AD| Planning a Baby on a Budget

Deciding to have a baby is a major life decision. There are lots of things you’ll need to think about in addition to some other aspects.

Choosing when the right time to have a baby is pretty tough. From financial and emotional stability to the bigger picture such as your future prospects. Having a baby is a massive life changing decision and should not be taken lightly.

If you’ve already decided to try for a baby or you’re already pregnant, then congratulations are in order!

When my husband and I decided to have children together there was certainly a lot to think about. For starters, we knew that we’d be heading down the IVF route, so we needed to plan carefully for this. We weren’t eligible for free treatment, so we had to tighten our purse strings and plan everything.

Of course, when you’re pregnant, thoughts will probably turn to the cost of looking after a child. This has risen over the years. According to the Cost of a Child report, created by the Child Poverty Action Group, the basic cost of raising a child over 18 years is around £75,147 for a couple and £101,883 for a single parent.

That’s seriously a lot of money. That’s why planning a baby on a budget is so important. Those first few weeks are likely to going to be a whirlwind of joy, a little bit of trepidation and perhaps a fair bit of nausea! In addition to morning sickness and the excitement of having a baby, it’s a good idea to sit down and go through your monthly budget so that you can set aside a little money each month to put towards the things you’ll really need for your baby. It’ll soon add up over the course of nine months.

You should also start to look ahead to maternity leave. This often means reduced pay so figuring out how you’ll manage it super important too.

This online guide, planning for a baby on a budget, is a great resource. It has tons of information in it from a newborn essentials checklist, pram buying guide, benefits, discounts and tips for new parents to information such as cloth nappies vs disposable nappies. Personally, if I had my time over again, I’d definitely go down the cloth nappy route as we’re trying to lead a more eco-friendly life. It would have saved us a small fortune in buying nappies for our twins!

This guide is perfect for parents, as well as those who are thinking about or in the midst of trying for a baby. Plus, it also includes real-life stories from real-life parents offering out tips and tricks that they learnt along the way, how they saved money and what they would do differently if they did it again.

Some of my favourite tips include checking out baby events at supermarkets, having your baby after all your friends/family so that you can get hand-me-downs. Trust me, at the beginning you’ll want to buy everything nice and new and fresh, but when you’re changing your baby’s outfit numerous times throughout the day because they’ve been sick on it for the millionth time or because their nappy has leaked again, you won’t even care what clothes they’re wearing!

Did you plan your baby on a budget? Let me know your best tips in the comments below!