The cost of having a first baby!!!???

[trickylee]

Hi there forum girls
My partner and I have just found out we are expecting our first bub. Due end august. We are both very concerned about the financial implications.....we currently live in a tiny 1 bedroom apt. So we need to buy a bigger house, a new car ( safe for bub) , I need to get a new job ( my current one isnt pregnancy or family friendly ) ....and we have found out the baby bonus is 4-5 grand and we get about $171 a fortnight.....we will also ( as most do ) and will be going to a one income family!!! I know this is all quite normal - but has anyone else been faced with these challenges? and what advise or help did you find? cheers

[Tillismama]

I was only 16 when I had my first baby and lived at home with my parents ..
Tho my family never helped buy one thing for the baby as I refused ..
Setting up for a baby only has to cost as much as you want it to .. there are some wonderful second hand things around you just have to search for them ..
As for the cost after the baby is born a lot depends on that to but again I believe it really depends on what you want to spend.
I've just found out I'm pregnant with my second baby .. I now have a partner but things seem more compliacted this time haha
We don't live together, I only live in a 2 bedroom house with my 4 year old, I sold all my daughters baby things, now have car payments, fridge payments, education payments, schooling costs for my daughter, plus other expenses for my daughter ..
I don't believe it ever gets easy but sit down with your partner work out a budget and stick to it and maybe like a lot of my friends keep the baby bonus for yourself to use when baby is born ..
It will last a little while as a second income!

[goose]

My biggest tip for you if money is tight is dont get sucked in on all the items..

Believe it or not a $300 cot will work just as well as a $1200 one..
You dont NEED a swing , and a bouncer, and a rocker, and all the fandangled things if you cant afford them.. They are luxury's, not necessity's..

All you need is somewhere for bubs to sleep, your boobs/bottles, nappies (start buying MCN now to lesson cost), clothes, shelter, and there parents arms to hold them.. :goodvibes:

[Freya]

IME all you need is a boob, a sling and love for the baby.



Just thought I would add, I got the best of the best for everything... Do I use half of it? No... Not even a quarter of it..

[34me]

I agree you dont NEED alot, but you can spend heaps if you WANT alot. I wanted to get all beautiful Boori nursery furniture etc but now I am alone I will be getting my cot for under $200 instead of $800+
I think a safe place to sleep, clothes and food and a good carseat if you drive are really all the material things you need.

[georgiesmum]

All you need is somewhere for bubs to sleep, your boobs/bottles, nappies (start buying MCN now to lesson cost), clothes, shelter, and there parents arms to hold them.. :goodvibes:

I second that!!
What they don't have, they won't miss. It's true there is a world of goodies out there for babies but they just grow so quickly and will not get much use out of them all.
I agree about starting to buy nappies and stuff now though - makes a big difference when baby comes.

[declansmum]

My biggest tip for you if money is tight is dont get sucked in on all the items..

Believe it or not a $300 cot will work just as well as a $1200 one..
You dont NEED a swing , and a bouncer, and a rocker, and all the fandangled things if you cant afford them.. They are luxury's, not necessity's..

All you need is somewhere for bubs to sleep, your boobs/bottles, nappies (start buying MCN now to lesson cost), clothes, shelter, and there parents arms to hold them.. :goodvibes:


Well said:yelclap:

[CoopersMamma]

Another waste of money I found was the amount of baby toilettries that were 'must haves'. Seriously, I have never used baby oil or baby bath wash and other bubba concoctions.

Nappies, a wet face washer or wipes, talc or cornflour and baby shampoo ( I used as bath wash too) are the only things I use...EVER!

The rest of the lotions and potions were sold on ebay.

Waste of money, silly me.

PS dont buy too many 'newborn' nappies, go the next size up 'infant' and try different brands (if disposable)

[vanillabean]

I bought a pram with my first for $450 (Bertini) and though I used it a lot for walking it was too bulky for the supermarket. With my second, we went out and bought a lay back stroller that was really small and easier to manouever. That is pretty much all we used second time round (except when I did exercise). My advice is to look around at the cheaper stuff and not just assume you need the dearer of everything. Good luck.

[pookiesossige]

Arm yourself with breastfeeding and babycaring know-how, not the latest pram or cot or clothes :yes:

Breastfeeding will save you over a thousand dollars. The longer you breastfeed, the better- less sick days for you/your bubba, no bottles or equipment, less work! But you have to learn about what to expect- breastfeeding is often hard to start with and requires perserverence. Once you get over the initial hurdles (if any) it's amazing from then on.

