Need to start budgeting for BABY!!

[Karenj2]

Now that "Nemo" is on the way, DH and I realized that we need to start budgeting for him/her!

With our HMO plan, each month of care I also have to pre-pay a bit of the $500 we'll owe for the birth, so I'm already budgeting for that, but where can I find out general costs for things like nursery stuff, clothes, etc.?

I'd like to try to keep it simple (not buying STUFF for STUFF'S sake), and I hope to breastfeed, which will hopefully cut down on food costs for a while - but this is our first baby, and we've been trying off and on for 11 years, so I know we're going to go a little crazy...

Help?

 

[GoofyMomInOhio]

Congrats! Hope you have a happy, healthy pregnancy!!

 

[SunnieRN]

First off, congratulations!!!! You need to decide what HAS to be new and what you wouldn't mind buying second hand, or "inheriting from friends and relatives. For example if you could live with a gently used crib and high chair you could save tons, but I would ALWAYS vote for a brand new car seat!

Have fun and enjoy!! I wish you a healthy pregnancy and birth!!

 

[dreamin_disney]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm in the same mode. We want to try and get prego at the end of the year.We already have a 10 year old dd. It was hard financially because she was a surprise-lol

This time I plan on saving money in an acct. for Baby furniture , diapers, milk etc.

Toward the end of pregnancy i plan to keep an eye out for good deals on crib. We got dd a 3 in 1 (crib, toddler bed, full size bed) $400 she still has it and its saved us money because she will use it until she moves out.

We got lots of things for our dd's babyshower. What we didnt get we went shopping for. I say wait until you see what you get from your shower.

Just saved extra money aside for the baby

 

[StephMK]

Congratulations!! Best wishes for a happy, healthy pregnancy!!

As far as baby equipment, you can really spend as much or as little as you want. Craigslist is an awesome place for baby stuff if you don't mind used. I have seen many barely used newer cribs, high chairs, big plastic toys like exersaucers, swings, etc. Just be careful as you need to check any possible recalls. I would put money into a good stroller & car seat or on your wish list for any showers. We never used a changing table, just a bed or blanket on the floor.

Have fun and happy shopping!! There are some cute pregnancy & first year calendars, I liked those to jot down thoughts since I was not good about completing baby books. You've waited a long time, enjoy spoiling that baby!!!

 

[squirrel]

Sign up for the free samples for diapers, formula, etc.

Collect coupons for diapers and have friends and family keep an eye out also. Then start buying them before they expire, you can start now before little Nemo is born. Are you allowed to stack coupons at any stores?

Up here London Drugs is the only place we can stack them. I have managed to get my sister 4 pkgs of diapers so far and have spent very little on them. I'm working on getting enough for the first year for her baby. She's not even pregnant yet-just lost one a few months ago (only 2 months along).

Huggies is giving away a free sample of pure and natural diapers- www.huggies.com

I would buy a new car seat- unless you have a friend that recently finished using one. Don't use one that is older than 5 years (might depend on brand)or has been any car accident.

 

[Princess April]

My first question for you... do you work outside the home? Do you have paid time off after giving birth if so how long?

Second: This is what I did.... I took how much $$ I brought into the home and x that by how many weeks I would be "unpaid". I had some paid time off but not the entire 3 months that I took off. Then, I took any amounts that I "owed" like car payments and health insurance payments that were usually taken out of my check and x that by how many weeks I would be "unpaid". next, I went and found out the price of the most expensive diapers and guesstimated that it would run 1 lg. pack a week. same with formula, added in wipes (about 1 pack a week) and threw in some extra $$ for medications, doctor's visits and misc. (the baby products I accounted for 3 months) I took all that and added it all up. I divided it by how many weeks I was planning on working until I had the baby (again a guesstimate, nothing in life is certain) and I knew I needed to have that amount in a special savings account by the time our DD was born.
I found out I was expecting really early (like 1 month along, but I "knew" when I was 2 weeks along) so I had lot's if time to "save". For me it was like $30.00 a week into the account and we threw as much $$ in there as we could when we got bonuses etc. Let me tell you I was out for 3 months and we didn't miss a beat! All bills were 100% paid and our life style never changed. No mind you I utilized coupons and "WIC" checks to make our $$ go farther but we did it.
As far a furniture goes, we found what we wanted and just saved the $$$... also the extended family was helpful. We found some furniture made by Thomasville in Target (I don't know if they still carry it) but we got 2 full sized dressers for $99.00 each (Poppi paid for 1, we paid for the other) Look for specials in Babies R Us for money off car seats, bouncers etc. (we found her first baby car seat and carriage combo by Graco in Target on clearance for $50.00!!!!) In the box, never opened... just the "older" model.... clearenced out to make room for the "new". As for clothing... I shopped sales and I never turned down a ":donation"... some of the clothing we got for DD from friends was AMAZING (we have the best friends) Just remember at your shower you will get tons of stuff (clothing, bedding etc.) so don't worry!!!

