First-Year Baby Costs Calculator

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 a survey of 307 parents who utilize paid childcare (full-time or part-time care). The survey was conducted by our parent company, Everyday Health Group Pregnancy & Parenting, between August 8 and 21, 2022.

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 our editors' expertise to 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 August 23, 2022 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.