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How to Save Cost on Having a Baby in Malaysia?

A pair of newborn feet with wording tips to save cost on having a baby in Malaysia.

In one of my posts earlier, I shared that my husband and I spent around RM13,000 to welcome our baby in June 2016. And we spent slightly more than RM30,000 on our baby’s first-year expenses.

For some of us, that is quite expensive.

Agree?

So, in this post, I am going to share 7 tips to save on the cost of having a baby in Malaysia.

7 tips to save cost on having a baby in Malaysia

I guess we all agree that having a baby can be very expensive. Especially now with the rising cost of living and weakening ringgit.

But, there are ways we can adapt to save cost on having a baby in Malaysia.

Throughout my motherhood journey, I learned some of the tips to save costs while preparing and welcoming a baby.

Read on these tips below.

1. Choose delivery at government hospitals instead of private medical centres

Childbirth and delivery are some of the highest costs involved in welcoming a baby.

For that, I asked 3 friends who opted to deliver their babies at the private medical centre.

The amount they spent was as below:

  • 1st Friend: delivered via cesarean at KPJ Sibu Hospital: RM4700++ in late 2015
  • 2nd Friend: delivered via vacuum delivery at KPJ Kuching: RM5000++ in late 2015
  • 3rd Friend: delivered via cesarean at Borneo Medical Centre Kuching: RM6000++ in early 2016

Furthermore, a check on maternity packages in Malaysia shows that:

  • normal delivery charges range from RM3500 to RM7000
  • cesarean charges range from RM6500 to 12000
  • emergency cesarean range from RM9500 to 17000

So, it can be really expensive to give birth at private medical centres.

Thus, to save on the cost of having a baby, I highly recommend delivery at government hospitals.

I myself delivered my baby via emergency cesarean at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH). The total charge for me and my baby is RM225.50.

And I share the whole experience in another post, the cost of giving birth at SGH.

Again, referring to the same maternity packages website, charges for delivery at a government hospital are as below:

  • normal delivery charges range from RM60 to RM1300
  • cesarean charges range from RM190 to 3800

Obviously, from the above sharing, you can save a lot of money by choosing delivery at government hospitals. Of course, the charges can be higher due to mother and infant needs, which is on a case-by-case basis.

For one thing, please do not expect a five-star service for delivery at government hospitals.

So, if you want to save on the cost of having a baby, you can opt to give birth at government hospitals.

2. Fully breastfed your baby

Experienced mothers would strongly agree that fully breastfeeding the baby is one of the best tips to save cost on baby expenses.

Because infant formula can be very expensive. Top-quality infant formula can easily reach RM100 for a week’s consumption. Imagine how much you can save if you breastfed your baby.

Other than cost savings, breastfeeding also has many positive advantages such as:

  • provide an excellent way for mother and baby to bond
  • improve the newborn immune system
  • can be ‘instant’ and available without preparation
  • causing less stomach upset and constipation

Even on infant formula packaging, it is written ‘the best food for your baby is breastmilk’.

So, exclusive breastfeeding, especially during the first 6-month, is not only an effective cost-saving solution but also the best food for your baby.

3. Get a part-time confinement lady instead of a full time

Based on my own expenses when we welcomed our baby, my top expenses went to my confinement lady.

In total, I paid RM4000 to my confinement lady for my confinement period of 30 days. The confinement lady’s charge is RM3800 plus RM200 angpao (red packet).

Later on, I learned that there are part-time confinement services available. Or, in other words, daytime confinement lady. Instead of live-in with the host, the part-time confinement lady only works from morning till evening. For example, from 8 am until 6 pm.

She will cook and care for both baby and mummy during the daytime only. In this situation, the confinement charges can be cheaper by half.

The disadvantage of a part-time confinement lady would be, there is no one to help new parents at night.

It can be very tiring for new mummies especially those with a cesarean scar to take care of a newborn at night. Nevertheless, it still can be done especially if the new father is willing to contribute to caring for the newborn at night.

Evidently, it is proven that no matter how tired a new mummy is, she will still take care of her newborn needs.

So, new mummies out there, please do not underestimate the power of your maternal instinct.

