How Much Money Does A Baby Cost

Having a baby is wonderful, but the costs of starting a family unit can be astronomical.

The average price of raising a child to 18 is £202,660 – or more than £900 a month – and it'll be more than if yous want to ship your kid to private school.

The good news is there are lots of ways to keep the costs of raising your child down – and it all starts with planning before your little one even arrives.

This commodity will cover:

• Boilerplate childcare costs
• What to purchase before the baby arrives
• Essentials during the early days
• What to buy when you have a toddler
• Everything y'all demand to know about paternity and maternity get out
• Cost-cutting tips

Breastfeeding is free – simply there are plenty of other things you lot'll need to pay for

Childcare costs

Co-ordinate to data from digital wealth manager Moneyfarm, the average cost of raising a child to historic period 18 is £202,660 in the Britain. This includes housing and childcare costs. That's around £eleven,250 a year, or £938 a calendar month.

Childcare fees make upwardly a big pct of the price of raising a child if you lot go back to piece of work. Government figures advise parents typically spend £242 a calendar week for 50 hours of full time care for a child under two in England and Wales.

You may be able to reduce your bill past upwards to 20% by applying for tax-free childcare. We have lots more than data on this scheme, and other means to lower your childcare costs in our How much does childcare price, and is there anything out at that place to help? Q&A.

Age	Total average price
Pregnancy	£3,530
0-3 years old	£44,097
four-5	£23,149
6-eight	£29,590
9-11	£27,847
12-xiv	£24,656
15-18	£49,791

Source: Moneyfarm.co.great britain

What to buy when expecting a baby

You could literally spend thousands of pounds kitting out your baby. But the advice for new parents is to be saavy shoppers.

While there are some things you tin't do without, lots of things really aren't necessary and many more than yous can get second paw. Y'all can use the coin you relieve to invest for your child'due south future instead.

The Essentials

1. A car seat
   New, equally you need to know the car seat has never been in an accident. Average cost: £100 – £200
2. Apparel
   Don't spend as well much on baby vesture; babies abound fast. Plus you will probable become given some cute babe outfits as presents from generous friends and family. But do get several onesies, and buy plenty of bed linen and muslins. Boilerplate cost: £l – £60
3. Nappies
   In the first few weeks, disposable nappies tend to be easiest. Purchase in majority! Average cost: £12 – £24 in the first month
4. Nutrient
   If yous're breastfeeding, you will demand piece of cake-access underwear and wear, plus perchance a breast-pump and a few bottles. Chest pumps can price anything from around £25 to £500, depending on whether y'all desire manual or electric and how discrete or flexible y'all desire your pump to be (although don't buy also much in case you can't breastfeed for long). For canteen feeding, you'll need formula, sterilising equipment, and bottles. Boilerplate cost: £50 – £100 a calendar month.
5. Moses basket
   Your baby will slumber in a Moses handbasket or crib in your room for the first six months. You tin can buy second hand, simply invest in a new mattress. Average toll: £lxx for a new basket, £twenty for a mattress
6. Babe bath
   A big washing up bowl volition do, merely a babe bath on a stand tin can save your dorsum. Average price: £10-£l
7. Pram
   A travel system including a machine seat, carrycot, and pram tin can work out cheaper overall. Boilerplate cost: £150 – £ane,000
8. Changing handbag
   You'll demand somewhere to put everything when you're out and about, simply a normal rucksack or holdall is fine. Boilerplate cost: £25

The Non-Essentials

1. Play mat
   Important for development, but a coating with a few toys does the same task. Average price: £25
2. Baby bouncer
   Somewhere safe to put your infant while you get to the loo! Average cost: £20 – £300
3. Irresolute mat
   Handy and like shooting fish in a barrel to clean, although a folded up towel works only as well. Average cost: £7

What to buy during the early days

First smiling, offset laugh, first eight-hour sleep (hopefully) – there are many incredible moments in the first six months. Lots more things to buy too!

Equipment that you lot will need

Every bit in the first few months, you volition need certain items. They don't need to cost the earth, though.

