👶 Baby Cost Calculator
Break down the biggest costs of raising a baby — unit cost × usage × time — and watch the cumulative total stack up over the window you choose.
Months relative to birth. 24 = first 2 years, 36 = first 3 years.
Line items
| On | Item | Unit cost ($) | Rate | Start mo | End mo |
|---|
—
Cumulative cost over the window
Sources & methodology
Every preset default traces to a cited source — no invented numbers. Costs are in CAD at retail price points (~1:1 with cited US data for baby goods). Full citations: docs/baby/DEFAULTS_SOURCES.md.
- Diapers — Good Housekeeping + Pampers/Babylist. goodhousekeeping.com
- Wipes — Babylist wipes review + AlppiBaby. babylist.com
- Formula — Wirecutter + Stanford Children's + CDC. nytimes.com/wirecutter
- Diaper pail refills — Walmart (Playtex Diaper Genie). walmart.com
- Daycare — Child Care Aware of America 2024 + US Census Bureau; Canada: Statistics Canada Table 42-10-0071-01. childcareaware.org
- Crib — Wirecutter / Consumer Reports. nytimes.com/wirecutter
- Breast pump — Consumer Reports / Wirecutter ($150–$350; ACA usually $0). consumerreports.org
- Car seat — Babylist. babylist.com
- Stroller — Babylist. babylist.com
Method: consumables accrue as unitCost × (rate→per-day) × 30.4375 days/month for each month in their [start, end) range. Services charge unitCost once per active month. One-time costs land entirely in their start month. Active ranges are clamped to the calculation window. All numbers are nominal today's-prices — no inflation, subsidies, or tax-credit adjustments (out of scope).
Caveats: wipe usage counts and diaper-pail refill frequency are industry/parent estimates, not government data. Daycare varies widely by region and subsidy status — edit the input for your situation.