The Best Way to Spend Money on a Baby

There’s no getting around it: babies are expensive. However, this commonly understood principle of becoming a parent is a bit vague. What kind of figures are we talking about here? What’s “expensive” in the context of bringing up baby?

This ambiguity gives rise to a common habit exhibited by many first-time parents, wherein more is spent on a newborn in his first year of life than is necessary. This is because new parents often go into it with the expectation of the process being inevitably expensive and consider it a lost cause to try and spend cautiously.

It’s literally a costly mistake, as thousands may be spent on relatively needless products and services, money which could be better spent as this baby continues to grow. With this in mind, first-time parents ought to go about spending money on their newborn baby the best way possible, which is outlined below:

Mileage

First-time parents need to put an emphasis on mileage when spending money on a baby. Using $200 for cute designer baby outfits which become too small in a few months is essentially a waste. Sure the clothes can be sold to be reused, but for pennies on the dollar. The money could and should be better spent. For example, a comfortable cradle mattress can be purchased instead and will get far more mileage for its price. If something will cease to be useful in less than six months, skip the purchase and put the money elsewhere.

Safety

Another misnomer many parents abide by when shopping for a newborn is that the higher the cost, the safer a product will be for a baby. This leads to the purchase of many “Cadillac” versions of everything from strollers to car seats. Added up and the money spent on choosing the upscale option in every category can easily surpass $1000. The thing is, this isn’t necessary and no, the alternative is not to put a baby at greater risk of harm. Truth be told, most products for infants are government regulated and held to a very high standard. It’s why car seats have expiration dates. The result is low-price options being just as safe and secure as those with a heftier price tag.

Experience

The world is in no short supply of experienced parents. Take advantage of this expertise by bringing mom or the mom-in-law along for shopping in preparation for a newborn. She will know what is worth spending good money on, and what can be bought on the cheap. Don’t be surprised if experienced parents put an emphasis on saving money for the incoming diaper supply required. There isn’t a first-time parent alive who didn’t underestimate the amount of money they would end up spending on diapers. Considering this is an essential product providing a major utility, take the advice to heart and divert potentially frivolous baby spending into a diaper fund. It will come in handy down the line.

The typical baby born into a middle-income household will cost about $12,000 the first year and a little more the next. However, this figure can be dropped by a few thousand if first-time parents abide by the best ways to spend money on an infant. Aim for high mileage products, resist the urge to opt for the most expensive option every time, and take it from an experienced mom: don’t forget the diapers!