How Much Does a Baby Cost in the First Year?

Emily Flores

11/6/2024

You’ve probably heard it over and over again: “Babies are so expensive!”

And it’s true. Babies, especially first babies, come with many new expenses—many of them in their first year. In fact, there’s a wide range of the cost of raising a child during their first year (with no set “right” amount). It all depends on your financial situation and preferences.

The good news is, for most expenses, there is abundant flexibility concerning what you choose to pay for, what you don’t have to pay for, and how you pay for it.

A note on tax credits

Before you start worrying about the impact an additional person will have on your income, don’t forget to factor in the child tax credit you’ll be receiving once you’re a parent. The child tax credit provides a $2000 credit per child under the age of 17. For more information and to see who qualifies, check here. 

Plan for the necessities

So will you have to spend money on your baby? Yes. Can you financially survive your first year of motherhood? Yes!

If you aren’t sure how to plan for how much you can expect to spend for your baby in the first year, I’ve narrowed down the necessary categories:

• Nutrition
• Hygiene
• Clothing
• Life’s Essentials
• Doctor Visits
• Child Care

For each category, there are countless baby products on the market—most you won’t purchase, and some you will. To keep things simple, I’ll only list the fundamental items you should expect to invest in. I’ll also include what you can probably expect to pay for them and some money-saving tips along the way.

Create your personal spending plan

If you want to start creating a concrete plan, get out a pen and paper or open a blank document on your computer. Take notes as you read through each category on what your personal expenses and preferences may be—and remember that you can always change them later. We’ve also created itemized charts at the beginning of each category to help you take note of specific items.

Nutrition: $0-$2200* the first year

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to feed your baby for next to no cost throughout the first year.

*The upper range cost of $2200 was estimated (approx.) by adding the first-year cost of formula and pre-made baby food (the most costly feeding options).

Money-saving Tips

• Breastmilk can be used to help treat cracked or sore nipples, so you may not have to purchase nipple cream!1
• Use your insurance to receive a free pump
• Sign up for WIC to receive free formula

0-6 Months

Breastfeeding costs

For the first six months of your baby’s life, breastmilk or infant formula is all your baby needs.5 If you’re able to exclusively breastfeed, your breastmilk is free (yay!). If you use a breast pump, your health insurance may be required to provide you with not only a pump, but breastfeeding support and counseling as well, at no cost to you.2

Almost all other advertised “breastfeeding accessories” will be for your comfort or convenience. Nursing pillows, nursing covers, nipple creams, heating pads, etc. can often be replicated using items you have around your house.

Infant formula costs

If you feed your baby infant formula, see if you qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)3. WIC is a government-funded program that supports pregnant and breastfeeding women and children up to the age of five.

You may receive vouchers for baby formula to feed your baby at no extra cost. If you don’t qualify for WIC, you should expect to pay around $810 for baby formula during the first six months.4

6-12 Months

For the second half of the first year of your baby’s life, you can expect similar costs in terms of breastmilk and/or infant formula. However, around 6 months, it’s often recommended that children be introduced to foods other than breastmilk or formula.5 This can mean different things in terms of cost.

Feed from your plate

Some moms choose to introduce food via “baby-led weaning.” Essentially, you feed your baby straight from your plate, so long as the food is cut in a way that is safe for them to eat. This method presents very little additional cost to you.

Purchase premade baby food (or make it yourself)

You can also go the more traditional route and purchase pureed baby food. Consider making your own pureed food to save a little money. Individually packaged baby food can add up (about $0.75-$1 per container, $3/day, $547.50/six months).

If you qualify for WIC, you will likely receive more than enough food for your baby. I received WIC benefits with my daughter and often donated more than half my packaged baby food to a nearby church because I received so much.

Combine different feeding methods

You may find yourself doing a combination of these methods to feed your baby: letting them sample from your plate and feeding jars of premade baby food. This can help save money as well.

Hygiene: $100-$900 the first year

All about what you’ll spend to keep your messy baby clean!

Money-saving Tips

• Although more work, reusable diapers & wipes are much less expensive and can be used past your baby’s first year.
• A daily soapy bath for your baby isn’t always necessary. Consider using baby shampoo once or twice a week.
• Consider showering with your baby. This will eliminate extra costs.

Diapers & Wipes

Disposable diaper costs

Are you looking for convenience or to save money? It’s much more convenient to use disposable diapers, but that convenience comes at a cost. If you choose to use store-brand diapers, like Target’s Up & Up brand, you’ll be paying around $0.12 per diaper.

