Baby/postpartum expenses - am I overlooking anything?

[7swans]

Ok, I think I have finally bought everything that we need for the first few weeks (and more, in some cases), and we have a few hundred dollars more than expected still sitting in our "baby" account. I'm trying to figure out if I've overlooked any major expenses, because we're in desperate need of a new washing machine and I'm tempted to go out and buy one very soon so that I don't have to deal with moving 50lb weights on and off of the washer right after giving birth (that's what we have to do now so that it won't walk itself out the door ).

So here's what we have:

- Arm's Reach co-sleeper sleigh bed (should last for several months)
- Snugride 35 car seat
- Moby wrap, Azure wrap, and a Babyhawk (my brother has an extra stroller if we decide we need one)
- Ameda breastpump, milk storage bags, supplemental feeder and bottles
- cloth diapers (36 newborn, 20-some small, 20-some medium, about 10 OS)
- cloth wipes, diaper pail, wetbags, diaper bag, detergent
- cloth mama pads and a big package of Poise
- tons and tons of baby clothes
- lots of blankets, towels, washcloths
- nursing bras, breast pads, booby tubes, nipple salve, nursing cover and pillow
- soap, massage oil, thermometer, baby grooming kit, vitamin D drops
- teethers, Sophie and Peppa doll
- bouncy chair and swing
- Gymini (or as my SIL calls it, "the arches of neglect" )
- labour supplies (birth ball, massager, hot/cold packs, emergen-c, etc)
- postpartum supplies (Tucks, sitz bath, bottom balm, peri bottle, etc)

I think that's pretty much everything. Our doula has already been paid and we've put enough money aside for a 2 hour home visit from our lactation consultant if needed. Hospital is covered. Am I missing anything big? I don't want to empty out the account and then realize that we needed that money for something else (we do have an emergency fund, but I try to pretend it doesn't exist so it's there for a real emergency).

Somebody please make me feel good about dropping almost $800 on a washing machine! I'm trying so hard to be responsible but I keep looking at the ad and drooling over it.

[Redheaded_Momma]

Looks good to me! You are going to have to wash all that stuff so I would go ahead a purchase the washing machine.

[briome]

you are SET! Please relax now, i think a new machine was a good investment!


Do you have a treat stash of your fav junk (your fav kind of chocolate, ice cream etc) I get frustrated trying to tell people what xactly to get at the store when I could have it already.

[sanguine_speed]

I would save that money for things you'll need later on, or things you might not expect to need. 2 hours of a LC might not be enough. We ended up spending more money on breastfeeding than we would have spent on formula between all of the hired lactation help we required. It's unlikely that your child will require a lot of medical help but just in case, things like parking at the hospital, take-out food at the hospital, etc can also add up very quickly (our parking is $15 a day here, not sure where you are...that's $105 a week). Of course hopefully you won't need any of this stuff, but if you've got the money, don't let it burn a hole in your pocket--just hang on to it in case you end up needing it.

Of course, I'd also buy the washer with the regular budget if possible too! That sounds like it would be a real PITA post-partum.

[JessieBird]

Wow! You are thorough! I was exactly like this two years ago! I will say though that I bought WAYYY more than was needed and didn't use tons of the stuff I thought would be essential. Other things I realized I would get slightly different models/brands if I'd waited and saw exactly what my baby was like and how our days went.

Have you bought everything already? There are a few things that I would not get, at least not now until you meet your baby and see what he/she is like and how your routine goes:

- Arm's reach co-sleeper: we had planned to side-car the crib so it would be like an Arm's reach but ended up bedsharing from day 1 to 15 months and loved every moment of it
- pump and accessories: mine are still all in their box, never opened. you could get a rental to have on hand in case you need it in the early days but many women don't
- bouncy chair and swing: we never used them, I wore baby most of the time and never seemed to need either
- Gymini: we ran out and got something like this when I thought DS was starting to get bored of me. he loved it for 15 minutes then hated it ever after. this is something I would borrow from a toy library or try out at a friend's first.
- teethers: every baby is so different in what they like to chew, and it depends on their stage of development too (DS teethed super early so he wasn't coordinated enough to get Sophie in his mouth reliably

Aside from the co-sleeper maybe, you can run out and buy just about anything you feel you need after the baby comes.

