First-time parents are the most susceptible to overspending on baby items.
Why of course! Since it’s our firstborn, it’s easy to imagine ourselves happily decorating that perfect nursery!
It’s new, it’s happening, and it’s exciting to be a new parent.
That’s why many baby brands will segment first-time parents as their primary marketing strategy.
And segment they should. That’s because for businesses, it’s logical to go where the demand is, and first-time parents are ready to spend.
However, just like any good-ole tug-of-war, it’s important that we pull back from accumulating too much while cluttering our home.
Instead of buying just about anything labelled “baby must-haves,” we should figure out a list of baby essentials based on our needs.
Should you choose to proceed, the first step will be to tame your innermost urges.
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Tame Your Emotional Urges for Cute Baby Items
Look, don’t get me wrong. We DO need to buy stuff, and I’m glad that we have a wide selection of baby items to choose from on the market.
My point is not to avoid spending, but to avoid overspending.
As first-time parents, it’s natural that we want to entertain the thought of buying the best and cutest for our baby.
Not to mention that there’s this uncontrollable hormonal factor when we get pregnant that tends to drive any logic out the door!
While my logical side of the brain whispers, “Psst, you don’t need this,” my emotional side shouts:
“What?! Of course you do! You’re a new mom! You need to get the BEST for your baby! Look at this stroller with front-wheels suspension. Don’t you want your baby to feel comfortable in it? Check out these cute outfits. It’ll look fabulous on your baby. Come on, do it. Buy it! You know you want to.”
And I did want to!
But I didn’t do it, and here’s why.
5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Overspend on Baby Items
1. Babies grow real fast
No really! It’s something that any experienced parent can attest to and that’s how quickly a baby grows.
My daughter, for example, outgrew her newborn clothes within the first month. One time, we measured her in two weeks and she grew 1 cm. Wow!
Luckily, I only bought 3 newborn bodies (size 0-3 months) and that was enough because she wore them for only a month. Thus I strongly advise new parents to resist the temptation to overbuy newborn wear. The best solution is to buy sizes that are just a tad bit bigger.
In addition, things with a short useful life span should be avoided. This includes a bassinet or baby sleeper, newborn baby bathtub, newborn wraps, and electronic baby swing.
Instead, try to buy a full size crib, infant/toddler bathtub, regular baby carrier, baby washable rug (it’s better that they lay flat anyways) or anything that would outlast just the first three months.
You can also consider buying secondhand or using hand-me-downs to reduce spending further.
2. As your baby becomes a kid, he/she will surely have demands
When this happens, that’s when you may want to buy your kids something they actually want.
How many of us actually remember what our parents got us when we were babies anyway? Understandably, many times when parents shop for baby items, they are inadvertently shopping for themselves.
For example, when I bought a brand new Ergobaby, I was thinking of a color that would match my everyday outfits. This was certainly a purchase that’s more for me than for my baby. I bought it to transport her but I also want to look stylish at the same time.
It’s alright to splurge a bit to cater to our needs. What’s important is to keep in mind that this kid is going to have many wants and needs in the future, so it’s also important to save for later.
Food for thought: Instead of buying toys that you think your kids might like, how about let them roam around a toy store and let them pick out what they want?
3. Sales does not mean it’s a bargain
I’ve long realized that signs with a sales tag on it are sometimes just marketing gimmicks and when you do the actual price calculation, the item is not really worth the price.
As such, I often avoided buying on-sale items just for the sake of the sale.
However, sometimes there are truly bargains that are worth considering.
For example, I often find steep discounts with clothes that are out of season. This is especially true for baby clothes. You can find very good bargain buying summer clothes in the fall and winter clothes in the spring.
Since your baby will need new clothes for the next season, it’s okay to stock up just a bit if the bargain is truly worthwhile.
4. Your baby might not even like it
Sure, a luxury stroller with reversible options, a cup holder and front-wheel suspensions may sound like a dream to parents, but what if your baby doesn’t even like to sit in it?
Conversely, you may not want to buy an expensive baby carrier if your baby prefers to be in a stroller instead.
