Any baby budget ideas out there/ways to save

[DAISYDUCKRN]

My DBF daughter is expecting her first baby in the early spring. She is a college student with limited funds, although both families will help out. Wanting to hear from experienced moms regarding your budget friendly ideas for newborns/infants during the first year. What did you do to help save money while not compromising the care and products for a newborn. Any make your own wipe ideas. They will NOT be using cloth diapers so no need to talk about that option. Can the baby bath solutions go with some water to extend the use out of that. I have no idea what will be a good idea to save some money or not when it comes to baby stuff. Also, they want to purchase a decent brand stroller, etc, not the bottom of the line stuff, but something that will last and hold up well. Any Dis advice is appreciated and I will pass along to my DBF, Thanks

 

[LuLuO]

I don't think you need to water down the baby bath products. I used California Baby and only had to use a tiny amount to wash the babies. A small bottle ($9) lasted us about 10 months with just one baby and we bathed her every two to three days unless she got really messy.

Buy clothes at consignment shops and thrift stores. Around here, baby clothes at goodwill are $1 each piece and over 24month up to girls/boys sizes are generally $2 a piece.

Don't buy a used car seat because you don't know if the shell has been weakened by an accident. I like the graco infant seats. The graco snugride 35 is a good seat. It is a bit on the expensive side but it will last longer than most of the less expensive brands. I also used a stroller frame instead of a full setup. Loved the stroller frame because it had a big basket, adjustable handle and it was so easy to just snap the frame in. I used that combo until DD moved to a convertible car seat at 1 year old. Then I bought an good quality umbrella type stroller that reclined.

Also, breastfeeding can be a great way to save money. She would want to invest in a good pump if she is going to go back to school or work right away but the cost of the pump is made up pretty quickly by the money she'd save on formula.

Target brand wipes are great. Even though I used cloth diapers with DD I did not like using cloth wipes.

ETA: Craigslist can be great for baby gear like swings and bouncers. Meet in a very public place though. Also, I used Pampers newborns but after that switched to Luvs.

 

[TeamH5]

Well, lemme tell you...

Diapers:
I found Target to be the cheapest, make sure to use Coupons. However, on Black Friday, Babies R Us will usually do cases of Diapers for $10. BUY THEM. Keep the receipt and exchange as needed for size changes, etc.. But trust me you will use enough to warrant buying at least 5 or 6 cases. Also, the larger the pack you buy, the cheaper the diapers are (Per diaper if you figure it out)

Formula:
If going this route, I used Target Store brand formula. It's half the price and doesn't sacrifice quality. My girls (twins, that's how I know all the secrets!) are 5 and smart as whips, so trust me that no quality is sacrificed. And again, the larger containers are actually cheaper when you figure it out per ounce.

Strollers:
We went to a high end baby furniture store just to look around, and ended up walking out with the floor model stroller for like 1/2 the price.. It was the last one they had left so we took it, didn't even realize they'd give us a discount, that was an added bonus! I've asked BRU, they won't do it so you have to hit the smaller type stores, but there is definetly steep discounts to be had..

Clothes:
Really, Wal-Mart worked just fine for our kids for the first 3 years. They go through clothes so quickly that they hardly have time to wear them out, let alone wear them! No need to spend a lot of money here. Also maybe hit some second hand stores, clothes at this size are generally in very good shape since they aren't worn very often, and babies don't really tend to get stuff terribly dirty (not like toddlers anyways!) Also, check out The Children's Place. Sign up for their birthday club, rewards club, etc.. And keep an eye out for coupons. They are amazingly cheap when you shop their sales racks with coupons. I'm talking like $1 for shirts/shorts, etc...

Wipes:
Personally I never did do the homemade wipes, but you can take a small amount of Baby Soap, mix it with water, and put it in a wipes container, then fold up a bunch of those Select-a-size paper towels and put inside, Viva Brand is the softest. If you google homemade baby wipes there's a recipe.. I never thought it was worth the trouble nor did I compare the price of the Papertowels vs. the premade wipes..

