Survey on Money and Budgeting....for the Baby - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[mommyjudy]

We're expecting baby #5, so we really hardly have anything left to purchase.  BUT, we had to buy a new minivan, because our old one only fit 4 carseats and we have to fit 5.  It's a major bummer financially, but it's a huge upgrade and we love it!  (It's an '06 Sienna)  I love the roominess in comparison to our older van.

Our only expenses with this baby have been/will be:

- A co-sleeper ($50 used on CL) because we have a rather soft mattress now and I know that my movements will cause the baby to wake up all night.  We're currently having to transition our toddler to her own bed and it's been a huge hassle because she's so used to waking all night with mama.

- A new car seat for our oldest (Britax Parkway, yay!), and then passing the rest of them down the line.  :-)

- New cloth diapers IF we have a boy (about $250), as we only have girly-colored ones right now.

- Disposable diapers for at night ($15/mo), as my babes get bad rashes if they're in cloth through the night

That's IT!

[GabiCristian]

This baby will be our #1, but we're trying to be really frugal. We're going to cloth diaper--I'm planning on doing flats+covers, because I've heard that they're quite versatile, they wash well, and they line-dry quickly (we don't have a tumble dryer, so that's really important). That should cost us less than $300 including shipping.

I'd like to buy all of baby's clothes used, hopefully around $100 for clothes for the first year (am I being reasonable on this one? We'll be doing laundry often anyway because of the CD, and I'm planning on mostly white onsies and whatever bottoms I can find). 

We don't need to buy a car seat because we don't have a car, or a stroller because the sidewalks here (Romania) aren't reliable and we don't really have room in our apartment to store one when it's not in use. I'm planning on making a wrap for when we go out. I would love to co-sleep and not have to buy a crib or anything, but DH likes the idea of a side-car arrangement better (problem is, it's his side of the bed that faces the room--I like to sleep against a wall--and he's not the one that'll be nursing in the middle of the night, haha). Anybody know where we can get a cheap side-car co-sleeper in Eastern Europe? I'm planning on breastfeeding for at least a year and am a stay-at-home wife/mom, so I won't need money for formula or bottles or anything (DH and I are both homebodies, so I can't really think of a time that we'd leave baby to be fed with a bottle with a babysitter--or who we would leave her with, for that matter)

Um...that's all that I can think of at the moment. Is there anything else I *need*? I can't really believe that it'll be less than $500 (not including the cost of the birth itself--prenatal health care is free in Romania, but we've chosen to have the actual birth in a private hospital instead of the public hospital) (I would love to have a homebirth, but unfortunately that's not going to be an option here. Midwives are practically unheard of except for those living so far from cities that they don't even have running water and electricity, and the only babies born outside of the hospital are those born in vehicles on the way to the hospital).

[nstewart]

Gabi, seems like you've been thinking things through. I would add a few other items like blankets, wipes (you can do cloth wipes, but then will want to make wipe solution as well), bum cream (if you need it), nipple cream (if you need it), sippy cups for water, and plastic plates, bowls, cutlery, bibs, etc when baby starts solids (anywhere from 6 mos to 1 year of age).  If you plan on making your own baby food, one of those hand grinders would be useful (but you could check into Baby Led Weaning as well, no need for purees that way).  You may want some toys (rattles, balls, stuffies, etc. for babe once they are a bit bigger).  Unless you plan on having babe in arms all the time, a bouncy seat or something like that might be handy.  We are not a "baby holder" family, but that bouncy seat was a life saver when I wanted to shower and DH wasn't home.  It was also good for if I had to cook in front of the hot stove, otherwise I did food prep and housework mostly with DS in the carrier.  Not a fan of "baby holders" overall, but they do have their time and place!

A lot of these things you could ask for as baby gifts (we received a TON of blankets!) if that is something people do in Romania.

[BeagleMommy]

GabiCristian, we were given an older, drop side crib and DH sidecar-ed it to our bed. Honestly, we only used it to hold clean cloth diapers, as baby #1 slept firmly attached to my breasts. But it was definitely a cheap arrangement. I think he used ratcheting tie downs to secure the crib to our bed frame.

