Need to start budgeting for BABY!!

[Karenj2]

Karenj2 - Went to Babies R Us yesterday. I picked up a few things, a baby book, a sheet and a blanket set. My aunt bought us the highchair I had been looking at. (What a great suprise!) It was nice, and I'm glad we went, but happy that we didn't make a special trip to go. Anything new on your end?

Karenj2 - Anything new?

Hi again! Sorry, I lost track of this thread, so I didn't see your questions... Not much is new at the moment, although this weekend DH and I stopped to browse at BRU as well. We didn't get anything (I'm still afraid of jinxing this!), but we started to get a feel for what's out there. Holy moley there's a lot out there! It just reinforces my thought that I want to be as simple as possible...

As for "stuff", my sister has gathered 3 bags of stuff - some bedding, toys (those big leggos, little people, some puzzles), etc. which is waiting for me. My MIL is giving us the cradle that her kids slept in (!), which (if safe) I'll use in our room. My SIL is giving my MIL the crib that her son used so Nemo will have a place to sleep at their house. (Honestly, I can't imagine letting our kid sleep over without me being there, but whatever...)

By the way - I TOTALLY recommend the Baby Bargains book (THANK YOU whomever recommended it to me!! ). That book was great as we were getting overwhelmed at BRU - DH would get all googly at a product, and I was able to look it up in the book and find out if it was as good as the packaging made it look...

On a side note - we saw gDiapers at BRU, and DH thought they were so cute, so I might be able to get him willing to try cloth diapers. YEAH!

ah1126 - are you going to find out the baby's sex? We're still undecided...

 

[Adi12982]

On a side note - we saw gDiapers at BRU, and DH thought they were so cute, so I might be able to get him willing to try cloth diapers. YEAH!

I was thinking about g-diapers, but then did the calculations of the cost of the inserts vs. disposable diapers and there was little to no difference (obviously depending on brand and sales - but compared to pampers with the coupons BJ's wholesale puts out every month - they were a wash). Just FYI, do the calculations with cost in your area. Now if you do something like bum genius 3.0 or other cloth that you can use for multiple children it would be a savings - but with having to buy the inserts for the g-diapers I have found there is no real savings - unless you want to do it for convenience and the environment and not cost.

 

[Karenj2]

I was thinking about g-diapers, but then did the calculations of the cost of the inserts vs. disposable diapers and there was little to no difference (obviously depending on brand and sales - but compared to pampers with the coupons BJ's wholesale puts out every month - they were a wash). Just FYI, do the calculations with cost in your area. Now if you do something like bum genius 3.0 or other cloth that you can use for multiple children it would be a savings - but with having to buy the inserts for the g-diapers I have found there is no real savings - unless you want to do it for convenience and the environment and not cost.

It is more for the environment that I'm leaning towards cloth, but I'm hoping that gDiapers could be a "gateway drug" into using something like BG3.0. He was pretty set on disposables for the convenience (even though most likely I'll be doing most of the diapering...), but when he saw the cute covers, he opened his mind a little. Now I just have to show him some BG diapers!

 

[Malibelle]

I am so glad I found this thread. I am expecting our first and this is going to be so helpful! I went into BRU yesterday and was just overwhelmed at all the choices. Although I am going to try to do things on a budget the only thing I am going to splurge on is the stroller. I want the Uppababy stroller but I am waiting to see the features of the 2010 models comming out soon. Its expensive but it will take the baby from birth to age 4 or 5 yrs old.

 

[ah1126]

Karenj2 - We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby!!! I think my husband would like to, but it is something that I have been set on for as long as I can remember.

If I read right, I think you can get washable inserts for the gdiapers.

How are you feeling?

 

[Tracy041500]

My advice- Breastfeed. Its best for you & baby.


Congrats.

 

[lbuzz52]

I didn't read the whole thread but here's my comments.

New carseats - they expire anyway so this gets you the longest use

sign up for all coupons- diapers,formula,stores like target and babies r us. Target and walgreens allow you to stack a store and manufacture coupon.

Stock up at a great price. If huggies are 3.50 after stacking coupons then buy as many as you have coupons. Most stores allow you to exchange sizes later if you misjudge.

Consignment sales are a great place to get equipment like swings etc

target does major baby clearance in January and July. I've bought strollers high chairs car sears etc at 75% off

 

[Karenj2]

Karenj2 - We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby!!! I think my husband would like to, but it is something that I have been set on for as long as I can remember.

If I read right, I think you can get washable inserts for the gdiapers.

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling pretty good - I'm finally getting a bit more sleep, and although I barely had MS, I'm feeling a lot less queasy as well. How about you?

