Gear
Babies need a lot of stuff. Okay, they don't need a lot of stuff, but they do need some things to keep them safe, warm, fed, and healthy. And some products make your life as parents easier, which can be totally worthwhile.
BabyCenter provides a fairly solid calculator to help you estimate the costs of the baby's first year of life. It helps break down common baby purchases based on survey of BabyCenter parents and their research.
There are items BabyCenter lists that we'll cover in other articles that I exclude from the calculator:
- Childcare (to be written)
- Diapering - including diaper setup costs (diaper pails, changing pads, etc.)
- Feeding (to be written) - cost of food/formula
- Savings for College (to be written)
- Medical Costs (to be written)
Removing all of those... your baby's first year may cost: $6,292!?!? That's a pretty big number. What does this include, and how much did we actually spend on this stuff?
| Category | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | Savings | Savings % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing | $708 | $82 | $626 | 88 |
| Medicine/First Aid | $276 | $41 | $235 | 85 |
| Toiletries | $252 | $3 | $249 | 99 |
| Toys/Books/Media | $420 | $51 | $369 | 88 |
| Gear | $1,485 | $544 | $941 | 63 |
| Activity Equipment | $285 | $12 | $273 | 96 |
| Nursery | $1,665 | $482 | $1,183 | 71 |
| Feeding | $284 | $69 | $215 | 76 |
| Breastfeeding | $457 | $142 | $315 | 69 |
| Bathing/Grooming | $57 | $4 | $57 | 93 |
| Other | $403 | $171 | $232 | 58 |
| Total | $6,292 | $1,601 | $4,691 | 75 |
So we spent $1,601 on our baby's first year of stuff (most of which we will be able to use for baby #2). This is about ~25% of what BabyCenter says it will cost. Where's the discrepancy?
Let's break it down by category.
A note on gifts
We have generous friends and family, and people always love to help with a baby. We did borrow and were given some used and new items.
It is difficult to value all of these items, but in many cases I tried to list the "street value" - the price that I think we would have paid if we had bought the item, new or used. I included a table at the end discussing gifts further.
I estimated that the value of gifts/borrowed items was ~$276. If you add this to what we actually spent, the value of our baby's gear for his first year of life was $1,877.
Clothing
- Listed by BabyCenter: $59/month * 12 months = $708
- Our Cost: $81.67
- Savings: $626.33
We were fortunate enough to have a family who gave us their hand-me-downs (which were mostly used items for them as well). We had more than enough clothing from these friends, and our family and friends couldn't resist buying additional adorable clothes. Everything is so cute when it's so small!
Not everyone is as lucky as we were, but even if you do need to buy clothing, buying used is way cheaper than new, and it's often in pretty good shape because little babies grow so fast and, well, mostly just lay there. So the Clothing category is a good place to cut costs.
We did buy a few clothes (mostly used). Here's what we actually spent:
| Item | Cost | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lots of clothes | $16.75 | Garage sales | Typically ~50 cents/item |
| 2 pack of newborn sleeper gowns | $3.85 | JCPenney | On sale |
| 16 pairs of Gerber socks | $10.84 | JCPenney | On sale |
| 2 Winnie the Pooh outfits | $12 | Kohl's | 40% off - this was definitely a splurge though |
| 2 sun hats with chin straps | $7 | JBF baby gear sale | |
| Robeez 3-6M shoes | $4 | JBF baby gear sale | |
| Halloween costume | $17.50 | JBF baby gear sale | Teenage mutant ninja turtle onesie and pineapple costume. Could have done this for cheaper but my sister talked me into it :) |
| Baby Banz sunglasses | $9.73 | Amazon | With a strap, so they don't fall off. Little man ended up hating these and wore them like 3 times. Oh well... |
Free baby swap groups
I joined a "free baby swap" group on Facebook. Here's the group description:
"This is a FREE swap for baby, kid, and other gear/items in the <city> area - no buying, selling, or trading allowed within the group."
This is a great idea - people post things their kid doesn't need anymore (grew out of, never liked, etc.), and people who need it arrange for pickup and it gets a new, free life. We've gotten a few fun toys this way, and gifted some of the hand-me-downs that didn't work for us.
