$6700 Per Year Budget For My Son With Eczema
Babies are cute, but the co$t isn’t. I had no idea that the cost of having a child would be this high. We’re three weeks away from his first birthday; that’s the perfect time to talk about the hole in my pocket.
I’ll just put it out there. I think that babies are too expensive!
BabyCenter survey reported that parents could spend up to $10,000 during the first year. That alarming figure could surely add another layer of stress to the pile. I do see why cost is a contributing factor to the record low fertility rate. As a new father and a meticulous budget planner, I do understand the struggles.
The Budget
Budget is merely a plan and quite often things don’t go exactly according to plan. So a few months before his birth, we created the baby budget on our desktop-app, GnuCash. SJ developed eczema after birth and it threw our budget off track — way off track.
Eczema Treatment Blew The Budget
The majority of the babies born with eczema are allergic only to milk. SJ, on the other hand, is allergic to both milk and soy. A few months after his birth we were forced to source Puramino, a hyper-allergic amino based formula. Which costs a whopping $46 each. His consumption gradually increases, averaging around three each week.
His skin had bumps and random patches on various parts of his body. His face and diaper area were reddish-pink. As a result dermatologist gave us a product that was too harsh on his skin. We then had to source a few natural skincare products from our Nutritionist. One such marvelous product is the Skin Colonizer, it helped to fully restore his skin, costing us $58 per bottle.
Did I mention that he also has sensitive skin? My son is allergic to non-cotton fabric, lucky me ah! If his clothes aren’t cotton, you’ll quickly notice the bumps. We also had to use fragrance-free hyperallergenic Huggies diaper and change them regularly, about 4 to 6 times per day to avoid further skin irritations. We protect his groin area by combining Aquaphor & the Skin Colonizer.
Here is an overall breakdown of those expenses.
Other Costs
As a new parent, I’m worried about everything. One minor change and you’re all over it. Unfortunately for us, a minor accident happened and we went to the ER. It cost us $347 and the physician only looked at him for 10 seconds, asked 4 questions then said everything was OK.
To all parents, please learn from my mistake and understand the difference between urgent care & emergency care.
One ‘n Move…
Based on what I’ve learned, I don’t think I’ll be able to afford another child, at least for the foreseeable future. This is not to deter potential fathers, but we need to be realistic. Here are my reasons why I’m not looking forward to another child:
- Always hope for the best but plan for the worst. He is costing me so much now, can’t imagine the budget once he starts school. Hopefully, there are better days ahead.
- Life is unpredictable. We’re currently experiencing some major shifts in the economy, from climate change to diseases. I want to be able to support my child no matter the circumstance.
- I don’t support the “cheaper by the dozen” argument. Personally speaking, I try to only spend what I can afford. Currently struggling to cope with my son, I can’t imagine the financial struggles of supporting 3–4 kids.
- My spouse is currently suffering from postpartum. I don’t want to bring her through that again. Heck, I even wonder if I have postpartum depression!
- They say we should be fruitful and multiple. I’ll counter that by saying: I’m one person and multiply anything by one gives the same value. Taa-dah!
They often say perspective matters and you can look at the glass half empty or half full. Well, my glass is already full.
