5 Expenses For A New Baby You Didn't Think About

When you plan on having a baby, you expect that there are going to more expenses. All the new baby expenses, like a crib, car seat, changing table, and stroller are likely purchased and paid for by the time the new bundle of joy arrives in your home.

Here are some expenses for a new baby you didn’t think about.

Hospital Bills

Perhaps you're planning on giving birth at home with a midwife, but that doesn’t go according to plan, and you have to rush to the hospital for an emergency c-section. Or there are complications during the birth, which means you have to stay an extra few nights. Your health insurance should cover the first day, but be prepared for extra hospital costs if something does go wrong.

Higher Utility Bills

As two working professionals, you likely spend the day away from home. Your lights and heating might be off during the day until you come home at night. You might even keep the temperature lower when you sleep.

However, that might change when you bring home your baby. Some parents want to keep the temperature at a more comfortable position for the baby. During nighttime feedings in the winter, a warmer house makes it a little less painful to get out of bed.

And, if you choose to use cloth diapers, you will be running the laundry more often, which will also drive up your utility costs.

Convenience Food

When new mothers go on maternity leave, they might have aspirations to cook home-cooked meals. However, sometimes the baby has other ideas and will be fussy in the afternoons and won’t let you put her down for a few hours to cook up a meal. You might be drawn more to microwave meals and take-out to make life a little bit easier. However, those costs can quickly add up unexpectedly.

Cute Little Outfits

When you get all the toys and clothes for your baby at the shower, you might be convinced you won’t need anything else for them to wear. But when you go past the seasonal onesies at Target TGT, it might be hard to say no. Taking pictures with your baby and all the cute accessories might become your obsession, adding to your expenses.

Feeding

A baby can cause your careful plans to be ignored. While you might want to breast feed your child, it doesn’t always work out that way. Some babies have trouble latching on, which means you will have to see lactation specialists, buy products to assist, or creams to soothe aches.

For those who were expecting to breastfeed by don’t succeed, you might turn to formula, which can also get expensive quickly.

Babies can be expensive, but they're worth every penny.