Sunday, June 26, 2011

How Much Does It Cost to Have a Baby?

As you know it is different for every family how much money ends up being spent on having a child. It all depends on many factors: Insurance coverage, birth plan, if this is the first child in the family or not, how much is given or donated by friends and family, financial situation, government or church help. I'm sure you can think of others as well but those are the ones that come to my mind right now. My friend Jessica was curious as to how much Sean and I spent on getting ready for Noah. I have been keeping a list since finding out we were pregnant of the money spent on each item to do with pregnancy and preparing to have a child. So for all you inquiring minds here is the chart.The items we were given or lent still have a price of what it would have cost us had we bought it. Some of them don't have a price because I don't know how much it actually cost. This chart can be used if you would like to see what you might want to prepare for in the future for having a baby. You can easily add or take off any item on our list to see what you would do for your own family. Or if you already had a baby you can just compare. I welcome comments on how much you spent. It won't be the same for every family. Like I said above, its different for everyone. I'm sure there are ways we could have spent less or more. I'm also very sure that we spent money on things that we didn't have to have but we wanted therefore they were worth the extra cost to us. This is obviously just the start up cost. As you know after birth babies still require things like food, school, clothes and many other things. This is just the tip of the iceberg. -


COST
ITEM
ESSENTIAL
GIVEN/
BOUGHT
Notes
$16
2 pairs Shoes, Books
N
B
Deseret Industries
$20
3 Month Clothing
N
B
Deseret Industries
$300
Bradley Class
Y
B
Natural Birth Class
$100
Crib
Y
G

$69.99
High Chair
Y
G

$159
Stroller & Carseat
Y
B
Babies R US
$100
Dresser
Y
B
Craigslist
$114
Bedding Set
Y
B
Amazon
$70
Bookshelf
N
B
Amazon
$68
Crib Mattress
Y
G

$365
Cloth Diapers
Y
B

$200
Clothing 0-2yrs Old
Y
G

$253
Prenatal Care
Y
B
Before Insurance
changed we had to
pay a deductible.
 Now Its 100% covered
$0 Insurance
Covered
Labor and Delivery
Y
B
Depends on
Insurance Coverage,
where you deliver

Circumcision
Y
B
Insurance doesn't cover this
$41.37
Wall Decals
N
B
Amazon
$26
2 Closet Organizers
N
B
Target
$24
4 Storage Bins for Clothes
N
B
Target

Bath Tub
Y
G

$11
Curtain
Y
B
Homemade w/ Table Cloth
$279
Breast Pump
Y
G

$40
Diaper Bag
Y
G
Mom made this
$56
Clothesline
N
B
To Dry Cloth Diapers
$26
Bottles
Y
G

$27.44
Baby Monitor
N
B

$62.99
Take along swing
N
G

$22.99
Johnson's Bathtime Set
Y
B

$179
Kodak PlayTouch
N
B
To take pictures and record Noah
$19.69
Health Kit Safety First Deluxe
Y
B

$7.99
Safety 1st Secure View Mirror
N
B
For car to see in back seat
$10.99
Safety 1st Roller shade 2 pack
N
B

$44.99
Ultrasoft baby Carrier
N
G

$15.99
Hamper
Y
B


Sweater & Booties
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$10.99
Baby Ruler
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$12.99
Changing Pad
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$95
Bedding Set
N
G
Baby Shower Gift

Blessing Outfit
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$37
Shopping Cart Cover
N
G
Baby Shower Gift

Swaddle Blankets
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$19.99
Tub Toys
N
G
Baby Shower Gift

Block Set
N
G
Baby Shower Gift

Bibs
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift

Onesies
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift

Clothing 0-2yrs Old
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$35
Blankets
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$12.99
Car Mirror
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$7.99
Safety Plugs
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$20
Wash Clothes
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$15
Sippy Cups
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$67
Bouncer
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$33.48
Fold Up Play Gym
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$57
2000 Wipes
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$10
Rattles
N
G
Baby Shower Gift
$15
Towels
Y
G
Baby Shower Gift
$12.74
Bottle Drying Rack
N
G
Baby Shower Gift










Total: $3207.60



Actually Spent By Us: $1840.46




 We were so surprised when we saw the total! I can't believe we have spent that much money. I didn't even know we had that much money at one point. Heavenly Father has truly blessed us abundantly. A special thank you goes to my older sister Amanda and her husband Corey. They have been so generous to us through this entire pregnancy. My niece is 18 months and no longer needs most of the baby stuff they have and so they have either given or lent us most of the things we have for Noah. It is a great system we have in place. Sean and I will use the stuff until Noah no longer needs it and then give it back to Amanda and Corey when they have their next child and it will just go back and forth from there. Genius right?! Yes I agree. The idea of having a baby might be intimidating when you see those kinds of numbers but it is definitely worth every penny. It doesn't make sense on paper, looking back at past bills and expenses compared to our income we can't figure out where the money came from to buy all the things needed but somehow it worked out. Sean and I are so grateful to all those who have given to help us. We know we couldn't have be as prepared as we are with out our friends and family and most of all our Heavenly Father.

6 comments:

  1. That's definitely sticker shock I'd say! It adds up quick huh? The most expensive part of our first baby was the hospital bills for the her and I. Those added up to be about $3,000. Other than that, all of her clothes were hand-me-downs or given to us (babies need far less clothes than you would think, and they grow through them faster than is believable). Initially we only bought her 2 outfits to celebrate finding out she was a girl. She came home to our 20x22 foot garage with a little tupperware drawer with her clothes in it, a bin with diapers and wipes, a baby tub, and a port-a-crib. That is literally it! The only things we bought during her first 6 months were a bumbo chair and regular things like diapers, etc. We had no crib, no dresser, no bed set, no decorations, no monitor, no breast pump, no diaper bag. I was looking at your list thinking of all the things we survived without. Still, we were fine. Most of those things on your list would have been nice to have though (the breast pump! so worth it, except mine only cost us $140 with our second baby). Consider yourself blessed!! People were so generous and gave us so much though--our carseat, stroller, clothes, etc. I'm sure you're getting excited now that it's all coming together! We're excited for you!

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  2. That's a big list!! I read pretty much every post you have but only log in once a week to comment haha. Checking your blog every day has become a habit because I enjoy reading it!

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  3. Melissa- Thanks for the input. It is a sticker shock, haha. I'm so happy our hospital bills are covered because I couldn't imagine affording anything else after that. That's crazy how little you guys had. I'm sure we could have saved money and not gotten some of the things we did but I just couldn't help it. It's good for people to know not all babies are that expensive lol. We are so excited to see you guys next month!

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  4. Adriana- Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it :) I love posting. I read your blog all the time as well.

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  5. Deana,
    Wow! Your hospital bills are covered? That's got to be some awesome insurance! The $3,000 bills were after insurance paid their 80%, not including the insurance premium we paid that semester...of course I used an anesthesiologist and had a few more drugs than you will, and a few other complicated things, but still...expensive. I don't blame you at all for making Noah's room a beautiful nursery! It's something I've always wanted to do. Maybe for baby #3. :) I was just saying that it is possible to do it without much. So does that mean you're coming down to Tucson for the day in July??! :) Yay!!! I'm excited to see your cute pregnant self.

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  6. Yep! I am so happy that I have such great insurance. They are covering all prenatal appointments, the birth, hospital bills and everything. We just had to pay a co pay of $200 something. Oh and they don't cover the circumsision though so we will have to pay for that. I think its about $100 something. Yes! We are coming to Tucson. Thats the plan at least. I'm talking to my doctor today but I think it shouldn't be a problem seeing as its only 2ish hours away Sean said.

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