4 Unexpected Baby Expenses First-Time Parents Should Plan For

Preparing for your first child, while exciting and joyful, can also be a bit nerve-wracking—especially when it comes to money. It’s hard to fully grasp how a new baby will impact your finances.

New parents can expect to spend upwards of $29,325 during their baby’s first year of life, according to Lending Tree’s 2026 analysis. That estimate includes the basics like rent, food and infant daycare (the biggest ticket item).

But as any parent will tell you, there are some things that you simply cannot prepare for. Unexpected costs are almost guaranteed to pop up along the way. 

“People don’t really think about some of the ancillary costs associated with having a baby,” says Julianna Rote, partner and senior wealth advisor at Mission Wealth, who is also a mom to a five month old. “Obviously there are the diapers, wipes, carseat, and a stroller. But there are other expenses rolled up into [parenting] that I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for.”

Expecting parents already have a lot on their plate. But amid the milestones and to-do lists, it’s easy for critical financial details to slip through the cracks. Getting ahead of them now could have a big impact on your long-term budget. 

Here are four unexpected expenses that financial experts recommend parents look out for when budgeting for their new baby.

Unexpected Cost #1: Postpartum Medical Expenses

Many parents budget for labor and delivery, but the medical bills don’t stop when the baby is born. Postpartum care can add up quickly and catch families off guard, especially first-time parents. 

After giving birth to twins, Bola Sokunbi, a certified financial education instructor (CFEI) and author of Clever Girl Millionaire, developed a severe case of diastasis recti, a condition where the muscles of the abdominal wall separate. It’s commonly associated with pregnancy. 

“I ended up having to pay out-of-pocket for physical therapy,” Sokunbi says. She was told that since the condition was a natural occurrence for someone who recently gave birth, insurance expected it to heal naturally. 

Sokunbi encourages expecting parents to consider saving for those unplanned postpartum costs.

“You can’t predict what kind of birth you’re going to have,” she says. “Your baby’s going to decide what it’s going to be doing.” In her case, she ended up having an emergency C-section, which wound up costing $50,000 before insurance.  

Even with great insurance, copays and out-of-network fees can really hurt a tight budget. Setting aside a dedicated postpartum fund before birth is a smart way to protect your family from additional financial stress.

Unexpected Cost #2: Baby Formula

The decision to breastfeed is deeply personal—and for many parents, it’s not really a decision at all. Bodies don’t always cooperate with birth plans, and the gap between what you expect and what actually happens can come with a significant price tag. 

Sokunbi planned on breastfeeding her twins, but ultimately needed to use formula—including a specialty formula—for one of her babies. “For several months, I found myself spending over $1,000 on formula every single month,” she says. “That was completely an unexpected cost.” 

Rote echoes this, noting that feeding—whether by breast or bottle—comes with its own set of physical, mental and financial challenges that are easy to underestimate

Unexpected Cost #3: Maternity and Paternity Leave

Don’t feel bad if you never thought about maternity leave benefits until you became pregnant with your first child. Many people don’t explore their employer’s benefits until they need to use them.

Unfortunately, the U.S. offers no federally mandated paid family leave (as of 2026, 14 states and Washington DC offer their residents some type of paid family leave policy). Most Americans rely on their employer or state benefits, which can range widely, and many have to figure out how to fund their own maternity leaves.  

That’s what happened to Sokunbi, who took unpaid leave after learning that her employer at the time of her twins’ birth did not offer paid maternity leave. 

Sokunbi urges expecting parents (both moms and dads) to explore the maternity and paternity package their company offers. You’ll want to know the lengths of the leave and if you’ll be receiving full pay or just a percentage.

You should also review your state’s paid leave offerings and/or see if you’re eligible for unpaid leave through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It can take a bit of pre-planning to get signed up for these programs.

If your employer and state don’t offer paid family, you’ll need to figure out how much time off you can afford to take. Ideally, you begin planning for this before pregnancy, but it’s never too late to start.

Unexpected Cost #4: Self-care Expenses (Really!)

One thing that doesn’t typically show up on any baby registry or budgeting spreadsheet: self-care for new moms. Maintaining a sense of self outside of caregiving is one of the quieter and overlooked costs of new parenthood. Rote advocates for building a dedicated “me-time” line item into your budget, treating it with the same seriousness as diapers or daycare. 

“Those costs could be for workout classes, getting your hair or nails done,” says Rote. These are the small, routine things that signal to your brain that you are still a person with needs, not just a caregiver with obligations. 

While it may sound indulgent, the logic is sound: A parent running on empty can’t be the best version of themselves for their child. “I think it’s super important as you go through this life transition…[to do] the things that keep everybody sane and healthy—physically and mentally,” Rote says. 

First-time parents are often caught off guard by how guilty they feel spending money—or time—on themselves. But that guilt, left unchecked, carries its own kind of cost. Give yourself permission to fill your own cup and figure out what you need to be the best version of yourself.