If you go with a more expensive brand, like Huggies, you could be paying up to $0.29 per diaper. Assuming you use, on average, 5 diapers a day for the first year (more for newborns, less for 1-year-olds), you will likely pay between $219-$530 on diapers the first year.

Reusable diaper costs

If you choose the more eco-friendly route and use reusable diapers, a set of 6 cloth diapers with 12 inserts can be bought from Amazon for roughly $35. Based on online reviews, parents needed to purchase at least two different sizes of diapers for their baby in the first year.

If you don’t want to do laundry every day, you can choose to double up on supplies. This means you’ll be paying substantially less than if you go the disposable route (around $100 total the first year), and you’ll likely be able to continue using the diapers past your child’s first birthday—saving even more money in the long run.

Wipe Costs

Wipes, similar to diapers, come in a variety of forms: reusable, disposable, cheap, and expensive. Depending on your preference, you may find yourself spending anywhere from $10-$292 on wipes during your baby’s first year. A 15-pack of reusable wipes can be found on Amazon for just $10.

Alternatively, if you use 4 wipes per diaper change at an average of 5 changes per day, you’ll need 7300 wipes during your baby’s first year. The price per wipe while shopping at Target ranges from $0.02-$0.04 per wipe. Depending on your preference, this means that you could pay up to about $292 on wipes for your baby’s first year.

Plan a Diaper & Wipes Shower

There’s an incredibly fun way to save an immense amount of money on diapers and wipes: throwing a “diaper and wipes” baby shower! Celebrate the coming arrival of your baby and ask guests to bring diapers and wipes as gifts. You can request a range of diaper sizes, from newborn to size 4 or 5, which will cover your baby’s first year of diapers.

Some moms stock up on so many diapers and wipes that they don’t have to go to the store to purchase more for months after their baby is born.

Bathing Accessories

Baby shampoo costs

In general, babies don’t get very dirty beyond the occasional blowout or spit up. That means a soapy bath every day isn’t necessary. In fact, my daughter’s pediatrician recommended we do “Soapy Sundays” and give her water baths the rest of the week.

We “bathed” her every evening to set up a routine and help her wind down before bedtime. If you follow a similar routine, you may only go through 2-3 containers of baby shampoo your first year—they don’t have too much hair!

Other bathing accessories

If you aren’t looking to buy a separate baby tub ($40), you can line your sink with a folded, adult-sized towel to form a cushion for your baby, especially in the early weeks when you can’t completely submerge them in water. Or you can shower while holding your baby—just make sure to hold tight, they can get slippery!

You can choose to buy cute hooded baby towels and washcloths, but smaller towels around your house, or even adult towels can work to dry off your baby. Whatever you choose, bathing your baby doesn’t have to cost more than $15 a year (or really, the cost of baby shampoo and body wash).

Clothing: $125-$250 the first year

It’s important to make sure your baby is dressed appropriately for the climate or season. As long as your baby is comfortable (not too hot and not too cold), you’re set.

Money-saving Tips

• Baby outfits are a popular gift at baby showers. You may not need to buy any more clothes for your baby.
• If you do find yourself in need of additional clothing for your baby, consider shopping at a second-hand store.
• See if you can borrow specialty clothing from a friend or family member if you only plan on using it once.

One year, five sizes

Since baby clothes vary in price, focus on covering the basics. Your baby will likely wear 5-6 different sizes throughout their first year: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and maybe 18 months.

Let’s assume you want to do laundry once a week and use about 2 outfits per day. That means you’ll need about 14 outfits in each size.

If you aren’t getting your clothes at a second-hand store, you can pick up a 4-pack of onesies for about $10 and a few sets of pants for the same price. This will come out to around $250 during the first year. If you are willing to do laundry twice a week, you could probably cut this cost in half.

Second-hand & gifted baby clothes

If you are shopping second-hand for baby clothes, a lot of onesies and other outfits can be purchased for as little as a dollar or a couple bucks each!

Keep in mind that adorable baby clothes are a favorite gift for new parents at baby showers. After your shower, you may not need to pay for any or most of your baby’s clothes—especially newborn and 0-3 month sizes—unless you need a snowsuit or some weather-specific necessity based on your location.

If you need a weather-specific outfit, but only for one or a few uses, consider asking if someone is willing to lend you theirs.

Life’s essentials (travel, sleep, & first aid): $300-$400 the first year

The cost of your baby’s day-to-day needs is a difficult category, because parents disagree on what’s “essential” for their babies.

Because “essentials” change with time and trends, I’ll only address the absolute necessities: travel, sleep, and first aid for your baby.

If you want to know what other parents consider their absolute “must-haves” for babies, check out our article: Baby Registry Must-Haves: 11 Items Your Baby Actually Needs. It’s a great read to fill in any missing essentials in your registry.

Money-saving Tips

• Consider getting a 4-in-1 car seat that will transition with your child as they grow to save money long term.

Car seat costs

Unless you have a homebirth, visiting doctors coming to your home, and never bring your baby out of the house, you’ll need a car seat. Like most baby items, there are a lot of options on the market. Some seats easily attach and detach from a base in your car and transfer quickly to stroller frames. Other seats remain in your car 100% of the time.

If you want to purchase one car seat that transitions with your child as they grow past one year of age, consider investing in a 4-in-1 carseat. You can find some new 4-in-1 car seats for under $200, depending on the brand7.

A note on car seat safety

Keep in mind that car seats have expiration dates (usually 6 or 7 seven years after they’re manufactured), and it’s recommended to buy them new. If you do purchase a car seat second-hand, give it a good inspection and make sure it won’t expire while you’re still using it.

Sleep arrangement costs

Another necessity for your baby is a safe sleeping environment. Some parents co-sleep while following recommended safety guidelines8. Assuming you follow the guidelines, this option won’t cost you anything extra for your baby’s sleeping arrangement, unless you decide to purchase a co-sleeper.

Your child can also sleep in a bassinet, a crib, or even a Pack ‘n Play, which vary in cost. You can find Pack ‘n Plays for under or around $100, and many come with bassinet inserts. Or you can find great deals on second hand furniture at a baby consignment store or even local garage sales.

First aid & household safety costs

You’ll also need practical items around the house that satisfy situations that come up. Before your baby develops their first diaper rash, pick up some diaper cream or ointment (a few dollars at any general store). When your baby begins to crawl, consider baby-proofing supplies to make different household areas safe (check a general retailer or even the dollar store).

You’ll need a thermometer on hand if your baby develops a fever. And you may want baby Tylenol for those fevers, or after shots at a doctor’s appointment. Not having these supplies on hand when your baby isn’t well adds more stress to an already stressful situation.

Breastmilk as a home remedy*

Your baby may also develop ear infections, baby acne, rashes, eczema or blocked tear ducts, to name a few common ailments. And for many moms, breastmilk has worked as a home remedy for these issues1, helping parents save even more money.

*Be sure to check with your pediatrician before trying any home remedies.

In summary

Unless your baby develops a need or health issue that adds additional costs, expect to pay around $300 to $400 a year on life’s essentials for your baby—or more depending on your brand preference.

Medical Costs: $5257 average the first year

The medical costs of your baby’s first year can be broken up into two main categories: the birth and scheduled check-ups after birth.

6Estimated out-of-pocket costs for a vaginal or C-section birth come from a Health Affairs study published in 2020 using data from 2008-2015.

Money-saving Tips

Having insurance coverage will greatly lower your out-of-pocket costs for the actual birth.

Make sure your baby will be covered by insurance before your delivery.

Birthing Costs

Day one of your baby’s first year will probably be the most expensive medical cost you’ll pay for. A 2015 study found that the average cost of birthing a baby in the United States was $4,56910. More specifically, the average insured, uncomplicated vaginal birth cost $4,314, and the average insured C-section cost $5,161, according to a 2020 study analyzing data from 2008 to 2015.13

Depending on your insurance and whether your labor and delivery has complications (or you have a vaginal birth vs. a C-section), this number may vary drastically. The earlier you look into your insurance plan and research your birth plan, the more time you will have to save for anticipated costs.

Well Baby Doctor Visits

In your baby’s first year, expect to bring them to about 5-7 well baby doctor visits. At each visit, your baby will be weighed, measured, examined, and offered vaccines. These visits occur shortly after birth and again at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Depending on your insurance, these visits may be fully covered, meaning you won’t pay much or anything out of pocket. To ensure coverage, make sure your baby is added to your insurance plan within a certain time frame after birth.

If you have questions about insurance coverage for you and your newborn, check out our article that explains all the insurance basics you need to know.

Copays & Uninsured Costs

If you do have copays, out-of-pocket costs typically range from $10 to $30 dollars per visit for insured patients.9 If your child is uninsured, According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, their well visits for the first year will cost an average of $688, or just under $100 per visit. Therefore, if your baby doesn’t have additional medical concerns, you may end up paying anywhere from $0 to $688 for healthcare during your baby’s first year.