People are very generous in these groups, posting large boxes of clothing that would set you up with everything your baby needs for various ages. There is a bit of work involved to look for items you need and pick them up. Because of groups like this, even if we hadn't had a hand-me-down source of clothing, I believe we could have spent very little on clothing in our baby's first year.
Medicine/First Aid
- Listed by BabyCenter: $23/month * 12 months = $276
- Our Cost: $40.57
- Savings: $220.43
I'm not sure exactly what's included in their estimate, but our little guy was rarely sick, since we were able to stay home with him most of the time. There are few medical items that came in handy:
| Item | Cost | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline Spray | $3.48 | Target | Great for stuffy noses. Used half a bottle in the first year for the handful of times baby was sick. |
| Infant Acetaminophen | $3 | Walmart | Equate (Walmart) brand. Only used a handful of times, mostly after vaccines or while teething. |
| Thermometer | $10.82 | Amazon | We wanted a new, faster thermometer so we would be confident about measuring baby's temperature when he was really little. It also can be used rectally, which is important for newborns. We're happy with this one; it's also a Wirecutter top pick. |
| NoseFrida filters | $2.99 | Amazon | (See below for NoseFrida gift we received.) NoseFrida says you should use a new filter for every use. We found that's not really necessary - they often don't actually get dirty, and you can hand wash them in soapy water several times before they would degrade. So we didn't really end up needing all of these (still have some left at his 2nd birthday). |
| Vitamin D Drops | $9.68 | Amazon | According to the CDC, breastfed babies are supposed to get vitamin D supplements until they can get it from other parts of their diet. |
| Baby Sunscreen | $10.60 | Target | Baby's skin is extra sensitive, so we bought special sunscreen. Only recommended for use after baby is 6 months old! |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NoseFrida | $15 | Amazon. The idea of sucking out your baby's snot is pretty gross, but it's way more effective than the bulb. This was really helpful for us when baby had a cold - it helped him breathe much better. |
Notably, we did not purchase any diaper cream in the first year of baby's life. Our baby hardly ever had diaper rash, and when he did we just used our samples from free baby registry bags and the doctor's office. We did frequently use Vaseline as a moisture barrier down there when he was starting to tinge a little pink (included in the Toiletries section).
Baby safety kits - not worth it
An obvious (to me, now) area where I don't think it's worth spending the $$ is "baby safety kits", with 20-30 pieces of "health items". This example one is $30. To quote Lucie's List, "You’ll never use all that crap. I promise."
Here's a rough breakdown of what's included:
Useful
- Soothing scrub cradle cap brush
- Hospital gave us one of these, but an old toothbrush also works. Could also buy separately for $5.
- Steady grip nail clippers
- You'll need some, they're ~$4
You'll want a higher quality product
- Newborn nasal aspirator
- NoseFrida is way better; we never used the nasal aspirator they gave us at the hospital
- Digital 3-in-1 thermometer with 5 probe covers
- You want to be confident you have a good, fast thermometer - this one might be fine but we preferred a brand name thermometer
- Toddler toothbrush with easy-to-hold handle
- You won't need a toothbrush until your baby has teeth (maybe even after the first year - wiping them with a wet washcloth was fairly effective). We like this banana one as a teether, mostly.
Not very useful/already have
- Bottle medicine dispenser
- We used a tiny syringe they gave us at the hospital. Our infant acetaminophen also came with its own dispensing syringe.
- 6 antimicrobial alcohol wipes
- You probably already have these in a first aid kit. Our doctor also gave us ~20 at our first visit.
- Easy grip brush and comb
- Baby likely won't have enough hair to actually need a brush/comb, and when they do you can just use a comb/brush you have, or the cradle cap brush.
- 5 emery boards, emery board case
- We didn't really use our emery boards because baby's nails were too soft
Useless (use a piece of paper or your smartphone)
- Feeding tracker bracelet
- Emergency information card
- Dosage tracking card
So, for $30, you can buy a much higher quality set of items that you'll actually use: NoseFrida ($15), high-quality thermometer ($10), and nail clippers ($4).