Diaper Genie:
No need for expensive Diaper Pail and added bags.. recycled grocery bags work WONDERS for dirty diapers so long as it's taken out daily. Which, any diaper pail should be emptied daily really!

Hope that helps a little.

 

[sunlover13]

If anyone belongs to Sam's Club, I found their diapers comparable to Pampers and a lot cheaper. My DS is in a size 3 diaper and I'm paying about .15 per diaper. They have Member's Mark brand (Sam's club) wipes too.

I made my own baby food. I purchased the Beaba babycook. I paid $118 for the machine on Amazon. I'll sell it on ebay and probably get more than 1/2 of what I paid for it. I never had to buy any jar baby food, just fresh fruits and veggies.

I agree with the stroller frame. I loved using the stroller frame when the baby was still in an infant car seat. Once he moved out, we have a Maclaren Triumph. You can find great deals on strollers if you google (froogle.com). No tax & free shipping are offered on a lot of mom and pop shops.

Check with others for hand me down clothes. They grow out of them so fast, it's not worth buying a lot of new clothes.

Breastfeeding saves tons of $ on formula. She will need a pump, but again, resell it after she is done on ebay. People buy used pumps and just buy new attachments.

Is she having a shower? She will get most of the necessities there if she registers.

If she doesn't belong to Sam's Club, check out Amazon Mom and diapers.com for diapers. Delivered to your door and cheaper than buying them at a store like Target or Toys R Us.

Hope that helps!

 

[mandas08]

Target clears out alot of their baby items in January. Start looking next week and you will find HUGE discounts. I think it is all 15-30% off right now. I was able to get stroller,high chair, and car seat 50% off last year.

 

[mandas08]

I have saved tons on diapers by combining target and manufacturer coupons. Tell her to make baby registries...thats how you get store coupons.

 

[Marionnette]

My DBF daughter is expecting her first baby in the early spring. She is a college student with limited funds, although both families will help out. Wanting to hear from experienced moms regarding your budget friendly ideas for newborns/infants during the first year. What did you do to help save money while not compromising the care and products for a newborn. Any make your own wipe ideas. They will NOT be using cloth diapers so no need to talk about that option. Can the baby bath solutions go with some water to extend the use out of that. I have no idea what will be a good idea to save some money or not when it comes to baby stuff. Also, they want to purchase a decent brand stroller, etc, not the bottom of the line stuff, but something that will last and hold up well. Any Dis advice is appreciated and I will pass along to my DBF, Thanks

Start stocking up on diapers now since they don't "go bad". Check some of the couponing websites for deals. Livingrichwithcoupons.com publishes a list of where to get name brand diapers cheap each week.

Hand me downs is not a dirty word (make that "3-word phrase"). Old cribs, strollers, bouncers, clothing, blankets, etc. If they are clean and gently used, then there should be no shame in accepting them. Let family members know that the kids could use some help and ask for anything that they might want to clear out. The exceptions would be really old cribs (acceptable standards have changed over the years) and carseats, as previously mentioned.

I don't see a reason to water down any of the baby products because you will only be saving pennies if you do. And you will use more of the watered down product just to get the baby clean. The only advantage to watering down the bath products would be that you don't end up with a big blob of it on your wash cloth. My kids were bathed every day and sometimes more if there were any "explosive" situations. We didn't spend a ton on bath products. I just watched for sales on the ones that I used.

Have the mother to be sign up at all of the baby formula websites so that they will send her coupons when the baby arrives. Those coupons are gold! And formula is expensive. But it's something that you can't cut corners on or water down in order to stretch it.

 

[dawnn12]

when my dd's were small i used sams and bjs clubs(mainly bj's you can use coupons and they will even send out special kids booklet one with formula and diaper ones) i also went to target and walmart for clothes. i live about an hr away from a carters outlet. i went there around march one year got a bench of winter stuff on clearence for the next winter and some really good deals on summer clothes...hth...make sure they look for sales and end of season clearence stuff

 

[Shelly888]

For us, it was breastfeeding and using store brand diapers. Some people complain, but we never had issues with Walmart brand diapers. I also advocate for baby-led weaning http://nourishedkitchen.com/baby-led-weaning/ I think it's a natural, old fashioned, yet extremely sensible, approach to feeding. Clothes and gear second hand (except car seat), everything from crib sheets, to towels, to baby bath tubs, can be found for a fraction of the price.

