Offsetting the Estimated $7,000-a-Year Cost of Raising a Baby: Tips and Advice

According to www.babycenter.com/babyCostCalculator.htm having a baby will cost the average person upwards of $7,000 for the first year. This price does not include any childcare or maternity expenses. It is strictly based on its checklist of necessities for a baby's first year and estimated prices for those necessities. If these are the kind of statistics that people are using then no wonder so many people do not feel that they can afford to have children.

I assure you that if we had spent anywhere close to $7,000 for our daughter last year we would not be expecting our second child in March. In reality, my calculations show that we probably spent between $2,500 and $3,000 and we did buy quite a few things we didn't really need. It was our first child, after all and we wanted her to have everything she could want. What I learned over the course of the last year is that babies really don't need or want very much at all. Here are some great ways to cut down on costs when preparing for your newborn.

When it comes to feeding your baby, an obvious way to save money is to breastfeed. If you do not breastfeed then keep in mind that the generic brands of formula have the same nutritional makeup as the brand names and cost about 50% less. They also make generics of almost every variety of formula so if your child needs soy formula or formula for sensitive stomachs you can still get a generic. We used formula from about 7 months on and I personally found that I liked the Target brand the best because it dissolved the quickest and had a more powdery consistency that made it easy to scoop. Once the sample we got from our doctor ran out we never used brand name formula again.

The biggest mistake that new parents make is to spend $1,000 plus to outfit the perfect baby nursery. If you have extra money to spend and want to go overboard that is certainly your option. However, you can have a perfectly lovely nursery without spending anywhere near that amount. The key here is to decide what items are the most important to you and what items you don't really care about.

If you fall in love with a particular bedding set or just have to have a glider rocker then go for it, but consider whether or not you really need the fancy changing table and matching lamp/mobile/wall hangings. If you are willing to use secondhand furniture then you can get a great looking room for hardly anything. We got our crib from friends who had just transitioned their last child to a bed and found a changing table on freecycle.com. That savings made spending $150 on a bedding set seem like no big deal.

Babycenter.com budgets $59/month for clothes for the first year. This is ridiculous. For the first few months all you need are a few onesies and sleepers that you can rotate. Save the cute trendy outfits for when you aren't changing diapers 6-10 times a day and the baby is doing more than spending the day laying in a carrier or your arms. Babies grow out of their clothes so quickly that it really doesn't pay to spend $20 on each outfit when it will probably only be worn once or twice.

Since baby clothes are usually worn so infrequently this is another area where looking for gently used items can really be beneficial. Check out local garage sales, online message boards and let friends and family know that you are open to the idea. You might be surprised how many people have attics filled with clothes that they would love to donate. Just remember to keep passing them down so that you are continuing the cycle of giving.

When it comes to all of the "necessary" supplies my advice is to look at the suggested checklists of items and break them down into three categories: things that would be nice if someone else bought them (put these on a registry if you are having a shower or if family is asking what you could use), things that you think might be worth buying and things that you actually need. Start with the ones you need and see how much of your budget you have left and then start adding things in from the other lists.

Make sure to check if you have any items on the list that are similar. For example, do you really need a swing and a bouncy seat? Probably not. Are you really going to need the bassinet and a Pack n Play or can you just use the Pack n Play as a bassinet too? Remember to think about your particular situation and get what will be most important to you. A bottle warmer that plugs into a car lighter might be completely over the top for some people, but if you drive 8 hours each way to see relatives once a month it might be worth it to you.

My last bit of advice is regarding toys. We all want our kids to have the best of everything and it's easy to get carried away with all the options out there that say they will help your child grow and learn and have fun, too. The truth is that babies learn better just by watching you and exploring their surroundings than with any electronic gadget.

Get a couple of rattles, some blocks with letters and numbers so you can use them for years and explore the children's section of your library for some wonderful, free board books that you can read with your child. If you have some extra money here and there then by all means splurge now and then, but don't be surprised if your baby gets more amusement out of the box or the packing paper. You see, as far as toys and games go the best thing that you can give your child is your attention.