....oh yea CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! (sorry so long winded... I'm anal when it comes to planning and saving $$$)

 

[limace]

It's really true that you don't NEED much more than diapers, your breasts and a place for baby to sleep but of course, buying for first baby is soooo tempting.

New car seat-Graco Snugride is inexpensive, safe and a very good infant seat.

Ikea has good, inexpensive cribs.

We cloth diaper-saves a lot over the long haul. You can often find great deals on CL.
Combine that with breast feeding and your monthly costs drop dramatically.

I'd suggest checking out the Baby Bargains book or their message boards-tons of good and up to date info.

And hey! Congratulations!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Congratulations, Karen! Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and an easy delivery!

 

[ah1126]

Congrats!! Thanks for starting this thread. It looks like we are due around the same time! I don't have any suggestions, but I look forward to what everyone has to say!

 

[Piecey]

Check every single clearance rack at every single store that you go to, every single time that you go. I get stuff at Wal*Mart for $1 all the time. Just last week I got an 18m 2 piece July 4th outfit for $1. KMart has 2-packs of Gerber mittens on clearance right now for $1.

Watch the CVS/Rite Aid ads (I regularly get diapers CHEAP this way with coupons... I think I might already have enough for Lucas, actually!)

Sign up every single person you know at www.enjoytheriderewards.com Huggies sends out a packet with several $3/coupons in them and they'll e-mail you if there will be Huggies coupons in the paper that weekend.


I really just always got stuff on clearance.... I still check out the clearance racks and I've got tubs and tubs of brand new clothes for him to grow into for next to nothing.

 

[neatokimmo]

Congrats!

It will be hard, but try to not buy a lot of baby clothes unless you get a bunch at yard sales. They are going to leak out of both ends and ruin most of what you buy. Puke on a 50 sleeper just isn't as bad as on a $10 one

I'd recommend that you spend as much as you can afford and get the best carseat you can get. It isn't so much an issue with your driving, but with all the other crazies out there. I purchased a decathlon, it has been a great seat. www.albeebaby.com has several patterns that are reduced because the fabric is being discontinued. I would recommend a marathon, decathlon or boulevard because of the weight.

Also, when it is shower time, be sure to register for some larger items. I know when we buy gifts at work, we'd much rather all chip in and get a stroller than to get a little gift.

OH and I'd totally recommend a metal frame stroller instead of a plastic one. I think mine was tubular aluminum (?) and it is so strong and has great tires.

 

[southernbelle5672]

Congratulations!!! That is so exciting.

 

[minnie1928]

KarenJ, I am so happy for you! Congrats!

 

[chrysdrew]

Congratulations!

I do a lot of shopping at Walmart, so when we found that we were expecting I used whatever money I had left each trip, usually $5 or $10 and put it on a gift card that I will now be able to use. I just kept adding to the same card. I will use it for diapers, formula, wipies, etc.

Best of Luck!

 

[lakoda]

Congratulations! I have a 9 month old baby and it tooks us over 6 years to get pregnant so I completely understand. We probably went a little bit overboard but I don't regret it one bit !

My recommendations: Start with a list of the things you NEED, and a second list of the things you WANT. Ask around to find out what you can borrow, then update your list. I started with the biggest things - carseat (Graco SafeSeat), crib, dresser, pack-n-play, stroller, etc. It will also help if you can start thinking now about where baby will sleep for the first couple of months or so. I didn't think we needed a bassinet, but my sister loaned me hers just in case and we used it ALOT and for a long time.

Yes, some people will say that you don't need much and that is true - however, there are many items that can make a very busy day much easier. For example, we debated about getting a Bumbo but I'm so glad we did! DD is still able to use it and I was able to put away groceries yesterday while she was content and in one place.