Toiletries
- Listed by BabyCenter: $21/month * 12 months = $252
- Our Cost: $3.22
- Savings: $245.78
| Item | Cost | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaseline | $3.22 | Target | We basically used this as a catch-all lotion/diaper cream. Slather it on after baths or when his bottom starts to look a little pink as a protective barrier. |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Magic hair and body wash (2 pack) | $6 | Amazon. My husband's family swears by the smell of this stuff. Little guy likes that it makes bubbles :) We used less than one bottle in a year. |
| Baby bath gift set (shampoo, soap, lotion) | $10 | Target. We didn't actually use this in the 1st year since we had plenty of Baby Magic and used Vaseline as lotion, but we plan to this year. |
I'm not sure what brand or how much baby soap/lotion you need to use to spend $20/month, but we clearly didn't. Honestly, my husband and I together miiiight spend $20/year on toiletries on ourselves (but we're pretty minimalistic).
Toys/Books/Media
- Listed by BabyCenter: $35/month * 12 months = $420
- Our Cost: $50.98
- Savings: $359.02
| Item | Cost | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used books | $6 | County library used book sale | ~40 board books - anything you can fit in the bag is $6. These are retired library books, but we love them as much as our new books. And I don't feel bad when they get destroyed. |
| Rattles | $6.48 | Hallmark going out of business sale | Winnie the Pooh rattle and very cute elephant |
| Tummy time pillow | $4 | JBF baby gear sale | Can wash in the washing machine, kind of like this. New: $20. |
| Tinker Toys | $10 | County used baby gear sale | As much for us as they are for him (we're engineers) - should be useful for many years |
| Misc toys | $14 | JBF baby gear sale | Little baby toys: Crinkly elephant, teething rings, rattle, owl, links (things for baby to look at and put in their mouth) |
| Misc toys | $8.50 | JBF baby gear sale | Stacking cups, ring tower, misc 6-12M toys |
| Misc toys | $2 | County used baby gear sale | Rainbow Fish bath book, shape sorter toy |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Books | $?? | Hungry Caterpillar, Pout Pout Fish, Chick Chicka Boom Boom, 1st 100 Words, Doggies, Dear Zoo, Richard Scary, etc. We love to read these, but probably don't need them, so not included in the total above. |
| Activity Table | $10 | Used from a JBF baby gear sale |
This is an area where it's easy to get carried away, since your baby loves new things and you like to make them happy. But realistically, we didn't need to purchase that many toys (plus, these are popular gifts). For example, our baby's favorite toys for a long time were a bunch of used tennis balls from my brother - not bouncy enough to play real tennis with anymore but plenty entertaining for an infant. And rocks. We still like rocks.
Now that he's older, we also make a few trips to the library every months (free books!). It's fun to pick out, check out, and return books (beeping! barcodes!) - he doesn't even seem to mind returning his favorites.
