Someone once asked me why I wanted more kids, they cost so much! Rather than take offense I explained to her that I don’t think that babies are expensive, rather babies Can be expensive.
Of course it’s an added expense, but that expense doesn’t have to be huge or life shattering. As with all things, raising a baby is what you make of it. Planning, budgeting, and finding good deals definitely can lower those costs that come with bringing another child into the world.
Now don’t get me wrong. Baby expenses can easily add up.
Raising a baby can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars the first year alone. One study found that many families spend more than $10,000 on the labor and delivery of their newborn alone. In all honesty I’m one of those moms who received a $10,000+ hospital bill on my delivery and hospital stay for one of my babies.
But, truthfully I was able to find ways to save.
In fact, you can find THOUSANDS of dollars in savings on baby related expenses. Sorry for the all caps, I just get excited about these savings because I know the struggle these extra expenses can cause. In fact I made a free samples for new parents resource you should check out to start saving right away!
I’ve found so many ways to save on baby related costs. Now, three kids in, I feel like I save more with each one. You learn as you go!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
What is the average monthly cost for baby?
Raising a baby can be costly, especially if you don’t have the tools and resources to save money.
The USDA recently released a study that showed that most middle-income families will spend an average of $12,980 per child per year.
Now, add in the additional expenses that may come with a newborn. Including labor and deliver, hospital stays, postpartum recovery, well baby visits, a constant influx of clothes for your growing bean, formula, breastfeeding gear, and gear for all the major transitions (infant car seat, toddler car seat, crib, toddler bed).
Babies are a little more high maintenance than the average kid. Plus since they are only babies once it’s only natural that we spend a little more during this precious time.
HOW CAN I SAVE MONEY ON BABY?
Like I said, babies don’t have to be expensive. Your new baby can fit right into your budget, big or small! Here are some of the ways we have saved on the typically most expensive baby items.
If you think of anything else please leave it in the comments below. I’ve made several updates to this post based on readers recommendations and I hope that pulling all our resources together we can turn this into one of the best money saving resources for new moms.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BABY SHOWER
If you are having a baby shower try to make the most of it by registering for things you need. Often times I think we get caught up in registering for the perfect nursery items and luxury baby items we wouldn’t otherwise get. It’s easy to forget to register for simpler things like diapers, wipes, and feeding supplies?
Be sure to register for items that will grow with your baby. Different sizes of diapers and clothes will be appreciated later down the road.
Check out different baby registries to see if there are any incentives. Some stores will give you a large money saving coupon after your baby shower. Some even send a FREE sample kit when you register. Amazon for example gives you an extra 10% off baby items after your shower and they send you a welcome package. I love their registry because it allows for long distance family and friends to send shower gifts with free shipping if they are Prime members!
UPDATE!!! – YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THE AMAZON BABY WELCOME PACKAGE!
I had to update you all on the Amazon baby welcome package and how amazing it is.
To get the welcome package all you have to do is:
- Sign up for a registry on Amazon,
- Register in each category.
- Either spend $10 on your own registry or wait until $10 worth of items have been purchased through your registry.
I went ahead and registered my baby, but ordered things from my registry we already were planning on stocking up on, like diapers and wipes.
When my welcome package came I was shocked at the value!
I mean, check out all of those samples. Including a full size swaddle blanket, bottle, and small package of diapers. Each of these things were things we needed and have used for our new baby this past few weeks.
Register on Amazon to get your baby welcome box!
If there are baby items you need to stock up on I highly recommend registering and redeeming your baby freebies by ordering things from your registry you already were planning on buying.
>Don’t miss these tips: What NOT to buy for your newborn
A FREE AND SAFE PLACE FOR YOUR BABY TO SLEEP
The Baby Sleep Company provides free baby boxes to parents who need a safe place for their baby to sleep.
All you have to do is take a quick e-course on baby sleep safety to get a free baby sleep box full of samples for mom and baby delivered to your door!
SAVE BIG ON BREASTFEEDING SUPPLIES (GET A FREE BREAST PUMP!)
What if I told you that you could not only save massively on buying a breast pump, but you could get one at a discounted price or even for FREE!
Well, not only can you get a discounted or free breast pump, you can get free breast pump accessories and supplies for FREE delivered to your house every 6 months.
Oh, how I wish I’d known about this before I gave birth to my daughter, so I could have it all ready!
How is this possible you ask? There is a law right now in the U.S. that requires all health insurance companies to provide pregnant and nursing mothers with low cost or free breast pumps and supplies. All you have to do is call your insurance company and ask.
