Budget advice to prepare for baby

[travelgirl06]

We have a 3YO and a 9 month old, when YDD was born there were 4 of us and two dogs in a 800 sq foot house, so we did a lot of downsizing and focusing on necessities. As others have said, every baby is different, but here are our must-haves:

*Rock-and-play sleeper - this fold up and is a great place for baby to play/rest, we used it from about 0-3 months in lieu of a bassinet (no space for a full bassinet)
*swaddle blankets (or the LARGE receiving blankets, the small square ones are too small), the nurses at the hospital should help with the technique, you'll want several because you'll go through a lot
* pacifiers - if baby takes one, buy a lot. There's nothing worse than not having one when you need it
* car seat - we like the infant seat that you can pop in and out of the car, but this will require you to buy a convertible seat fairly soon.
* diapers - I did cloth with ODD which probably saved money, our current daycare doesn't do cloth so YDD is in disposables, I always stock up when they are on sale, no need to pay full price. I'm also very satisfied with many if the store brands (same goes for formula, although if you can nurse that's a good way to save money too)
* infant-to-toddler booster - this goes on top of a normal chair, easy to remove if you need the chair for guests, no bulky high chair and reasonably priced (really not needed til baby is a few months old, but very useful!)
* for newborn/infant clothes you really only need onesies and pjs (depending on climate/time of year). The outfits at the store are adorable, but onesies and cozy pjs are much easier

If you have any friends with recent babies maybe look into borrowing stuff. A group of my friends passes stuff around to whoever has a baby at the right age, it saves everyone a lot of money and ensures the products get good use. I'm always happy to lend out baby stuff that we aren't currently using, I'd much rather it be put to use than be sitting in my closet.

 

[Iowajes]

Will the baby have a stay at home parent?

My husband and I are planning for a baby in the next year or two, and we've started paying the equivalent of daycare towards our mortgage, to get used to that HUGE amount being taken out of the budget each month. When the baby comes, we'll stop the extra payment toward the mortgage, and give it to the daycare instead, but in the mean-time we are getting a pretty good head-start towards paying down that loan, and saving a lot on interest.

If you don't have a mortgage, doing your best to set aside for daycare, or even half of daycare, each month might be a great way to get started on an emergency fund for the baby, and so that it isn't such a huge shock to the budget. And if you just set it aside each month, it will be easier to buy things as they are needed, and not worry about breaking the bank everytime something comes up.

A baby needs two parents that adore and love it.

A baby needs love more than it needs things, I definitely agree with that . But this seems really insulting to all the single parents who have done amazing jobs raising their kids. Or all the amazing grandparents/aunt/uncles/guardians who have raised wonderful children but are not their parents.

 

[bettymae1121]

I disagree on needing a pack n play. We found one very useful as we have a two story house, the PnP (with changing station) was great for baby to nap during the day and diaper changes without having to trudge upstairs 20x a day. But for a single story home or apartment, they are just a waste of space, IMO. Once DD refused to nap in it starting around 6 months, we packed it up and it's sat in the basement ever since. We got our money's worth but again, only because we essentially used it as a 2nd nursery for downstairs.

You don't need a full size crib right away, baby can sleep in a bassinette in your room. Much easier for night feedings to have baby right on hand. I got lucky and was able to borrow a bassinette from a friend for free, but I don't think basic ones cost that much. You can then take your time a search for a good deal on a new (always new, never used!) crib. I think we spent $100 on our full size crib with a sale price and coupon. And we got it in white, so we could use it for future kids regardless of décor of the nursery or gender of future babies.

While "breast is best" sometimes you do need to bottle feed. I really liked my bottle sterilizer, you could sterilize bottles and breast pump parts in the microwave. I also got the bottles that were compatible with my breast pump (Philips, great inexpensive pump and I love the bottles too!) so that made pumping for 8 months straight, well - not easy, but at least a bit easier to manage. You may not want to buy a pump/bottles right away until you know if breastfeeding works out, but you can put the pump/bottles/sterilizer on your Amazon "wish list" so you can quickly order them and have them at your door in a day or two, should the need arise.

