Wisconsin Babies

New and Cost Questions! (Long)

Hi!  I am new on this site and this board.  My husband and I don't have children yet, but we are starting to plan and talk about it.  Everyone we talk to says that we will never feel ready to have a child, but I would like to be prepared as possible!

In terms of cost per month, what are average costs (for babies, toddlers, school-aged, etc.)?  We are very adamant about our future children attending private school, which I know will be about $1,000 per month which would include school supplies, tuition, projects, field trips, etc.  I was also very seriously considering cloth diapering, as I will be a stay-at-home mom (no childcare costs!!).  I have heard that the initial cost is expensive, but it can save money over time.  I also plan on breast feeding as long as possible, but that obviously depends upon whether or not it will even work for baby and I.

I'm also not sure as to whether or not I should include clothes and accessories in my monthly budget.  Is that unreasonable to only have a few "good" outfits for pictures, going out, people coming over, etc. and dress baby in onesies while at home?  I feel like that could save a great deal of money as well in regards to not having to purchase a full wardrobe every month or two when the baby outgrows it's clothes.

I also have absolutely no idea as to what any costs would be for me while I am pregnant!  Are there a lot of out-of-pocket costs?  I know that so many people have children on much less that what my husband and I have, but I don't want to feel like I constantly have to pinch pennies or not be able to buy the adorable "splurge" outfit here or there :) 

Thank you for any help/insight that you can give me!  I am looking forward to hopefully posting on here more :) 

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Re: New and Cost Questions! (Long)

  • well I have a 2 month old and we probably spend about $200 a month on diapers, wipes, clothes, any bottles we may need or toys. My LO is EBF so that helps I imagine. We are currently doing a cloth diaper trial and that will make our monthly even less if it works out. (although you will be surprised how addicting buying cloth can be! So it may not net us any/much in savings)

    most of my babies clothes have been gifts (we got a ton. first grandchild on either side.) But if you're not opposed to it, there are amazing baby finds at rummage sales in this area. This has actually been a huge money saver for us. We got a few of the bigger ticket items that were hardly used (swing, bouncy seat, activity mat) for at least half retail.

    Our infant car seat and stroller were about $500 at BRU though... And we will need to purchase a convertible car seat about $300 at some point.

    There are lots of websites that can help you calculate start up costs. We found these to be a bigger expense than the month to month... Honestly I thought month to month would be worse. Although I never bought anything used before this child.

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  • I haven't had any pregnancy costs yet.  But I anticipate eating more, and will need to buy maternity clothes.  Since I work in an office with casual dress, that won't be a huge chunk of change. 

    My medical insurance covers %100 of all pregnancy and birth expenses. 

    The biggest hit will probably be that my work only gives FMLA - no paid maternity leave.  So basically next year my yearly inclome will suffer a %20 loss. 

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  • i think it all depends on how much YOU want to spend.  If you buy everything brand new and namebrand of course it will cost a lot more than if you buy second hand, either rummage, consingment stores, craigslist or hand-me downs.  Also most 1st time mom's get a baby shower so that could help with some of the costs of big and small items.  When child gets older make your own baby food.  It is so easy and cheap.  A average jar of baby food is $.75 and if you get a huge squash for $1.00 a lb and can make 4-6 helping out of one sqaush. 

    I guess I'm cheap when it comes to everything.  I only buy new clothes if they are on sale and only if she needs them(I rummage everything else), I made her own baby food and when it came to being prego I went the cheap way too, I went ot thrift shops and bought Liz Lange and other namebrand maternity clothes that were only wore for 4-5mths by another person.

     I hope that money doesnt stress you out too much and you just enjoy being a mommy. GL

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  • It is great to budget for things like food, diapers, formula, wipes, clothes, and baby gear. For pregnancy and delivery costs you will want to talk to your insurance company. I had one $25 copay for all of my prenatal care and then $1000 deductible. Everything else would have been covered......if I would have had a normal pregnancy/delivery. My ds spent 4 months in the NICU and our medical costs were much, much more than we anticipated. So, yeah, planning and budgeting is good but things can change pretty quickly.
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