Gear
- BabyCenter Cost: $1,485
- Our Cost: $544.15
- Savings: $590.85
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant car seat | $120 | $138.26 | $50-$470 | Chicco Keyfit30 as part of the Chicco Viaro Travel System. The Internet says you should only buy this new. I would only consider getting used if a) it hasn't been in any accidents, b) it's not expired (yes, car seats expire), and c) it's from someone you trust to tell you if it was damaged in any way (like in an accident). |
| Convertible car seat | $150 | $103.24 | $50 - $500 | Graco Extend2Fit. Technically, we didn't even buy this until after baby's first year, since he was short and didn't need it yet. But I'll include it here since most babies need a bigger car seat around age 1. |
| Basic stroller | $150 | $136.26 | $45 - $1300 | These things can be expensive!! Wirecutter's upgrade stroller pick, the UPPAbaby Cruz is $550, with its sister model, the UPPAbaby Vista, coming in at $970. We opted for the Chicco Viaro, which came as part of a travel system with our car seat. We couldn't convince ourselves that any other stroller could be worth an extra $400. If we were going for higher-end, I would have looked harder at the Mockingbird stroller - "the UPPABaby Vista, but for much less!" |
| Double stroller | $250 | $0 | $85 - $800 | We anticipated having another baby, but decided to punt this purchase until later, and I'm glad we did. |
| Snap-on stroller frame | $100 | $0 | $70 - $130 | Our car seat snapped into our stroller, so we didn't buy this. |
| Jogging stroller | $250 | $0 | $180-600 | We never had plans to jog with baby, so we didn't buy one. If we do want one with more suspension, I'll likely look on Craigslist. |
| Playyard | $100 | $44.39 | $50-300 | Bought a used Pack 'n Play with a bassinet insert and reversible napper/diaper changer (like this) at a JBF used baby gear sale. I also included the cost of 2 sheets. These are fairly easy to find used and clean. |
| Baby backpack | $200 | $45 | $130-320 | Bought a used Kelty hiking backpack at a used baby sale. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it does have a sunshade and baby and dad like it. We don't use it super often or for long hikes, and it works for us. |
| Sling or wrap carrier | $80 | $12 | $30-180 | Bought a Baby K'tan used at a JBF sale. By far my favorite way to wear baby when he was little. |
| Diaper Bag | $40 | $0 | $25-200 | We repurposed a regular Jansport backpack for diapers. It doesn't have perfect pockets for everything, but it works and holds a lot of stuff. Protip: Color code the pockets with ribbons so it's easy to describe/remember what goes in each pocket. |
| Other | $0 | $65 | N/A | BabyCenter doesn't list this here, but many parents end up with extra strollers/car seats/car seat bases for convenience. We frequently visit some friends an airplane ride away, and they store an extra Chicco Keyfit 30 and Chicco Bravo stroller for us so we don't have to travel with it (paid $50 used, ~$400 new). It also came with 2 bases ($85 new each), so we use the extra one in our other car. We also purchased an extra pack n' play to keep at the grandparents' house ($15, including 2 sheets). |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front carrier | $80 | $50 | $30-180 | A generous coworker gave us her old ErgoBaby 360. I've seen these used fairly frequently as well, so probably could have purchased one for ~$50. |
This is definitely the most expensive category, with lots of expensive (~$100+ new) items. But clearly, there are lots of places that you can save $$ here (~$1,000 to be exact), either by skipping purchases completely or buying used. I don't regret any of our decisions here, although if I had to do it again I would probably just buy a used stroller instead of new - lots of the pieces are washable.
Activity Equipment
- BabyCenter Cost: $285
- Our Cost: $12
- Savings: $263
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouncer | $50 | $12 | $30-350 | JBF baby gear sale |
We were gifted or borrowed (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swing | $100 | $0 | $55-270 | Borrowed from a friend between babies. Could have gotten a free one from my baby swap Facebook group. |
| Activity Center | $60 | $0 | $40-130 | Borrowed from a friend between babies. Could have gotten a free one from my baby swap Facebook group. |
| Play mat | $50 | $5 | $30-110 | Gifted a used one. Could have picked one up used for $5, or free maybe. |
| Doorway jumper | $25 | $5 | $20-40 | Gifted a used one. Could have picked one up used for $5, or free maybe. |
This is a category in which we saved a lot of $$ (and space!) by borrowing from friends with off-cycle babies. Many of these are also only used by babies for <3 months, and take up a lot of storage space, so they're typically easy to find used for free or cheap. We hardly used the bouncer with baby #1, but we use it all the time during mealtimes with baby #2.
