How much it really costs to have a baby…
Hey, Y’all I thought this would be fun for me and new mamas/ mamas-to-be. I am going to break down the cost of everything we used for Emilia from the time she was born until now, at 10.5 months.
I’m going to split it into two categories: my essentials and my extras. Now just a slight disclaimer, some of the items can be on the pricey side. And just becuase it is an essential/extra to me does not mean it has to be one for you. With that being said I hope y’all enjoy it!
Essentials
So first I’m going to start with our sleep essentials. Obviously the first thing on this list is a crib and a crib mattress. Emilia’s crib was actually thrifted but I have liked the same one if you were to buy it new it would be $160 and her mattress is $70. Next is the bedding, we have about 4 pairs of sheets that get rotated through for Emilia. Most of them were from target but one pair is from Copper and Pearl, they are actually my favorite ones becuase of how soft there are.
Some other sleep essentials for Emilia are her sound machine ($60), baby monitor (on sale for $99) and her lovey ($22). I feel like the sound machine is a given. If you have a baby you know. Emilia sleeps so much better with it than she did without. The baby monitor is for my peace of mind. I put her down for a nap (when shes awake) and leave the room. With the camera, I can keep an eye on here and make sure she’s not trying to throw things out of her crib. And the last thing is her lovey. It’s a cute little sloth filled with rice and lavender and I put him in the microwave before nap and bedtime. I know they say not to put toys in the crib but this is what works for us.
The next essential items I feel like are a given, diapers, wipes, bath items and all the things of that nature. I like either these wipes or these. We’ve used a few different ones but those two are the ones I repurchase the most. As for diapers I was a Huggies mama through and through and I do still prefer them to pampers but I am also a big fan of the Hello Bello diapers as well.
For her bath things, some might not find getting the seat necessary but I normally do bath time by myself self so for me it was. This one ($20) was good as a newborn and up until about 5.5 months then she started trying to sit up out of it and we transitioned her to this one ($37). Of course, you need things like soaps ($15) and towels (3 pack for $15) too.
The next things are strollers and car seats. So our original car seat was apart of a travel system ($252) which was so useful for the first half of Emilia’s life. SO the car seat could clip right into her stroller and I was able to move her without waking her up. Now that she’s 10 months she actually uses this car seat ($250). We still use the same stroller becuase it came with a bassinet piece that converts to the seat.
Now on to baby feeding. I breastfed Emilia for only 2 months before I had to stop she had such a hard time with it, turns out she had a milk allergy that kept her from breastfeeding. So she switched to formula. So then we had to get bottles. I liked these ( $40) for a long time when she was little but now we use these more often than not. ($18)
When she first started eating solids we went on the hunt for a high chair. We ended up getting this Ikea one but I don’t love it ($20). Maybe I’m just picky but it’s not my favorite thing.
With that, all being said the total cost of my baby essentials is roughly about $1500. And like I said, just becuase these are my essentials doesn’t mean they may be yours. And with that being said I’m moving on to my extras. These are items we used and loved but could live without.
Extras
The first thing I think is an extra is her swing ($245). We used it a lot but it was not something we had to have, in fact, I don’ think we even got it until she was almost two months old. Another extra is her pacis ($15 for two).
My diaper bag ($170) is another one that I put on the extra list because it is on the pricey side. But I will say having a backpack diaper bag is essential becuase if you know you know. Having to carry a baby in the car seat and a diaper bag is just not a thing. So being hands-free is the way to go.
One thing I also loved and will you again with the next baby was this car seat cover ($25). So this is something ( if I remember it) I still use. So her car seat cover also doubled as a nursing cover, high chair cover, and a grocery cart cover. We mainly use it for the grocery store now but when she was little it was a great way to keep the sun, and people way from her.
That’s all the items on my extra list. Now keep in mind I didn’t add in the price of formula, bibs, or clothes. Those are things that vary in price depending on the brand and where you get them. But my total for everything I use for Emilia is . . . just below $1800
I hope Y’all enjoyed today’s post!
Lot’s of love from the Tar Heel State
Brittany