What SHOULD go into the decision (m)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
What SHOULD go into the decision (m)
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Tue, 01-01-2008 - 6:33pm

OK, I don't think anyone really denies that it is ultimately every mom's decision.

Cathie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 6:44pm

Well, BFing would only make it easier to spend money without having to look at what you spend. ;-)

DH and I have never had a lot of money with kids so we do have to budget and check what we buy. BFing, even if I didn't want to do it, would have been pretty much necessary...but at least I know that using cloth diapers (which were given as a present when DD1 was born), BFing, not buying a crib and many other baby paraphernalia, made it relatively "cheap" to have a child in the first year for us. When DD2 was 4 mos old DH was laid off and we were scraping by on 1200$ a month, when over half of that went towards mortgage payments and another quarter went towards car payments. Somehow we managed. It would have been impossible with formula to add to that financial burden. If I had worked, I would have still pumped since we still struggled a LOT b/c of that financial situation, and my salary would not have made a huge difference one way or another. It probably wouldn't have even covered the cost of formula, extra doctor's visits and disposable diapers if DH didn't want to use cloth.

I did spend 200$ on a breast pump and another 45 on another. I did spend probably close to 100$ on slings and another 300 (as a X-mas present, however...) on a baby backpack. And there was a 300$ carseat. But that was about it for baby items other than clothing (and that is not something that is ONLY a baby item)! If you can keep your baby's first year under 1000$ then I feel you're doing pretty well!





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Registered: 04-04-2005
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 6:45pm

I just pointed out that 6-12 months of poor diet (wether it be FF at birth or Burger King everyday for a year at lunch )

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 6:45pm
I think the risk of an unhealthy lifestyle is MUCH higher if the 6-12 months are immediately at birth than if it is at age 30. Think about how much the brain grows, how much the *body* grows in the first year...




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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 6:47pm

Daycare here is ridiculous too. If I worked full time I would probably barely cover daycare. It's about 900 a month for a child who is in diapers, and goes down to 6-700 for a child who is potty learned around 3yo. It makes more financial sense, though it is not as easy for the family short-term, for me to do evenings and weekends.

I was hoping to get out of that rut and work some daytimes since both girls are now full-time in school, but I guess I won't be doing that still for the next 5 years. *sigh*.





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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-04-2004
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 6:48pm

<<>>

Um, I could see reusing toys and clothes from older kids, but why wouldn't you have to buy diapers or wipes? Do you only use homemade versions of those? Did you have cloth diapers left from your older child? I'm confused. For whom is formula the "only expense" when raising children?




Edited 1/7/2008 6:51 pm ET by thistlemchays
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 7:04pm

YK, with this baby I won't have to buy diapers (except for a few pkg of disposables for outtings I guess) since that is the one thing I *did* keep even when we moved! I gave away most of the clothing thinking why keep it when we moved cross-country, "in case" we had a #3. But diapers are so flipping expensive, I wanted to keep those! :-)

That, and my breast pump. Hopefully after 2 years in storage it's ok. But we'll see.





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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-04-2004
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 7:12pm
I can see not having to buy diapers for subsequent kids, since they are very expensive. But unless you're making your own wipes, wouldn't you need to buy new ones for each child? Maybe I'm missing something there. In any case, this whole conversation has gone so far off on a tangent...I just don't get why people in a "financial rut" would choose to feed their kids the more expensive way if they didn't have to. But maybe it's just me... ;O)
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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2007
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 7:16pm

Finances can be a hassle!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2007
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 7:21pm

"""Daycare here is ridiculous too. If I worked full time I would probably barely cover daycare. It's about 900 a month for a child who is in diapers, and goes down to 6-700 for a child who is potty learned around 3yo. It makes more financial sense, though it is not as easy for the family short-term, for me to do evenings and weekends."""


Yeah, it is about 900-1500 here, depending on where you go, really stinks, though i do enjoy being at home since i was working so much when my first was born!


""I was hoping to get out of that rut and work some daytimes since both girls are now full-time in school, but I guess I won't be doing that still for the next 5 years. *sigh*."""


But the bundle of joy is worth it!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2007
Mon, 01-07-2008 - 7:33pm

"""Um, I could see reusing toys and clothes from older kids, but why wouldn't you have to buy diapers or wipes? """"


jta - Gifts and Gift cards. i did not *need* anything with this baby, luckily, and i know 5 other women with 2-4 yr old boys who keep giving me clothes!!

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