Nursery
- BabyCenter Cost: $1,665
- Our Cost: $482.01
- Savings: $1152.99
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib | $250 | $105.68 | $120 - $1000 | Ikea Gulliver has been great for us. Some cribs are way more expensive, but a simple, safe one will do the trick too. Most things I read on the Internet suggested buying this new instead of used, for safety reasons. |
| Changing table | $120 | $0 | $60-500 | We didn't buy a dedicated changing table - just used a changing pad on top of the dresser (listed below). |
| Glider/rocker | $230 | $40 | $100-800 | Scored a quality (Dutalier) one in good shape on Craiglist by setting up an alert. |
| Hamper | $25 | $0 | $20-60 | Had an extra laundry hamper that went in baby's room. But this shouldn't be more than $10. |
| Basic bedding and blankets | $60 | $49.99 | $65 | 2 new waterproof mattress covers and 1 new crib sheet (gifted 1 crib sheet). Not used on the bed, but also purchased 3 Carter's blankets and 3 Aden & Anais muslin swaddle blankets used for $10. In hindsight, would have just bought one mattress cover (2 would make it easy for middle of the night changes, but we never needed that). |
| Mobile | $30 | $0 | $20-60 | They look nice, but might actually make it harder for your baby to sleep (maybe), so we skipped this one |
| Dresser | $250 | $56.48 | $80-500 | Bought an Ikea Hemnes 8 drawer dresser from the people who lived in our house before us, ~$50. New: $250. Also bought some Ikea drawer organizers. |
| Decorations | $150 | $32.20 | $150 | Framed art and rug from a Hallmark going-out-of-business sale |
| Crib mattress | $100 | $89.23 | $40-400 | Sealy mattress, bought with 15% registry discount. We wanted to buy this new. |
| Baby monitor | $50 | $108.43 | $20-400 | Eufy SpaceView video monitor, bought on sale with coupon. This is a Wirecutter pick. We probably could have done with a cheaper model. |
We were gifted or borrowed (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | BabyCenter Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bassinet | $120 | $0 | $70-260 | Borrowed an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper from a friend between babies that we used in our room until baby moved to his crib. I could have picked up a free one from my Facebook baby swap group if necessary. |
| Co-sleeper | $100 | $0 | $45-200 | I'm not sure why this is listed separately - the "co-sleeper" we used is basically a 2-in-1 bassinet/co-sleeper. I do think they make specialized gear so the baby can sleep in the bed with you, so maybe it's that? Or something like a Dock-a-Tot. Either way, we didn't get this. |
| Coordinated crib bedding set | $150 | $30 | $40-600 | This seemed like an unnecessary expense to us. It may make the nursery look really nice, but the baby can't sleep with anything but a crib sheet anyway. My mom did sew us a crib skirt and some matching curtains, which look very nice. Fabric was maybe $20? We were also gifted a new crib sheet (mentioned above) - those usually run $10 new at Target. |
| Lamp | $25 | $0 | $10-70 | We used a lamp my mom kept from my childhood bedroom, but could have used any lamp (or no lamp). |
You only really need a bassinet (or pack 'n play, listed in the Gear category), crib, mattress, and some sort of dresser. We puchased an inexpensive crib (Ikea) that we think looks good, but you can spend up to $1,000 on these. We also saved $$ by skipping the dedicated changing table, as our dresser works great and will work when we're done with diapers. We really like having our rocker (for story time/snuggles) and some sort of video baby monitor. Everything else can be scaled up or down to your preference - the baby won't care if everything is matching/cute.
Feeding
- BabyCenter Cost: $284
- Our Cost: $68.80
- Savings: $175.20
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottles and nipples | $60 | $4 | Used Medela bottles from a JBF sale. We also used samples from registry gift bags. |
| Highchair | $150 ($40-400) | $35 | We got a free used high chair that we use most of the time. If we had purchased this, probably would have gotten this highly-rated $20 Ikea high chair. We also purchased a Chicco hook-on high chair with an extra seat for $35 (new: $90), which we use at restaurants and friends' houses. |
| Utensils | $13 | $4 | Got some hand-me-downs from a friend, and bought 20 spoons/forks from a used baby sale to supplement. |
| Plates/bowls | $10 | $1 | Bought a set of 6 colorful plastic bowls on clearance at Safeway. My sister gave me some old plastic plates she still had. |
| Bottle brushes (2) | $8 | $4.59 | 2 pack Munchkin |
| Bibs | $12 | $19.71 | 2 pack Cloud Island and a Bumkin Sleeved Winnie the Pooh bib. These are way easier to clean than cloth bibs. |
| Other | $0 | $0.50 | Bought a Munchkin Mesh Feeder (used) - helps baby suck on things (he loves ice cubes?) without worrying about choking. |
We were gifted or borrowed (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cups/sippy cups | $21 | $10 | Gifted a weighted straw Munchkin cup and 2 hand-me-down Nuby sippy cups (tilt kind). We found that leftover (free) plastic taster cups from beer festivals are a great way to practice open cup drinking. |
| Burp cloths | $10 | $5 | My mom bought some on-sale fabric and sewed it into burp cloths. |
| Highchair | - | $20 | Already mentioned above - our primary high chair was gifted to us. |
| Utensils | - | $5 | Already mentioned above - we had ~15 spoons gifted to us. |
Babies don't need most of this stuff until they're 4-6M old. The biggest expense (high chair) can be fairly easily minimized. We're fairly minimialistic here, and it's been fine. We didn't end up doing much bottle feeding, and didn't have to try lots of types of bottles, so that helped.
