Are babies expensive?

I think most of us have heard the story of Jesus' birth, but I want to share it to refresh your memory a bit about the situation His parents were in. Mary was a young girl and it's suspected that she was not older than 15 when the angel came to her to tell her if she was willing she would be the one to carry Jesus, at this time although engaged she was not yet married and if she accepted this proposal from the angel, she would risk her fiancé walking away which he almost did yet with being faced with potential being single teen mom in a world where women were not allowed to own property or make financial decisions without a man

"Okay but that was a different time, a different culture there are more things you need now days for a baby." I hear you but as a mom of 2 let me just breacl down what you actually need and some suggestions to do it the most affordable way possible. So here is my actual absolute must haves list for a baby. Something to wear, a safe place to sleep, a car seat, and loving parents. That's it that's all babies really need and there are ways to do those things affordable so I'll give you a brief description of how next.

Something to wear

1) Diapers

Babies need diapers, in some cases. If you really want to save money you can try Elimination communication which is essentially potty training your baby from birth and there is lots of information on line about that or you can ask in cloth diapering Facebook groups and people will be happy to give you loads of information. If the thought of potty training your newborn sounds ridiculous or impossible you can save a significant amount by purchasing cloth diapers. This is what my family does and we are currently on our second baby and have 2 in cloth. There are tons of different options and styles so hop on a cloth diaper group and ask all the questions to find out which style is best for you. No they aren't all rectangle cloth help on by sharp pins and covered with weird plastic pants anymore they're are actually lots of super cute prints and colors and ones that go on just like a regular paper diaper.

2) Clothes

Babies need about 12 outfits in each size for about the first year and then you can get away with a few less as they will be spitting up way less and on solids so poops will likely be less messy. You don't have to buy these new infact many people are giving these away for free or you can purchase clothes them in almost new condition at thrift stores for a third the price and guess what many things still have tags on because people often get way to much at baby showers that their child never gets to wear some things. Included in this would also be some wearable blankets and some mudding swaddles which can be used as blankets, nursing covers, burp cloths and a carseat cover.

A safe place to sleep

1) A large sturdy box 

In Switzerland when you become pregnant and reach your third trimester your sent a welcome baby box that has a little bit of everything you need and the box itself is a crib you you baby so that is an option just save your next large sturdy box from that Amazon order an you can use that.

2) A single mattress on the floor

As long as the mattress is firm, you only put a fitted sheet on it and it's 6 inches or less thick, you can start using this right away, when they start rolling if your concerned about them falling off you can put rolled towels or pool noodles under the sheet to make curbs for them that they won't be able to just roll over. This works with my 22 month old toddler so I know it would work for a younger baby.

3) A convertible crib

If you don't like either of those ideas you can save a lot of money by skipping both a toddler bed and bassinet and purchasing a convertible crib which will be suitable until you child is ready for a big kid bed.

A Car seat

To save money on this your can purchase one open box. Goodbuy gear is a great resource for that. Some places you can also get one for free if you qualify for WIC they should be able to connect you if not you might be able to get informative about this throygh you're insurance.

Loving parents

That's you! Especially Mom because you're body has the wonderful ability to feed your baby. So many women who could breastfeed don't because they think they can't for one reason or another well most can, you're body was made to grow and nurture children, and you're more capable than you think.

So the reality is babies really only cost about $1200 on the expensive side for what they actually need, the rest is nice to have but not a necessity and your baby won't know the difference. So don't let finances keep you from having a baby because they're not as expensive as culture might have you think and if you have a baby shower people will give you what you need and more. Plus after the first baby you will need even less because you can reuse those diapers, clothes and depending on the gap the bed and car seat too.

Society has convinced us we need all these fancy gadgets and tools but really as a parent you are the most important thing they need. The only think on this list you will need that Mary didn't is a car seat for obvious reasons and if you choose a crib which most people now days will and yes those are big tickets items but you can find those for less than $400 combined. Those other things can sure be helpful but they can also distract you from the main point of being a parent and add clutter and stress to your home. I won't say I don't have many of those other things or that there arent many of them that I use every day but my babies would live without them and be just fine and honestly in many ways my life would probably be easier.

I hope this post was able to take some of the pressure off and reassure you that you are enough and have enough to parent your baby and finances shouldn't stop you from choosing to start your family, you will be taken care of!