I will say that with our first, we bought much more new, but by the time number 2 came, we realized, that we could take #2 to Disney that much quicker if we saved as much as we could. BTW, we didn't 'have' to buy and save as much as we did, but for us, it made much more financial sense to do so.

 

[njmom47]

Will she have a baby shower? My dd got a ton of stuff at hers. If not, I belong to Freecycle, and people are ALWAYS getting rid of baby stuff...for free! Sometimes the quality may differ, but usually babies grow so fast, their clothes do not look used at all. There are strollers, bouncy seats, etc. The only thing you have to be careful with is cribs, as many of them are on recall for the drop-down sides. We have given away baby stuff as well. Name-brand diapers are not necessary IMO. DD uses CVS brand and they seem to be just fine. Congrats!
PS Yes, be careful with used car seats too.

 

[Irin997]

Have a HUGE baby shower and have her register for everything she could ever need. And then, don't buy anything until afterward to see what you need to fill in the gaps.

Breastfeeding is a big time cost savings as are cloth diapers but you've already said they aren't an option. I know a lot of DIS moms save on diapers with the subscribe and save from Amazon.com but I don't know much about it.

Carter's outlets are awesome for getting super cute and good quality clothing at a big discount.

Lastly, don't think you need the latest gadget. You can make do with just the necessities.


ETA: When baby is on solids, making your own food is so freaking simple I don't know why more parents don't do it. Just having a magic bullet or good blender is all you need really. You can use ice cube trays to freeze the baby food and then store in baggies when frozen. Pop one out, microwave, and it's done.

 

[MissouriPrincess]

When spring comes, hit the garage sales. The right sale will have nice clothes at great prices. We bought lots of gear using Craigslist, and then we relisted it when my DD outgrew it so we could purchase something else.

I used Pampers when my DD was first born, but then I switched to the Wal-Mart brand. Some babies do better with different diapers, so you may need to experiment. I also just purchased a Target store brand case of diapers, and they work well.

I food processed some fruits and cooked vegetables for baby food and then froze the puree in ice cube trays. The size of the cubes was a great serving size, and they were easy to pop out and keep in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. I did prunes the most; you have to boil them in water first, but DD needed prunes daily!

Dilute white grape juice when it is time to offer juice.

I never used a diaper genie or diaper pail. I just put the diaper in one of a million store bags I had already and took it straight out to the dumpster.

I bought a Bumbo seat off Craigslist, but she only used it for a couple of weeks. Some people love them, but it wasn't really necessary for us.

A bouncy seat was wonderful for us when she was little. She would often nap in it, and she was able to be near us in whatever room we were in. I bought a vibrating one at a garage sale for $15.

A miracle blanket just may save your sanity. They sell for $30, but I've seen them on ebay for less. Watch youtube to see how it works.

I could go on and on, but I guess the main thing is to buy used when you can. The only homemade thing I did was the baby food.

 

[moonpie85]

This is ironic because I just posted to another thread yesterday that was basically asking same thing. I had a total of 30 mins to prepare for our newborn. Yes....30 minutes. That adoption call was very quick and very unexpected but thank the Lord! Anyways, I learned from that that you actually "need" very little for a baby. Sure there were things I wish I had had but if you're really watching your dimes don't worry too much about 95% of the baby products out there because they truly aren't necessary.

The only large items that I couldn't live without were a crib (a packnplay would work if need be), a swing, and a carseat.

Then of course the necessities of clothing, food, diapers, wipes.

 

[kimkoz]

Hopefully the family throws her a shower, I'm sure in that case she will get the majority of her main items - Stroller, Baby Bath, Car Seats, Bouncy Seat, etc.
Have her register for many things, its best to give options and I know alot of poeple feel greedy but I'd rather have 50 items to chose from then 10 that are lost in the store.


New mothers get so much for the younger years. If it was a friend of mine and I wanted to stock up now to give a gift later I'd buy onies - larger sizes 9 -12 and higher.