Modern Cloth Nappies are cute, funky, EASY and cheap to care for. They are more effective then sposies and I spent $500 on MCN for my DD.

Before then, I had spent $3000 on disposables for Ronan over 3 years...

Second-hand prams are great! A good-quality sling is a must though- this is where brand names really do count. A Hug-a-bub's and Ergo's are known as the best of the best among the girls on the Hub :thumbsup:

A second-hand highchair would do the job fine- or a $60 new one is just as good. Don't need one of these until bub is about 8 months old.

Forget buying a bassinette- they're the sort of thing you only use if you have one in the family or it's given to you, if you're strapped for cash.

Hope that helps!

Oh what else? Coles sell Bond's sleepsuits- pick up one every now and then with your normal shopping. Same with other things that are on special. FORGET fancy newborn outfits, when a baby screams its head off at every clothing or nappy change, the last thing you want is to have to do up buttons in tricky places, and worry about bending little fingers in sleeves etc.

I have a 20-month old and a 3.5 year old, they wash with warm water, and sometimes a bit of something else- but I have NEVER had a need for special products- what an absolute waste of money. I use Curash powder at changes- that's it.

You actually could be fine in your 1 bedroom unit for a while- there's no rush. It's great having bub in the room with you, for the first 6 months anyway (at least).

[Natsmummy]

My biggest tip for you if money is tight is dont get sucked in on all the items..

Believe it or not a $300 cot will work just as well as a $1200 one..
You dont NEED a swing , and a bouncer, and a rocker, and all the fandangled things if you cant afford them.. They are luxury's, not necessity's..

All you need is somewhere for bubs to sleep, your boobs/bottles, nappies (start buying MCN now to lesson cost), clothes, shelter, and there parents arms to hold them.. :goodvibes:

So true. And if you can't afford to buy a bigger house you will manage in your apartment. There is no reason why your baby can't share your bedroom (assuming you can fit the cot in the room).

[Debster]

there is absolutely nothing wrong with second hand items, this is what i did and still do with my DS who is now 2.

cot from friend $150

car seat on special $120 (one of the most important things i think to make sure is new or you know hasn't been in an accident)

clothes, sheets, toys, bath seats, from local trash and treasure markets and opshops and Ebay - you can put most toys through the washing machine or soak in sink and disinfect

i bought a new breast pump $50 as one i got from ebay was :barf:.

bassinette $20 (+ $10 new mattress) wouldn't bother tho only used for 10weeks. would be more beneficial to get a tetra snuggle bed from experience with friends or just use cot if you are happy with that

sewed my own nappies used for 6 months

if you lived near me i could help you out i have so much stuff to move on it is ridiculous.

[Tls5431]

:iagree:. Check out ebay. you will find some great bargins.

[trickylee]

ladies....my heart is a little calmer now knowing that you have all bought second hand stuff and WE WILL manage...I will bear in mind the advice and remember that boobs and love go a long way .....
Ill be surfing E bay nearer the time, and picking up stuff in Coles pretty soon !
Thank you for the advice :thumbsup:

[MissSookyLaLa]

we have just finished getting everything ready for our bubba to arrive in the next couple of weeks...

even if you do want more than just boob and nappies, you can get all this stufff cheap as chips on ebay, and in sales...

we got a beautiful bassinet for $26 bucks, change table/drawers and a cot for $150, lots of handed down clothes and a great pram on sale from an online baby store...(i think it was $200)

now we are just stocking up on nappies (mcn) and we will be all set- so you can use the baby bonus money to live off while you are off work, and not on buying a boori cot and a bugaboo pram! :yelclap:

congrats on your pregnancy, and dont stress, thats what i did to start off with when we found out we were pregnant, but you will manage!

[OJandMe]

:iagree: with everything everyone else has said.

We found out we were expecting twins when I was still at uni and DH was at a very minimum wage job. So very limited income.

These were the best 'money savers' I found.

1) Use cloth nappies (modern cloth nappies... check out the section on BubHub). That will be your biggest saver. I didn't for the twins, and wish I did...we spent over $4000 in 2 years on nappies. I put them in cloth when they were just over 2.... covered my set up costs in 6 months, and have never had to buy a nappy for Gabriel, who is now almost 5 months old.

2) Use cots from Target/Big W. We've bought all three cots from Big W.. at $198 each. And with some handyman work, have even turned the twins cots into toddler beds, by removing the sides, bracketing the corners and re-painting them.

