The Real Cost of Having a Baby: Where to Save, Where to Spend & What Actually Matters with Kristin Revere – Podcast Ep 198

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Having a baby can get expensive FAST. And if this is your first baby, it can be incredibly difficult to know what’s actually worth your money. As a baby planner of 15 years and a mother of two, I get it…

Do you need the expensive stroller? What about the bassinet everyone seems to have? How much should you set aside for postpartum? Is it worth paying for a doula, childbirth class, lactation consultant, or pelvic floor therapist when you’re already spending so much preparing for your baby?

And then there are all the expenses you don’t even know to plan for yet.

That’s why I wanted to have this conversation with fellow doula Kristin Revere. Kristin has supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, which gives her a unique perspective on what expecting parents spend money on, what they actually use, and what they often wish they had prioritized differently.

During our conversation, I even gave Kristin a challenge: If I handed her $5,000 to prepare an expecting family for life with a newborn, how would she spend it?

In this episode of Chick Chat, Kristin and I are talking about the real cost of having a baby, where parents can save, where it’s worth spending more, and how to prepare financially for birth and postpartum without feeling like you need to buy everything marketed to you.

Meet Kristin Revere

Kristin Revere is the owner and founder of Gold Coast Doulas in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is an elite certified birth doula, newborn care specialist, childbirth educator, and elite certified postpartum doula.

Kristin is also the co-author of Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby and host of the Ask the Doulas podcast. Through her work, she has spent years helping expecting and new parents prepare for birth, postpartum recovery, newborn life, and the many changes that come with growing a family. She is a mom of two and a bonus mom to one.

As a fellow doula, I was especially interested in hearing Kristin’s perspective because she sees what happens after all the baby gear has been purchased and the nursery has been put together. She knows where families tend to feel prepared, where they’re caught off guard, and which investments can make those first weeks and months easier.

What We Discussed

There’s no single dollar amount that every family needs before having a baby. Your medical coverage, parental leave, childcare plans, feeding choices, location, lifestyle, and support system can all affect what having a baby costs for you.

So instead of trying to create the “perfect” baby budget, Kristin and I focused on a question I think is much more helpful: How can expecting parents use the resources they have wisely?

Here are some of the questions we discuss in this episode:

• How did Kristin become a doula, and what has working with hundreds of families taught her about preparing financially for a baby?
• What’s one purchase expecting parents commonly think they need but really don’t?
• On the flip side, what’s something parents hesitate to spend money on that can be worth the investment?
• If Kristin had $5,000 to prepare an expecting family for life with a newborn, how would she spend it?
• What’s one of the biggest misconceptions the baby industry has convinced expecting parents to believe?
• Why are parents often willing to spend so much on baby gear but more hesitant to invest in childbirth education, birth and postpartum doulas, lactation support, pelvic floor therapy, and other forms of support?
• What expenses tend to catch new parents by surprise?
• What financial conversations should couples have during pregnancy so they’re on the same page before their baby arrives?
• Are there insurance benefits, employee benefits, or other resources that expecting parents commonly overlook?
• If you’re only eight or ten weeks pregnant, what are three things you can do now to start financially preparing for your baby?

And yes, we get into baby gear, too!

When I gave Kristin that hypothetical $5,000 budget, two areas she prioritized was support and sleep. Regarding sleep, we talked about things like a safe bassinet, blackout curtains, a sound machine, and even a night-light. They’re not necessarily the flashy purchases you’ll see in a perfectly styled nursery, but they’re practical items that can support everyday life with a newborn.

Kristin also shares resources families may not realize are available to them, including services such as Tot Squad (where she also supports families), and we talk about ways parents can think beyond simply buying more stuff when they’re preparing for their baby.

Where Should You Spend Your Baby Budget?

One of my favorite things about this conversation with Kristin is that there isn’t a universal shopping list at the end of it.

Every family is different. We know that.

For one family, investing in a great stroller may make perfect sense because they’ll walk everywhere. Another family may barely use one. One mom may need extensive lactation support. Another may decide formula feeding is right for her family. Some parents have family nearby who can help after birth, while others may need to build and pay for their postpartum support system.

That’s why I think a better question than “Do I need this?” is: “How will this support our family?”

Before spending hundreds of dollars on something, think about your actual life.

• Where will your baby sleep?
• How will you feed them?
• Who will help you recover?
• What happens when your partner goes back to work?
• Who can you call if you’re struggling with breastfeeding or bottle-feeding?
• What will you eat during those first few weeks?
• What will childcare look like when your leave ends?

