The baby bonus is gone. RIP baby bonus. What did you spend yours on?

The baby bonus is gone friends.

RIP baby bonus.

Well, it will be at some point soon. We’re not quite clear on when it will live out it’s final day. (That all depends on getting a bunch of budget savings through the Parliament.)

When the baby bonus was introduced by the Howard Government in 2004, there was a lot of speculation that parents would use it to buy plasma TVs. Not so, it would seem, if the mother’s of the Mamamia office are any indication.

My baby bonus was spent on illustrious items like baby bottles and teats, and an electronic breast pump.

Mamamia's Podcast General Manager, Holly Wainwright says, "I used it to fund a month or so at home that I would otherwise not have had. So I bought TIME, and I think that was the best use for it by far, for us."

Lifestyle Editor, Jacqueline Lunn used her baby bonus to pay for childcare.

Our news writer, Shauna Anderson has three children and used hers to buy a full set of baby kit with her first, pram, cot, eveything. With her second and third, she used hers as additional income while on maternity leave.

Commissioning Editor, Isabel Lo spent hers on a change table, which she now says is a complete waste of money (take note, pregnant readers) and a feeding chair.

According to mummy-forum members and Facebook mothers group members, many families used the baby bonus to pay for private obstetric care, or to pay for vehicle upgrades to accommodate their new little bundles of joy.

Some mums say they used the money to "get ahead", to catch up on bills and make sure debts were squared away. One mother on the Huggies forums said she used the baby bonus to collect and store cord blood.

What did you spend your baby bonus on?

Listen to This Glorious Mess, Mamamia's podcast for imperfect parents.