• Cot – a second-manus one with a new mattress is a great shout. A cot-bed, which turns into a toddler bed, is fifty-fifty ameliorate.
  • Average cost: From £lxx new
• Babe monitor – you'll probably need a monitor once your baby starts sleeping in his or her own room. Run into if any local mums have one they don't utilise anymore hiding in a cupboard.
  • Average cost: £20 – £250
• Nappies – washable nappies are an eco-friendly way to go around the estimated £261 a twelvemonth you will otherwise spend. In my experience, they're great for daytime usage at home, not and so nifty for travelling or overnight.
  • Average price: £150
• Stair gates – once your infant starts crawling, you need to secure the stairs to prevent accidents.
  • Average price: £15 – £50
• High chair – vital for mealtimes, simply you tin get one 2d-hand.
  • Average cost: £thirty – £300 new
• Playpen – not essential, simply it is useful. Why not use a travel cot as a play-pen – and so information technology can double up as a bed when you go away?
  • Boilerplate cost: £30

Toddling and beyond

While food bills and the cost of activities volition go up over time, other costs such equally childcare should start to fall from after the historic period of 3.

For assist with budgeting, have a look at our Guide to creating a family budget and Guide to child benefit.

Food

Nearly babies kickoff eating proper food at around six months. You might be surprised past the departure this makes to your weekly food shop.

Ready-made pouches are undoubtedly convenient when y'all're on the go, just cooking their meals yourself gives you more command and should piece of work out cheaper too.

The quicker you tin go them eating more than or less the same equally you, the easier it is to salvage.

Food costs rising from an average full of £2,700 between the ages of 0 to 3 (£675 per year) to £9,959 for the menstruation of 15 to 18 years old.

Childcare

When your babe reaches the age of three, you can start claiming 15 – or in some case up to 30 – hours' free childcare a calendar week. Be aware you go the free hours the term afterwards your child turns three, not on their third birthday.

Primary school starts the September afterwards the child turns 4, at which betoken your costs could drop to around £60 a week if yous merely need after-school care.

Observe out more here about how to go on downward the costs of childcare.

Activities

Equally your child gets older, you may sign them upward to music or sports classes and at that place may be regular trips to the picture palace or theatre.

Moneyfarm says parents spend an average of £fourteen,500 on enriching activities for their children betwixt the ages of 4 and 18.

Motherhood and paternity leave – how much will I become?

Having a infant isn't only expensive because of all the things you have to buy, just the time off work means there is less money coming in.

• Statutory motherhood leave
  • lasts 52 weeks
  • only 39 weeks have to be paid
  • after the outset six weeks, the corporeality yous receive may fall from 90% of your earnings to just £151.97 per calendar week for the next 33 weeks
  • some companies offer more, so cheque with your 60 minutes department

As long equally your partner has been in their job for ix months, they should authorize for two weeks of paternity leave (male or female in a same sex couple) on at least £151.97 per week.

Some employers offer full pay during the fortnight so it'due south a good idea to check.

Shared parental leave, which allows couples to dissever 50 weeks of exit earlier their baby's start birthday, is likewise worth because.

Cost-cutting tips

While having a baby can be expensive, in that location are enough of means you can cut costs. Here are some meridian tips:

• Use a free babe costs calculator to keep tabs on how much yous will spend.
  
• Await out for special offers. I got a £150 car seat for £50 past choosing a less popular colour (my son definitely does not care!).
  
• Join local parents' groups online. They are a slap-up source of free and cutting-price gear.
  
• Don't buy too many toys – that's what friends and family unit are for.
  
• You're going to be doing lots of washing and then if your washing automobile is on its concluding legs, get a new ane in the sales.
  
• Read our article on the cost of childcare: what help is available?

• If you earn nether £60,000, apply for child benefit as soon as you can after the nativity. You will probably get a leaflet nigh it at the hospital or when yous register the birth.
  
• Meet if you can borrow items yous will need curt term, such as stair gates, from friends.
  
• If you cull reusable nappies, check whether your local council offers a voucher that tin go towards paying for them, or a free nappy kit.
  
• New mums are entitled to free prescriptions and dental care from the moment they become pregnant until their baby's starting time altogether. So get your teeth checked before your infant turns i.
  
• Go on ownership second-mitt apparel – these are actually handy for nursery, where your kid volition probably get covered in food and paint. Proceed an eye out for second-mitt toys also.
  
• Practice babysitting swaps with local parents.
  
• Sell on anything y'all no longer demand.
  
• Your local library tin can often exist the all-time place to discover gratis activities, likewise as books and toys to borrow.
  
• Apps such as Mush tin be a expert way to track downwardly price-constructive classes and groups.

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/money-mentor/article/starting-family-baby-costs/

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