🛏️ Nursery Budget Calculator
Add your planned nursery purchases and their estimated costs to see your total setup budget.
What the total counts
Each row is a name and a cost, and the total is their sum - nothing is categorised, taxed or spread over time:
total = sum of every Cost fieldThe five rows it starts with - crib and mattress $350, changing table $150, car seat $200, stroller $250, clothing and diapers $300 - come to $1,250. A row with an empty or unreadable cost counts as $0 rather than breaking the sum, and an unnamed row appears as "Untitled". Add sales tax and delivery as their own lines to match what you will actually pay.
The part a setup budget misses
Everything above is bought once. The costs that follow the baby home are monthly, and they overtake the nursery inside a year:
| Recurring item | Typical month |
|---|---|
| Diapers | $60-80 |
| Wipes and creams | $10-20 |
| Formula, if used | $100-200 |
Secondhand cuts the one-off list hard, and most of it is fair game - dressers, gliders, clothes, a stroller. Car seats are not: one carries an expiry date on the shell, six to ten years from manufacture, and any seat that has been in a crash is finished. Cribs sold new in the US must meet the 2011 federal standard that banned drop-side rails, so an older hand-me-down may not comply.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to set up a nursery?
The default list here totals $1,250, which is a fair midpoint for buying the core items new. Furnishing from secondhand and gifts can halve it; premium travel systems and custom furniture can double it.
Is it safe to buy a used car seat?
Only when you know its full history. Seats expire six to ten years after manufacture and must be replaced after a crash, so a seat from someone you do not know is not worth the saving.
Do I need a changing table?
No. A changing pad on a dresser you already own does the same job, and it is the easiest $150 to take off the list.