How much does your baby cost per month? (Excluding daycare)

Question

How did the numbers change as your baby has grown? I said excluding daycare only because not everyone needs it, but if you are paying for daycare, what does that cost look like?
We want to try and make sure we are financially ready to have a baby and I’m so curious as to the costs involved. Thanks!

Answer

It's not the baby care cost that'll get you it's the cumulative cost over the years. Both of my kids are in school now and I spend way more now than when they were babies.

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Not that much really. I breastfeed and cloth diaper so out of pocket is minimal when they are little but as they get older it becomes much more.

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Before she was born was probably the most money we spent. Nursery and baby items (crib, dresser, chair stroller, paint, decor, clothes, bottles) probably cost $3000. but obviously that was broken up over a few months. And that’s not including what we were gifted. We were probably gifted another $2000 of things (diapers and wipes that lasted almost 6 months, car seats, pack and play, activity’s, toys etc). The cost of pregnancy was also a lot. I have really good insurance and work at my OB office. Medical care for my entire pregnancy was only $300 Which is literally pennies to what some people pay. But I also had to buy maternity clothes, a pregnancy pillow, medications, increased food cost, had to take time off work for appts, complications, postpartum supplies, etc. 
As a new born my daughter was pretty cheap. I exclusively breastfed so we saved a lot there. In the beginning she was maybe $200 a month and that’s generous(diapers, wipes, doctors appts, clothing, meds, etc) Once she hit a year and transitioned to table food it went up a little, she mainly ate what we ate. So I didn’t really need to buy much more. Still had to buy all the same stuff so monthly was maybe $250-300. 
Now that she’s 4 that number has doubled if not tripled. I’d say now it’s probably $600. But a lot of that is more optional. Her school tuition alone is $250 a month, she needs school snacks so that’s an additional grocery expense. She also has become more picky with her food (compared to most toddlers, she’s still very adventurous) so I often have to buy her more of her own food. The chokehold that berries have on toddlers easily costs us $50 a month. In just berries. We also now have to pay for her ticket or fee anytime we go to an event/activity with paid admission. She also has her activities like dance class which is nearly $100 a month. She’s now potty trained though so I’m not spending that money on diapers. Just like a big box of overnights for like $25 a month. Which is nothing compared to full time diapers.

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The biggest baby costs are when you're getting ready for their arrival ie. Crib, pram, changing table etc. I also use reusable wipes and nappies and breastfeed so my monthly costs are low. I guess it all depends what you WANT to spend on these things as everything can be picked up secondhand. The biggest cost now baby is here for us is clothes as they grow out of them every few months, you really dont need loads of clothes though!

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My son is 7. With daycare, he was over $3,000 until he became a toddler. Now he is $500-700 a month. Just depends. Many factors play into how much you will spend on your child.

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With no formula, not that much. With formula, easily $300-500.

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Thank you for this! We are also starting our journey to conceive and this is a great gathering of data!

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Before biden prices back in 2014 diapers were $200 a month more or less, wipes about $60, any extra formula that wic didnt cover was another $100, if she had a rash or a cough or was teething anything extra like just rough to about $40-60, you need onsies and footed pajamas throughout the first whole year, blankets, carseats were $50-100, you need a high chair, a crib if youre not going to co-sleep, nursing pads for yourself cause youre gonna leak, if you bottle feed you need bottles, binkeys, teething toys, a boppy pillow. 
Its todays time youre gonna need $2k put away