birth will be uncomplicated. I had to be hospitalized for bleeding, and those two days cost more than my midwife''s fees for the entire pregnancy/post-partum period. And in the scheme of things, that was relatively minor compared to what some women here have gone through. Is there any way that you can buy a rider to cover pregnancy?

Hmmm, I''m pretty sure my c-section cost somewhere around $50k, but I had lots of complications also. I would NOT get pregnant without insurance.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/1/2009 4:17:39 PM
Author: steph72276

Hmmm, I''m pretty sure my c-section cost somewhere around $50k, but I had lots of complications also. I would NOT get pregnant without insurance.

Mine "cost" 50K as well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/1/2009 10:11:36 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/1/2009 4:17:39 PM
Author: steph72276

Hmmm, I''m pretty sure my c-section cost somewhere around $50k, but I had lots of complications also. I would NOT get pregnant without insurance.

Mine ''cost'' 50K as well.

$50K??? Yikes. Both of mine were around $15K. . .but I had insurance with both so we had to pay 20% of each birth.

My first was slightly complicated = pushed for 3.5 hours and then had the c/s. A few hours after birth, my son''s temp was high and they immediately freaked and rushed him to the NICU for a few days. Still the bill was under $20K.

 

[Blenheim]

Yikes is right! Now I understand why my self-employed dad added a maternity rider to our health insurance right when I hit puberty, just in case (my mom had a tubal so they weren''t worried about her).

 

[icekid]

Date: 8/1/2009 10:11:36 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/1/2009 4:17:39 PM

Author: steph72276


Hmmm, I''m pretty sure my c-section cost somewhere around $50k, but I had lots of complications also. I would NOT get pregnant without insurance.

Mine ''cost'' 50K as well.

"Cost" as in that is what your insurance was charged, and then they paid 20k (or whatever predetermined amount)?

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 7/31/2009 8:28:45 AM

Author: stepcutnut

What a great thread-we''ve been pondering this too!

Interesting to see a range of expenses to get a better idea of what those little ones cost.

As far as the increased health care costs listed-do you all feel like you have good insurance coverage??? I ask because we have no coverage for labor, delivery or post natal care(we are both self employed and you pay a lot and don''t get a lot) . So we are trying to get a good out of pocket guesstimate of what we will likely be paying out of pocket for an uncomplicated birth! Any good site suggestions?

Always work on the worst case scenarios.

Despite having a grandmother, mother, aunts and sister who all birth babies with nothing more than a couple of pushes and a bit of gas and air, and being 5ft 10" - so hardly teeny tiny - and low risk for the actual birth, I ended up with an induction (waters broke before I went into labour and you haven''t delivered within x numbers of hours they will induce you), and therefore an epidural and then after nearly 54 hours of labour... emergency forceps in theatre followed by a massive post-partum haemorrhage which nearly killed me.

Luckily I''m in the UK where the state pays for everything as I can''t imagine a birth like that followed by two days in ICU and 5 blood-transfusions would have been exactly cheap!

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 8/1/2009 10:11:36 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/1/2009 4:17:39 PM
Author: steph72276

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure my c-section cost somewhere around $50k, but I had lots of complications also. I would NOT get pregnant without insurance.

Mine 'cost' 50K as well.

Both of my uncomplicated vaginal deliveries were each in the $30k range...

 

[goldenstar]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. Its good to know what the first year might look like and you all have such helpful tips. I can''t wait until our time comes!