I am expecting with my first child, just wanted to hear a few different opinions from mummies about any unexpected/surprise expenses that came up in the first year of having Bub?
I am expecting with my first child, just wanted to hear a few different opinions from mummies about any unexpected/surprise expenses that came up in the first year of having Bub?
By using this site you agree to our terms. View the Privacy Policy.
6 Replies
Other than nappies, bottles and formula (if you can't breastfeed or choose not to), where to sleep and stroller/pusher that's it. Babies are as cheap or as expensive as you make them.
I found the first year most expensive, formula, nappies, wipes!! bottles, replacing bottles, growingoutof clothes, seasons change, each time they leap its something new, bouncer, roller, walker, books, toys that teach them to do things, cups, bowls, safety gates, playpens, not that i buy lots i just find it a constant expense while theyre changing so fast.
Toys walkers prams etc can be picked up much much cheaper second hand if you're prepared. If you haven't already, join your local baby buy sell swap group on facebook.
I also found sorting out feeding expensive, all the shit you need to breastfeed, its an easy 75 at the chemist in the first week. Then we start on pumps and bottles, sterilisers, formula etc.
Its a good idea to have a fund you can use guilt free. Then if you find you also really need a massage, or a wax, a haircut, the moneys there for you, to be used for that.
And after all i said, i dont buy very muchand it passes quickly and the funniest thing is you enjoy buying things for them. Its spendingon you you have to remind yourself is important too.
For the record, i dont have a cot, buy second hand, get minimal clothes from kmart. I guess expensive is all relative to your budget, they dont have to be very expensive, but representing that babies dont cost anything is in my opinion, very misleading. Your budget will increase, even if only by 30 a week. Constantly over a year. Plus the bigger items.
Also I found a big expense was the change in my body. New clothes to fit. Bras. Shoes. Work clothes. Gym membership. Clubs. Diet foods. Exercise clothes. Gym shoes. I hardly bought any but then I felt shit about myself.
Babies aren't expensive.
A secondhand or cheap cot serves the same purpose as a $1000 one.
A $160 car seat the same as a $500 one.
A $4 onesie the same as the $25 bonds ones (and they last longer).
I got everything for my first for under $1000. (Cot, Tallboy, car seat, clothes, pram, bottles, breast pump, porta cot, jolly jumper etc) and I still have them all 3 years later and use them for my second. (Except the pram).
I chose to use Aldi bulk wipes ($8), Aldi nappies($12), and Aldi formula ($13), so my shopping budget didn't increase much at all.
It's only as expensive as you want it to be. (Who needs to spend $30 on nappies per week when you can get them for half that?).
But yeah, no huge expenses apart from the $30 per week spent on formula and nappies per week here. (My Second is breastfed, so he only costs the ($12 for nappies per week).
Unless any medical problems arise, you shouldn't have any 'unexpected' expenses. I have 2 kids and found the first year with both the cheapest!
All the big ticket items (cot, pram, car seat) are all things you should already have before bub is born and really aren't a surprise. If you'd like to save money, be frugal. Clothes can be bought cheap and on sale. Babies grow so fast, I never saw the point of spending a lot on something they'd only wear for a little while. I had 2 Summer babies in Far North Queensland so they spent the first few months of their lives in nappies and singlets. I used a mix of cloth nappies and occasionally disposables so besides the initial outlay on cloth nappies I didn't spend too much there. Bulk buy disposable nappies when they're on sale. I breastfed so didn't spend money on formula. Toys were kept to the bare minimum before they got spoilt on their first birthday.
Then the second time around its even cheaper because you reuse a lot of what you bought for the first! All babies really need is a full belly, clothes to keep warm and lots of love!!
Only now that both my kids are at school I find that I am being hit with a lot of unexpected expenses. Excursions, never ending party invites, new lunch boxes / water bottles when theirs break, school shoes get worn out, etc.