Thus, you can try to save costs by using a part-time confinement lady instead of a full-time live-in confinement lady.

4. Get your own family member to help with confinement instead of confinement lady

To save cost on confinement, instead of hiring confinement ladies, you can also engage with your own family members to help out during your confinement period.

Back in the old days, most confinement needs and tasks were taken care of by the infant’s grandma.

It can either be the new mum’s mum or her mother-in-law.

In most cases, a new mum will prefer to have her own mum to take care of her confinement needs and her newborn.

Only recently, it’s getting more and more common to hire confinement ladies.

If you can get assistance from your close family members or relatives, most probably you will be able to reduce the cost needed during the confinement period.

Furthermore, someone closed such as their own mum or sister definitely will be able to understand a new mum’s needs better.

On the other hand, there are reasons why most new mums are reluctant to have their own family members take care of them during confinement.

I listed down the possible reasons below:

  • To avoid family crisis especially if there are in-laws staying in the same house
  • Clearly define roles and expectations for a confinement lady but it is rather hard to define roles and expectations from our own family members
  • Confinement ladies are well-experienced and thus able to provide a better service for the new mum and newborn

Nevertheless, with careful handling, you can still get your own relatives to help out during confinement. Among the key points are proper planning and open communication with in-laws, hubby and own relatives.

Trust me, you will be able to save a lot compared to engaging services from a full-time confinement lady.

5. Use hand-me-downs baby clothes

Baby clothes can be quite expensive too.

So, instead of buying new baby clothes, you can use hand-me-downs from relatives or close friends.

Once their baby outgrows their clothes, I believe most parents are willing to let go of their old baby clothes.

Because they need to allocate a place to accommodate new clothes.

As for me, I do not have the opportunity to use hand-me-downs for my baby. Because the difference between my baby and my youngest nephew is 8 years.

Due to the huge age gap, all my relatives’ hand-me-downs have already been given to someone else.

Other than helping you to save money on new baby clothes, hand-me-down baby clothes are more comfortable to wear.

I have heard that there is a Chinese saying mentioning newborns wearing hand-me-downs are easier to handle.

Perhaps the truth behind this saying is the comfortable feeling of wearing hand-me-downs instead of new clothes.

Thus, whenever possible, politely ask for hand-me-down baby clothes from your relatives and friends.

You will save a lot of money by using hand-me-down baby clothes.

6. Buy pre-loved baby items instead of buying new

If you find that it is hard to ask for hand-me-down baby clothes from relatives and friends, you can try to buy pre-loved baby clothes. These pre-loved baby clothes are easily available at Shopee or Mudah.

Surprisingly, some of these pre-loved baby clothes are still in very good condition.

In the same way, you will be able to find other pre-loved baby needs and equipment on Shopee or Mudah too.

Among them are a baby cot, stroller and baby car seat. Comparing a new item and a pre-loved one, the price difference can be really a lot.

Thus, you can save a lot of money when you buy pre-loved instead of new baby items.

7. If you must buy new, shop online

Finally, if you must buy new baby items, shop online.

Among the top online shopping platforms which I highly recommend are Shopee and Lazada. Nevertheless, do shop smartly and compare prices before confirming your purchase.

Based on my own observation, for the same product, there can be a huge difference between shopping online and offline.

For example, my husband bought a set of mosquito nets and their holder for RM160 from a local baby shop in Kuching.

Recently I noticed that I can get a set of mosquito nets on Shopee for less than RM50.

Of course not exactly the same product. But with the same purpose of protecting my baby from mosquitoes.

So, you can save money when shopping online.

Read more: Cheap baby clothes in Malaysia

Final thoughts

To summarize, preparing and welcoming a newborn is an expensive task.

I hope my sharing above, 7 tips to save cost on having a baby in Malaysia will be able to give you some ideas on how to save cost while preparing and welcoming your newborn.

Feel free to share your views or additional tips to save cost on having a baby.

Lastly, despite thinking of ways to save costs, please enjoy the preparations for your newborn. Because your newborn will definitely bring you and your partner an unlimited amount of joy!

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