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Expecting!
I am starting to shop for the new baby and i am worried i will forget something. What were your must haves? What was a waste of money and what do you wish you had but didn't.
Answer
1 - carseat (I like the travel system with stroller kind)
2 - baby carrier - I love the Ergo carrier but also have several others that seldom get used. A Moby wrap is nice for nursing though & good for newborns
3 - clothing of course & whatever type of diapers you plan to use (cloth or disposables)
4 - diaper changing table/station - ours is downstairs & it makes it so much nicer than going up & down stairs all day.
5 - breastpump - but I had to go back to work - it's not as necessary if you stay home & then of course all the stuff that goes with that...breastpads (I think Johnson & Johnson make the best disposables AND cloth ones) - Lansinoh cream for nipples, milk storage bags (they warm MUCH faster whether frozen or just refrigerated), bottles of some sort....my preference is Second Nature
6 - exersaucer - my first LIVED in this thing as soon as he could set up & still asked to get in after he could walk...LOL
7 - Boppy Pillow or Breastfriend - whether you nurse or not - it is a back saver!
8 - Swing - baby may or may not love it. My first hated the swing & never never took to it - but you can't know until you know & many babies love them. They will be a lifesaver if baby likes them for things like showering.
9 - Bumbo Seat - my first loved this thing & we used it until he didn't fit in it. He loved to eat there instead of the highchair..so we packed the bulky highchair up after a certain point & I don't plan to even bother getting it out this time. Our Bumbo has a tray & everything - so it's totally sufficient.
10 - Swaddle-me blankets. Both my babies have loved swaddling but I never got one of these until this time - now I own 5...LOL They are wonderful for a baby that likes swaddling!
Stuff we didn't need that we bought or were given:
With my first - the swing - total waste, same with the highchair
We bedshare with our babies, so I don't really need a bed for them that first year...but I do keep a bassinet for naps, etc. I bought a crib for my first after he was a year & attached it to our bed to give us all a little more room. We didn't need one or want one until then. The nice part is because I waited & just kept an eye out for a deal I got a nearly $500 crib for $99 ob clearance. You definitely don't need a bed in a bag for your crib. They recommend you don't use any bedding in with baby & also no bumper...so just buy the sheets & bedskirt as that is all you are supposed to use anyway. I didn't even do that - since it was attached to our bed I bought an extra twin bedskirt to match our bed & twin sheets. The I made the bedskirt work with tucking & safety pins & I use these: http://www.google.com/products?q=snug+sheets+clips&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Gz7NS5SDA4WsNe_ciNMP&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDEQrQQwAg to make the sheets snug. It's very easy.
1 - carseat (I like the travel system with stroller kind)
2 - baby carrier - I love the Ergo carrier but also have several others that seldom get used. A Moby wrap is nice for nursing though & good for newborns
3 - clothing of course & whatever type of diapers you plan to use (cloth or disposables)
4 - diaper changing table/station - ours is downstairs & it makes it so much nicer than going up & down stairs all day.
5 - breastpump - but I had to go back to work - it's not as necessary if you stay home & then of course all the stuff that goes with that...breastpads (I think Johnson & Johnson make the best disposables AND cloth ones) - Lansinoh cream for nipples, milk storage bags (they warm MUCH faster whether frozen or just refrigerated), bottles of some sort....my preference is Second Nature
6 - exersaucer - my first LIVED in this thing as soon as he could set up & still asked to get in after he could walk...LOL
7 - Boppy Pillow or Breastfriend - whether you nurse or not - it is a back saver!
8 - Swing - baby may or may not love it. My first hated the swing & never never took to it - but you can't know until you know & many babies love them. They will be a lifesaver if baby likes them for things like showering.
9 - Bumbo Seat - my first loved this thing & we used it until he didn't fit in it. He loved to eat there instead of the highchair..so we packed the bulky highchair up after a certain point & I don't plan to even bother getting it out this time. Our Bumbo has a tray & everything - so it's totally sufficient.
10 - Swaddle-me blankets. Both my babies have loved swaddling but I never got one of these until this time - now I own 5...LOL They are wonderful for a baby that likes swaddling!
