Help me get a Guesstimate please

HisChamaoleGirl

I am trying to get a ballpark idea about how much on a biweekly basis a baby may cost in hawaii. My husband and I are planning on having a baby in the next year and I am trying to budget the costs to give him a better idea of the financial change. I have asked a couple of my friends for insight but they all live on the mainland so their cost increases are a bit different as Hawaii tends to be more expensive. Thank you ladies for your help.

redshoegirl

A lot of the ladies on this board were married in Hawaii but don't actually live there, so it might take a little while to get a response. But a couple of questions that may help them answer your question...

Which island? Cost of living and available services are different on different islands.

What specific costs are you looking at? Off the top of my head, I can think of daycare...formula in case you don't want to breastfeed or it doesn't work out...diapers (cloth or disposable)...doctor/hospital costs (which will depend on your insurance)...and furnishing a nursery. Those are probably the basics, but there are a lot of variables (e.g., if you want a doula to help you through the birth process).

HisChamaoleGirl

redshoegirl:

A lot of the ladies on this board were married in Hawaii but don't actually live there, so it might take a little while to get a response. But a couple of questions that may help them answer your question...

Which island? Cost of living and available services are different on different islands.

What specific costs are you looking at? Off the top of my head, I can think of daycare...formula in case you don't want to breastfeed or it doesn't work out...diapers (cloth or disposable)...doctor/hospital costs (which will depend on your insurance)...and furnishing a nursery. Those are probably the basics, but there are a lot of variables (e.g., if you want a doula to help you through the birth process).

 

Thanks for the ideas on clarification. I was mostly looking for formula and disposable diapers quotes. My insurance will cover everything and I am not worried about daycare costs. I am also in Oahu. Thanks ladies

MrsNicole&Brian808

I think the best way to get quotes is to stop by the store and check them out for yourself.

I usually buy my disposable diapers from Babies R Us.  For the first 4 weeks, we used Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Newborn exclusively.  I think we bought 3 value size boxes at $30 each during that time period.  Your monthly estimate really depends on which brand you buy, how often you change baby, etc.  I think we were changing him about 10-12 times per day when he was a newborn.  We're doing a combo of disposable and cloth right now so he's going through less disposable diapers.

We are exclusively breastfeeding right now so I don't really know much about formula except that it is expensive!  Again, how much you spend per month will depend on how often baby eats, how many ounces baby takes at each feeding, what brand/type you buy, where you buy it from.  I think in the first month, most formula-fed babies average 6-10 feedings/day and eat about 2-4 ounces at each feeding.

TwoBumbleBees

I prefer Pampers from BRU.  I think at first it is about 8-12 diapers a day.  You gotta calculate it.. I have 2 and I buy in bulk. They have sales and rewards.  If Huggies is all right with you (I hate them), the prices are about the same and you can buy them at Costco, Sams. Anyway, the boxes I buy are about $40.  Formula I got at Costco.  About $33-34? For one, that might be a weeks worth?  The warehouse brands are much much cheaper, but I could only use Enfamil.  Don't forget clothes, toys, blankets, diaper creme, BOTTLES and nipples.  I spent hundreds to find the right bottles.  I use TommyTipee.  They cost more but they were the best for us.  Right now they are having buy one get second for half off. 

Beware of what your insurance covers... mine does not cover most of the immunizations.. who wuddah thunk it?  I paid about 450 each visit for each child..900 X 3visits ..Before I realized what was going on (the office and I thought it was a coding error ) .. you can get free shots, but they just changed it so that you have to go elsewhere to get the shots. I just changed my plan..I'll see in March if it's covered! 

If it doesn't have to be brand new, consider buying jumpers,swings etc , used. 

Best of Luck!