As for finding out the sex - I think we're actually leaning towards finding out. DH wants to, too, and as my sister said, it's going to be a surprise no matter when we find out - either at our 20wk ultrasound or when the baby is born... If we do find out, we're thinking of NOT telling anyone else (unless I slip up) until Christmas.

We went looking at two local "Baby Marts" near us and priced out some nursery furniture. It was a mild heart attack moment, but if I think about it as a long term purchase I don't feel so bad. What stinks is that the store I'm leaning towards is having their "Mega Sale" this Saturday, and we'll be away that weekend! (Luckily they allow for presales starting on Wednesday, but that means we'll have to make a decision ASAP...)

 

[ah1126]

Karenj2-
I am feeling pretty good. I haven't been sick, just tired. Since we started talking I have been given a crib! It isn't what I would have picked out, but how do you say no to a free crib? I also had someone loan me some maternity clothes and an offer of borrowing a bassinet. I still need to find some clothes. Does anyone have any good suggestions of where to find plus-size maternity clothes at a reasonable price? I work at a bank, so I am really in need of work clothes.

You will have to let me know what you decide to do about finding out the sex. If you do find out it would be fun to wait till christmas to tell. Good luck with the funiture. If it is what you want, and a good deal, I say go for it!!

 

[Karenj2]

I forgot to mention - DH's parents gave us the cradle that they used for their 3 kids. It needs some fixing up, but as long as it's safe, I'll be happy to use it! (They also bought a new mattress & sheets for it.)

Have you looked at ebay, Craigslist or Freecycle? I get my local freecycle emails, and I've noticed a few people getting rid of plus-sized maternity wear. Other places I've checked out have been Target & Kohls, but unfortunately the best selection I've found has been the Destination Maternity store (Pea in a Pod, Motherhood Maternity, etc.). I recently got 4 pairs of pants from them (2 jeans, 2 cords), and will just rotate the heck out of them, plus two dress pants from Target. Our office has been casual for a while now, which is nice. For tops, I've just been wearing my normal sweaters/tops (at least the longer ones that fit...)

 

[MommyBryn]

Wow, congratulations!! That is so exciting!!! I'm due around the same time as you, as well! It's a great time of year to have a baby!!!!

IME, you can have a baby for pretty darn cheap. Our babies feel nearly free, really. We have them at home, we breastfeed exclusively, we cloth diaper (only an initial cost), we co-sleep (no need for cribs and all that stuff), we don't use a lot of the baby "stuff" (baby bathtub, exersaucer, highchair, etc), don't to "baby foods", never use bibs, bottles, bumbos, our health care choices aren't exactly "mainstream" so we don't end up spending a lot of money on that kind of thing, etc.

I am a HUGE breastfeeding advocate. If you have trouble, PLEASE seek out a good LC or LLL leader. They will help you! It's SO worth it. We're extended breastfeeders here (WELL past a year...but I don't care to be judged here so will leave it at that ), and the benefits are incredible.

Cloth diapers are like a hobby once you get started. In the last 3.5 years I have pretty much tried one of everything, at least! LOL I HIGHLY recommend getting different types to try instead of buying a whole system of one type to start with. A great benefit to CD's is that you can buy/sell used. Places like Diaperswappers.com are great for that. I have used gDiapers (though only with cloth inserts and not with flushables) and they worked okay, but I probably wouldn't recommend them. Though they're new style diaper is MUCH better than the original. I HATE one-size diapers, particularly BumGenius. They are marketed to be much better than they really are. Granted, the BG's have come a LONG way from their 1.0 to their 3.0's, but they still need to make some serious improvements (mainly in their velcro tab system) if they want their diapers to hold up well for as long as they market them for. I really prefer sized diapers, though. Better fit, for sure.

As for a carseat I recommend the Graco Safeseat (or now I guess it's the Snugride 32). Chicco has a Keyfit 30 but that extra 2lbs and 2" can make a big difference! Other infant seats will likely not last your child the first year...some babies are out of them before 6 months! With the 32, though, there's a good chance it will last you LONGER than a year if you choose to continue using it then. THEN you can find a good convertible. (I agree with the albeebaby.com rec. for buying seats) Convertible carseats are often designed to be used from birth but really, if you see a teeny tiny newborn in those, it's obvious they're not made FOR newborns like infant carseats are.

I HAVE purchased a few BIG spendy baby items, the most expensive being my Phil & Ted's double stroller, but even that I got used. At first you might have to be the one to buy the baby things you need, but from then on you can consign them all if you need to get rid of it and get something new. Same with clothes. Saves a ton of money!