Breastfeeding
- BabyCenter Cost: $457
- Our Cost: $142.37
- Savings: $269.63
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric breast pump | $250 ($100 - $500) | $8.49 | I don't think this is fair to list, as most people are eligible for health insurance that covers a breast pump. Mine covered a Spectra S1 pump. I did spend $8.49 on replacement valves, which insurance didn't cover. |
| Manual breast pump | $30 | $12.98 | Used a Haakaa in the early days. I borrowed a different manual one for traveling once, but it never really worked that well for me so I didn't buy one. |
| Milk storage bags, breast pads, extra breast shields, ice packs | $73 | $22.34 | Purchased Bamboobies reusable pads new, and a cooler/milk-shaped ice pack for 4 bottles at used baby sale for $5. We were gifted extra milk storage bags and disposable breast pads. |
| Nursing bras (3) | $75 | $89.56 (for 6) | Purchased 4 Bamboobies Yoga nursing bras at 40% off sale. Puchased a pumping bra for $25, and a Medela sleep nursing bra ($10, 30% off at Kohl's) as well - would have skipped the sleep bra if I had to do it again. |
| Nursing pillow | $29 ($35 - $50) | $9 | Purchased used My Breast Friend pillow at a JBF sale. New: $40. |
We were gifted or borrowed (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk storage bags, breast pads | - | $25 | Listed above - gifted extra milk storage bags (~$15) and disposable breast pads (~$10) |
| Nursing cover | - | $20 | Borrowed a Boppy nursing cover from a friend |
You can make do without some of these items, but they make things more convenient. Note that exclusive breastfeeding, while not a feasible option for every family, saves $800-$3,000/year on formula costs. This will be covered in more detail in a separate Feeding article.
Bathing/Grooming
- BabyCenter Cost: $57
- Our Cost: $4
- Savings: $37
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby towel with hood (2) | $16 | $0 | The hoods are cute. But a regular towel you already have works just fine too, and is more practical for toddlers :) People like to buy you these as gifts since they're so cute. |
| Brush and comb | $8 | $0 | We just use one of my husband's combs to comb his hair. The hospital gave us a cradle cap soft brush to help wash his hair when he was little, but a washcloth or old toothbrush probably would have worked just fine. |
| Baby Nail Clippers | $3 | $4 | Clipping baby's nails is scary - they're so little, so filing might seem like a good option. Our little guy's nails were too soft to file (instead of clipping), so these didn't end up being that useful. Probably wouldn't bother with emery boards again. |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby bathtub | $20 | $0 | Amazon. This tub fits in our (giant) kitchen sink. Our little guy outgrew it at 7M (tried to climb out of it). A sponge (like this) probably would have worked just fine as well. These are easy to find used (free) because they're big and don't last long. |
| Baby washcloths (5) | $10 | $2 | My mom cut up some old terry cloth she had into washcloth sized squares and that worked well. They're not as adorable, but they work. You can also use adult washcloths. |
| Baby Nail Clippers | - | $4 | We were given some nail clippers, which we used more than the emery boards. |
Other
- BabyCenter Cost: $403
- Our Cost: $170.50
- Savings: $178.50
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Our Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childproofing supplies | $43 | $44.04 | 8 kitchen cabinet locks, 10 new tamper-proof outlets, 4 outlet covers (for plugged-in items). Got hand-me-down outlet plugs free. |
| Safety gates | $120 | $75 | Munchkin gate - $35 (new: $59) and playpen - $30 (new: $70), both used. Free hand-me-down gates for other stairs (see below). |
