For this post, I am going to share my baby’s second-year expenses.
In other words, the amount of money that my husband and I spent on our baby during his second year (from 13 months to 24 months).
This post is a continuation of another post earlier on my baby’s first-year expenses where we spent RM30,110 preparing and tending to our little boy until he was 1 year old.
Table of Contents
- My baby’s second-year expenses
- 1. Baby second-year feeding expenses
- 2. Baby second-year expenses on clothing
- 3. Baby’s second-year hygiene and bath care expenses
- 4. Baby’s second-year healthcare expenses (doctor visit and vaccination)
- 5. Baby’s second-year childcare expenses
- 6. Baby’s second-year expenses on toys and learning
- 7. Birthday celebration
- 8. Miscellaneous expenses
- Summary of expenses from 13 months to 24 months
- Final thoughts
My baby’s second-year expenses
To make it easier, I shall list down the things we spent based on their category.
Below are the expenses for our little boy.
1. Baby second-year feeding expenses
Based on my previous sharing on my baby’s first-year expenses, baby feeding expenses took about the highest percentage which was 24%.
And my baby’s second-year feeding expenses, it is still one of our biggest expenses. Especially on formula milk.
The details of our baby feeding expenses during the second year are as below:
- formula milk brand 1 (650g x RM59.90 x 30 packs): RM1,797.00
- formula milk brand 2 (600g x RM78.70 x 24 packs): RM1,888.80
- baby calming pacifier set (3 x RM25): RM75
- baby safe cleanser twin pack (RM 45 x 2): RM90
- milk bottle cleaner brush (3 x RM10): RM30
- baby bottle feeding teat (2 x RM21): RM42
- solid food – local rice for porridge (6 x RM10): RM60
- solid food – meat extract paste (3 x RM25): RM75
- multivitamin syrup (500ml): RM48
- cod liver oil (400ml, 6 x RM12.80): RM76.80
- subtotal for feeding cost: RM4,182.60
2. Baby second-year expenses on clothing
During the second year, I started to shop online through Shopee for baby clothes.
Occasionally, I also bought my baby clothing from local departmental stores.
But, I noticed that I managed to save a lot through Shopee, especially on those rompers sets.
As much as I enjoy my online shopping session, I have also spent a great deal of time reading through reviews before making my purchases.
The details of my baby’s second-year expenses on clothing are as below:
- long sleeve romper set (5 pieces): RM36
- short sleeve romper set (5 pieces): RM27
- baby pull-on long pants (5 pieces x 2) at RM30 x 2: RM60
- long sleeve romper set (5 pieces x 2) at RM30 x2: RM60
- children’s clothes set (5 sets): RM150
- kids legging: RM20
- baby socks: RM20
- baby long soft jeans: RM31.90
- children’s shoes and sandals (RM35 x 3): RM105
- subtotal for clothing cost: RM509.90
3. Baby’s second-year hygiene and bath care expenses
As for baby hygiene and bath care, I noticed we are using fewer items, such as fewer diapers. But the diapers cost per unit increase because as the diaper size increase, there are fewer units in a packet.
Here are the details of our expenses on baby hygiene and bath care:
- diapers (RM30 x 3.5 packs x 12 months): RM1,260
- baby wipes (RM13.90 x 6): RM83.40
- baby hygiene wipes (RM10 x 4): RM40
- diaper rash cream (RM18): RM18
- baby powder (RM12 x 2): RM24
- yu yee oil (RM3.50 x 6): RM21
- baby shampoo (RM15 x 2): RM30
- baby bath (RM15 x 4): RM60
- mosquito repellent: RM27.50
- baby potty toilet: RM48
- subtotal for hygiene and bath care cost: RM1,611.90
4. Baby’s second-year healthcare expenses (doctor visit and vaccination)
During the second year, we still spend quite a lot on baby healthcare, especially on doctor visits.
But luckily, these expenses were paid by my then employer through employee benefits.
The expenses are as below:
Specialist and doctor visits
- 1 July 2017 – flu and cough: RM30
- 3 July 2017 – flu and cough: RM27
- 5 July 2017 – cough: RM174.50
- 8 July 2017 – skin rashes: RM40
- 3 Aug 2017 – eye infection: RM30
- 6 Aug 2017 – eye infection with fever: RM38
- 11 Oct 2017 – eye infection: RM35
- 24 Oct 2017 – runny nose: RM28
- 29 Oct 2017 – traditional Chinese medicine: RM40
- 13 Nov 2017- fever: RM40
- 16 Nov 2017 – cough and cold: RM40
- 20 Dec 2017 – traditional Chinese medicine: RM40
- 22 Dec 2017 – runny nose: RM30
- 24 Feb 2018 – high fever: RM35
- 24 Feb 2018 – high fever: RM70
- 12 May 2018 – runny nose: RM40
- Subtotal for specialist and doctor visit: RM737.50
Baby vaccination expenses
- Chicken Pox 1st dose – RM135.00
- Subtotal for vaccination expenses: RM135.00
For baby vaccination, it is not covered by the employee benefit. So, we paid on our own.
5. Baby’s second-year childcare expenses
As for our childcare expenses, we were still engaging with the same nanny. The amount we spent is as below:
- monthly nanny fees (RM650 per month x 12 months): RM7,800
- additional fees during the weekend: RM100
- subtotal for childcare fees: RM7,900
6. Baby’s second-year expenses on toys and learning
I noticed that we spent more and more on toys and learning as our baby grows. This includes our visits to the kids’ entertainment centre at the local shopping mall.
Below are our expenses on toys and learning:
- baby toys: RM200
- toddler books: RM200
- visits to the kids’ entertainment centre and play sessions: RM200
- subtotal for toys and learning expenses: RM600
7. Birthday celebration
When our son turns 2-years-old, we had a simple dinner with a small birthday cake.
- birthday dinner: RM50
- birthday cake: RM25
- subtotal for our baby’s second birthday celebration: RM75
8. Miscellaneous expenses
And finally, these are some of the miscellaneous expenses spent on our baby during the second year:
- haircuts (RM10 x 2): RM20
- a tricycle: RM80
- subtotal: RM100
Summary of expenses from 13 months to 24 months
And below is the summary of expenses spent on our baby during the second year:
- feeding: RM4,182.60 (28%)
- clothing: RM509.90 (3%)
- hygiene and bath: RM1,611.90 (11%)
- healthcare (vaccination only): RM135 (1%)
- childcare: RM7900 (52%)
- toys and learning: RM600 (4%)
- 1st birthday celebration: RM75 (0.5%)
- miscellaneous expenses: RM100 (0.5%)
- total: RM15,114.40
Final thoughts
As expected, compared with the first year, our baby costs were significantly reduced during the second year.
One of the main reasons is that for a baby’s first year, we need to prepare a lot of one-time purchase items such as a baby cot, feeding utensils and breast pumps.
During the second year, we no longer need to spend on these items.
So, what do you think of my baby’s second-year cost of RM15,114.40? Personally, I think it is very reasonable with an average expense of about RM1300 per month.
Lastly, I’ve also updated another post on my son’s third-year expenses. You might want to check out the expenses for my 2-year-old son.
Image Credits
Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay