Budgeting for baby!!!

Ok ladies i need your help. I need to kno how much and average baby costs for the first year of life. I have a lot saved up in the bank and its growing constantly thanks to my hard working bf. but i want to leave a certain amount in my checking accounttouse only on the baby and then start putting some into my savings.i do plan to breastfeed buti want to budgetas if i wasnt. I know formula (small cans) are around 13ishbut thats about all i know.In about a monthhow much do you spend on everything? year?

I have researched this before, there was a website I used to predict how much your baby's first year will cost and mine only came out to about $1300 because I had already gotten a lot of things from my baby shower and such.... on average I would say about $1700 though....

Including diapers, formula, wipes, etc, you can probably expect to pay around $200 or more a month if you aren't breastfeeding for the first few months. You can save a lot of money later on by making your own baby food and freezing it, or you can go the more expensive route and buy all the pre-packaged baby food that they sell for nearly $1 a piece. It's been a while since we've had to do all of this, so I'm not really sure how much we spent on baby things in the beginning. This time I'll be bf-ing again and I plan on making our own baby food to save money. I'll also be attempting cloth diapers.

The co-pays alone for the first 2 months added up fast. She was at the pediatrician's office for one reason or another at least once a week and at $20 a visit, it gets expensive!

Quoting awaiting my princess...:“ Ok ladies i need your help. I need to kno how much and average baby costs for the first year of life. ... [snip!] ... formula (small cans) are around 13ishbut thats about all i know.In about a monthhow much do you spend on everything? year? ”

Try WIC as well then you can budget to spend a little less in the cereal, milk, and formula area. I still have to find time to go and sign up but my aunt did it and her income is pretty good so i think they accept various incomes. they also provide for you if you breast feed too.

Quoting awaiting my princess...:“ Ok ladies i need your help. I need to kno how much and average baby costs for the first year of life. ... [snip!] ... formula (small cans) are around 13ishbut thats about all i know.In about a monthhow much do you spend on everything? year? ”

Depending on the brand of formula and diapers you use, it makes a difference as well. 1500-2000, I'd say is about average. I usually think back and say I should have kept track of how much we were spending. But, a bag of diapers usually lasts a week, same with a big can (750g to 1kg) of formula.

Well, lol.... I guess I totally didn't even think about those expenses (Doc visits and such). It could actually turn out to be a lot more expensive than what I thought originally.  

This post was very helpful. That estimate for the year isn't so bad if u dont add in say laundry costs, gas to / from appts, and don't forget medicine (my copays are $15 i think)

i was googling it and they said it can cost 3000+ for the first year!!!  
do you think thats a little much? o and i dont qualify for wic for some reason i tried already.

Are you putting your child in daycare? That's expensive!!! Here it's $120/wk. Works out to $6240 annually. Then diapers. Average diaper is about $0.22 and you probably use about 10-12 a day. That's almost $1000 a year. I'm not sure about formula. I know it's expensive, but I honestly have not even looked into the actual cost- I plan on breastfeeding. But the breast pump rental at my hospital is $75/mo or I can buy one for $300. I know I will need one when I go back to work. Plus doctor visits, clothing, baby detergent, lotions, etc. I imagine we will easily spend about $700-800/month in the first year. It's crazy--that's how much we pay on our mortgage!

Quoting KSmith515:“ Are you putting your child in daycare? That's expensive!!! Here it's $120/wk. Works out to $6240 annually. ... [snip!] ... etc. I imagine we will easily spend about $700-800/month in the first year. It's crazy--that's how much we pay on our mortgage!”

Agreed with all of it. And as for the breastfeeding, a $200 pump (my Ameda, which I LOVE) and other supplies (breast pads, storage bags, etc.) is much cheaper than a year's worth of formula, so you're on the right track  !

Quoting awaiting my princess...:“ i was googling it and they said it can cost 3000+ for the first year!!!   do you think thats a little much? o and i dont qualify for wic for some reason i tried already.”

No, that doesn't seem a little too much at all. That seems just about right.
I forgot about pedi/dr appts. Mainly because I don't pay for that... All the supplies, the things you'll need daily, it all adds up. So yeah, 3000 seems right.

its all about catching the sales too.... I am an avid couponer and for the $1.50 that I pay for the newspaper every week, I save probably $50 (easy) if you have a CVS near you, then you need to get into using their card to work for you go to www.moneysavingmom.com and look at her cvs post or to www.afullcup.com and check out the cvs forum....I will be getting 2 packs of huggies, 2 packs of wipes, some infant advil and some J&J baby wash for under $7.... I BF, so I don't have to pay for formula, but I am averaging less than .10 a piece for name brand diapers... I got free diapers from wlagreens a month or so ago, but my baby can't wear them.. there are deals out there, you just have to find them

Quoting Kendall's Momma:“ its all about catching the sales too.... I am an avid couponer and for the $1.50 that I pay for the newspaper ... [snip!] ... diapers from wlagreens a month or so ago, but my baby can't wear them.. there are deals out there, you just have to find them”

I wish our newspaper had good coupons. I pay $1 for the Sunday ads but most of the time, there are only about $5 worth of good coupons in there. Worth the $1 investment, but wish it was more. There are many weeks where they only put one coupon book in the whole paper. It's usually the P & G Saver.

Quoting Kendall's Momma:“ its all about catching the sales too.... I am an avid couponer and for the $1.50 that I pay for the newspaper ... [snip!] ... diapers from wlagreens a month or so ago, but my baby can't wear them.. there are deals out there, you just have to find them”

I read the sites, but I don't quite get how it's coming out so cheap. Could you give me a brief run-down...and what is an ECB?