These were some of the feedbacks I got from other parents who experienced buyer’s remorse when it comes to their firstborn. Luckily, they wised up for subsequent child/children.
Additionally, thanks to the wealth of information available online, I learned to buy overtly expensive items in secondhand, test them out first, and then decide if I want to upgrade to new ones.
As it turns out, the secondhand market in Switzerland is really not bad at all because people generally took good care of their items.
Case in point: Check out our fancy secondhand Bugaboo stroller in tip-top shape bought for $200! (We also bought another brand new travel stroller for similar price because the Bugaboo is too bulky for travel.)
5. Saving money for rainy days is always a good idea
Besides the obvious reason for not overspending is SAVING, I find that it’s more effective to save for a purpose.
For example, saving to build up an emergency fund could be much more useful than accumulating things we can’t liquidate easily. Not to mention, spending less means less cluttering and cleaning in the house!
Instead of buying frivolously on all things cute, I really tried to assess the cost-benefit of each item I buy. (It wasn’t always easy, but I tried.)
You never know when a big healthcare bill might hit or when you need to shell out extra for switching daycare (due to a relocation), for example.
It’s always a good idea to save money to cover the necessity than to overspend on baby items that will only be used for a short period of time.
After all, what a baby really needs is simply our care, our time and our unconditional love.
How Tracking Expenses Can Curb Overspending Habits
Before I gave birth, I was already on the path towards financial independence. This is no small feat as it requires laser-sharped focus to diligently earn, save and invest.
Since many parents seemed to believe that raising a baby is expensive, I was curious to find out how much exactly.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it cost an average American household $233,610 to raise a child from birth to 17 years old, excluding higher education and prenatal cost.
That equates to an average of about $13,741 per year.
To find out how our spendings fare comparing to the national average, I decided to track every expense I made on the baby while tallying the inventories I accumulated along the way.
An eye-opening experience
I was glad that I went through this exercise, because my biggest takeaway is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot to raise a baby if you can keep your spending under control.
By tracking expenses, I know exactly what I’m buying and what I’m bringing into our household.
Since we planned to make a cross-continental move one day, we didn’t want to accumulate too much stuff that we can’t bring along with us. Because of this reason, we naturally spent less.
So far, we have spent a total of $4,017 on our baby from her birth to 12th month. Keep in mind that we live in Switzerland which is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Furthermore, this total doesn’t include childcare, which would certainly throw the total much higher.
Here is a breakdown of the spendings we made by period:
- First six months: $2,267
- 7th month: $308
- 8th month: $277
- 9th month: $187
- 10th month: $242
- 11th month: $482
- 12th month: $254
- Total Spending: $4,017
If you want to avoid overspending on baby items, try tracking your expenses. You will be surprised by how quickly those amounts add up each month.
But if you prefer to entertain your emotional urges by buying the best and most expensive items for your baby, well that’s okay too.
Just make sure you have enough to cover for rainy days.
Are you a sensible or an impulsive spender when it comes to buying baby items? Is overspending to your heart’s content the joy of being a proud parent or a trap? What can we do to provide the best care for our baby without overspending?
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So true! None of my kids liked being in swings, walkers, or bouncing chairs. It is not worth spending money on those material things, save it for all the doctors appointments lol Thank you for sharing!
YES! I agree 100%! I see so many kids wearing brand name clothing. It’s great if they got it passed down to them, but I can’t imagine spending that much money on kids who grow very quickly!
100% agree. Every new parent needs to read this.
To quote my mother: “Kids are only as expensive as you make them, no baby needs 3 strollers or 37 outfits.”
The main thing they need is love and loads of attention. The sacrifice of time speaks more to children, than the sacrifice of money.
They are not born materialists.
I can’t agree more! Your mother is so right! We tend to forget that since these days there’s just so much selection on the market for baby items. It doesn’t help that social media is puts some indirect pressure on us to “keep up.” I love your quote that children are “not born materialists.” It’s so true!!
