Top 7 Baby Expenses and How To Save

Having children nowadays is very expensive. The cost of baby’s basic need alone can be very expensive, not to mention the extras. Below are the top baby costs and what you can do to reduce the cost:

Formula Milk
You are very lucky if you have plenty of milk to begin with. You can safe a lot of money. I am sad to say that I am not the lucky one in this area.
Ways to save: Breastfeed as long as you can. If you're not breastfeeding, stick with powdered formula, which costs less than ready-to-use or liquid concentrate. Buy in bulk at wholesale. Sign up to receive coupons on formula manufacturers' websites to use. When you find that a certain store offered discount, buy as many as you can.

Diapers
There are many diapers in the market, from the cheap range until the more expensive one.
Ways to save: Aside from using cloth diapers and washing them yourself, the best way to save on diapers is to buy in bulk and stock up when diapers are on sale.

Childcare
If both parent working, they need to send the child to daycare.
Ways to save: For full-time care, consider asking a relative or friend. For occasional babysitting, trade time with a trusted neighbor or friends or hire a responsible student. If possible, try to stagger work schedules with your spouse so you can each cover some of your child's care.

Gear
Ways to save: Start with the basics — a good car seat, stroller, and bouncy seat, for example — and wait to buy other things. You may be able to try out a friend's activity center or swing to see if your baby likes it before buying. While it's a good idea to buy your car seat new, ask for other items as hand-me-downs and shop garage sales, community sites like Craigslist, eBay, and secondhand stores for other items.

Clothes
Children grow very fast, thus no need to buy too many clothes.
Way to save: Ask for hand-me-downs from friends and relatives or if you can sew, make them yourself.

Food
Baby food can be expensive, especially if you bought organic baby food.
Ways to save: If possible, make your own baby food. Not only cheaper, it is also healthier. Home made baby food is free of preservative or any chemical addition.

Toys, books, and DVDs
Some toys are priceless, but you can't know which ones your baby will love.
Ways to save: Let your child play with safe household items. Buy secondhand, borrow books from the library, ask friends for hand-me-downs, and consider setting up a toy exchange with friends or neighbors who have babies around the same age. Finally, keep in mind that less is more — though it's easy to get excited about the latest developmental toy, many older babies prefer to play with plastic food containers, plastic water bottles, TV remotes, and other "grown-up" stuff.