[Quinalla]

Gabi, I too find bouncy seats to be extremely helpful when going to the bathroom and showering especially! Just get a really cheap one or a good condition used one, a new cheap one here you can get for $15-$20. The carrier was great for most things, but for hot cooking, showering and peeing, the bouncy seat was so nice. And DD really liked being upright so she could see so she was even happy in it for a bit as long as she could see me. And I would get some kind of a crib just so you have somewhere to lay the baby down that is safe when you need to and probably for naps too. The floor works fine before they can move, but once they can, it is nice to have a safe place to stick them when there is something you have to do NOW that you can't do while holding a baby.

I think you can get by really cheap on clothes if you buy used and keep it simple. And be on the look out for friends/family/coworkers who want to get rid of baby stuff as most will be happy to offload it to someone who will use it for free. I got a lot of nice hand-me-downs so we didn't have to buy any clothes for the first year (we did get some stuff because we wanted to, but didn't have to) and we had quite a few nice baby toys and whatnot too. I don't think you really need most baby toys, they are generally happy to play with pots and pans or whatever else, but it is nice to have a few things.

Don't forget about some first aid stuff too if you don't have it, like a thermometer, baby Tylenol, nail clippers, nose-aspirator, etc. You don't need a ton, but there are a few things that are really nice to have. They do give you some stuff in the USA if you give birth in a hospital, not sure if you are giving birth in a hospital there or if they give you stuff like that, but might be worth checking if they are.

One more thing, I'm big on books, so if you are too you might want to budget some for those as well, even if you are just collecting stuff that they won't be able to read for awhile. And it is nice to have a few soft or board books they can flip through/chew on/whatever as they are able.

[GabiCristian]

Thanks for all the replies! The bouncy seat's a good idea--I hadn't considered that. DH works from home so he'll be able to hold her when I need a few minutes of me time for cooking or whatever (especially in the beginning before she's mobile), but I can see where a bouncy seat would come in handy as well. 

We don't have any friends or really even know anyone with young children here--I'm the youngest person in our circle of acquaintances by a couple of decades except for DH and one other guy, but he's never been married. We're planning on making a trip to the States after baby is born (hopefully, if we can save up enough cash!), and I have a very big and very close extended family, several of whom have had a baby in the last year, so we'll probably get quite a few hand-me-downs from there. 

I read about Baby Led Weaning years ago and really liked the idea, and I've read some things recently about how breastmilk should make up the majority of a child's nutrition for the first year. Solids can be introduced at six months, but it's really more for exploration of tastes and textures rather than being a main source of nutrition. So I'm not really planning on doing puree anything--I'll just offer her some of whatever we're having (keeping in mind restrictions for babies like honey, of course) in a size that she can't choke on.

I feel like I'm pretty prepared for what she'll need as an infant, but I'm having a hard time picturing myself with an active, mobile baby. That overwhelms me a little bit, honestly. DH co-owns the apartment with his mother, and she has a lot of stuff. Everywhere. Babyproofing this place is going to be...and adventure, to say the least. I'm debating whether to have the whole you-realize-that-this-whole-place-is-going-to-have-to-be-rearranged/reorganized,-right? conversation with MIL before the baby's born or after, but before she's mobile. MIL really doesn't like it when I change things up around the house, haha, so it's not going to go over well either way. I'm hoping that if I wait until baby is born she'll realize that it really is necessary, and not me wanting to change things just to change things.

Thanks for the advice on the crib as a sidecar. I'm a little concerned as how we're going to attach anything to our bed, or rather how we're going to make it safe where we can't attach anything. Our bed is pretty monolithic. It doesn't even have a separate mattress--it's just one huge (and incredibly heavy) padded piece of furniture.

Interesting, interesting. I guess we'll see, eh?