Those answers can tell you a lot more about where your money should go than any viral list of baby “must-haves.”

Don’t Forget to Budget for the Parents

This is a point I will continue shouting from the rooftops: When you’re preparing for a baby, prepare for the parents, too.

Your baby registry will probably make sure your little one has plenty of onesies, bottles, blankets, and toys.

But what about you?

Support after birth might look like a postpartum doula, lactation consultant, pelvic floor therapist, mental health professional, meal delivery, house cleaning, or simply having enough money set aside to make those early weeks a little easier.

And support doesn’t always have to mean paying for a service. It can also mean having honest conversations with your partner and family before your baby arrives, understanding what benefits are available to you, and making a plan for who will do what once you’re home with your newborn.

Those conversations may not be nearly as fun as picking out tiny baby clothes, but they’re definitely worth having.

Final Thoughts

There are a LOT of things you could buy when you’re having a baby.

Spend five minutes scrolling through social media as a pregnant woman, and you’ll probably discover three more products you didn’t know existed yesterday!

But more stuff doesn’t automatically equal being more prepared.

What I loved about this conversation with Kristin is that it encourages expecting parents to take a closer look at where their money will truly make a difference in their own lives. Maybe that’s a really good bassinet. Maybe it’s saving more money for maternity leave. Maybe it’s hiring a postpartum doula for a few nights. Maybe it’s paying for childbirth education or lactation support. Maybe it’s accepting secondhand baby clothes from your sister so you can put that money toward childcare. Or maybe it’s all of that!

What’s great is you get to decide what matters most for your family.

So before you automatically add something to your registry because everyone else seems to have it, think about the life you’re actually preparing for. Your baby needs things, of course. But you deserve to be part of the budget, too.

And I hope this episode helps you feel a little more prepared to spend your money on what will truly support you, your baby, and your growing family.

Kristin’s Resources:

• Website: goldcoastdoulas.com
• Instagram: @goldcoastdoulas
• Facebook: @goldcoastdoulas
• Her podcast: Ask the Doulas podcast
• Her book: Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Kristin and I mentioned several products, services, and resources throughout our conversation that may be helpful as you prepare for birth, postpartum, and life with a new baby. Here they are all in one place so you can easily check them out:

• Tot Squad — Offers virtual and in-person support for expecting and new parents, including services related to feeding, sleep, car seat safety, and more.
• Restorative Roots — A postpartum meal delivery service focused on nourishing, recovery-supportive foods for new moms. I mentioned this as one option to consider if you’re thinking about budgeting for meals or asking loved ones to contribute toward postpartum support.
• Egg Light — One of my favorite little things to have nearby for nighttime feeds and diaper changes. It’s portable, easy to use, and allows you to keep the room dim instead of turning on bright overhead lights in the middle of the night.
• Hatch — We talked about using red light at night to help keep the environment dim and sleep-friendly while caring for your baby. Hatch offers sound machines and night-lights with customizable light settings.
• Carrot — A fertility and family-building benefits platform offered through some employers. If your company offers Carrot, it’s worth looking into exactly what pregnancy, postpartum, and family support may be included in your specific plan.
• Maven — A virtual women’s and family health platform offered by some employers that can provide support across pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, and other stages of family life.
• Progyny — Another employer-sponsored family-building benefit. Depending on your employer and plan, benefits may extend beyond fertility care, so it’s worth investigating what’s available to you.
• The Fair Play Method — Eve Rodsky’s system for helping couples more intentionally divide household responsibilities and the invisible work that goes into running a home and family. We brought this up when discussing the conversations couples should have before their baby arrives.

Benefits and coverage vary by employer and individual plan. Be sure to check your specific benefits and coverage.

Keep Listening

Want to keep the conversation going? Here are two episodes that pair perfectly with this one:

Realistic Nourishment During Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery with Nina Spears — Ask the Doulas Podcast

I joined Kristin on her podcast, Ask the Doulas, to talk about realistic ways to nourish yourself during pregnancy and postpartum. We discuss important nutrients during pregnancy, navigating food aversions and exhaustion, and why nourishing the mother after birth deserves more attention.

Affording the Care You Deserve: Financial Tools for Pregnancy & Postpartum with Pachet Bryant — Chick Chat

Want to dive even deeper into the financial side of pregnancy and postpartum? In this episode, Pachet Bryant and I discuss financial tools and strategies that can help families plan for and access the care and support they want during pregnancy and after birth.