Holy crap, I just totaled it all up. We are mustachian lite, but I've tended to be looser w/regards to my kid due to convenience factors. I didn't quite realize how loose I'd gotten...
First, we were
hugely blessed by our friends and family. As the last in our circles to have kids, our friends couldn't get rid of their baby stuff fast enough by jamming it in our car when we were over their houses for dinner. We took almost everything, and decided later if we should keep or pass it on. I've only listed items we kept for a while. They have only asked that we pass this on (friend or charity) rather than resell. All the things we didn't buy:
- Given used: Crib, mattress, 5 baby carriers, tons of toys (cars to play kitchen), clothes, infant car seat & stroller, stroller, breast feeding pillows & covers, breast pump supplies, baby tub, bassinet, changing table, mattresses & covers, travel high chair, play mat, baby playpen gates, dishwasher baskets, sound machine
- Gifted new: diaper pail, rock and play, pack and play (used as the crib for a year after bassinet), changing table cover, plastic bibs, cabinet locks, boon mat, many books, jumper, floor mat, diapers, monitor, diaper bag, baby gates, high chair, bottles, hamper, a million baby towels, stuffed animals, loveys, sophie, wipe dispensers, reusauble pouch kits, swim gear, dishwasher basket, night light, humidifier, gift cards, amazon prime year
- Handmade (by me or gifts): Blankets, bibs, burp cloths, nursing cover, baby towel
Note: Some duplicates as we were gifted item after we already had an item (e.g. gifted a travel high chair well after we were given a new high chair for home, so we couldn't just use the travel one at home as the regular chair; or I handmade a personalized baby towel before we were given a bunch).
That said, I'm still horrified to tally up costs for 1.5 years as:
Breastfeeding supplies $89
Formula $984
Eating (bottles, snack catcher, lunch bag, teethers) $121
Binkies $30
Diapers $590
Wipes $111
Diaper cream $166
Dekor Refills $60
Sheets $30
Clothes $111
Babyproofing house (many indoor gates, outdoor gate, stove knob covers, toilet seat latches, edge bumpers, outlet covers, tv strap etc.) $315
Travel gear (travel car seat, home car seat, stroller etc) $509
Water gear (shoes, reusable water diapers, life jackets, swimsuit) $71
Sunscreen $67
Books $73
Toys $208
Medicine $51
Other $107
Total: $3,693
Subtracting out the consumable items (formula, diapers, wipes, diaper cream) it's: $1,842, or $1228 annually
And WOW how much we've spent on diaper cream (yet my kid still gets diaper rash every other week).
If I don't have a friend to pass items onto, I'll resell the new items we were given new or bought to recoup some costs. As requested, we'll give the used gifted items to friends or charity.
Tips:
- Accept everything you are given. People want to help you/want stuff out of the house. If they know you're an easy accept they'll think of you more often than if you are picky.
- Look to buy used when possible. I could have saved more if I opted to buy more used things (e.g. book category is a lot because we prioritize reading & I wanted specific books on biting, sharing, tactile ones, etc. and didn't want to hunt through yard sales). It takes time, however, so after the baby is here it's harder to do this.
- Research NOW. As mentioned above, you pay more for convenience/speed post-baby.
- Resell what you can to recoup costs
- Avoid unnecessary things. We wouldn't have bought a dishwasher container for bottle parts on our own. Skip cutesy baby décor that doesn't fit long, etc.
- Read babybargains (available online though the book is admittedly easier to navigate) to figure out where you want to splurge/what you can avoid buying at all.
- Return items that aren't so useful if you can (e.g. your friend/family won't ask you where it is, store will accept it...)
- If you are given a new item you can't return, consider regifting. That's what we did with the many baby towels.
- Make what you can
If you have questions about specific items, as to the value for them, ask and we'll share our experiences and if there is a way to hack around it. E.g. my friends with twins in a small apartment still found it so useful to have a swing they had 2 to use them same time...but some kids don't like them much.