I also loved our high chair, it was the small kind that you just strap to your kitchen table chair. It was cheap at $50, didn't take up any extra room, and worked as both a high chair and a booster. DD used it from the time she started getting table food until she was about 2.5 (then she decided she was a "big girl" and wanted to sit in a regular chair. Just upped and refused to sit in it at dinner one night, and never went back).

Water proof pads (not the fitted sheet kind, just the flat kind). Have one or two of these, you never know when you might need a flat but waterproof thing to lay on a couch or to protect a car seat. Heck I used one on the car seat I was sitting on on the way to the hospital, in case my water broke while we were driving.

I bought all my bibs and onesies in white, so we could use them for additional babies down the road, regardless of gender. I do the same thing with socks (also if all the socks are white, you don't waste time with matching when you do the laundry).

Many people will tell you not to bother with NB or 3 month sizes as babies grow out of them quickly, or are born already too big for them. While I'm sure this can be true, it isn't always. My full term (40 weeks to the day!) DD was only 6.5 pounds at birth and was SWIMING in NB sizes, she actually could fit in preemie sizes the 1st 3 weeks or so. Fortunately I had a bunch of NB size on hand so it wasn't an issue, but I sure am glad I didn't need to send DH to Target the first few days because we had nothing that safely fit DD. At least have a couple of sleep n plays in both NB and 3 months size, to give you some time to go out and buy more if needed.

Speaking of sleep n plays (those one piece outfits that look like pj's), DD lived in them the 1st 6 months or so, I rarely bothered with dresses or tops/pants for her. Inexpensive, easy to get on/off, baby can nap/sleep in it comfortably, easy to toss an extra one in the diaper bag when on the go, and you didn't have to "think" about what to dress her in or that it matched, you just grabbed the one sitting on top of the stack and went about your business.

I found both the Boppie pillow and the Bumbo infant seat to be a waste. The pillow wasn't comfortable for me and DD hated to Bumbo. Other people/babies love them. If possible, borrow one of each for a week or so to see if you find them useful before buying (infants can't use a Bumbo but older infants can. I think they need to be able to hold their head up before they can use it).

 

[Zooshoveller]

Hey! I am currently expecting my first child & am looking into all of the different options. It's amazing & a little overwhelming how much stuff there is out there that companies try to convince you are "must haves". My husband & I live in a fairly small apartment & are on a limited budget so we are trying to determine the absolute necessities...figuring a newborn doesn't actually need at least half of "must haves". I'm starting to set up a registry. At this time, I'm not sure if we'll have many showers, but figure it'll be good for Christmas as well as the completion discounts. It also helps me remember the things that I saw that I liked! I'm curious to the parents of little ones out there, do you have any advice on what is actually needed & how to find them at the best price? I'm mainly looking for advice on new items. I know great things can be found through consignment or craigs list...and I'll be checking those options, but that is so hit & miss...besides dealing with the whole safety/recall issues that are harder to know when buying used. I know so much varies depending on the child, but curious to know the best budget tips you might have! Also, any links to freebies or sales would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Must haves that I would buy new - crib, car seat and stroller! Great bottles, we loved Dr Browns. Even if you plan on breast feeding, there may be times where dad or grandma or someone else needs to feed. Angel baby monitor, the kind with the sensor pad that would detect if the baby stops breathing. Saved my friend's baby! A good baby first aid kit, humidifier, and ear thermometer.

A few toys, lots of onesies, and those cheap cloth diapers to use as burp clothes! And bibs!

You won't need a highchair until about 6 months. Pack-N-Plays are good for traveling, or to keep at Grandmas house for naps.

We have twins and rarely used the changing table. I just used a towel on the floor most times. Wipe warmers and diaper genes are nice but you can live without them.

