How much does a baby cost the first year in Canada?

A baby costs $10,000-$30,000+ in the first year depending on childcare needs, where you live, and purchasing choices. Without childcare, expect $8,000-$15,000. With full-time childcare, $25,000-$40,000.

What are the biggest baby expenses in the first year?

The biggest expenses are childcare ($15,000-$30,000/year), followed by nursery setup ($1,500-$5,000), formula if not breastfeeding ($1,800-$3,000), and diapers ($900-$1,500).

How much should I save before having a baby in Canada?

Save $5,000-$15,000 before baby arrives for initial purchases, EI parental leave income gap, and unexpected expenses. More is needed if planning extended parental leave.

Baby Costs First Year Canada 2026 | Complete Budget Guide

First Year Cost Summary

Category	Budget	Mid-Range	Premium
One-time setup	$2,500	$5,500	$12,000+
Monthly ongoing	$500	$1,000	$2,000
Childcare (if used)	—	$15,000	$30,000
Total First Year	$8,500	$17,500	$36,000+

One-Time Purchases (Before Baby)

Nursery Essentials

Item	Budget	Mid	Premium
Crib	$150	$400	$1,000+
Crib mattress	$80	$200	$400
Dresser/change table	$150	$400	$800
Glider/rocker	$200	$500	$1,500
Bedding set	$50	$150	$300
Blackout curtains	$30	$80	$200
Baby monitor	$50	$150	$400
Subtotal	$710	$1,880	$4,600

Baby Gear

Item	Budget	Mid	Premium
Car seat	$150	$350	$600
Stroller	$200	$600	$1,500
Baby carrier	$50	$180	$350
Diaper bag	$40	$100	$300
Bouncer/swing	$60	$150	$400
Play mat/gym	$40	$100	$250
Bathtub	$25	$50	$100
High chair	$80	$200	$500
Subtotal	$645	$1,730	$4,000

Feeding Supplies

Item	Budget	Mid	Premium
Bottles (set)	$25	$60	$120
Breast pump	$0-$80	$200	$500
Nursing pillow	$30	$70	$130
Bottle warmer	$0	$50	$100
Sterilizer	$0	$80	$180
Bibs (set)	$15	$40	$80
Subtotal	$70	$500	$1,110

Clothing (Newborn-12mo)

Item	Budget	Mid	Premium
Initial wardrobe	$150	$400	$1,000
Ongoing (year)	$200	$500	$1,200
Winter gear	$75	$150	$400
Subtotal	$425	$1,050	$2,600

Monthly Recurring Costs

Diapers and Wipes

Option	Monthly	Annual
Disposable (budget brand)	$60	$720
Disposable (name brand)	$100	$1,200
Cloth diapers	$30*	$360*
Wipes	$20-$40	$240-$480

*Cloth requires $400-$800 upfront investment.

Feeding

Method	Monthly	Annual
Breastfeeding	$0-$50	$0-$600
Formula (standard)	$150	$1,800
Formula (specialty)	$250-$400	$3,000-$4,800
Baby food (6mo+)	$50-$100	$300-$600

Healthcare

Expense	Monthly	Annual
Vitamins/supplements	$10	$120
Baby Tylenol/meds	$5	$60
Rx (as needed)	Variable	$0-$500
Massage/physio (if needed)	Variable	$0-$1,000

Childcare (If Returning to Work)

Option	Monthly	Annual
Daycare (Toronto/Vancouver)	$1,800-$2,500	$21,600-$30,000
Daycare (other major cities)	$1,200-$1,800	$14,400-$21,600
Nanny	$2,500-$4,000	$30,000-$48,000
Nanny share	$1,500-$2,500	$18,000-$30,000
Family member	$0	$0
Quebec subsidized	$200-$300	$2,400-$3,600

Monthly Budget Examples

Single Income (Parental Leave)

Category	Monthly
Diapers/wipes	$100
Formula/feeding	$150
Clothing	$50
Healthcare	$25
Activities	$25
Miscellaneous	$50
Total	$400

Dual Income (With Childcare)

Category	Monthly
Childcare	$1,800
Diapers/wipes	$100
Formula/feeding	$150
Clothing	$75
Healthcare	$50
Activities	$50
Miscellaneous	$75
Total	$2,300

Parental Leave Income Gap

EI Parental Benefits

Benefit Type	Duration	Rate
Maternity	15 weeks	55% of earnings
Standard parental	35 weeks	55% of earnings
Extended parental	61 weeks	33% of earnings
Max weekly (2025)	—	~$668/week

Income Gap Example

Item	Amount
Pre-baby income	$70,000/year
EI benefit (55%)	$38,500/year
Income gap	$31,500/year
Monthly shortfall	$2,625

Tip: Budget for this gap before baby arrives.

Employer Top-Up

Situation	Benefit
Employer top-up to 95%	Minimal income gap
No top-up	Full EI gap
Self-employed (no EI)	No income

What You Actually Need

Essentials (Can’t Skip)

Item	Notes
Car seat	Required by law
Safe sleep space	Crib, bassinet, or pack n play
Diapers	Disposable or cloth
Onesies (5-7)	Basic clothing
Feeding supplies	Bottles or nursing supplies
Blankets (2-3)	Swaddles, receiving blankets

Nice to Have

Item	Notes
Stroller	Not needed immediately
Swing/bouncer	Many babies love, some don’t
Baby monitor	Depends on home layout
Diaper bag	Any bag works

Can Wait or Skip

Item	Notes
Crib (first 6 months)	Bassinet fine initially
High chair	Not needed until 6 months
Shoes	Babies don’t walk
Wipe warmer	Unnecessary
Changing table	Change baby anywhere
Nursery decorations	Baby doesn’t care

Money-Saving Tips

Before Baby

Strategy	Savings
Baby registry	Get gifts
Buy used (FB Marketplace)	50-80%
Accept hand-me-downs	100%
Stock up on diapers on sale	20-30%
Skip newborn size diapers	Buy size 1
Gender-neutral items	Reuse for #2

During First Year

Strategy	Savings
Breastfeed (if possible)	$1,800-$3,000/year
Make own baby food	$500/year
Cloth diapers	$500-$800/year
Buy seasonal clothes on sale	50%+
Library programs	Free activities
Facebook Buy Nothing groups	Free items

Childcare Savings

Strategy	Savings
Extended parental leave	Delays childcare costs
$10/day childcare waitlist	Up to $20,000/year
Nanny share	50% vs solo nanny
Family help	Full or partial savings
Home daycare vs center	20-40%

Government Benefits

Canada Child Benefit

Child Age	Monthly (Max)	Annual (Max)
Under 6	$649	$7,787
6-17	$548	$6,570

Helps offset baby costs significantly.

Tax Deductions

Benefit	Details
Childcare expenses	Deduct up to $8,000-$11,000
GST/HST credit	Income-based
Provincial benefits	Varies

What to Buy When

Before Birth

Item	When
Car seat	34+ weeks
Bassinet/crib	34+ weeks
Basic clothing	30+ weeks
Diapers	30+ weeks
Breast pump	34+ weeks

Wait Until After Birth

Item	Why Wait
Stroller	Know your lifestyle first
Bottles	See feeding preference
Formula	May not need
Most toys	Gifts will come