I would add to my budget $ for:

- more than just one lactation consultant visit: often problems persist for several days/weeks/months and "refresher courses" are necessary (I would be in the looney bin if I hadn't had lactation consultant visits every three days for the first two weeks) hopefully you won't need this and can spend the money on something else!
- cleaning help for the first few months
- one of those companies that prepares fresh frozen meals for you for the first few weeks

Personally, I found "services" like these to be worth so much more than any of the stuff I had bought. You can improvise or run out and get just about anything you realize you need.

And yea! for the washing machine. You won't regret it. Your CD and carrier stashes sound fantastic too.

Now I'm preg with #2 and itching to go shopping. But I can't think of a single thing we need.

[7swans]

Ok, I feel a bit better now! I will add some more money into the budget for the lactation consultant. If the baby stays in until May 4th, I can have the washing machine paid for (with a 5 year warranty!), and have enough left over for an extra 5 hours of LC. If she stays in until her due date we'll have even more put aside. I have a couple of things that I am going to try to sell, as well (we have about $180 of Future Shop gift cards, and a huge external hard drive that we don't really use).

We could (and normally this is how I would do it) add a washing machine fund to our regular budget, but up until recently I had myself convinced that I could deal with the current set-up and I've now realized that I'm going to have a meltdown if I have to wash cloth diapers in this darn thing! DH also doesn't want me lifting the weights in the first few weeks postpartum (and I honestly don't feel like doing it, either - it's getting to be very uncomfortable as it is). I'm just a very frugal person and I panic over spending large amounts of cash!

JessieBird: Yes, they are all things that we have already. A lot of them were gifts or hand-me-downs (the Gymini, bouncy seats, etc) and not necessarily things we would have bought ourselves. I will probably sell what we don't like after the baby is born. I've actually heard a lot of people say that they didn't end up using their co-sleepers, but I have (very mild) sleep apnea so that's why we decided to get one rather than have baby in bed with us. I probably would have been too cheap to get it otherwise! lol

I've been feeding the freezer for a while now, but cleaning help definitely sounds nice. My neighbour uses a cleaning service so I'll have to ask her about it and see if we can work that into the budget.

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone! I'm a first time mom so I'm really nervous about forgetting something important.

[To-Fu]

You are way more prepared than we'll be, that's for sure!

I consider a washing machine to be one of the vital expenses when a baby joins the family--especially if you're doing cloth diapers! So I'd go ahead and get that taken care of if you can.

[texmati]

I would also put aside a little for well baby copays and/or prescription medicine copays (depending on your insurance).

[Shazer]

I would really look at your food budget. You would be surprised at how much you can put away as a BFing mom. Plus, if your baby has food sensitivities, you may spend a lot on trying out different foods.

[at_the_hip]

I agree that a washing machine is a necessity.

The only thing that sprang to mind for me also was FOOD. You will require even more calories bfing than pg...and there's a pretty good chance that with a new baby you will be ordering in/out more than usual or buying more convenience foods. Both things cost more and should be budgeted for so that you don't have to worry later. A hungry mama is a cranky mama! LOL

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Life with a Babe.

[texaspeach]

on the washing machine front - have you checked to see if it's level? if it is not level it will walk all over when it is in the spin cycle. put a level on it and if it is not right, you should be able to adjust the feet. the other option is to call a repairman, you might be able to have it repaired for less than the cost of a new machine.

I'd keep as much $ in the fund as possible, you really never know what is going to come up.

[maptome]

I would save the money for unexpected medical expenses. We took our babe to the ENT to check her tongue tie because we were having difficulties breastfeeding, and it was about $150. We didn't even get the procedure.

[aerobrandi]

I don't know if I saw it on your list but I found one of those inflatiable donuts to sit on as one of the best things post partum, but a lot of that was due to the episiotomy and rough birth.

Definitely get the washing machine! It's amazing how much laundry such a little being can generate.

