babies cost £1560 before they are even born apparently. which sounds like loads more than i think we spent. so here goes:

• car seat (a birth to 4 year old rear and forward facing britax one) £90 (which was 25% off in the sale)
• moses basket & a few new sheets and blankets (most were hand me down pram bedding) about £100 altogether
• ton of newborn sized babygros and vests, all in super nick off ebay, no more than £30 for everything.
• cloth nappies, wraps etc with nappy bucket and other changing accessories, along with a couple of packs of disposable nappies; this was around £250.
• nursing bras, two packs were £25 and i ended up buying two lots.
• maternity clothes, i can’t remember exact prices but there’s no way they amount to more than £200 and that’s a high estimate.
• nct antenatal course was about £130
• wilkinet sling, £40 (and though the survey says that baby carriers were one of the biggest wastes of money ours was worth it’s weight in gold - if you want one get a good one and not a back breaking brand sold on the high street!)

we spent more after miranda arrived obviously but i think that’s all we’d spent when she was born. about £865 altogether.

even if we add in things we bought after she was born i don’t think i can find the other £695 we need to spend to be average. large purchases like her pushchair and cot were presents from grandparents (both after the birth). bits and bobs like breast pump, toys, clothes add up but we’ve got the majority of things going cheap or secondhand.

plenty of things the survey mentions like health supplements, beauty treatments, books, magazines we spent nothing on. pushchair was less than £200 (even though it was a present) - we knew that all those expensive silver cross prams are in the loft by the time the baby is three months old! miranda’s ‘nursery’ was still an office until she was four months old so no expensive redecorating there either.

on the whole i feel like we did pretty well, it’s not like miranda’s wanted for anything, or has been bothered that she’s been wearing last season’s ‘newborn at next’ clothes from ebay rather than this season’s bought new!