How Much Do Babies Actually Cost?

You have probably heard how financially costly babies are. Experts will throw out numbers like $12,000 a year and for most starting-out families, that is an astronomical number. It was for us at least when we were considering having our first child.

Then you get on Pinterest for a list of baby registry items and you are bombarded by all the “must haves” and “top gear” that you “can’t live without when having a baby” and you wonder if you will ever be wealthy enough to afford a little tyke of your own. Not only does there seem to be a staggering amount of cost, but a staggering amount of stuff…stuff that needs storage.

It’s discouraging to say the least and sadly, for the most part, untrue. While babies do have some costs and do need some extra things, they are not nearly as outrageously expensive as most proclaim and you don’t need nearly as much stuff.

First, take heart when considering how it will all work within your budget. You have 9 months to plan and save. Take advantage of that!

Now, there are some basic bare necessities you’ll need to budget for when having a baby: feeding, clothing, a safe place to sleep, diapers, transportation, and well-baby checkups. Within those categories you will find countless lists on what you need, but I’m going to give you a list of what you must have, and what is just simply nice to have.

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Well baby checkups

If you don’t have insurance, this cost will build up because, at the beginning, Doctors ask for babies to come in a lot. Check with your pediatrician on how many times they will have to see your baby and budget accordingly. This is not an area you can skip out on, but being aware of it now, you should be able to save up.

Feeding

This really could be a zero cost category. Everything you need to give your baby proper nutrition starting out is literally right below your chin. The benefits of breastfeeding are HUGE with only one of them being its cost effectiveness.

But, in today’s day and age, there are some costs associated even with breastfeeding that I feel comfortable deeming necessary.

The first being a pump. If you plan to work at all or leave your baby for more than a couple hours, you are going to have to have a pump, its supplies, and bottles*. A lot of insurance companies cover it as a medical equipment expense so be sure to check with yours to see if you can get one at a deep discount or for free.

 

And, of course, I understand there are instances where formula is necessary. A Google search tells me that comes to about $1,700 a year, so budget accordingly if that’s the case.

Feeding supplies that are just nice to have but not actually necessary:

• Nursing pillow*- Any old pillow folded up will do.
• Burp clothes*- Any old rag will do
• Millions of pacifiers- Just get a one or two of a cheap brand and if the baby rejects it, try another brand. Don’t go out buying 15 of the most expensive brand at the start
• Bottle drying rack*
• Bottle brush*- Most bottles come with one
• Bottle warmer*

Safe Place to Sleep

If we are talking absolute bare necessities, then you really just need a crib. A cute bassinet or co-sleeper to have the baby in your room is a luxury, which I know is hard to hear if you’ve had your heart set on baby being in your room for the first few months.

With your crib you’ll need a mattress, obviously, and fitted sheets. Don’t waste money on those big crib bedding sets & comforters. At first, you’ll only put your baby in a swaddle or warm pjs anyway. Later on you’ll need a few blankets.

The other thing for sleeping that I would say is necessary is a baby monitor*, BUT you can get along just fine with the $20 ones that only have audio.

Things that are nice to have but not absolutely necessary are:

• Like I said, a fancy crib bedding set*
• Bassinet/co-sleeper
• Glider/rocking chair*- super nice to have, but if you are on rice and beans budget, this can be left out.
• Laundry hamper
• Nightlight

Transportation and Gear

A car seat* is necessary. Not much more needed to be said on that.

A diaper bag* will be used constantly. I guess if you are really, really hurting for money you can get by with one of those canvas grocery bags though. I’ve had to do it a few times 😉

I struggled with whether a stroller is really necessary. It’s definitely up there in the “so nice to have that it would be almost crazy not to have one category”, so I’m going to say go ahead and add that to your budget. That being said, you don’t have to have the deluxe, super awesome brand new model to fulfill your stroller needs.

Now, for the things that are just nice to have, but not entirely necessary for transportation and gear group you are going to save a TON of money. These are big ticket items that you don’t really need.

• Baby carriers- God gave you two working arms 😉 (although, you may be able to get a free one from Seven Slings)
• Bouncer*
• Swing*
• Pack and play*- we barely used ours for our first. It will probably be more needed with the second, though
• Activity gym*

Bath & Body

Because babies have sensitive skin, you will need to get some baby specific shampoo* and lotion*. However, you don’t have to go crazy with how much you buy. Our son is two and has gone through two bottles of each of these in his entire life. That is like $4 a year.

And, again, because of skin sensitivity, you’ll probably want to make sure you have soft washcloths. The ones we had before our son was born were soft enough, so no need to buy more.

Now, you will see these cute little baby toiletry kits when you’re shopping which include nail clippers, a hair brush and comb, thermometer, medicine dropper, and nasal aspirator. Worth it. You’ll be glad to have all these items and getting the kit does actually save you money.

The nice to haves are:

• Special hooded towels*- adult towels are a bit of a pain, but they work
• Bath toys- our son would rather play with a plastic cup anyway
• Bubble bath
• Humidifier*- we’ve never had one. I don’t know why it’s on all the registry lists, but we have gotten along just fine without. I guess if you live in a super dry climate…

Clothing

To me, an avid garage sale enthusiast, it’s a shame to buy baby and kids clothing new. Since they grow out of clothes so fast most of the used clothes are just like new and only a fraction of the cost.

But, you do need to clothe your child and if garage sales are not an option, that’s fine. It’s not that huge of a cost. This is one area where I felt the Pinterest lists did not go too overboard on. If you are careful not to go too crazy you can get by with:

• 3-5 Onsies/pants outfits
• 3-5 Pjs
• 4-7 Socks
• 2-3 Hats

Some things that are just nice to have, but really not all that necessary:

• Dressy outfits
• Accessories- yes, Moms with baby girls, even hair bows are not necessary

Feeling a little better?

So you see, there really isn’t that much you “have to have” in order to have a baby. Just cover the basic necessities like checkups, feeding, sleeping, transportation, gear, bath, and clothing and you will find your bank account and budget are not suffering too severely. And, if you do have room left in the budget, then by all means, get some of the other things listed. Most of them are really worth it to have if you can afford it.

Starting a family can be scary, but don’t let the financial side of it be the thing that keeps you from it. You have nine months to plan and dream about how amazing your little one will be!