Someone has already mentioned the Baby Bargains book and website - very helpful especially to get you started and an idea for budget. As far as buying ahead of time, make sure that you are familiar with a store's return policies. Babies R Us is horrible unless an item is on your registry. My local store would not allow me to exchange an unopened box of their brand diapers because it had been over 90 days. I even had my receipt!

Speaking of diapers, I HATED theirs. DH and I decided when we were pregnant to go with Huggies, so we stocked up and stocked up and stocked up. Um, they caused DD to have diaper rash. Sooo, it took quite a while to return all those and exchange for Pampers. Luckily we bought them at Wal-mart. Moral of this story is to wait to see which diaper will work best for baby after the birth. I now recommend to purchase gift cards instead, such as getting a $10 or $20 gift card each time you get groceries. Plus it gets you a bit used to the extra grocery bill!

My friends had warned me that we would get tons of clothes at our shower (which we did), so try to avoid buying clothes until after the shower. You can purchase clothing for as the baby gets older, such as 9 or 12 months, but you have to make sure to account for which season it will be when they are that age.

Okay, I think that's probably more info than you needed so I'll stop for now.
Have fun!

 

[PebblesMom]

Congratulations!!!! I also think right now the best thing would be saving money or getting gift cards. With our 1st DS we went kind of crazy and bought things that we thought we would need and then he was born and we realized that he didn't need a lot of the stuff (like a changing table and bottle warmer). We have a closet full of stuff that was barely used and had to go out and buy other stuff that we had never thought of. I think the most important item to purchase first would be a good car seat.

 

[debmom]

Congrats!!!!! This is a magical time!


Having a baby doesn't have to cost a ton---it can, but it doesn't have to.

I'm sure you'll have a shower or two.

Craigslist---awesome place to start. We didn't buy much from there with our youngest (it wasn't around with our oldest) but we've sold quit a bit of baby stuff.

You just need to know what you are looking for.

Diapers---this time around I use cloth. It's not as gross as it sounds and is more economical. Now, some diapers can cost $80 each---but that's for the designer fabric. (yes, you read that correct). If you or anyone else wants more information, PM me. I have spent maybe....$300 for diapers?---Half the time I washed with baking soda, Dawn and vinegar---so, you don't have to have special detergent. (I've also had a few Disney thememd diapers!!!!)

Breastfeeding---oh, yes-----much cheaper than formula! If you plan on working full-time, I suggest a double electric pump. Many moms *think* they can't breastfeed once they return to work...I returned when LO was 6 weeks old---and he still nurses! I just don't pump anymore. If you aren't going to need a pump full-time; there are some good single pump ones--Swing by Medela looks like a good choice.


Consignment stores-find local ones in your area and see which ones you like best. I would go every 2 weeks to one by my house. You can also take items in when you are done using them.

 

[debmom]

Regarding diapers: Our LO had a reaction in commercial diapers. The only ones that didn't break his skin out are 7th Generation.

When he was an infant---we didn't notice any rashes; just when he was older. You may not want to stock up on ALL of on kind.

Our oldest wore Luvs mostly. Huggies, to me, leaves a yucky smell.

 

[Karenj2]

My first question for you... do you work outside the home? Do you have paid time off after giving birth if so how long?

I do work outside the home - if the economy was better, I'd rather become a SAHM, but it's not, and I don't want to put my hubby under the stress of being the sole provider. (Not that my pay is much, but it certainly helps...) I'm not sure if I have paid time off - my company is primarily women, so I'm hoping I do. I plan to find that out on Monday.

Thanks for the rest of your advice (I just didn't want to quote ALL of it) I'm currently paying off the loan to my 401k that we took out in order to pay for our IVF treatments through my paychecks, so I have to figure out what to do with that. (Yes, I know that isn't the right thing to do, but it was the quickest/easiest, and the interest was less than any other loan type we looked at. We've been putting away a certain amount per month so we can pay it off quicker.)

Congrats!! Thanks for starting this thread. It looks like we are due around the same time! I don't have any suggestions, but I look forward to what everyone has to say!

Congratulations to YOU, too!!

-------------
I know this sounds weird (at least to the folks in my area), but I'd really like to try to be as organic/natural with the baby as possible. If I had my way, I'd like to try cloth diapering, but DH said if I want ANY help in that area, we have to use disposables! So, I've got to do research on more "natural" disposable diapers. (I've heard that Seventh Generation diapers are ok, but that they're not as absorbent as others...)

Anyway, keep the advice coming! Thanks!