Baby Budget Planner

Childcare is often the biggest cost when it applies. Government support can offset part of it. In Singapore that includes the Baby Bonus (the SG Child Support Package from April 2027), CDA grants and infant care subsidies.

Newborn-size clothes, gadgets used for a few weeks, and buying multiples before knowing what baby likes. Borrow or buy second-hand where safe.

Baby costs come in two shapes. One-off costs cluster around the birth: medical and hospital bills, postnatal care, a safe place to sleep, a car seat, a stroller and first clothes. Monthly costs start at different times: diapers from day one, formula if you use it, solid food from around six months, and infant care or a helper when parental leave ends. The planner lets you choose the month each cost starts, so the chart shows when money actually leaves your account.

• Birth and postnatal care. Often the largest one-off cost. Bills differ a lot between public and private hospitals and between ward classes, so check what MediSave, your insurance and your employer cover. Many families also budget for a confinement nanny or confinement meals.
• Infant care or a helper. Usually the largest ongoing cost once it starts. Get quotes early, because infant care places can be limited near you. If you plan to hire a helper, include the levy, insurance and her living costs.
• Car seat. Buy new and check it fits your car (or the taxi or private-hire rides you'll take).
• Cot or bassinet and mattress. A firm, flat, well-fitting mattress is a safety item, best bought new.
• Stroller. Prices vary enormously, and second-hand can be excellent value.

• Borrow or buy second-hand clothes, carriers, high chairs and toys. Babies outgrow them quickly.
• Delay "nice to have" gadgets until you know what your baby actually needs.
• Don't over-buy newborn-size diapers or clothes; many babies outgrow them in weeks.
• Buy new for car seats and cot mattresses, and check product recalls for cots and strollers.
• Share a registry with family so gifts cover essentials rather than duplicates.

Many governments and employers help new parents with cash gifts, children's savings accounts, childcare subsidies, tax reliefs and paid parental leave. Rules and amounts change, so check official websites and your employer's HR policies, and only subtract support you're sure of.

In Singapore (as of October 2026), for a Singapore citizen child:

• Baby Bonus Cash Gift: $11,000 for a first or second child and $13,000 for a third or later child, paid in instalments.
• Child Development Account (CDA): a First Step Grant of $5,000 ($10,000 for a third or later child born from 18 February 2025), plus dollar-for-dollar matching of your savings up to a cap.
• From April 2027, the Baby Bonus and Large Families Scheme will be replaced by the SG Child Support Package. Children born from 1 April 2027 get a $10,000 Baby Gift in two payments within 12 months of birth, a $5,000 CDA First Step Grant and matching up to $5,000. Children turning 1 to 16 from 2026 get $2,000 a year in Child Credits, with the first payout in April 2027. Children already on the Baby Bonus move across automatically.
• Paid leave: for babies born on or after 1 April 2026, up to 30 weeks of government-paid leave between both parents (16 weeks maternity, 4 weeks paternity and 10 weeks shared).

Check the latest figures on LifeSG before you subtract them, and remember most of the Baby Bonus or Baby Gift arrives in instalments, not before the birth.

Once you know your first-year total, decide how much to have saved before birth. A common goal is the one-off costs plus a few months of monthly costs. The Savings Goal Calculator can turn that into a monthly amount. Revisit the plan every few months as prices and plans change.

Imagine a family planning delivery and hospital costs of 3,500, postnatal care of 3,000, a car seat at 400 and a stroller at 600, which makes 7,500 in one-off costs. Monthly, they expect 90 on diapers and 180 on formula from birth, 40 for health insurance, and 800 for infant care from month 4. Their first year comes to 18,420 in their currency: 7,500 one-off plus 10,920 in monthly costs, with month 4 onward being the most expensive. Your numbers will differ. That's exactly why the planner asks for yours.

Childcare often changes the shape of the whole budget. Compare infant care centres, a nanny or foreign domestic helper, grandparents and adjusted working hours on cost, flexibility and what feels right for your family. Include subsidies you're eligible for, registration fees and deposits, and the date care will actually start. Try a couple of versions of the plan to see the difference each option makes.

Budgets made during pregnancy are educated guesses. Once your baby arrives you'll learn what you really use. Come back after a few months, update the numbers and download a fresh PDF. It's a quick way to keep your savings goal realistic.

Start with the categories that apply to you and skip the rest. Empty lines are simply ignored. For monthly costs, pick the month each one starts: diapers usually from birth, solids from around month 7, childcare when your leave ends. Add your household take-home pay if you'd like to see costs as a share of income. Your plan saves automatically on this device, and you can download a PDF to share or a CSV to use in your own spreadsheet.