FROM the first pregnancy testing kit to childcare, social activities and education, having a baby will cost you a small fortune - £52,605 to be precise. And this doesn't even cover hidden costs such as giving up your job or buying a bigger car. Karen Stephen asks, where does it all go?

WHEN it comes to having a baby, be prepared to spend, spend, spend.

Twenty-five years ago, nobody had even heard of travel systems, off-roaders, video baby monitors or four-dimensional scans. And the idea that a pram could come in any other colour than navy blue would have been nothing more than outlandish.

Not so now.

The array of clothes, equipment and toys is both vast and exquisite, and even the thrifty will be hard pressed to stick to their guns when faced with row after row of sleek buggies in the latest fabrics and designs.

When couples decide to start a family, little do they know how much they will have to fork out over the years.

A spokeswoman for Mothercare in Bolton says planning is key.

"Mothercare offers a nursery planner (www.mothercare.com), and we advise parents to plan ahead as much as possible," she said.

"Parenthood is expensive, no matter how old the child, and the best way to budget is to break things down.

"Our advice is to start buying something every few weeks - perhaps getting larger items for the nursery once a month - and smaller items in bulk.

"When relatives ask if they can help out by buying certain items - accept!"

This sounds like sterling advice. But for many aspiring mums and dads, planning starts way before conception - and even that can cost money.

The moment they decide to become parents, many switched-on couples switch to an organic diet. An extra £17 a week for fresh fruit and vegetables comes to £680 for a 40- week pregnancy. This is backed up by vitamin supplements, which can come in at around £10 a month.

Once conception has taken place, a pregnancy testing kit can cost up to £15. And how many parents-to-be do you know who haven't spent at least £50 on pregnancy and baby books?

Maternity clothes are also big business, with essentials like big knickers, maternity bras and a couple of dresses costing a bargain £200.

Anything extra - clothes for the office or more formal wear - can mean up to £1,000. Add a collection of anti-stretch mark creams and you are an extra £30 out-of-pocket. While NHS scans are free and are a perfect way of checking everything is fine with your unborn baby, if you really can't wait to see what junior looks like then you can have a four-dimentional scan for £180. This will let you see your child's face as a moving image.

Now you've seen him or her, it's on to the birth. Even if you are having a National Health Service birth, you may find that some of the equipment needed is not free.

You might need to hire a Tens machine for pain relief at £27.50 for four weeks. And read any birthing book and you will discover you will need to take a well-packed "labour bag" to hospital with you, setting you back £50 for essentials like socks, two nighties and toiletries.

Should you opt for a private birth, you could spend considerably more. London's Portland Hospital - birthplace to countless celebrity babies - charges £2,950 for the first 24 hours of a standard delivery.

Once baby arrives, however, the money does not stop there. Most new mums are too shattered to think of housework, let alone do it. A cleaner is a godsend for exhausted mothers, at an average of £450 for for the first three months.

Equipment doesn't come cheap, with the cheapest Moses basket costing around £30. Baby will soon move into a cot, though - £250. And don't forget all the bedding and nursery furniture, at around £400.

Every parent and child needs a baby monitor, and these days a video one can set you back a cool £190. As baby starts to walk, you will need a stairgate, window locks and plug covers - £135 plus. Toddlers are always hungry, so expect to fork out about £1,000 a month on baby food until it's one. Then you can expect to spend up to £610 a year to feed a child, amounting to £2,440 by its fifth birthday.

At the other end, there are the nappies to buy - £1,126 for disposables for the first three years. And baby wipes and toiletries will add up to £700 for the first five.

Without spending like Beckham in the clothes department, you can expect to see over £500 a year being spent on togs and another couple of hundred on toys.

The biggest cost of all, however, is childcare. Although costs vary tremendously from area to area, one thing is for certain - if a mum is going back to work full-time, then costs are steep. Childminding costs over four years can reach £27,000 plus.

Kaye McIntosh is editor of Pregnancy and Birth Magazine.

She says: "Having a baby is probably one of the costliest things on earth, but the best thing that will ever happen to a couple.

"And, if money is tight, don't despair. Ultimately, the only equipment a baby must have brand new is a cot mattress and a car seat. Babies won't know whether their outfit is made of wool or cashmere."

The Cost of Having a Baby in 2005 was undertaken for Pregnancy & Birth Magazine