I wasn’t made aware of this knowledge until my daughter was admitted to the hospital for jaundice at 1 week old. A nurse told me and after I applied my pump came in about 2 weeks.
These aren’t cheap pumps either! You can choose from the top brands, even choosing the style you want.
I found a company that helped me get a
free breast pump! Follow the link for the exact site I used, I’m sure a quick Google search could lead you to others. Going through the site made it hassle free because they talk to the insurance company for you.
Read my complete guide to getting a free or low cost breast pump through Aeroflow!
Check out this pregnancy and postpartum support gear you can also get for free!
FORMULA AND BABY FOOD SAVINGS
Our second baby had to supplement breastfeeding with formula for the first few months. She also loved her baby food! Formula and baby food can really put a dent in the budget. Especially formula, which can get expensive if your baby is sensitive to certain brands or types.
Don’t miss these easy ways to save:
- Sign up for these free baby samples!
- Check the brand’s website, doctor’s office, and hospital for formula samples. *Since we were supplementing for only a short time samples were able to get us by.
- Sign up for email lists of your baby’s favorite brand of formula and/or baby food to get money saving coupons.
- Use coupon apps like Ibotta and Cartwheel to save on formula and baby food at the store.
- Learn how to make homemade baby food with low cost ingredients
- Can’t find a coupon? Email the brand to see if they could send you one. *We emailed Beech Nut to ask if they had any coupons available and they mailed us an envelope full!
PAYING HOSPITAL BILLS
Okay I’m adding this in here because pregnancy medical costs are just rising in the US and our newest baby cost us $10,000 in doctor and hospital fees.
I know. Jaw dropping!
The key here is not to panic.
Here are some things to do regarding medical expenses.
- Apply for any state or government assistance you might be eligible for. It never hurts to try.
- Look into costs of different hospitals and doctors offices in your area. Some doctors and hospitals may charge more than others.
- Talk with your insurance company about your costs and make sure you aren’t being overcharged. With one of my baby’s they overcharged us hundreds of dollars and we were able to get a refund.
- Set up a savings account as soon as you find out you’re pregnant and save as much as you can for baby costs.
- Some doctors and hospitals offer payment plans or low income assistance. Look into the services your medical providers offer.
FANTASTIC WAYS TO SAVE ON DIAPERS
Diapers are so expensive, am I right!? I can remember how relieved I was the day we potty trained our son and our diaper budget could go towards bills, groceries, and other household expenses!
The best way we’ve saved on diapers is to buy the biggest box of the most absorbent diaper.
I believe it saves you more money to actually spend the little bit extra on premium diapers like Pampers or Huggies. Since they are more absorbent and comfortable they can stretch a bit longer than the others.
Absorbent diapers have helped tremendously in getting our babies to stay asleep throughout the night. Less diaper changes means more money in our pocket! The larger boxes of diapers also come at a bigger savings per diaper, so you are saving more in the long run.
Bonus Tip: Create a diaper subscription with Amazon Family for more savings, 20% off diapers!
BABY CLOTHES
When it comes to baby clothes we are fortunate to have many ways to save. As one reader mentioned thrift stores and yard sales are a great place to find savings on baby and kids clothes.
If you are having trouble finding nice clothes in your area try searching a different part of town. I love visiting thrift stores when we travel and have found some of the cutest dresses for my daughter at thrift stores when we visit the beach.
When you are shopping retail make sure to look out for sales. Sometimes they have bigger sales online than in-store or vice versa. Carter’s and OshKosh are two of my favorite stores for baby clothes sales. I am signed up to receive there monthly coupons. Their clothes are already sold at a low price, so the coupons help even more.
I’ve also found great deals at the outlet mall. If you shop the outlets during sales you can find some of the lowest prices on baby clothes that are usually sold in packs of more than one outfit.
FREE & LOW COST DAYCARE
Let’s talk about daycare savings! I hadn’t initially included it in this article, but a reader reminded me that this is a huge part of baby expenses. She was right!
One of the reasons I didn’t accept the teaching job I was offered after graduating college was daycare costs. Add together daycare costs for two kids and the pay as a new teacher commuting 50 minutes each way to work wasn’t worth it at all.
For that reason and my strong desire to become a stay at home mom I started this blog. I’ve since turned it into a business and solved the daycare issue myself. Which brings me to my first tip on curbing daycare costs.
- Becoming a Stay at Home Mom: Being a stay at home mom is a totally achievable goal at any income. There are so many opportunities to make money as a stay at home mom including blogging.
