Some links for your Monday afternoon:
I want my sons to be like their fathers looks-wise (and they are), but I hope they are neater than he is once they are grown. Sometimes I feel like I have three little boys. 
- Brandi on
It needn’t cost as much to have and raise a baby as that article quotes!
“For about $2,000, you can totally set yourself up for a baby.”
Much of that money could be put away for the baby in years to come.
In the first year, my daughter needed;
1. My breasts – free nutrition.
2. Our bed – which we already owned.
3. A car seat. V. cheap.
4 A sling (no expensive or bulky strollers for us, we toted her around ourselves!) – about $20.
5. At 6 months she started to eat what we were eating – no expensive baby foods, or brand name snacks.
And 6. About 5 outfits and 4 onsies ever 2-3 months of growth.
There are obviously extra luxury items that we bought for her – but when it comes down to it, that’s all she needed – and it sure didn’t cost $2000!
A baby on a budget is just as happy as any other baby.
- Nancy S on
But Nancy, you’re assuming that every mom (or at least one parent) can stay at home with the baby and breastfeed. Many very normal moms have to pay for:
Breast pump
Formula if they’re not breastfeeding/can’t breastfeed
Daycare (!!!)
Etc…all very expensive. This is assuming the child is perfectly healthy and tolerates a less expensive brand of formula.
As for preparing for what baby needs before she or he is born, you can get things dirt cheap or free by utilizing thrift stores (for certain things) and hand-me-downs. Wal-Mart is your friend. But for most parents, their baby’s first year is expensive! We shouldn’t assume that everyone has the same options or wants to do things the same way.
- Chana on
My last comment was so incoherent, sorry! I forget that when I hit “Post” it doesn’t send me to a preview screen. Oops.
- Chana on
Plus it’s not just the baby years, the older kids grow the more they cost. Clothes, food, activties such as sports, dancing, ballet, that a lot of people like to have their children in, a vacation once in awhile,some kids like me went to private school growing up and the average couple has around 2-3 kids so that can cost a lot. And imagine when they are teenegers with college, cars, everything it all adds up, especially in this day and age where cost of living is very high
- brooke on
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