The Four Truths That No One Tells You About Buying Stuff for Baby
BABIES DON’T CARE IF THEY’RE WEARING DESIGNER CLOTHES OR SLEEPING ON DESIGNER SHEETS. Let’s be realistic. Babies just want to be comfortable. They can’t even distinguish between the liberals and conservatives on “Meet the Press,” so how would they ever be able to tell the difference between Baby Gucci crib bedding and another less famous brand that’s just as comfortable, but 70% less expensive? Our focus is on making your baby happy—at a price that won’t break the bank.
YOUR BABY’S SAFETY IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR CONVENIENCE. Here are the scary facts: 65,000 babies per year are injured (and 87 deaths are caused) by juvenile products, according to government estimates. Each chapter of this book has a section called “Safe & Sound,” which arms you with in-depth advice on keeping your baby out of trouble. We’ll tell you which products we think are dangerous and how to safely use other potentially hazardous products.
MURPHY’S LAW OF BABY TOYS SAYS YOUR BABY’S HAPPINESS WITH A TOY IS INVERSELY RELATED TO THE TOY’S PRICE. Buy a $200 shiny new wagon with anti-lock brakes, and odds are baby just wants to play with the box it came in. In recognition of this reality, we’ve included “wastes of money” in each chapter that will steer you away from frivolous items.
IT’S GOING TO COST MORE THAN YOU THINK. Whatever amount of money you budget for your baby, get ready to spend more. Here’s a breakdown of the average costs of bringing a baby into the world today:
The Average Cost of Having a Baby (based on industry estimates for a child from birth to age one)
Crib, mattress, dresser, rocker $1500
Bedding / Decor $300
Baby Clothes $500
Disposable Diapers $600
Maternity/Nursing Clothes $1200
Nursery items, high chair, toys $400
Baby Food / Formula $900
Stroller, Car Seat, Carrier $300
Miscellaneous $500
TOTAL $6200
The above figures are based on buying name brand products at regular retail prices. We surveyed over 1000 parents to arrive at these estimates.
Bedding/Decor includes not only bedding items but also items like lamps, wallpaper, and so on for your baby’s nursery. Baby Food/Formula assumes you’d breastfeed for the first six months and then feed baby jarred baby food ($400) and formula ($500) until age one. If you plan to bottle-feed instead of breastfeed, add another $500 on to that figure.
Sure, you do get an automatic tax write-off for that bundle of joy, but that only amounts to about $2800 for 2001 (plus you also get an additional $500 tax credit, depending on your income). But those tax goodies won't nearly offset the actual cost of raising a child. And as you probably realize, that chart is missing some expensive “extras” . . . like medical bills, childcare, saving for college and more.
Reprinted with permission from the book BABY BARGAINS (Windsor Peak Press, 4th edition, $15.95). Available in bookstores nationwide or call 800-888-0385.