I make an almost full time income blogging, probably about as much as I would teaching and paying for daycare. Blogging is a fulfilling job that allows me to stay home with my kids, have a creative outlet, help moms like me every day, and earn an income for my family!
I’ve written a simplified article about starting a blog on WordPress, with more posts coming soon about how to easily make money at home blogging. - Family & Friends: Don’t be afraid to ask close family or friends who have extra time if they would be willing to watch your kids. I guarantee the rate will be 100x cheaper than daycare.
If your child’s grandparents are anything like ours they would happily watch the kids for free. A huge benefit is that you are leaving your child in a familiar space. Since this is a person familiar with them they will know how to deal with any situation while you are away at work.
When I was student teaching I heavily relied on family and friends as daycare. My sister and grandparents were there for me and my kids day in and day out. They didn’t charge me, so I could put my savings into bills and activities they could do while I was away. - Community Outreach: Are you apart of a community? This could be a church or mom group. Ask around to see if anyone runs an at home daycare or knows someone who does.
When my kids were in daycare we had a church friend who ran an at home daycare. Her rates were already low, but she offered us half off because she knew our family. Take advantage of any connections you have. - Discount Programs: Is your family low income? Many state and local governments offer discount programs to families struggling to pay for daycare.
If you live in California check here for a list of low income preschool resources, if not a quick Google search for low income programs should steer you in the right direction. - Flexible Jobs: Many jobs are becoming more flexible to the needs of women who have children. Some workplaces offer daycare services, while others have flexible hours and time off.
I love Flex Jobs, a site that shares flexible jobs for parents daily.
Remember, babies don’t have to be expensive, you just need to know where to look for the right savings. Utilizing apps, deals, and planning ahead can really go a long way to saving you a ton of money while raising your baby. I hope this list gave you some more ideas of ways to save on your new additions!
Do you have any baby savings tips to share? How do you save on diapers, formula, baby clothes, and daycare? I would love to hear them in the comments below!
Related Content
Being an expecting and postpartum mom comes with extra costs too. Save your money with these awesome free pregnancy samples just for mom!
Before you work out your baby budget make sure you are applying for all the free baby samples you can. Check out our mega list of free baby stuff and how to get free baby clothes, so you can really maximize your savings on your newborn.
Maygub
I bought 30+ article of newborn and 0-3 month baby boy clothes off of yardsale pages from Facebook. People always bundle clothing and formula and diapers for super cheap on letgo and offer up
Sammy
I’ve found great deals on Facebook marketplace for clothes and toddler toys. Great place to check for savings.
Megan
For diapers: cloth diapers. Seriously they aren’t gross. Wash them. Use regular detergent. Foca works great for like $3 a bag. Alva baby or better—use 6 covers and like 36 flour sack towels. At $10 a cover and 20 for $14.88 and a snappi you can cloth diaper for about $100 from birth to potty training.
Sammy
Hi Megan! I’m sure they are a great savings to moms who are able to successfully use them. It never worked for our family.
Konnor
I bought my sons whole nursery at a second hand store. I also accepted everything and anything that my friends who have kids have given me
Ginny C.
Soon to be mother of three under three. I couldn’t agree more about the pack n play! Get the infant insert so you don’t have to reach down to them in the middle of the night. Also a huge money saving tip- if you plan on having more than one child get the big ticket items (like the pack n play, car seat, etc.) in gender neutral colors.
Here’s the one little disagreement I have but I feel like Sammy could get behind this too- I agree that you don’t necessarily need a changing table and certainly don’t need a fancy changing pad cover BUT I do recommend that you get one or two of the table top pads because unlike the mats they are bowl shaped and can catch unexpected pee pees a little better. With my fist we just used the changing mat on the bed for night time changes but we weren’t experts yet at catching surprise pees so we ended up changing our sheets almost daily. Now we keep the table top changing pad next to the bed for those night time changes and it’s saved us a lot of laundry. And forget the pad cover! The pads are made with a water resistant fabric that’s so much easier to wipe down and clean rather than having to spot treat and wash the cover.
Heather
Man I wish I saw this post a few months ago before I had my baby! Haha, such great advice and awesome tips for scoring freebies! I did get the Target registry gift bag but would’ve loved that Amazon one! Marking it down as a reminder for my next baby ;)
Victoria Bishop
Another great way to save on baby clothes is check websites like Craigslist or offer up you can find people selling baby clothes by the lots for cheap just to be safe I always check them to make sure they aren’t to stained or have holes and tears but may of the clothes I’ve found have been name brand and in great condition and you can stock up on clothes I’ve done this work my two year old and now with my two month old
Sammy
Hi Victoria! That’s a great suggestion. We have a lot of yard sale pages on Facebook for people in our city. Some are dedicated to just baby/kids items. Definitely a great resource to find clothes and sell your baby things once you are done with them.