I also highly recommend baby carriers and slings. Having the baby close to you, especially early on, will really benefit him/her. I love pouch slings and wraps for early on (hate ring slings!), and SSC's for when they're older, but you really just have to try them out and see what works for you. ITA though with avoiding the ones you can find just about anywhere, like Infantino, Snugli, Bjorn... Some good ones are Moby Wraps, Hotsling/Peanutshell/Karma Baby/etc pouches, Beco/Ergo carriers, etc. They will also be a bit more expensive BUT you will TOTALLY feel the difference, and you can usually buy them used.

Baby stuff is a HUGE money maker and they know it. Half the stuff out there is SO far from necessary! My advice would be to not feel like you have to have it all right from the start, but wait and see what you want/need.

 

[ah1126]

Congrats to you too and thanks for all the info!!!!!

 

[Karenj2]

Checking in on all the preggos out there!!

We've ordered the crib set (Savoy by Munire - crib, bedside table, dresser w/ hutch & conversion rails), and bought and received the too cute quilt that I'm going to use as my theme...

My in-laws gave us a cradle, mattress & sheets for use in our bedroom. I need to get it looked over/repaired/restained before I'm willing to use it, but DH's uncle is a carpenter and has offered his help. I think that my older sister will be giving us her old P&P that I can use downstairs.

She also gave me the three bags(!) of toys - mostly Little People and the big blocks. She says she has more for me, too.

I've begun to register for the "non traditional" stuff via Wishpot, and need to figure out when to register at BRU for the more normal stuff.

Going OT - between the last time I posted and now, I took the quad test, had "abnormal" results (high risk for DS), had an amnio (which I wasn't planning on having, but needed for peace of mind), and found out what we're having (and that Nemo does NOT have DS!!) Here's a hint:

It's so funny how much my mindset has changed about a) finding out, and b) telling folks. I'm so excited to tell people!!! And my husband is 1000000x worse!!

So, how are you?

 

[Karenj2]

Subscribing to this thread...we are TTC. Keep the good ideas coming!

I just noticed your siggie!!! Congrats!

 

[sherry7]

I just noticed your siggie!!! Congrats!

Thanks Karen! We're SOOOO excited! We weren't planning on telling anyone until I hit the 12 week mark, but after I had my first ultrasound last week we just couldn't keep quiet anymore.

On the subject of budgeting for baby, we've already made some cutbacks. DH quit his snuff habit (about $6 a day) about 6 weeks ago, so that's a savings of almost $200 per month. I'm trying to quit my take-out lunch habit at work, and I've weaned myself down to once a week. In addition, I'm putting my beloved sports car (2 seater) up for sale and will buy something more practical. I'm kind of sad about that, but a baby is definitely better than a car.

I stopped at our local Kmart on Saturday morning and hit the jackpot. They had all of their summer baby clothes on clearance for only $1.99. I got several 5 packs of cute onesies for $1.99 (for the whole 5 pack). I bought for both a girl and a boy. They also had some adorable gift box sets of baby stuff on clearance. There's a 90 day return policy, so I should know what I'm having by then.

I also found a $55 swing on clearance at Kmart for only $22, because it was a discontinued fabric. I also got a Cosco travel system (stroller and infant car seat) for only $60, that was originally $120. It was the same discontinued fabric as the swing, and it's suitable for either a boy or girl. I'm not positive if I'm going to keep the travel system though...the car seat only goes up to 22 lbs, and I think I'd rather have the one that goes up to 33 lbs instead. I'm going to think about it though, before I return it.

So if you ladies have a Kmart nearby, definitely stop by soon and check out the clearance racks. I also found some maternity pants for only $1.99 a pair.

 

[DMickey28]

Hey Guys ... I just found this thread!! Congrats to everyone!!

Karen - Congrats on your . You must be thrilled!! We found out last night that we are having our second !!!

It's too early for me to have any advice for stuff for baby but I'll think about it!!

Sherry - Thanks for the tip, I might check out Kmart today. I do need some things for this DS since we got rid of some stuff and gave it to friends when we moved a few months ago.

 

[jaleaton]

I haven't read through all the posts, but I'll give you an idea I wish I would have done at my baby shower. Have a diaper raffle, i.e. everyone that brings diapers to a shower (if you're having one) gets a raffle ticket, and a few of them win a prize such as a Bath and Body works set.

It's incredible the number of diapers my 3 month old goes through. I want to say she went through at least 20 in the 2 days we were at the hospital. We also bought diapers every time we went to the grocery so we had a nice supply already stocked up once she arrived, and we didn't have to buy diapers for quite awhile.

 

[neatokimmo]

Even better, register for a cloth diapering system.

 

[ah1126]

Hello Everyone! I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing.

All is well here. Only about 8 weeks to go!