Diapers - If they don't know about coupons its time to read up. I have found buying at Target is the cheapest for us. When Target gives out thier Huggies coupons I'm able to stack them with a manu. coupon too. Around here the men have thier own little party to celebrate the new baby - No bashing, we just like to entertain in our group of friends and family. The guys do a diaper and beers party about a month before. It's a little guys night out where each man brings a package of diapers and some drinks. They play cards and hang out. With our 2nd child that supported us diaper wise for a good 6 months. We have alot of unmarried men and they had no trouble brining a box.. lol. I wasn't going to say no. I provided some snacks and they didn't need much more then that.

Wipes - I just buy with coupons, I've found that name brand can be the same price or lower when using coupons. I have friends that make thier own too and its really easy.

Shampoo and such - Another thing I got tons of from the shower but I just stored it away. There are tons of deals on this, just buy on sale. You are going to use it for year so its really not a big deal. Of course there is always a chance for an allergy but I've been lucky. You only use a small amount.

Clothes - Take hand me downs. I love them for the younger children. Before they start walking those clothes are normally in mint condition. Check out garage sales. I swear some outfits my kids never or only wore once. If you do recieve new clothes as a gift I would recommend not going crazy with washing right away.. I staple the reciept to the outfit because like I said before there are times the season and size of the child don't mix and the outfit is never worn. Worse case you can exchange for a larger size.

Shoe's - I'd hold off.. I love them by all means but my kids really never wore them too much until later when they started walking. Another great hand me down item.

 

[reginaastralis]

Target already has a lot of their baby stuff on clearance. We are trying for #2 this year, and I called my boyfriend and (jokingly) asked if I could buy a boy and a girl crib set. lol. I liked both, and I figured I could sell the second. He just thinks I'm insane, and politely, told me no.

Don't forget that you can combine coupons at Target to get diapers for really cheap. I've been stocking up for my friend that's due in Feb whenever they go on sale, and there is a Target coupon and a manufacturer's coupon.

 

[LJSquishy]

I am not a parent but have tried for years, so I have done a lot of research.

You don't need much other than a crib and a car seat. I would skip the baby swings, bouncers, etc, unless she can get one for free or gently used for less than half the price. They outgrow those items SO FAST.

Buy all used clothes! Craigslist, consignment shops, and mom swap meets are great! Newborns will only wear clothes for a few weeks before going up to the next size, so even used clothes are essentially new.

When the baby is older, skip baby food altogether. It is completely unnecessary. Baby can eat what mom and dad eat (obviously within reason). Those jars of baby food are outrageously priced and are such a gimmick.

My sister-in-law has an 18 month old and never even purchased child gates for the house. I think those are also unnecessary if you are able to watch your child (which you should be). She uses the Target brand wipes and diapers (Up and Up). Also, most of her toys are hand-me-downs or used. She has quality over quantity. My other niece and nephew have gobs of new toys and don't appreciate them at all.

 

[torinsmom]

All equipment can be bought used, except for the car seat. I am amazed at the nice, clean stuff I see at the thrift shop. Also, if you buy a crib used, make sure it has not been recalled. If you know someone with a little one who has outgrown their car seat, and you trust that it hasn't been in an accident, I would do used on the car seat as well. I would recommend an infant car seat, even though they will outgrown it more quickly. It is really handy to be able to transfer the baby from the car to the house and not have them wake up.

Almost all my son's clothing from newborn to 3 or 4 years came from yard sales or thrift shops. You would never have known it to look at him, as you can find some really nice, name brand stuff. One thing I won't buy used is shoes, just because everyone's feet are shaped differently.

We used the cheapest diapers, usually Luvs, and store brand formula was great. I did regular baby food, but if I had another baby, I would buy the Baby Bullet---http://www.walmart.com/ip/As-Seen-on-TV-BPA-Free-Baby-Bullet-Baby-Food-Maker-20-Piece-Set/15939464 to save money and make healthier food.

Some things I think are a waste of money are wipe warmers and bottle warmers(hot water in a bowl works more quickly). You also don't need all the fancy crib bedding, and it is, in fact, dangerous for little babies.