Sara
Hi I had to get a doctor’s note from my doctor to get a breast pump. And also some states offer WIC which is helpful while pregnant, when baby arrives, and til your child is 5.
Sarah
Once upon a child is a great second hand store, as well as Mom to Mom sales and Frugal Mommy on Facebook. I live Canada so I don’t know if some of those things are available in the US but it’s worth a try! I wholeheartedly agree that having children CAN be expensive because it’s a choice to live a certain lifestyle. I know childcare is stinkin’ expensive. I was a nanny, daycare provider and preschool teacher for 10+ years. That is a tough one to navigate but not impossible. When I became pregnant, I had to quit my job due to severe morning sickness and we went down to just my husband’s income. But we are actually saving more money now than when I worked because we are more aware of our budget. We got rid of the fancy smartphones, changed our cable/internet, said no to quite a few weddings this summer as well as other unnecessary expenses and continue to own one car. We live in a really small space and it works for us, in this season. It’s all about what you can and can’t live without. We are learning to buy quality over quantity. I look around our small apartment and I am thankful it’s forced me to be a minimalist about baby gear. You figure out what works for you and your family with where you are at. Be encouraged mamas, it’s totally doable and there is joy in it. I highly recommend the documentary “Minimalism” on netflix.
Sammy
Hi Sarah! Living as a stay at home mom on one income definitely is doable if you cut out unnecessary items. After I graduated from college I wasn’t bringing in any income, yet we learned to adapt and cut down our grocery and gas bills. Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions! – Sammy
Tiara
These are all great tips- thanks for sharing! However, you don’t touch on the two largest costs associated with having a child: daycare expenses and saving for a college education. My husband and I live in the Washington, DC area, both of us have careers and will continue to have careers after children. While one of us could stay at home, we’d have to drastically change our lives to be able to afford our mortgage and basic living expenses. So really, not working isn’t an option. Besides, we both enjoy what we do. But that means we’d need to pay for childcare- and it’s expensive! To the tune of nearly $2K/month… and thats not including what it would cost to save roughly $100K for college (which realistically won’t cover a full 4 years).
I’d love to hear your tips on childcare and college expenses.
Sammy
Hi Tiara! Thank you so much for bringing this up. This is something I hadn’t thought of when writing this article, but yes it is a huge issue for a lot of mothers! As soon as I read your comment ideas started popping up in my head of how to save and lower costs of daycare. Stay tuned, I’ll be sure to have an update to this post within the next month! :)
Jennifer
Some personal experience on college saving…take it for whatever it’s worth. We learned about a program called Dave Ramsey that offers a seminar for teens on how to budget and learn how to save for their retirement at a young age, which requires much less input of money than saving for retirement later in life. One of the things that the seminar teaches is that it’s not necessary to go into debt or rely on your parents to have saved 100K for your college fund. For most careers, going to an expensive out of state school is completely unnecessary .
I live in South Florida where cost of living is high. Even before I came across this seminar, I personally went to college debt free, and my parents did not pay for ANY of it. This was between 2000-2004. At the time, people told me that college was more expensive than in previous generations and it was impossible to pay for your own college in today’s day and age. Here’s how I did it: I did dual enrollment in highschool, junior and senior year. Dual enrollment is completely free except for books. I took summers off, just like other kids, until I graduated highschool. I got $4,000 of financial aid/scholarship one time, and $1,600 for a theatre scholarship at the local community college. That was it. Once I graduated with my associates degree, I moved out of my parents home and took one semester off and lived in California with my sister. I saved up another 3K living rent free with her and then did two more years at a university. At university, I lived with a roommate and I worked 30 hours a week as a bank teller. I did the typical college kid cheap food diet…ramen noodles, tuna and lettuce, banannas, etc. I asked my parents for money when I really needed it. They only paid my car insurance as a regular expense. I didn’t go to a top school, yet not one single job interviewer has ever shown that they cared, and I still made it to an executive level, high paying job at a large hospital system.
It’s totally doable. I have two children, and though I plan to help them a little more than my parents did, I’m also planning to do some kind of match system where I match $$ with whatever they have contributed themselves. Or paying them a dollar amount for each grade that’s an A or B. Some system where they pay for most of it, and they really own their education and make it happen for themselves. My children continually surprise me with what they can accomplish if I let them.
