I over estimated. Oh well. That's still a good bit of money for something so tiny!

With cloth diapers and breastfeeding, I bet that number goes down a bit.

Got it right

I had a guy at work with a newborn guess, he is pleasantly surprised.

oh that makes me feel so much better about having a baby soon.

I recently said something to my mother about babies being expensive. She stopped me right there and said that wasn't the case at all, that having a baby is equivalent to having a dog, in terms of the cost. She did add that it started to get more expensive when we three girls were teenagers.

That's actually a lot less than I was expecting, phew! My husband and I are planning to have our first in about 3 years or so -- by then, I'm sure it'll be a bit more, but we're pretty thrifty!

Wow, I got it right. I'm actually surprised, since I expected the cost to be much higher.

This just makes me very grateful that I don't have a little one to shell out $11,000 for! I'd rather spend that money on other things!

What? I'm totally shocked.

The little buggers are worth every cent.

They really are Steph!
I got it right though It seemed like we were pending much more!

Wasn't it $10,000 a few years ago?

The direct cost of $11,000 is one thing. Let's not forget time that needs to be adjusted away from other activities (i.e. work). Not saying kids aren't worth it. I have a 4-year-old at home. I gladly ditched work do something fun with the guy. $10,176 was dropped on his day-care for 2008 alone. I can't wait until the Fall when he starts kindergarten, time for a new ride! And he can put his own seatbelt on, let's go 2-door!

Glad we decided to be child-free.

wonder what "middle income" means? hard to believe that we spent $33k in 3 years on just our new babies does that factor in health care and a percentage of the housing cost?

I never had enough time to keep a budget for baby stuff in his first year )) Now I can start to think about it again Probably that is why I totally over estimated that cost this time...

This is why I'm not having kids. They are EXPENSIVE!! Sometimes I complain about my dog's vet bills or food costs, but then I remember that they are WAY less than having a kid.

Apparently no one reads the earlier comments.... basically according to my mother babies = dogs at least in terms of how expensive they are.

it doesn't mean they didn't read it, it means they aren't accepting it as gospel. and frankly i think most people are uncomfortable comparing their children to animals.

The only comparison is cost wise, nothing else. I made that very clear both times. And the person who made the comparison has 3 children (and a dog and a cat). I'm pretty sure (or at least I hope ) that she wouldn't compare her children with her pets in any way that truly matters.

I'll add that your question earlier about health care may make a difference in my mother's comparison. We live in Canada so if the calculation does include the cost of health care, then a baby would be more expensive than a dog in the US.

Bottom Line: Kids can be as expensive or as cheap as you want.

#1 $$$$$ saver: BREAST-FEED!

Beyond that, get used clothes from friends, join yahoo trade groups, check used clothing stores, get anything else from Craig's List and eBay, cloth diaper, and make your own baby food.

Also, working does not necessarily save a mother more money than staying home with the baby. Finally, consider home birth if you are comfortable with that option and the pregnancy is progressing well.

We are almost nearing my son's first year! Just FIVE more days!
I'd estimate that since my pregnancy, in the last 20 months, we have probably spent an additional $500 on him. Absolute max! For real.

Just for the record, that $500 in the last 20 months includes:
Any clothing we purchased for him
Any diapers, cloth or disposable we bought
Any additional food we would not have otherwise have bought, once he started eating solids
Any books on children and pregnancy
Any toys and room decorations
Any babysitting costs

Oh, and we did purchase a lovely bedroom set for him to use someday off of Craig's List for an additional $250. It's a collected set and we can probably re-sell it for more than we bought it for, but include that too if you want.

There is absolutely no reason to spend thousands - unless you want to.

And by the way, my kid is dressed well and often in wool or organics. All natural fibers. All from thrift stores, but no one would ever know.

Really, this is such a silly article. Poor parents, Fischer Price and Enfamil have them convinced their babies need a lot of stuff. They don't! Kids just need their parents, breast milk, and healthy food!

Hmmm, does this figure include starting a college fund for the baby?

Good question. No, it does not. Just basic first-year costs.

Over the course of the next 18 years, we expect to be able to keep costs low, except for a few items. College is indeed the biggie. Due to the bailout and coming inflation of the dollar, we buy gold as our hedge against inflation and as our primary investment. So we only are doing a traditional savings fund as a way for little gifts from grandma and friends to be saved until enough is there to convert to gold, commodities, or less inflationary currencies. But of course, we are going to encourage scholarship applications and provide the best learning opportunities. We plan to do extensive home-schooling with additional tutoring from the best teachers, but if we don't, we will undoubtedly do private school or charters, which will be an expense as well.

GlowingMoon makes a good point. If you are going to spend a lot on your kid, it's far better to make it an INVESTMENT (like college or an amazing educational trip or music or language lessons) that can serve them the rest of their life than to buy a brand-new stroller or a new outfit they'll wear 5 times. Especially, if you have to take a loan on a credit card to do so!

All I can think about is how many hours I have to work to make that $11K, and how $11K would take care of the bulk of my student loans, or would pay off my car three times over, or all of my credit card debt, or a down payment on a condo. Yikes. I've never wanted kids anyway, but this really cements it.

I agree with those who have said that it's about how much you want to (or are able) to spend. I'm 20 and a student, and have a 5 month old. We HAD to look for the most economical things for our son. I think we spent like $60 on Craigs list furniture and refinished it ourselves. For clothes, we buy clearance normally. Okay, my mom did buy me a Bugaboo stroller for my baby shower but the point is that if you CAN'T spend so much you will just have to look extra hard and buy second-hand. Oh, also for food and health we are on Medicaid but I feel okay about it given that my parents have no doubt contributed more to the system than I could have spent. Also I'm working on becoming an MD so I'm sure I'll pay it back myself in time. Just saying, don't freak out if you have an accident... Might have to cut back on the shopping trips some but you'll be okay. It's not the ideal but I feel like it's more about the things you give your child emotionally and educationally.

I believe it.I have four kids and they are very expensive.

I thought it was more! I saved more becuase I breast fed for at least three months and took donations. My kids had clothes given to them that still had tags on them for goodness sakes. They received more clothes than I have bought in the last 6 years.

Thank god I don't have a kid because that's a huge chunk of change.

I so over estimated it makes me feel a little better to know that they aren't that expensive. But $11K could payoff one of my many student loans so I'll pass on the baby for now.

Wow. Thats definitley a chunk of change, but Im sure worth every penny.