It makes sense that your life will be completely different after having a baby. And you probably also know that your night's sleep is brought to a minimum. But what does a baby cost per month? And what other costs do you have to take into account when you are pregnant with a baby? We've sorted it out for you.

How much does a baby cost per month?

According to a calculation made by Statistics Netherlands, a family spends approximately 17% of its total disposable income on the first child. As soon as you have more children, the costs usually decrease. With 2 children, approximately 26% of disposable income is spent, with 3 children this is 33% and with 4 children 40%. Of course, an average does not have to say much about the amount of your expenses for your baby. Still, it can be useful to know how much other families spend on their child on average. This way you can estimate the approximate amount you should take into account.

Did you know that: A child up to the age of 12 costs about 50,000 euros?

But what costs do you have to take into account at least per month? We made a calculation:

• Water and energy consumption - The water and energy consumption costs an average of €32 per month.
• Childcare - If you use childcare as a parent, this will cost you an average of €150 per month.
• Clothing - On average you spend €35 ​​per month on clothing for your newborn sprout. Did you know that the average baby wears about 5 clothing sizes in the 1st year?
• Diapers - Diapers cost around €24 per month. Tip: keep an eye on when the diapers you use for your little one are on sale.
• Bottle feeding - If you bottle feed your child, it will cost about €30 per month.

All in all, you will spend about € 270.50 per month on your baby.

Costs before the birth of your child

The costs for your baby actually start from the moment you are pregnant. For example, you have extra healthcare costs. You can take the following costs into account during your pregnancy, delivery and maternity period:

• Hospital birth - If you give birth in a hospital without a medical reason, you must pay a personal contribution. This is €369.40 for the year 2021.
• Pregnancy course - Becoming a mother for the first time is exciting, you can then choose to follow a pregnancy course. This costs about €100. Please note: this is not reimbursed by all health insurers. Take a good look at this.
• Maternity clothes - If you can't borrow clothes from friends or family, you have to take into account about € 200 worth of clothes during your pregnancy.
• Maternity package - On average, a maternity package costs between €20 and €50, depending on which package you choose. With supplementary insurance, a maternity package is reimbursed.
• Maternity care - The amount of the personal contribution is determined annually by the NZA (Dutch Healthcare Authority). Before 2021, maternity care at home is subject to a statutory personal contribution of €4.60 per hour. This amounts to approximately €225.40 for 49 hours of maternity care.
• Birth announcements - Of course you want to inform everyone as soon as your baby is born. On average you spend about € 100 on making and sending the birth announcement.

If you add all these amounts together, you will lose approximately € 1029.80 during your pregnancy, delivery and maternity period. Tip : take a good look at your health insurance. Many costs are reimbursed from your basic insurance, but sometimes you need additional insurance.

Baby layette costs

The biggest cost item is perhaps the layette. Depending on what your wishes and requirements are, these costs can be high, think of about €1000. Fortunately, you can rent the baby products from us instead of buying them. This not only saves a lot of money, but is also a nice circular alternative. You will definitely need the following products during the first year:

• Crib/co-sleeper
• Crib
• Chest of drawers
• Playpen + playpen mat
• Baby bath
• Bouncer
• Pram and/or baby carrier
• Newborn set
• Baby set
• High chair
• vials
• Bottle warmer
• Dummy
• Car seat

Why rent?

You use baby products for a relatively short time. For example, you use a co-sleeper for about 6 months, a newborn set too, you use a bouncer for about 8 months, and you often have to have a pram converted to the phase your baby is in at that moment. In short, most products leave the door in no time. There are also products that you are not sure whether you will use, such as a baby carrier. Some children prefer to sit in it all day and some children don't like it. Renting is therefore ideal for trying out products. Don't like it? Then you just send it back. By renting and sharing with each other, we also ensure that fewer products have to be produced. This contributes to a better future for your baby.