Danielle
Hi Tiara,
Because your family lives in D.C. you can actually send your children to (I believe) any State College and their is a D.C. grant that pays the difference of the out-of-state tuition and the in-state tuition. I live in N.Y, and know it at least applies in N.Y State colleges, but instead of paying $45+ a year to attend a State school in N.Y. you child would only need to pay closer to $25,000. It’s called D.C. TAG https://osse.dc.gov/dctag.
Hope this helps!
Adrianne
Just a bit of information to add; not all insurance companies give you a free breast pump. My private insurance gives me $150 toward a pump from a supplier such as Aeroflow or Edgepark and since neither of them have an electric pump that cheap, we have to pay the difference. We’re still saving money but we’ll also still have to shell out about $100 of our own dollars to make up the difference in cost. We can also buy one from a retailer and send in a claim to be reimbursed but honestly, that takes months.
Sammy
Hi Adrianne! Thank you so much for this information, I’ll have to make a change to this post now that I know. That seems so unfair, at least it will be a lot less than paying full price. I hope you are able to get one soon! I definitely know how it is waiting on a breast pump you desperately need.
Katie E,
I’ve actually found that by combining store sales and coupons, you can get the small packs for way less per diaper. Just a suggestion!
Sammy
Great tip Katie! I definitely agree that if you can find the right coupon and sale you are golden.
Tabitha
Cloth diapers are definitely the way to go when saving money and the environment! I was able to get my organic cloth diapers on sale for $250 (3 dozen) they are also microfiber on the inside and are super easy to clean! All it takes is doing a small load of laundry every three days! We didn’t buy the newborn cloth diapers so we bought the disposables for his first month of life. Between the cloth diapers, the newborn diapers, and the liners we will probably spend about $350 the entire time he is in diapers. it is just a no-brainer!
Sammy
Hi Tabitha! I agree that using cloth diapers is great for the environment and saving money. It’s wonderful that cloth diapers is an option for many families to use. However, in some families including ours, it isn’t an option that works. I think moms that use diapers and cloth diapers both deserve a lot of recognition. Bringing up a baby isn’t easy, but we are all here on the front lines of raising our babies each day. :)
Danielle
I just found out yesterday I’m pregnant with my 3rd child and I’m really really scared. I’m completly alone on state assistance which is going to run out in 4 months. So I’m trying to find more ways to budget with this baby, I have to be smart about this,so I could really use some advice on these cloths diapers. TIA
Sammy
Hi Danielle! Bless your heart! I have been in financial situations like this before which seem so hopeless. The great thing about having a baby is that there are a ton of resources out there to help. I don’t have much knowledge on saving with cloth diapers. But, I do suggest looking into what mom support groups are available in your area. This could be as simple as doing a quick Google search of your city and mom or baby support groups. We have several in our area for all types of things surrounding motherhood. It might be really helpful to get in touch with moms in your area that are going through the same things and have knowledge of the support available where you live. There also might be other moms in these groups that can help with tips on cloth diapers or whatever you need. Take things one day at a time through your pregnancy as you build up resources around you for when your sweet baby comes.
Stacey
What brand microfiber diapers did you use?
Charlene Asay
With my second baby my husband was in his last year of vet school. We were dirt poor. Second hand stores came in handy. Thanks for sharing all these tips with us.
Samantha
Thank you Charlene! I love thrift stores too. Some of my favorite dresses for Juliana I have found at second hand stores. It really does help, since we are on a budget too.
Laura
Great tips! Thank you for sharing. We’re planning on having our first soon, so this was an awesome read. :)
Elisabeth
Thanks for the tips! We have a 5 week old and have been loving the Pampers diapers as well!
Samantha
Pampers are a life saver and really do help with uninterrupted sleep. Thanks for stopping by Elisabeth! :)
Sara Zielinski
These are great tips to save on baby items.
Rachel
I buy nearly all of our baby clothes and equipment second hand. Even consignment shops are too expensive for me! Go to a yard sale, bundle, and negotiate! Breastfeed if you can, amd invest in a baby food maker for quick, easy purees. I can count on one hand the number of times I bought jarred baby food!
Samantha
Those are all great tips! I love going to thrift stores and finding cute dresses for my baby girl. Thanks for stopping by Rachel. :)
Ashley
You can also just feed babies the same smashed up foods you eat (look up baby led weaning) and you can just use a blender or food processor. No need to spend money on a gadget that only has one use!