First Year Baby Costs Calculator
Total cost: $20,384
Ongoing costs: $16,215
$
/m
m
$
/m
$
/m
$
/m
m
$
/m
m
$
/m
$
/m
$
/m
One-time costs: $4,169
$
$
$
Our methodology
We started with the major ongoing expenses parents face in the first year - such as childcare, feeding, diapering, savings, and clothing - and researched costs for each.
To estimate the cost of childcare, we relied on the results of the BabyCenter State of Childcare in the U.S. Study of 2,217 women in July 2023. Respondents were U.S. women, age 18-54, who have a child 0 to 8 years old.
For other ongoing expenses, like formula, diapers, clothes, and toiletries, we calculated how much parents would need of each item in the first year and priced the costs out, using an average based on the most popular brands among BabyCenter parents.
Though healthcare costs are a significant part of many families' budgets, they vary so widely that we weren't able to include an accurate average cost. We left that number at $0 in our calculator so that you can adjust it to align with your expected healthcare premiums and copays.
For one-time costs like baby gear and nursery items, we utilized the results of the 2024 Baby Registry Trends Survey of 4,325 women between January 28, 2024 and February 14, 2024 by Everyday Health Group Pregnancy & Parenting. Respondents were U.S. women, age 18 and up, who were either pregnant or have a baby 0 to 6 months old. The survey coupled with our editors' expertise helped create a list of commonly purchased items for a baby's first year. We selected a representative product within each category that we know is popular among the BabyCenter Community (many are even Best of BabyCenter award winners). We then averaged the retail market price of each item at three major retailers during the week of January 20, 2025 to get our final cost.
The recommendation to save $75 each month for investing toward the future/college would mean you save $16,200 by time your baby turns 18 (and potentially more if you invest these funds or use a high-interest savings account). This amount won't cover the cost of tuition for a four-year college, but would provide some funds to help your child pursue their dreams.
Please keep in mind that all of these costs can differ significantly based on where you live and what you need (for example, childcare costs vary significantly across the United States, and specialized formulas are much more expensive). The prices in this tool are just meant to be estimates.
Read more:How to financially prepare for a new baby
Top baby costs, and how to save
Used baby gear: What's safe, what's not
The best sites and apps for secondhand baby gear
BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.
Everyday Health Group Pregnancy and Parenting. 2022. Cost of Raising a Child Survey. https://www.babycenter.com/presscenter/common-baby-expenses-inflation_40009826Opens a new window [Accessed August 2022]
