The infant formula
It might take a village to raise a child, but it also takes $250,000, according to Inland Revenue. Susan Edmunds looks at ways to reduce the bill.
You do not have to look hard to find stories about how expensive it is to have children. Bank of New Zealand and Plunket estimate it costs parents of babies an average $1750 just to get nappies, wipes and a change table for their kids in their first year, and almost $9000 a year for childcare.
The Inland Revenue Department estimates it costs even lower-income households at least a quarter of a million dollars to raise kids from infancy to adulthood.
Then there’s the potential cost of a parent giving up or reducing their work hours to care for them.
But some parents say having children need not be a time of great expense.
Here are some of their top tips to raise kids without breaking the bank.
Hand-me-downs
Dunedin teacher Claire Laverty had to make some big adjustments when her daughter, Evelyn, was born. The family went from two incomes to a part-time income of $30,000 plus 14 weeks of paid parental leave.
But Laverty said they made do by not worrying about buying new. ‘‘We saved a lot of money because a friend gave us a secondhand cot and stroller free.
‘‘The biggest waste of money is being concerned about labels and insisting on brand-new.
‘‘A lot of baby stuff they are in for a very short time.
‘‘Embrace the hand-me-downs and save pretty for when they are older and less spilly.’’
Mother-of-three Philippa Mannagh agreed that many parents spent money they did not really need to.
‘‘We gratefully accepted handme-down clothes and toys and tried to have less – selling what was excess. We never missed it.
‘‘Don’t buy into the lists that we are given to buy and tick off. You don’t need half those things. Keep life as simple as you can.’’
Cloth nappies
Laverty never used disposable nappies, instead opting for modern cloth fitted nappies with clip in and pocket inserts.
It is estimated that parents spend about $1000 on disposables in the first six months – or more than $3000 if kids are in nappies until two-and-a-half.
Cloth nappies sell new for $34.95 for a pack of six from The Baby Factory, or you can find them secondhand. The only ongoing cost is the time involved in washing them.
‘‘The biggest waste of money is being concerned about labels and insisting on brand new.’’ Claire Laverty, mum of Evelyn
Make your own food
Laverty said parents needn’t buy into the idea that commercially produced baby food was best.
‘‘Heavy marketing implies that only commercial baby food will be nutritionally balanced. There are a lot of recipes for simple purees that taste a lot better and they freeze in ice cube trays.’’
Mannagh said she had saved money by watching the food bill, too. ‘‘When we really stuck to a plan, we cut our groceries in half by growing our own veges, making bread and baking. We stopped wasting food. It was fun and we saved hundreds each month.’’
Cut transport costs
Laverty and her husband decided to run just one car while her daughter was small.
‘‘At first it was a little frustrating, but one thing I learned was that there is no need to be in a rush with babies. I found that it was much easier to manoeuvre with Evelyn on my front in a mei tai than it was with a pram.
‘‘I took the bus and walked and she slept against my chest when she needed to. A backpack on my back let me carry the things I needed for her and actually balanced out her weight.’’
Don’t skimp on what matters
Laverty said the biggest expense for her family was a good car seat.
‘‘We wanted safety guaranteed, to know that it still had a long life ahead of it and hadn’t been compromised with cracks we couldn’t see.’’
A specialist baby shop or Plunket should be able to give advice on the best car seat for your budget.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Groups such as Pregnancy Support can help out with some of the things you need for your baby.
‘‘Ironically, I only went there because my midwife said she knew they’d been donated something like 100 wool singlets and she wanted to grab some for her poorer clients and they said the people had to come in person,’’ Laverty said.
‘‘I thought I’d be cheeky and pick them up and give them to her, but we did use some ourselves. They have a nappy bank, too.’’
She said her daughter’s grandparents were going halves in a Parents Centre membership for a birthday present each year.
‘‘That way we have toy library membership and don’t have the house swamped with all the toys, just a few big-ticket at a time.’’