3) Buy clothes from Best and Less, or the '2 for $8" bin at Big W. And keep in mind people will buy you clothes too. Pick up a couple in your weekly shop and you'll have more than enough in no time, and won't notice having to spend anything!

4) Just use the 'baby soap' from coles/woolies. actually crazy Clarks/the Warehouse has a fantastic one called : Nalum Baby Soap.. you can buy a cake for $0.99cents it smells devine, is very gentle on babies skin and is cheap as chips. I stacked up on about 5 to start with... and then I get one more every couple of weeks.... I've got about 10 in my stash now, so I won't have to worry about soap for a while! But don't overuse soap on your baby.... water and a soft cloth is fine until they start eating solids.

5) Hire things. You can hire bassinettes, $70 for 3 months. You can hire high chairs, high car capsules.

6) buy a convertible car seat. Birth to 18kgs. saves heaps.

7) sling it. :thumbsup: You'll find if you've got a sling you won't even use a pram that much. We hardly ever use ours.

[Becs999]

Ditto re second hand stuff - ask around friends and family, I got loads and loads of stuff from a former colleague who had 2 boys who were now toddlers and she just wanted some more cupboard space. I bought her cot from her for $100 and with a lick of paint and a new mattress from BigW it's great! I got bags and bags of clothes from her! (I gave her a voucher for some pampering in return.)

I also bought something each time I went to the supermarket as well - a romper suit, bib, socks, rattle etc.

I don't pass an op shop without stepping inside and looking for clothes or toys for DS.

When we found out I was preg we saved half of my income each month to get a bit of a nest-egg for us.

Breastfeeding not only provides bubs with the best nutrition but is also free. It's not easy to begin with though for many women so it's worth investing some money and time in joining the ABA, going to classes and getting a lactation consultant.

I went public all the way with my antenatal care and birthed in a public hospital. The only cost I had was about $150 for 2 ultrasounds.

For a start why don't you have a look at the items for sale down below - there's a section for "give away" stuff you can make a start. :)

[kymmy]

We had very little money when I was pregnant with our first. We didn't think someone that little would cost much. I planned to use cloth and breastfeed. I just bought something for baby every time I got paid.
We lived with my MIL so it was going to be the 3 of us in one room. :eek: Luckily we got a place a few weeks before my daughter was born. My husband also got a part time job which also helped.
We were very lucky that we were given things for baby including cot, pram and clothes.

[Ky]

Go to ops shops for clothes!

Babies don't wear them out and most of the time they have bibs on so the clothes don't really get stained etc. You will even find that your bub could be better dressed than you expected by visiting op shops in the "nicer" areas of town - the clothes are beautiful! You also don't really need a heap of them - they are little, light and easy to wash and dry very quickly.

If you are planning on not co-sleeping, then a cot is the way to go - don't bother with a basinette - it really doesn't last long enough.

A baby bath is not necessary - just use the kitchen sink - it's the perfect height, you don't have to lift it to empty it and usually a pretty good size for bub. the laundry sink is great when bub gets bigger and then the big bath or even shower after that. We didn't have a bath for dd and she enjoyed showers with us from the beginning.

Buy a practical carseat - one that isn't too flash, but safe. If you want to use a capsule, think about hiring one unless you are planning on having several children and know you will get your moneys worth out of it.

A change table isn't necessary - you can use the cot with a towel or change mat under bub or even just on your bed. I ended up changing bub on the floor pretty early on as there was no way bub could fall from there!

Cornflour for nappy change time, and don't even bother with baby washes/shampoos! All they do is dry bubs skin out and make bub smell sickly sweet. The milky smell of a breastfed bub is just as pleasant! My kids are now 4yo and 6yo and I still don't use soap on them unelss they are covered in texta or the like! They have a bit of shampoo once a week, but that is all and they have beautiful skin (confirmed by my doctor!). Olive oil is lovely to massage bub with and is a great cradle cap and dry skin remedy.

Bottles - the ones from the $2 shops often turn out to be just as good as the expensive ones! Just get some good quality teats to go with them. Another bonus of the cheaper bottles is that often they have self sealing lids and you don't have to worry about the little discs to seal them that are annoying and easily lost (added expense!).

Babies don't need special towels, just use your own. Faceclothes etc as long as they are soft are fine.

Wipes are a waste of money, although convenient when out and about. A chux cloth that has been cut into a smaller size used with warm water with a little sorbolene added is great for ecomony as well as for bub's skin.

Cloth nappies are great! Modern cloth are really convenient and the old terry/flannelette flats are easier to use now that the "snappi" has been invented. No need for sharp safety pins any more.