Stuff we didn't need that we bought or were given:
With my first - the swing - total waste, same with the highchair
We bedshare with our babies, so I don't really need a bed for them that first year...but I do keep a bassinet for naps, etc. I bought a crib for my first after he was a year & attached it to our bed to give us all a little more room. We didn't need one or want one until then. The nice part is because I waited & just kept an eye out for a deal I got a nearly $500 crib for $99 ob clearance. You definitely don't need a bed in a bag for your crib. They recommend you don't use any bedding in with baby & also no bumper...so just buy the sheets & bedskirt as that is all you are supposed to use anyway. I didn't even do that - since it was attached to our bed I bought an extra twin bedskirt to match our bed & twin sheets. The I made the bedskirt work with tucking & safety pins & I use these: http://www.google.com/products?q=snug+sheets+clips&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Gz7NS5SDA4WsNe_ciNMP&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDEQrQQwAg to make the sheets snug. It's very easy.
How much does a baby cost?
Rensa Flae
I'm in my early twenties, in a stable relationship and engaged. I'm not planning on having a child now, or soon - I still want to do things as a "childless" individual. I'm just curious, and I'd like to be prepared for when I make that decision. How much should a couple have saved before trying to conceive.
I appreciate the numbers thus far, but I am looking more for an answer in the form of a number.
I know that children cost a lot (and only increase in cost as they become older and have more expenses), and that once I do have children, there is a probability I will be financing them past their twenties.
Like I know I'll have to set aside a good amount for diapers, medical expenses, clothes, months that I'll be on maternity leave, things for a nursery, maybe a nursery school etc - I'm just not sure of HOW much to set aside initially.
I appreciate the *ANSWERS (is what i meant)
Answer
Figuring out how much money to save before hand is dependent upon you really. If you are planning on buying everything very expensive and brand new you'll need a lot, probably at least $10,000 - $15,000 for the first year. My husband and I have only spent maybe $800 - $1,000 on our daughter total so far (she's almost 3 months old now and we started buying things when I was 20 weeks pregnant) and the only thing we'll need to buy for her is a couple packs of diapers once she grows out of size 3, otherwise we have everything we need for her for her first year. I breastfeed so we don't spend any money on formula. We bought her pack and play and stroller/car seat travel system on clearance, 60% of her clothes were given to us, either as hand-me-downs or gifts at our baby shower and the rest we purchased on clearance. We stocked up on diapers and wipes on sale while I was pregnant and paid next to nothing for them and received a bunch of stuff we needed for our baby shower. We will be feeding her what ever we are eating once she is old enough to be eating solids so we won't be spending any extra money on baby food. Also, all of our daughters medical expenses are covered by our insurance. All in all for us our daughters first year is not costing us that much money, neither will her second or third year. I suspect we won't start spending that much money until she's about school age. Parents who formula feed, feed jar food and baby cereal, buy diapers at regular price, buy all of the priciest things, buy all brand new, name brand clothing and have medical expenses not covered by insurance will easily spend upwards of $10,000 in the first year.
Figuring out how much money to save before hand is dependent upon you really. If you are planning on buying everything very expensive and brand new you'll need a lot, probably at least $10,000 - $15,000 for the first year. My husband and I have only spent maybe $800 - $1,000 on our daughter total so far (she's almost 3 months old now and we started buying things when I was 20 weeks pregnant) and the only thing we'll need to buy for her is a couple packs of diapers once she grows out of size 3, otherwise we have everything we need for her for her first year. I breastfeed so we don't spend any money on formula. We bought her pack and play and stroller/car seat travel system on clearance, 60% of her clothes were given to us, either as hand-me-downs or gifts at our baby shower and the rest we purchased on clearance. We stocked up on diapers and wipes on sale while I was pregnant and paid next to nothing for them and received a bunch of stuff we needed for our baby shower. We will be feeding her what ever we are eating once she is old enough to be eating solids so we won't be spending any extra money on baby food. Also, all of our daughters medical expenses are covered by our insurance. All in all for us our daughters first year is not costing us that much money, neither will her second or third year. I suspect we won't start spending that much money until she's about school age. Parents who formula feed, feed jar food and baby cereal, buy diapers at regular price, buy all of the priciest things, buy all brand new, name brand clothing and have medical expenses not covered by insurance will easily spend upwards of $10,000 in the first year.
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