The US Department of Agriculture estimates that the average middle-income family will spend almost $300,000 to raise a child from birth to age 18, and with the cost of baby supplies, you may be feeling like most of that will be spent during your tot's first years! Dream about taking a five-finger discount with our roundup of high-priced but necessary supplies for your offspring.
Please sir, can I have some more? Once baby gets the OK to have more than breast milk or formula, one of the first transition foods is baby cereal, or as Oliver Twist called it, porridge. Recipes vary, but lots of parents initially introduce a rice-based mush to their tot, so we've run the numbers on how much it costs.
Caring for baby can cost a bundle! Check out all our It Adds Up! coverage.
Where's the eats? Once baby gets the OK to have more than breast milk or formula, fruit and veggie purees quickly become a household staple to satiate wee appetites. Some tots can consume quite a bit, so we've run the numbers on how much it costs.
Caring for baby can cost a bundle! Check out all our It Adds Up! coverage.
What mom can live without wipes? When tending to a mess, most mothers don't count how many they use, but the disposable wet tissues certainly add up! Some families use up to a pack a day and continue to buy the wipes to tidy hands and keep clean long after their kids are out of diapers. On average, one wipe costs about 5 to 6 cents with green and conventional nappies at similar price points. Check out these figures based on solo packs. 
Buying wipes in bulk can save families a good chunk of change.
Caring for baby can cost a bundle! Check out all our It Adds Up! coverage.
Disposable diapers aren't easy on the budget! Newborns can soil up to 10 diapers a day, and though the number normally decreases as children grow, lots of parents still change their kiddos every two to three hours. On average, one diaper (newborn size) costs about 26 cents with green and conventional nappies at similar price points. Check out these figures based on newborn jumbo packs. 
Caring for baby can cost a bundle! Check out all our It Adds Up! coverage.
When people say that breastfeeding saves money, they're talking dollars not cents. Since the milk is manufactured by a mother's body, nursing a newborn is nutritious and free. Though breast milk is called liquid gold, it seems like it'd be a more appropriate term for formula once you run the figures on popular brands. On average, one ounce of the powder (which makes two ounces of fluid) costs about a buck with organic and conventional formulas at similar price points. Check out these numbers.
Caring for baby can cost a bundle! Check out all our It Adds Up! coverage.