Child Care: $0-$29,380 the first year

Depending on your situation and state, child care costs can vary widely and get very expensive, making it difficult to pinpoint a national average.

Before immediately considering pricier options, ask if family or friends are willing to watch your child. You may be incredibly fortunate and get some if not all of your work hours covered by loved ones. Or you can explore working from home.

If you decide to go the professional childcare route, there are a variety of options available. You can hire nannies, utilize day care centers, or family care centers. The average prices for one infant child are listed below11, although the cost may be more or less depending on your state.

Source11

If you’re wondering how much childcare may cost your family in your location, use Care.com’s cost of child care calculator to get an estimate and explore options.

Assuming you take a 3-month maternity leave, you’ll need to plan for nine months of childcare in your baby’s first year. If you’re like most women and won’t receive fully paid maternity leave, check out our article for tips on how to financially survive unpaid maternity leave.

So how much will the first year cost?

Suppose you go the route of exclusively breastfeeding ($0), qualify and utilize WIC benefits ($0), use cloth diapers ($100) and cloth wipes ($10), shower with your baby ($15), plan on seven outfits a week ($125), buy an affordable 4-in-1 carseat ($200), co-sleep according to safety guidelines ($0), plan on a few diaper rashes and fevers ($100), have no co-pay for your baby’s birth and well baby visits ($0), and rely on family and friends for childcare ($0).

Congratulations! You’re looking at spending around $550 to provide for all necessities as your baby grows through their first year.

The cost of your baby is unique

For many reasons, seen and unforeseen, this may not be the case for you. The cost of a baby can go up (or down) substantially depending on your circumstances and preferences.

Create your plan & connect with us

When it comes to “baby budgeting,” it’s important to write out a concrete plan—otherwise it may be easy to overspend where you don’t have to. Reflect on each category, thinking honestly through your planned expenses. Then research your insurance coverage, and download our First Year Baby Budget Planner to help you anticipate future costs.

In our incredibly interconnected world, filled with moms who have learned what it’s like to financially survive their baby’s first year (and want to share their hard-earned wisdom), there are a multitude of ways to research tried-and-true tips and plan for additional costs. And if you can, talk to the in-person moms around you, especially if they’ve lived through a similar situation.

In the end, if your child is fed, clean, clothed, cared for, and safe, you are doing your job as a parent and doing it well.

And at She Might, we want to connect you with the resources and community to walk with you through your journey. Reach out to us via email if you want more support.

Sources

1. “9 Unexpected Uses for Breast Milk.” Medela. https://www.medela.us/breastfeeding/articles/unexpected-uses-for-breast-milk.
2. “Health Benefits & Coverage: Breastfeeding Benefits.” HealthCare.gov, n.d. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/breast-feeding-benefits/.
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).” Usda.gov, 2016. https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic.
4. Bonyata, BS, IBCLC, Kelly. “Financial Costs of Not Breastfeeding • KellyMom.com.” KellyMom.com, February 2, 2019. https://kellymom.com/pregnancy/bf-prep/bfcostbenefits/.
5. CDC. “When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 3, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/when-to-introduce-solid-foods.html.
6. Moniz, Michelle H., A. Mark Fendrick, Giselle E. Kolenic, Anca Tilea, Lindsay K. Admon, and Vanessa K. Dalton. “Out-Of-Pocket Spending for Maternity Care among Women with Employer-Based Insurance, 2008–15.” Health Affairs 39, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00296.
7. Product link: https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/evenflo-reg-everyfit-trade-4-in-1-convertible-car-seat/5453825?
8. Weissinger, Diane, Diana West, Linda J. Smith, and Teresa Pitman. “The Safe Sleep Seven.” La Leche League International, November 28, 2018. https://www.llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/. Excerpted from Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family, Chapter 2: The Safe Sleep Seven, Ballantine Books, 2014.
9. “How Much Does a Well Baby Doctor Visit Cost?” CostHelper. Accessed May 10, 2021. https://children.costhelper.com/well-baby-doctor-visit.html.
10. “Having a Baby May Cost Some Families $4,500 Out-of-Pocket, Study Finds.” Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. University of Michigan, n.d. https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/having-baby-may-cost-some-families-4500-out-pocket-study-finds.
11. Care.com Editorial Staff. “Child Care Costs More in 2020.” Care.com. June 15, 2020. https://www.care.com/c/stories/2423/how-much-does-child-care-cost/.