Newborn Care Tips: How To Afford The Early Days Of Motherhood

A child costs the average Australian couple around $13,000 in the first year alone, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Newborn care expenses have even been associated with postnatal stress for new mothers, who keep getting bombarded with expenses they didn’t expect. You have to worry about costs like baby furniture and gear, clothing, health care, nappies and feeding: sometimes, the costs seem to pop up out of nowhere. Yes, babies can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be the case for you. There are many things you can do to make it more affordable to raise your baby.

When a new baby arrives, there are many things that mums need to buy, especially first-timers. Every mum wants the best for her baby, but that doesn’t mean that you have to drop a few thousand dollars on the fanciest baby gear you see on TV adverts. One great way to save money is by buying some items second hand. For example, you can find high-quality baby supplies like cribs, strollers, car seats and changing tables by shopping at yard sales. You can follow the same mantra when shopping online: instead of shopping for the latest and greatest baby products on websites like Amazon, you can shop online with eBay, where you can find alternatives at a fraction of the price. However, before making such purchases, always do your due diligence to ensure that the items are perfectly safe for your new baby.

If you have friends or family members who have young children, chances are they have a lot of items that their children have outgrown, like baby clothes, rocking chairs and toys. If you ask nicely, most of them will be happy to give you their old baby items, which can help you save several hundreds of dollars. Just ensure that everything is safe before accepting. For example, if you receive a baby crib from a friend, check that it’s still in good condition, and make sure that the model hasn’t been recalled by the manufacturer.

Disposable nappies are a tempting option for new mums, but they do come at a steep cost. On average, a child will need around 6,500 nappy changes from birth to toilet training, which will cost around $2,000. If you use washable nappies, you will only need about 30 nappies from birth to toilet training, which will be a fraction of the price of disposable nappies. There’s even more to gain if you plan on having another baby, as you won’t need to buy new nappies then.

The arrival of your new baby should be something to smile about; not something to put you in a world of financial pain. With clever planning, you can find ways to spend less without compromising your baby’s health or comfort.