I also second picking up a few of your favorite foods and things you can eat with one hand. I did a lot of feeding the freezer too before I gave birth but in that first crazy week I didn't really have time for a proper meal so there was a lot of snacking. If I had it to do over again I'd probably make more things like granola bars, zucchini bread, etc. Although don't get me wrong, the freezer meals were nice a little further down the line when I had figured out how to take care of a baby and do something else at the same time (even if it was just baking something in the oven!).

Don't sweat it, you sound so much like me about 5 months ago. All that really matters is you and your baby.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

I would save that money for things you'll need later on, or things you might not expect to need. 2 hours of a LC might not be enough. We ended up spending more money on breastfeeding than we would have spent on formula between all of the hired lactation help we required.

Between the LC, buying a new freezer (for donor milk), the Lact-Aid and all it's supplies, the frenulum clipping, we spent close to $800 right there. That doesn't include the extra gas I spent driving around to pick up all the milk, or all the extra eating out I did just to manage the trips while sleep deprived.

But, that being said, if you're CDing, I definitely think a washing machine that works without too much fuss is essential. Whether that means hiring a repair person or buying a new one.

[Mama Khi]

It sounds to me like you need to fix this washing machine or get a new one. You aren't going to want a machine that doesn't work. Trust me. I do so much laundry. And do it now before the baby comes because once s/he is here you won't have time to think about a washing machine.

And I will echo the suggestion of snacky foods. You should have some things that you can have for labor and some for after the birth. Granola bars or dried fruit were good for me. I made sure to keep granola bars in my bedroom so that those days when I couldn't get out of our room until after noon I wouldn't starve. I also had grapes and berries and other easy to eat fruits in the house for the last few weeks of pregnancy to make sure they would be available for labor and immediately afterwards.

Congrats on your baby and try to relax. It will all be fine v

[octobermoon]

had my first 6 mos ago and was very prepared as you are. a lot of mamas on these boards told me "oh i didn't use XYZ, so save your money" but i didn't listen, i wanted it all just in case you know? well they were right and my husband likes to remind me of all the stuff i bought and didn't use! for example i didn't leak milk at all so didn't use the nursing pads, didn't get sore or cracked nipples so didn't need the cream i had bought, the co-sleeper we didn't really use either the baby preferred to co-sleep, etc......but the washing machine now that gets used a ton! best wishes on your birth and baby!

[7swans]

The only thing that sprang to mind for me also was FOOD. You will require even more calories bfing than pg...

I didn't think it would be possible to eat more than I do now!

Luckily we live near many organic farms so we get really nice produce/eggs/meat for relatively cheap. I will make a point to stock up on some convenience foods, though. Foods that can be eaten with one hand are a really good idea.

on the washing machine front - have you checked to see if it's level?

My dad is a mechanic/handyman and when I called him about it he thought that was the problem as well. He took a look at it, and it is level but the drum is leaning quite a bit to the right. There are no straps or other mechanisms at the top to hold the drum in place. The bottom is weighted so I guess that is what is supposed to keep it in place but it's definitely not doing a good job. I called about getting it repaired and it would be $100 just to have someone come to our house to look at it. :/ It's been like this since the day we bought it (used) and I'm not sure I want to sink more money into it.

On the topic of medical expenses, we are very lucky to have insurance that covers most of our prescriptions, and our healthcare is covered (we live in Canada). We could technically get lactation consulting services for free, but I really like the LC we've chosen and she has a private practice.

I don't know if I saw it on your list but I found one of those inflatiable donuts to sit on as one of the best things post partum, but a lot of that was due to the episiotomy and rough birth.

Ooh, I didn't even think of that. I'm pretty sure I've seen them at the pharmacy for pretty cheap!

Thank you for all of the advice, mamas! I'm definitely taking all of these suggestions into account.

[belltree]

I'd consider adding more money to the lactation support account:
I needed more than 2hrs of help and from different people. Also, I bought some soothies, breastpads, possible nipple shields, ointments for healing etc. the first 12 weeks were painful for me. But I'd just set the money aside and use it if need be.

Also, your baby might not like the bottle or not the ones you bought for it.

Besides that, I believe you have tons of things you might not need or maybe you will

Good Luck

[7swans]

Originally Posted by belltree

Besides that, I believe you have tons of things you might not need

That's probably true! Luckily we didn't buy many things new so we should be able to recoup some funds if we don't need stuff.