[Quinalla]

You've got some time before you have to babyproof and you can kind of do it as you go for anything that isn't really dangerous (chemicals, etc.) so when baby can reach that tabletop, then clear it. So yeah I would probably take the wait-and-see approach with MIL and if you do have to bring it up, maybe make sure at least a few areas are thoroughly baby-proofed and then handle others with gates so you can show what a great compromiser you are in not making everything babyproofed!

[jessmn]

I just found this thread. I am so overwhelmed right now - we have no idea what we'll need for the babies - is there some sort of giant list of baby supplies you should get? I have no idea how to prepare for two babies (or one for that matter) and I'd like to start buying things gradually rather than everything all at once.

I am very disappointed to hear you can't fit two rear-facing seats in a Subaru Forester. I have a 1999 and it is the best car. Also, I had to invest a lot of money in a new engine a few years ago, so there's no way I'll ever get what I've paid for it. We were depending on it being our family car, as we are in the middle of a giant home renovation, my husband recently got a newer (lower paying, but better opportunity) job, and his car is not fit for two kids. ACK. What are our options, or do we NEED to get a different car?
 

[CoBabyMaker]

jessmn, There are many lists available online and often time there is a list they give you when you register.  HOWEVER, I think there are a lot of variables as to what each parent has on their "must have" list.  Some of that has to do with parenting philosophies and just your particular child.  WOHMs might have different lists than SAHMs.  Maybe I'll start a thread of must-haves and you can see what makes sense to you from those lists.

Unless you are quite tall why couldn't you fit two rear facing in the Forester?  I had am Outback and had DD rear-facing behind the drivers seat.  You might need to shop around for the right seat but I think it should be doable.

[nstewart]

WRT the Subaru, it does depend on height.  I am 5'9" and DH is 6'1" and it was not do-able for us.  I would have had to have the rear-facing seat behind me, and have my seat way forward, with my knees up against the dash.  We did try it.  Maybe you have more options for seats in the States but we hadthe option of the Chicco or the Peg Perergo as the two smallest options and went with the Peg.

So you can take definietely try, but don't be surprised if they don't fit.  The Outback is bigger than the Forester, and an '09 or newer Forester it wouldn't be a problem because they re-designed them, but an '08 or older and you will have issues.  The Forester pre-09 is essentially the same base as the Impreza, not at all comparable to the Outback, which is larger and higher end.

[jessmn]

Thanks ladies.

My husband is 5'9" and I'm 5'4" so maybe it will work. I guess we'll have to do some shopping around for car seats that might work! I hope we can find something!

I would love if there was a thread about baby supplies - it would be great to hear what other people are getting or avoiding, and what they like and don't like.
 

[CoBabyMaker]

You and your husband are about the same heights at Dh and I.  I didn't realize the Forester was shorter than the Outback though, I thought they were bigger.  It's worth trying some out though! 

[jessmn]

I was pretty worried about this and talked to a friend of a friend who is a car seat expert and she said while the Forester of that generation is one of the more difficult cars, the Chicco KeyFit works behind the driver and passenger seats. And as an added bonus they also have a double in-line stroller that accepts the carriers!
 

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by jessmn 

I was pretty worried about this and talked to a friend of a friend who is a car seat expert and she said while the Forester of that generation is one of the more difficult cars, the Chicco KeyFit works behind the driver and passenger seats. And as an added bonus they also have a double in-line stroller that accepts the carriers!
 

I do hope it works for you!  I tried the Chicco and was just too tall for it to be comfortable for me.  Good luck!

[Kate&Joey]

I think we've come to a very practical and mature decision on our car situation. 

Coincidentally, the day we went to my parents' house to tell them about the new baby, my dad asked if we wanted to buy my mom's car.  He is planning on retiring this year so she wants a new one before that.  It's a 2005 Lexus RX so not a ton of room, but should be fine for me, DS, and Baby Girl.  Or if DH needs it to pick up / drop off DSD.  It has low miles for being that old and it is in immaculate condition.  It's not what I would have chosen for myself, but he won't charge interest so we can pay it off as we'd like.

Big relief!

Now if I could locate the baby gear that I didn't think I loaned out, but cannot find anywhere.  And don't get me started on my disappearing maternity clothes....