A layback stroller is often more practical than a big pram - it is easier to store, easier to get through shops and will last just as long for bub. The only reason I would get anything bigger or more robust is if you will be doing a lot of walking etc.

Buy a simple backpack for a baby bag and a kids lunchbag/cooler bag to store bottles/baby food in - It's really all you need. A flat cloth nappy in the bag does service as a change mat.

OK ... I'm sure I could think of more, but I will leave it at that for now.

The biggest thing to remember, is that although you might have wanted to wait until you were in a better financial position for this bub, you may have never deemed the time to be right and missed out! This bub will arrive at exactly the right time and although it may be a struggle at first, there are so many things about having a baby in your life that far outweigh any financial hardship!

Take care and keep popping on here - there are always people who are willing and able to help wether it be in a practical sense or just as a listening ear!

[34me]

I wont be buying any clothes for this baby apart from wondersuits. I dont see the point in wasting money on all these little outfits they barely get to wear because they grow so fast. Sure they are cute, but you really dont need them.

[Nex]

I've spent less than $1000 on EVERYTHING I needed.

I could have spent less, since I splurged on a new cot instead of using the old one I had. (the cot and change table on sale for $300 for both)

I got a few things second-hand, my mum is the best ever bargain shopper for clothes. (she has picked up enough clothes on sale to last 18 months)

I've made cot sheets out of cheap cotton and elastic at a cost of $3 each

I DID buy a new carseat, and a new mattress.

[MummaBear03]

As others have said, it all depends on how much you want to spend. My baby was the cheapest you could probably come across. Most of the clothes she wore in the first 3 months were second hand clothes or ones from Vinnies or other places. We co-slept and I never needed to buy a cot for her as a result. She was breastfed, cloth nappied, and all her food was made from fresh ingredients, nothing was bought. I only went down the baby section of the supermarket to buy Johnson's Baby Bath and a bottle of that would last about 6 months, and I bought a very small pack of baby wipes which again would last months. I used wet washers with a little sorbolene cream (the $2 stuff was fine and lasted the whole time she was in nappies!) and I actually found it was much nicer than cold wipes that irritated the skin. She had a pram that did from birth to 18kgs which was one of the most expensive things I bought at $249 but the most expensive thing would have been the unnecessary (at the time I thought it was a MUST have item) reversible baby car seat! I paid $399 for it. I ended up having to hire a capsule anyway since they are far safer and far more convenient. Her seat was from birth to 18kgs so really she could still be in it now but due to a minor car accident I had to get rid of that seat and decided to purchase a Maxi Rider instead. Insurance covered it, the other driver was at fault. The Maxi Rider is from 8kg to 26kgs which means they could go from a capsule ($50 from the ambulance) to a Maxi Rider ($320 where I bought it) which eliminated the need for a booster. I refuse to entertain the idea of a foam booster and would only have my child in a booster that bolts in and has a harness. So instead of buying so many things if I had another child now I would hire a capsule and purchase the maxi rider or other similar safety seat from 8kgs up to 26kgs as there are now many. Kids don't need lots of toys, they need toys that will keep them entertained and they can use their imagination with such as blocks/lego/drawing or art and so on. They also need an adult around to do these things with them. If you choose to use bottles, formula, disposable nappies, disposable wash cloths, baby wipes, the best of everything all brand new such as multiple prams for multiple purposes, bassinets, cots, etc they can cost a lot. A workmate of mine recently had a baby (her first) and spent $16,000+ on the nursery furniture alone. She also bought matching decor such as linen, wall borders, rug, lamp, whatever else comes in the KidsLine range in the jungle theme. She also bought bottles, formulas, disposable nappies, as she wasn't ever going to breastfeed and the idea of her washing nappies is laughable. She uses disposable bibs and buys baby food jars and laughs at the thought of making her own baby food. She admitted to spending around $150 a week on the baby just with the weekly groceries and I can't for the life of me work out what else she must buy that child. She cries broke and said she had to return to work when he was 6 weeks old because they couldn't pay the bills otherwise and were struggling even with that 6 weeks off that she had! That baby has every type of very expensive toy you can imagine and he doesn't even take an interest in them because he doesn't have adults around him playing with him. He has to share the carers in the daycare centre with 7 other babies each day, some of whom have special requirements meaning even less time for him. You can make babies cost as little or as much as you like. To me though I thought it would be pointless making a nursery since the baby wouldn't appreciate it anyway. I waited til DD turned 4 before creating a room for her and she had a huge say in it too. She will be 12 when we re-do her room to suit a teenager. My workmate will be changing his room theme yearly to suit the changes in her son's life. So again he costs a lot more than what my baby cost. It's up to you to regulate how much you want your baby to cost. Congratulations and keep in mind what you want with your baby, what your budget is and if it's worth going all out or playing it down.

