Unexpected Expenses for New Moms

I’m talking about some unexpected expenses for new moms because Baby J is now six months old, and I’ve noticed a few things I’m spending on that I didn’t expect. Baby J is growing and doing adorable things like rolling over and babbling and laughing out loud. I’ve enjoyed my time as a new mom, Baby J has been such a delight and joy in his day to day routines, and we have a lot of fun cuddling and playing now that he is a little older.

I did talk a little about what I had learned as a new mom when Baby J was three months old, and I thought it would be neat and fun to talk a little about the unexpected expenses that start being costly when you have a baby. You know, the things that the other moms don’t tell you about because they are too busy telling you about how your boobs will leak milk everywhere and how you’ll never sleep and how their baby was allergic to goodness what.

Let’s dive into the things I am spending a lot of money on that I did not anticipate as a new mom, and expenses that maybe I ought have anticipated.

Laundry Detergent

Now, babies are messy. They spit up, they poop, and plenty of these messes get on their clothes. Or the bedsheets. On bibs and burp cloths. On you, and your clothes. So, of course you are constantly doing laundry. I knew this. Of course I knew this. And for me, it wasn’t really daunting as I don’t mind doing laundry. It’s one household chore that I never complain about, as laundry pretty much does itself. And I still don’t mind doing the laundry though the piles of it are everywhere. It’s not the laundry that upsets me. It’s how much detergent I am using!

I didn’t think it would cost so much more to do the laundry. Stupid, I know, but I just never thought of it. We go through lots of laundry detergent and I’ve even made efforts to use less, but there you go. It becomes a bit of an extra expense when you are doing two or three loads a day, and it’s certainly one of those unexpected expenses for new moms that is likely overlooked. So, be prepared.

Soothers

Babies respond well to soothers. I know some people are down on giving baby a dummy, but honestly there are times nothing else will soothe the baby. In fact, I had a time or two when nothing would soothe my baby (he was still a new born really) expect my boob. So the soother is a replacement for the breast, and I originally bought about four soothers. And, at first, that was enough. Then I bought more because it was handy.

And also, my rabbit chewed a few because she thinks everything that is the baby’s is hers too.

And I have bought a bunch of these soothers because I don’t know where several are! I don’t know where they go! I walk around the house in circles checking all the spots where the soothers could be–the crib, my bed, the bottle station, the stroller etc–and I cannot find these soothers! So I end up buying more of the darn things. I did not think soothers would be such a costly expense.

Baby Food

Baby J has recently starting eating solid foods. Not like beef and potatoes, but you know baby food. Pureed carrots and apples and what not that come in jars. Or they used to. Now they also come in pouches. And those little pouches can cost two dollars and thirty cents a pop! I didn’t think baby food would cost quite that much. I do plan to do a mix of baby led weaning and pureed foods, but I had to frown a little at the cost of mushed up peas. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind spending the money at all, I was just surprised. There’s so little in those jars after all.

By the way, feeding Baby J has proved the best new mom experience ever. The faces he makes! The way he gets it all over his face, and clamps up his mouth if he doesn’t want the food–he hated carrots–and the first time he opened his mouth for the spoon, indicating that he wanted more, all of this has been the best time for me.

Stuff You Didn’t Think You’d Need

There was a lot of stuff I didn’t think I would need for my baby. Such as a play pen. I figured the baby could play on the floor as he grew from teeny newborn to a more mobile infant. But then my aunt got me one as a welcome baby gift, and since my pet rabbit does like to chew my baby’s toys, it’s proved so handy to have. All his toys can go in there and so can he and sometimes he prefers the play pen to the floor. I have learned, some of the things you think you won’t need, you do. If my aunt hadn’t gifted me the play pen, I might have decided to get it myself, as I did with the jumpy.

I bought the jumper-roo, or whatever they call it, because at around four months my baby decided that he didn’t want his swing, he didn’t want to lie down and wanted to be held in an upright position. Because I can hold him all day long. I mean, I love holding him but that laundry isn’t doing itself. The jumper seemed a good alternative since I could pop him in for a bit and afterwards he’d settle down and be content to swing or sit. These bigger ticket items you never thought you’d need turn into unexpected expenses for new moms.

Final Thoughts

I love my baby so much. Every cent I spend on him, I do so happily and even eagerly because I want him to have the best to help him grow and develop. I do think it’s a good idea to set aside some money for unexpected expenses however, because with babies, they do crop up. I am sure many more unexpected expenses are in my future!

Are there any unexpected expenses for new moms you can share? Do so in the comments!