[Quinalla]

Nice Kate, grats on the car working out! Good luck with finding all the baby gear and maternity clothes, I only loaned out baby clothes and my infant car seat. The clothes I was fine with not getting back, but SIL & brother returned them just a month ago, and the infant car seat it was clear I wanted it back, but I figured SIL & brother could use it while I didn't need it with plenty of time to get it back to me for this time. They actually ended up getting a new one, but it was used by my Mom & Dad for when they visited so they didn't have to lug the infant car seat onto the plane, so it worked out I actually offered them other stuff (the jumperoo thing, a bouncy seat, swing, etc.), but with their tiny apartment, they didn't want anything else or already had stuff as gifts that suited them better.

Our biggest budgeting news was the great discount my daycare provider is giving me. She usually gives 10% off the oldest child's tuition, but she's going to discount 20% off all three of their tuitions! This is so huge and will make finances much less tight. I was considering backing off one or both of our retirement savings, but I don't think we'll have to now.

As for stuff to buy, still need another crib, a double stroller, one more convertible car seat (but not until later and I might get two depending on fit) and a handful of small things (new thermometer, more bottles, new monitor, new bottle nipples for old bottles, a gate or two (later), some more childproofing stuff (for later - harder to keep track of twins & toddler), diapers (I did get a couple N packs that were on sale before Christmas), baby tylenol, at least one more bouncy seat (I'd really like to have 2 for upstairs for showering and 2 for the first floor for cooking - but I can get by with just 2 total), some pacifiers, some clothing to fill in the gaps, coming home outfits, etc.) My Mom got a lot of the stuff off our mini-registry, so we don't need too much more and except maybe the stroller, another bouncy seat, and the diaper-type stuff I don't have to get the rest right away, though I want to because I want to be as organized as possible before. I'm kind of waiting until after my parents' visit as I know they will give us some gift cards, so we can get some of the stuff with those.

[cadybh]

Originally Posted by jessmn 

I just found this thread. I am so overwhelmed right now - we have no idea what we'll need for the babies - is there some sort of giant list of baby supplies you should get? I have no idea how to prepare for two babies (or one for that matter) and I'd like to start buying things gradually rather than everything all at once.

I am very disappointed to hear you can't fit two rear-facing seats in a Subaru Forester. I have a 1999 and it is the best car. Also, I had to invest a lot of money in a new engine a few years ago, so there's no way I'll ever get what I've paid for it. We were depending on it being our family car, as we are in the middle of a giant home renovation, my husband recently got a newer (lower paying, but better opportunity) job, and his car is not fit for two kids. ACK. What are our options, or do we NEED to get a different car?
 

I'd recommend you go to the library and look for Baby Bargains.  They make new additions frequently.  It reviews all sorts of categories of equipment and baby items and tells you what you get the most bang for your buck on (not necessarily the cheapest things, but the best value).  It's jam packed with advice and makes the whole "giant list of baby supplies" idea a little more manageable.  

Also, Amazon's baby registry folks have put together a list of the most registered-for items.  It's not necessarily the best items, just the most popular.  I found some of the best teething toys and other little ideas on there before DS was born.

[kimble]

Originally Posted by cadybh 

I'd recommend you go to the library and look for Baby Bargains.  They make new additions frequently.  It reviews all sorts of categories of equipment and baby items and tells you what you get the most bang for your buck on (not necessarily the cheapest things, but the best value).  It's jam packed with advice and makes the whole "giant list of baby supplies" idea a little more manageable.  

Also, Amazon's baby registry folks have put together a list of the most registered-for items.  It's not necessarily the best items, just the most popular.  I found some of the best teething toys and other little ideas on there before DS was born.

I second the recommendation for Baby Bargains. I got a copy from Amazon and it has helped navigate the need vs. crap minefield. TWhile they don't go deep on any one category (except maybe cribs and car seats) it is an excellent primer. I'm trusting Amazon and MDC more for babywearing and CD supplies though, since those sections in Baby Bargains are pretty sparse and outdated (i.e. all CDs cited as needing a separate cover)