How much to budget for a baby?

[LadyFoot]

DH is starting residency in July and he and I are hoping to start trying for children soon. We're planning our budget and want to start living on a budget that we could keep up after we have a baby (we'd just save the extra money until baby actually comes along).

Can anyone give me an idea of how much we should set aside per month for baby expenses? So far all anyone has told me is "babies are expensive", which is not much practical help. We'll be living in a Midwestern city and won't need any childcare (other than a babysitter here and there). Any advice is appreciated!


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[Pollyanna]

Babies aren't expensive until they have extracurricular activities .

The baby "stuff" can be pricey but that's a one time outlay. Crib, stroller, car seat, etc I would aim to save up $1000-$1500 but you can do it for cheaper than that. Diapers and wipes might be $30-$40/month on the high end. If you breast feed food is free for the first 6 months.

One cost to consider is the increase in health insurance premiums. Plus what will it cost to have a baby in terms of doctor bills.

I don't know, it's hard to put a number on it but I think if you save up for the big items (crib, etc) and then add $100/month for baby you'll be in good shape.

[Cinderella]

Dh is starting residency in July too and we're also planning to start a family too! If all goes well you and I may be having kids around the same time LadyFoot.

[Deebs]

Pollyanna is right. The stuff that goes with a baby is only expensive if you want it to be. With no childcare costs, our budget would have stayed neutral with our first. Diapers were offset by the savings we had in food by not eating out anymore. I have very nice friends and family who gave us everything at showers or as hand me downs (my baby stuff was all basic, though, no $300 stroller), so I guess we controlled a lot of the cost.


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[SoonerTexan]

Also, I got many of the things that we didn't get as gifts used at consignment sales or Craigslist. I got a crib and land of nod dresser for $125 on Craigslist for my daughter!

And man, the second is even cheaper. The things I did buy (outside of clothes) were really just splurges. I did choose a lot of gender neutral stuff for #1 though

[Thirteen]

I would check your deductible for L&D, and figure how much a "normal" hospital birth will cost you OOP.
(I've mentioned before that DS was a residency baby, and we weren't charged even a penny for any of it)

He basically lived in onesies or t-shirts, cloth diapers with covers, and was shoeless for the majority of his first year. (April baby - CA, then TX resident)
I didn't really buy him clothing because we had a ton given as gifts from friends and family. Toys were the same. The big ticket items (crib, etc.) were purchased by my parents (who insisted), and then we bought both car seats and his snap n go stroller.

In fact, I baby wore him so much that we didn't buy a regular stroller until he was like 8 or 9 months old.

I'd say delivery costs aside, we probably spent a total of $1500 his first year (and a large portion of that was the infant car seat, the convertible car seat, and the stroller).


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[Vanquisher]

Teenagers are way more expensive than babies!!! Holy crap, my car insurance premium!! The spoiled shit is headed to Italy this summer. He's got expensive toys for expensive hobbies (golf clubs, for example, and a car). College is two short years away.

If you can't breastfeed for whatever reason, and use disposable diapers, I imagine a baby, in total, might cost you $200-$300 a month after birth costs for everyday expenses, but it depends on your tastes, and how much is gifted to you. You don't need much for a baby.

The real fun starts at school age and goes up exponentially from there.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

We spend about $100 in diapers and wipes and $100 in formula per month. Since we have 2 in diapers, somewhere around $50/mo for diapers. We also do all brand name (Pampers/Similac), so there would be room to cut costs - but if it ain't broke...

Residencies have vastly different health insurance plans, and many "all-inclusive" plans are being phased out. That could potentially be your biggest cost, as 13 said

[moonlight]

On a monthly bases health care, diapers, formula, baby wipes are the things you need to save for now if you can. The furniture and car seats are the big one time costs that really get expensive. Believe it or not people end up giving you baby toys if you get to know people in your new area.

[alotofyarn]

I found the book Baby Bargains really helpful. I don't think I have much advice on top of what the others have posted though.

[scrub-jay]

Cloth diapers is a big saver for us, even when factoring in washing them.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Babies don't cost much at all beyond diapers.

We didn't even buy furniture - they sleep in our beds and then on mattresses on the ground. We may spend $50/month on diapers, maybe. I buy them from Amazon mom so they're relatively cheap. And I BFed so no formula. I potty trained our oldest so I basically only had two in diapers for a month but honestly, they're really not that bad!

I agree on extracurricular though, once you start adding music/dance/sports/lessons, it's pricey. We don't do that stuff yet but will start her in dance next year.

[spotty_dog]

A lot depends on your parenting style and the generosity of your family. I could probably get by with two car seats, $600 of cloth diapers, some swaddle blankets, a soft-structured carrier, a wrap, and some consignment store clothes. Call it somewhere around $1000 but it would get me through multiple kids for the first couple of years (if you count a weaning infant or a young toddler's food expenditures as just barely even increasing the food bill). My family bought at least one car seat and a wrap and a lot of clothes, so that knocks it down by several hundred. In addition, with my husband's insurance each hospital birth cost me $500; the sibling doula for the second kid cost about $250. (This does of course presume a pretty normal pregnancy and birth and that breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing, baby-led weaning, and so on are physically and ideologically acceptable.)

[LadyFoot]

Thanks, this all helps a lot!

Cinderella, want to plan a play date in a year or two?

[moonlight]

Thanks, this all helps a lot!

Cinderella, want to plan a play date in a year or two?

Hey- let us know where you matched when you are ready! We might have a member in your new area! Hope all went well today!!