Having a baby in Msia is an expensive affair!

Out of curiosity, I visited Mothercare Malaysia website to compare the price of items I've purchased from Mothercare UK.

I was taken aback by the price in MYR for the exact same items I've purchased. Even after converting the price to MYR, it was still cheaper to purchase baby items here.

The next thing that came to mind was it is not easy to financially support a baby in Malaysia. I wonder at times how lower income families with a few children manage their finances. How did my parents manage to support us financially?

I asked a friend today whether it would cost about MYR10K to financially support a newborn. She said it would probably be a lot more. I can imagine. Simple math would tell you this:

1) Labor, hospitalisation (natural birth) at private hospital : ~ MYR4K
(For C-section, may cost ~ MYR7k)
2) Confinement fee : ~ MYR3K
3) Baby items (Clothings, cot, strollers, infant car seat, other basic essentials - Depending on what quality and brand) : ~ MYR4K to 5K

Well of course nothing is perfect given that people in the UK pay high taxes. Nursery or child minder is not cheap either. So there is a trade off.

A sigh of relief for me now as the baby stroller, baby cot, mattress and other essentials finally arrived 2 days ago. Expecting the infant car seat in a few more days. There are a few more items to buy. Hopefully I can tick it off the checklist soon. The next thing to do is pack the hospital bag.

The advice is to be fully prepared by 36 weeks because baby can POP at anytime!