by Keelar

Created on: September 03, 2008

This is a common question for people considering having a baby, but really the answer is always going to be yes. The simple reason being that once you have a child, your life changes for the better and you have to rearrange your priorities. The child becomes the most important thing in your life, not the latest gadget or DVD. Money may become a little bit tighter (especially if one of you gives up work to be a full time parent); but also the money will be spent differently i.e. you become less selfish and spend less money on yourself, and this money goes towards the child's needs.

Of course the initial outlay for a baby can be quite immense, if you allow it to be. But it really doesn't have to be, it just takes a little bit of thought and consideration. Do you really need all those ridiculous things in the baby's nursery? Do you need the mountain of soft toys you keep walking past in the shops? Do you really need the most expensive pram (and other travel items) on the market? Will your baby really play with all those garish toys? Does your baby need to be kitted out in designer clothes? I doubt it.

The most expensive items you will need for your new baby, such as a Moses basket, a cot or cot bed (and relevant bedding), a pram/travel system, can all be bought second hand (have a look on Ebay) at a lot cheaper prices than on the high street. And there is bound to be an obliging Grandparent or close relative who will want to help out with the costs of these items, or even donate said items (my daughter's Grandfather paid for our pram, and her bedroom furniture was donated by her Uncle). And don't forget you have 9 months of pregnancy to save some of your hard earned cash to go towards paying for such baby items.

Once you have all the baby gear you need, the cost of caring for a baby is very small. I can't understand people who say having babies is expensive.

They only drink milk for the first six months, and if you are breast feeding, the cost is almost nothing (apart from the breast pads (approx 2.99 a pack) you will have to buy for your leaking breasts). You don't need bottles or teats or sterilisers

Their clothes are very cheap, and let's face it; once your baby is born you will be inundated with cute little outfits from friends and relatives for your bundle of joy, so you might even get by without spending any money on clothes for the first few months. Having said that, Ebay is extremely good for second hand baby clothes and I have been known to buy my daughter

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