Surviving the first 6 months

After surviving pregnancy and labor, here comes the first 6 months. In summary, we would describe it as fun, fearless, focus, full of bloopers, fantastic, amusing and expensive.

I would like to help mothers-to-be in anticipating the expenses associated with having your bundle of joy. This is the breakdown of our baby expenses. As a rule, not everything is applicable to all and some are optional.

As a backgrounder, I’m a new mom, first in the family. I don’t have any niece or nephew so the second hand clothes and hand-me-downs are out of the question. These are the realities of having a baby but we wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

1. Formula milk (unless you’re on full breastfeeding) – I had the privilege of breastfeeding Johan for 1 month. Because of severe allergy, I had to take some meds and had to stop breastfeeding because the meds might affect Johan so we didn’t take the risk anymore. Anyway, that’s one thing (breastfeeding) I wasn’t able to give Johan in full. But it’s a matter of safety, there might be complications so I wouldn’t want to take the risk. Anyway, I always believe that it doesn’t make you less of a mother just because you weren’t able to breastfeed. And it doesn’t make you the world’s best mother just because you breastfeed, breastfeeding is not just the reason to become a real mother.

For the first 6 months, our pedia recommended S26 Gold: S26 Gold costs P1670 x 3 big cans per month = P4800 x 6 months = P30,060

2. Diapers – We tried EQ Dry, Pampers, Drypers, Huggies, Giggles and Mommy Poko. But we usually use Drypers. Drypers 82 pcs = P680 (lasts for less than 2 weeks) . So 3 packs of 82 pcs is P680 x 3 = P2040 x 6 months = P12,240

3. Bottles – We’re using only Avent for durability and safety.
Starter kit for newborn starts at P3,000+. This can last for 1-2 months then you buy new bottles and change the nipples as well. Of course, it’s common sense that once you see the bottles or nipples deterioration, then it’s time to throw it away any buy new ones.

4. Steriliser – We bought Avent steriliser also for P6,000 on sale. This I say is the best investment we have. We’re both working parents so we just leave Johan to his yaya and we want yaya to focus on Johan only. If we do the traditional sterilising, it will take longer and it is more tedious. The Avent sterilises the bottles and other baby stuff for 10-15 minutes and it’s easy to operate for yaya.

5. Johan’s own cabinet – We bought Johan his own cabinet so that we can make sure that his stuff and clothes are given extra care. We don’t want it to mix with ours and we want to categorize his stuff for emergency and so that we can easily pack his stuff when we need it.

6. Baby clothes – As soon as we learned that we are going to have a baby boy, we already started buying baby clothes. I enjoy doing it and it’s exciting to check baby stuff. Johan has a lot of gifts during my baby shower and during his baptismal so I just buy him extra stuff. Of course, you don’t need to buy a lot of clothes because he will outgrow all those clothes by the time he turns 1.

7. Stroller – This is optional. Although we also bought one so we can enjoy going out with Johan. We can eat together while he is sitting and observing or sleeping. We bought the Graco stroller for P7,000.

8. Crib – My mother-in-law and father-in-law bought this for Johan. We fear that because Mister Santiago is on the heavy side and I’m a newbie, we might suffocate him. We bought the crib for P12,000 at Baby Company. It is made of wood and it’s baby proof. They also bought Johan his own mattress, comforter, pillows etc.

9. Pedia Visit and Vaccinations - On the 10th day of Johan, we started our Pedia visit. P300-500 per consultation unless you have a health card.

Here are his vaccinations for the past 7+ months:
BCG – P1,000
(1st) DPT,HiB, Polio (Pentaxim 5in1) – P3,000
IPD (1st) – P3,600
(1st) Rotavirus – P3,000
Hepa B – P1,000
(2nd) DPT,HiB, Polio (Pentaxim 5in1) – P3,000
(2nd) IPD – P3,600
(2nd) Rotavirus – P3,000
(3rd) Rotavirus – P3,000

10. Vitamins – P150-200 a month

11. Baptismal – We spent around P80,000 for this (see separate reviews). Our church is at the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the reception was held at Teriyaki Boy. We had the baptism during his 2nd month. Again, this is optional. You can opt for a small family gathering, do it in a resto or just do it at home.

12. Yaya – P3,900 per month

13. Other stuff like his own baby proof electric fan (P500), DVDs (brainy baby-1 set on sale is P999), baby music, books, toys (didn’t buy because he has a lot of gifts), baby nipple and bottle cleanser (brand is Clean P140x2 per month), Avent pacifier P250, Avent teether P600+. We also bought Johan plates and utensils from Avent (P3,000+).

Now that he’s eating solid foods already, MIL/FIL’s Christmas gift to Johan is the Safety 1st high chair (P6,000). This way he’ll be included in our conversation while he’s eating his meal. And he can practice sitting up as well.

He’s now 7 months, his pedia changed his milk to Promil Gold (P1,550) per 10 days. His first food is Earth’s best from Healthy Options. He consumes 1 bottle (P45-75) for 2 days. By next week, Johan will start eating table foods so we bought a hand mixer/blender (P1,500) for the vegetables and fruits he will eat soon.

In reality, money is really part of having a baby because you can’t tell your baby that you don’t have milk or you can’t ignore his vaccinations or sickness or just let go of his safety. But of course this is not the be-all and end-all of having Johan. Johan is our happiness and nothing will ever replace him in our lives. All we wanted is for him to grow up to be healthy and it doesn’t matter how much it costs as long as we can afford it. Our joy is always to give him the best. Because this is one investment you wouldn’t regret and we never regretted. Our top priority in buying for Johan is safety first, second is the price.

Anyway, to each his own as I said. This is what we’re comfortable with and this is what we want anyway for our baby anyway. We just follow our hearts when it comes to what’s best for Johan. We listen to the advice from our family and friends, but at the end of the day, we decide on our own because we are his parents. And we believe that not all advice can be applied to all. What matters most is the safety and the happiness of our baby Johan. And that completes our lives.