| Pacifiers | $8 ($3-15) | $3.69 | Mostly used hand-me-downs or free samples, but forgot pacifiers on one overnight trip to Grandma & Grandpa's house |
| Humidifier | $30 ($15-250) | $0 | Already had one |
| Birth announcements | $50 | $20 | Costco - 25 cards/envelopes, mostly handed to relatives (instead of mailing) |
| Baby book or scrapbook | $25 | $10.48 | Baby book and 1st year calendar. 80% off at Hallmark going-out-of-business sale. Didn't really write in these that much - the calendar more than the book. |
| Photo printing costs | $127 | $0 | Used T-Mobile Tuesdays free Walgreens prints when they were available. Did buy some Christmas gifts for grandparents (photo books, etc.,) but we don't count that as a baby cost - it goes in our "Gifts" budget category. |
| Other | $0 | $17.29 | Car mirror - nice to have for peace of mind (~$10) and earmuffs for loud noises (~$7) |
We were gifted (not included in "our cost" total above):
| Item | BabyCenter Cost | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety gates | - | $35 | Already mentioned above - hand-me-down gate for stairs. Would have bought 1 additional used one. |
| Pacifiers | - | $19 | Already mentioned above - hand-me-down pacifiers. Would have bought 1 additional 2-pack of soothie-style pacifiers and a Wubbanub. |
"Other" is clearly a broad category... There are certainly things outside of the major categories that you'll need in your baby's first year, and a few expenses that BabyCenter didn't list.
Gifts
Friends and family generously gave or lent us lot of baby gear (listed above). Here's a summary:
| Category | Value of Gifts/Borrowed Items |
|---|---|
| Clothing | ~$0* |
| Medicine/First Aid | $15 |
| Toiletries | $16 |
| Toys/Books/Media | $10 |
| Gear | $50 |
| Activity Equipment | $10 |
| Nursery | $30 |
| Feeding | $40 |
| Breastfeeding | $45 |
| Bathing/Grooming | $6 |
| Other | $54 |
| Total | $276 |
*The trickiest thing to value here is used clothing. While we paid ~$0.50-$1 per used item at garage sales, I know larger lots of clothing can be even cheaper per item, or we could have gotten enough clothing from free swap groups.
The value of the items we received/borrowed ($276) was about 15% of what we used in baby's first year. We also received some cash/gift cards, which covered a majority of the items listed above.
Summary
Phew... Maybe the overspending in the BabyCenter calculator is due to decision fatigue - I know after trying out at least 5 different strollers at Buy Buy Baby, my husband sighed, "Just choose one, I don't care how much it costs!"
Thankfully, not all of this needs to be purchased before the baby gets here - newborns don't need too much stuff, and you can incrementally pick up used items as your baby grows.
We were fortunate to have a great source of hand-me-down items, but free baby swap Facebook groups, garage sales, and baby consignment sales are a great way to find stuff for used wayyy cheaper.
Choosing less expensive (but still high enough quality) new items and sourcing free/cheap used items was worth it - we saved $4,400! Even if I spent an hour per week for the entire first year searching for used items (I didn't), that's $85/hr.
We spent $1,601 ($1877 after the value of gifts) on our baby's first year of stuff, saving 70-75% off BabyCenter's estimates. And most of it will work just fine for baby #2!
You and your family know how much a $2,000 expense means for your budget. For us, this is roughly how much we spent on traveling in 2019 - 2 trips to Arizona to visit family, a babymoon to Hawaii, and a trip to Florida to visit friends and Disney World (using points for flights and staying with family/friends for 3 of the 4 trips). I would certainly give up those trips for the joy that our baby boy brings in a heartbeat.