The only thing I would ever insist on buying new is the carseat. That's a safety issue.

[2SPUNKRATZ]

if you do want to get lots of stuff, make sure you look around a lot. i got my pram brand new from toys r us was $80 instead of about $200. i went cheap with a car seat to, but that i regret. i reccommend getting good quality car seat. my DS has a safe and sound maxi rider now. and he is soooooo mcu hmore comfy in it. its wieght range is 8kg to 26kg. so right up until they legal limit of having to have your child in a seat. before the 8kg choose a seat that suits up to at least 10kg. gives you a bit of leway. car seats are very important IMO.

other than that, yeh, dont go crazy on clothes, use cloth if you are up to it, otherwise start buying nappies now.
personally i do use the baby wash but my fav is johnsons top to toe wash and johnsons lavender bedtime bath. they are both great, but you really dont need a thousand bottles of it either. i still have 3 bottles of each in my cupboard from my baby shower with DS and i will be having my 2nd in about 8 wks. lol

good luck

[neostudded]

Welcome to bub hub and congrats on your pregnancy.
Try not to stress, having a baby can cost as much as you want.

A few examples are,

there's disposable's
there's cloth nappies
And there's EC (dont need any nappies)

You dont have to get a cot and you can change a nappy anywhere.For bathing you dont have to have a baby bath.Babies dont cost anything to feed for the first few months.You can get chep clothes 2nd hand.

You'll work it out.Take a deep breath and relax :thumbsup: Although you must be getting a bit of a head rush.:hugs:

And you can get a heap of baby samples online and in your baby bounty bag to.

[kaybee]

I agree with everything that has been said. You only need to spend as much as want to spend IYKWIM.

We bought everything for our bub (all of it new except the capsule which we are lending off a friend for free!) and spent under $1500. This included some basic clothes, toiletries and a stock pile of nappies. One of the biggest waste of money is those matching linen sets. A few sets of basic sheets and a blanket is all you need.

With regards to toiletries; we have the top to toe bath wash and a tube of nappy rash cream. You use the littlest amount so it will last for ever. Olive Oil is great for massage and moisturising. Otherwise buy a big cheap tub of sorbelene.

We bought nearly all our stuff on sale at either Woolies, Kmart or Target. Start looking now and whenever they are having a sale buy a couple of things. We started with over 2 months supply of nappies. Also, I disagree with the new born nappies, our bub is still in them at 6 weeks and we are on our 4th packet. If you keep the receipt and haven't opened the box/packet you can return them if you have a big bub.

Our Cot and Pram were both on sale at a baby shop.

People will give you heaps of clothes, bibs etc, so just buy a few newborn romper suits and singlets.

If any of your friends or rellies have had babies in the last couple of years, see if they will lend you things.

[xxxDragonFlyxxx]

A baby is only as expensive as you want it to be. End of story.

You don't need to buy a bigger house at all, why can't baby share your room for now and work on getting a bigger place later on? Why do you need to buy another car that's 'safe' for bubs? So long as you don't have a motorbike then any car will do. And why do you need to get a new job? Can't you stay where you are until it's time for you to leave? Why does it need to be a pregnancy/family friendly job? As long as you don't work with harsh chemicals etc then all should be fine. And besides, I doubt anyone will hire a pregnant woman, it sucks, it's discrimination, but unfortunately it can be true.

These are all things to really sit down and think about before rushing out and spending heaps of money on a new house/car etc...

Remember that there are always people out there who are worse off than you and still manage to have all that they need for baby without spending a fortune :)

[Ky]

Another thing I thought of is that there is no need to buy a cot at all!

If you already have a single bed, or plan on making the purchase of one for bub to move into after the cot - why not just buy the bed? You can get something called a Safe-T-Sleep which can wrap around a single mattress and wraps around bub. We used one for ages with our DS in between houses when staying with his folks. Our furniture was on a boat to Australia, so the cot was already gone.

He was perfectly safe in a single bed, we could position him for sleep as we wanted and we could make sure that his blankets were wrapped in the sleep wrap as well and he never got cold!

xxxDragonFlyxxx is right - a baby only costs as much as you want it to!

This is an exciting time - don't sweat the small things, focus on the wonderful experience ahead of you!

[4B2L]

Priceless.