 

[dalmatian7]

I had a bottle warmer that was very handy at 2am so I wasn't standing at a stove with a pot of hot water waiting to warm the bottle.

Congrats on your baby.

I found that my Keurig was useful for this. Just ran hot water from it into a large mug and added bottle. Let it sit for a few minutes it would have frozen breast milk thawed and ready to go.

 

[Northernlites]

Stock up on disposable diapers when they are on sale. The first year and half I found premium ie Pampers were worth the money, no leaks. The following year until toilet training I found generic worked just fine, I liked the ones from Kroger.

Don't waste money on snow boots, babies and newborns never wear them because they are being carried everywhere. Shop second hand for clothes.

Always buy new car seat annd crib. It is better to buy a great car seat that is comfortable then buying many cheap ones that get icky guick. Check out the department of transport ratings on car seats, there are some great ones at reasonable prices.

You don't need an expensive monitor or even a monitor.

 

[Loralei]

Thanks again for all of the tips! I have made a few notes! It will be fun discovering what all works for us & our little one!

 

[mjkacmom]

I just want to mention - powdered formula is not sterile. The recommendation is to use boiled water that is hot enough to kill any bacteria in the formula powder - it has to be at least 70 degrees Celsius - and then let it cool. Feeding formula made from powder and just adding room temperature tap water can be risky, especially if your baby is young or has weakened immune system.

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf

Also, the recommendation is that the baby should sleep in the same room as the parents for at least the first six months - cuts the risk of SIDS in half.

TP

I've never sterilized a bottle, binkie, or water for my babies. Every pediatrician I've ever spoken with has said babies need clean, not sterile. I made bottles with powdered formula and tap water, and have never even heard of babies getting sick from not sterilizing. I was told to not boil the nipples, so they don't break down, and to not boil the water, because so many homes here are very old, and might have lead in the pipes, and boiling just concentrates it.

I've also never heard the recommendation to have the baby sleep in the same room as the parents. However, I've heard of the dangers of co-sleeping. I was not a fan of having babies room in with me - I'm a light sleeper, and would jump up the second my baby made a sound. They all slept in their own rooms, in their cribs, with no monitors. I could always hear them when they cried.

With my twins, I finally discovered how handy a changing table could be - downstairs! Not only was it a handy place to change them, but I also liked storing clothes in it. It was nice not to have to keep running up and down the stairs all day long.

I loved infant car seats, and waited as long as possible to transition to the big ones. I was not a fan of stroller systems, but lived my snap and goes (had a double for the twins). My favorite piece of baby equipment was a bouncy seat.

 

[delmar411]

The only must haves, that I found as true musts were a bouncy seat with vibrations, a bassinet, burp cloths, swaddling blankets, diapers/wipes and an infant carrier. My very nice to have items, a high chair with full recline that adjusts to various height. It can be used as a place to put a baby while you are cooking dinner, doing the dishes, having dinner or whatnot. Also the best stroller you can afford. A really nice, lightweight, full feature, small close stroller is worth the money. Instead of buying a bunch of strollers over the years, you just need the 1. Saves money in the long run. My favorite stroller was our Pliko Lite. I used that stroller for 7 years and it was still in amazing condition and able to pass it along to someone else. Babies don't need wipe warmers or changing tables or cribs or much of anything. They like to be dry, warm and fed. Thats about it. You have nature's perfect food at the perfect temp with the perfect 'sanitation' hanging off your chest. It is free, fast and always readily available. Clothes for newborns should be easy to get off and easily cleaned because they will poop and spit up on them. You might want to get pacifiers as well but those can be hit or miss. If I was on a budget and was expecting a baby the above is what I would get. I have 4 kids and have been through all the gear. Most of it gets used for very little time, if it gets used at all.

And nothing but the carseat needs to be new. It is a waste of money to buy new for just a few months of use.