I completely agree with this post! It is SO easy to overspend on baby items, but it is also extremely unnecessary. I’ve also found that a lot of people will spend frivolously on their children and then say “the next one can use it too.” Sure, that logic makes sense, and I thought it too. Until the second one came along and was WAY bigger than my first. She may even need a completely different wardrobe than her sister. So, it’s better to just be smart with your money and only buy the necessary items as you need them. Thanks for sharing!!
That’s a really good point about the second child who might not need the same as the first. There are times when I bought stuff thinking maybe it can be used for the second. But luckily this alone doesn’t drive my decision making. Thanks so much for your inputs!
This is the truest post ever! Immediately forwarding it to my best friend who just had her first-born and definitely could benefit from this read 😉
Haha, that’s awesome! Thank you!
My goodness this is soo true! My 1st child we overspent to the max, and probably some even after that! By our 4th child we learned a lot about frugal living & budgets! As a 1st time parent, I totally spent so much more than I needed too. My daughter didn’t even use half of it and only wore some of her outfits once! It was pointless. But some parents just need to do it before they learn.
That’s so true. It’s not easy to avoid splurging though. The thought of having our first child is just too much for our brain (and heart) to handle haha. But it’s always nice to get feedbacks from experienced parents. Hearing about other people’s buyer’s remorse stories helped me control my urges.
This is a great and very important post for new parents!
This is great advice why you shouldn’t overspend on baby items, when it is so easy to do! Thanks so much for sharing.
Great ideas to avoid overspending on things for a new baby! You will have enough clutter as it is, no need to overbuy and add more to it!
I love this! I’m currently pregnant with my second and we really aren’t spending money on baby other than the new car seat! We’re minimalists so I really limited things to basic needs and bought most of what we need second hand.
That’s great to hear! Babies really don’t need all that much, so it’s best to save up for other experiences later.
Yes! My son is almost 10 months and there were clothes he grew out of before I even got around to them! Half of the baby item out there aren’t necessary!
Babies grow so fast! If only we have clothes that stretch overtime to fit their growth rate, wouldn’t that be nice!?
So many good points! I bought a lot of “cute” things that we never used/wore. Sad to say a lot of wasted money ☹️
Oh no… well, I hope it was at least fun to shop 🙂
This is great advice. I over spent a bit when my daughter was a baby. I bought one of those nice swings and she didn’t even like it. Most of the stuff, I made sure it would last at least through her first year. I didn’t get many things specifically made for newborns as babies grow so fast. Learning from experience, I know to buy even less next time. Saving for when they need it later is definitely more important. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! It seems like many babies can do without those swings, yet they look so enticing for parents.
This is fantastic advice. I know with my first I was unable to get through and take the tags off many clothing items. It was too bad to, they were all so cute. With my second and third I really toned it down!
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I heard from many parents who also toned down after their firstborns.
Yes! Babies outgrow things so fast and sometimes they don’t like it! My son loved the swing but hated the bouncer. It ended up being something we had that took up space and we didn’t even need it!
We also have a baby swing that my baby didn’t use very much. Luckily it was a hand-me-down from a friend, but I don’t think his baby used it very much either haha.
I didn’t use half the stuff we received! I try to tell my friends registering that they don’t need or won’t use half the stuff they register for but I think it’s a part of the experience! We have a 7 month and a 15 month and I wish we only registered for formula, wipes and diapers!
That’s a good point! I think diapers, wipes and formula are good registries.
It is so true that babies out grow things so fast! It costs a lot of money, so it’s best not to spend so much on things they will barely use.
I agree!
Yes yes yes! I’ve seen so many women go baby stuff crazy and waste so much money. I was ridiculously reserved when I was pregnant and bought a lot of things after my baby was born when I knew I needed it.
That’s great to hear! Some stuff are worth the money, while many others are not.
I totally agree with you. I over-spent on my first baby. But by the time my third one was born I figured out the babies really don’t need much more than us showing them love and affection and I didn’t need everything people recommend.
That’s a very good point about recommendations. I also learned that what are essentials to others, may not be right for us.