Cleveland Babies

Babies on the Brain

My husband and I are thinking of starting a family but we are wondering what does it cost to add a little one to the family?  I've heard of people who buy bigger houses and new cars.  We don't need to do that.  So I'm wondering how much extra a month did it cost to have a baby?

 

Thanks for all feedback!

Re: Babies on the Brain

  • We don't really calculate it in so I cannot give you an amount. It is more expensive but SOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT! I think it really all depends on how much you have to buy, if you have a baby shower, and how much you get from other ppl. We were really lucky bc my husband and I both have a big family. We barely had to buy anything. If your concerned with $ BF is a big way to save $ on formula and it is way better for the baby. I EBF for about 5mo. the reason I stopped was bc I started the pill and my supply drastically decreased. Well GL sorry I prob didn't even answer your question.  
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  • Like previous poster wrote, it depends.  There are some things a baby needs, like a place to sleep and a car seat and clothes and diapers, but many people have all their major needs met through showers or gifts.  It depends too on what your tastes are...there are cribs for 2000 dollars and cribs for 200 (or less), so you can spend as much or as little as you'd like.  We got ours from Babies R Us for about $350 (after the 15% off coupon) and I am very happy with the quality and style and it has held up great. 

    As far as diapers go, I buy the huge jumbo boxes and that saves some money.  Newborn babies go through about 10-12 diapers a day at first, then it slows to about 8 after the first month or so (if I remember correctly).  I remember a box of diapers lasting about a month, so plan to spend anywhere from 40 to 60 dollars a month on diapers and wipes.  My DD is 16 months now and we still go through about a box every 4-6 weeks, even though she only uses about 4-5 diapers a day...as the size of the diapers goes up, you get less diapers per box. 

    As far as food goes, if you breastfeed, your cost to feed your baby is going to be low.  You'll need a pump, and the prices vary for that.  Medela pumps are good and run about 200-250 dollars but it is so worth it, especially if you plan to return to work.  Even breastfed babies usually have bottles every now and then but you won't need as many bottles as you would for a formula fed baby.  Formula can be expensive--depending on how much your baby eats and what sort of formula they have to take (if they have food allergies, you'll have to get a special kind), you might spend 100-200 dollars per month.  

    Daycare has been our biggest expense.  Infant care is expensive because the classroom ratios are so low.  Look to spend about 200-250 dollars a week for full-time care.  If you have family in the area that can watch the baby, you'll save a ton of month. 

    There are a lot of little things that add up over the month, too...toys, new clothes, bath stuff, doctors appointments (copays add up and babies go to the doctor a lot for just checkups alone). We paid about 2500 in hospital bills just for the birth, too. 

    It's a lot of money but totally worth it.  Keep in mind too that some of your spending in other areas will decrease...you won't go out as much, you won't buy as many clothes for yourself (at least I don't), you might save on groceries at first if you have a lot of meals brought to you by family, etc. 

    I hope this helps.  There are probably some websites that might do a better job at providing averages than I did.

     

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