Pregnant and need to start stocking up :o)

[disneygirl 17]

Diapers and Formula can be a hard thing - as pointed out by many people above...all children are different. Some require special formula, some diapers leak on certain children etc. I found that the best thing to do is stock up on gift cards or really just save money. We saved up our money instead of purchasing the actual items. I know you might miss deals but a deal isn't a deal if you can't use the item.

As for diapers - I hate the Wal-mart brand. My daughter is tall and skinny (17lbs and 30 inches long) and these don't fit tight enough on her. She can use Luvs or Pampers and she just got out of size 2 (she is 14 months old).

 

[camlace]

i am almost 15 weeks pregnant with my first and was wondering if anyone could tell me exactly how upromise works and if i should sign up for it? thanks!

Its free money...so of course sign up I have been a member for 5 yrs and have earned over $1000. I withdraw the money in the Upromise account every quarter and put it in my daughters college fund (you don't need to do the 529 through Upromise). You can sign up now...you don't have to wait for the baby to be born, also you can have family and friends sign up and their eligible purchases earn you money as well.

Make sure you register all your grocery, drugstore, frequent shopper cards. Also, I have the Upromise credit card which earns you additional dollars. Also download the webtool that automatically knows which website are Upromise eligible. You can also register your frequently used credit cards for stores like Bed Bath and Beyond. You get credit for BB&B purchases in-store only if your credit card is linked to your Upromise account since they don't have a frequent shopper card or something similar to track your purchases.

 

[hannahsmom7]

I only went through one good sized box of 1's and 2's, but 3's and over I could have used a stockpile of. As far as newborn size goes, I always bought one small pack and between that and what the hospital gave us we'd be ready to right into a 1 when they were gone (and my babies weren't that big, 7-8lbs).

 

[MommyBell08]

I am Preggers too and Due May 19th! We have been stockin up on diapers since before we got pregnant. I have the best luck with cheap or free diapers matching sales and coupons and Rite Aid. "Hip2save.com" is a website that is so user frendly and fun. I have had great luck so far. Congrats on your baby! You can usually print the coupons for the sales or they are in the Sunday paper. The site will have the sale and coupon link for that week.

 

[Nette]

If you're looking to save money (with the added bonus of no chemicals against your little one and less trash in landfills), you should definitely consider cloth diapers! They're so much better now than the old prefolds, pins, and plastic pants

(No judgment or flames from me, expressed or implied. Just offering up my expertise and making a friendly suggestion!)

I have to agree. I thought the "ick factor" in cloth dipes would keep us from actually following through with them, but since DS is exclusively breastfed, even the poopy dipes aren't that bad. And we started with the "old" kind of cloth, and moved to a more conveinent all-in-one style. We tried several different brands of "all in ones" by doing the diaper trial at http://jilliansdrawers.com . They send you 6-8 types of dipes in the size you request, and you get to keep them for 3 weeks for $10!!! (There is a $145 deposit) I think it was the best thing we've done in a long time... Using cloth wipes too (because I got sick of picking dirty wipes out of diapers before washing).

Sorry... I'm way into cloth diapers. Who knew I would be such a convert!

 

[justbishop]

I have to agree. I thought the "ick factor" in cloth dipes would keep us from actually following through with them, but since DS is exclusively breastfed, even the poopy dipes aren't that bad. And we started with the "old" kind of cloth, and moved to a more conveinent all-in-one style. We tried several different brands of "all in ones" by doing the diaper trial at http://jilliansdrawers.com . They send you 6-8 types of dipes in the size you request, and you get to keep them for 3 weeks for $10!!! (There is a $145 deposit) I think it was the best thing we've done in a long time... Using cloth wipes too (because I got sick of picking dirty wipes out of diapers before washing).

Sorry... I'm way into cloth diapers. Who knew I would be such a convert!

Oh, we love cloth wipes in our house, too! In fact, I've stopped using TP myself in favor of them.

And yeah, the ick factor was a moot point for me. I've worked with animals for a looooong time, so I've dealt with much worse than a little baby poo. I do love the diaper sprayer that I have hooked into the toilet line, though!

 

[arihillfarm]

Oh, we love cloth wipes in our house, too! In fact, I've stopped using TP myself in favor of them.

And yeah, the ick factor was a moot point for me. I've worked with animals for a looooong time, so I've dealt with much worse than a little baby poo. I do love the diaper sprayer that I have hooked into the toilet line, though!

Another cloth diaper convert here too!! With you on the ick factor, have been cleaning up after animals all my life, so baby poo is pretty benign stuff. Don't own a diaper sprayer though and only had to dunk a couple diapers over the last 2 1/2 years. The rest, the poo gets dumped in the toilet and when my son was breastfed, it all went in the wash on the sanitary cycle and with an extra rinse. No stains ever. Soooo easy!

-Astrid

 

[justbishop]

Another cloth diaper convert here too!! With you on the ick factor, have been cleaning up after animals all my life, so baby poo is pretty benign stuff. Don't own a diaper sprayer though and only had to dunk a couple diapers over the last 2 1/2 years. The rest, the poo gets dumped in the toilet and when my son was breastfed, it all went in the wash on the sanitary cycle and with an extra rinse. No stains ever. Soooo easy!

-Astrid

Hahaaa, yeah, I'm just OCD about stains. It pains me to put a diaper in the pail until every last molecule of poo has been sprayed off! I don't worry about the wipes for some reason, though...hm

 

[high meadows]

Check out their web site. They aren't perfect (weak returns on your money) but these days, who is perfect. The key is: anything that helps you save for college, anything from a giant water jug that you fill with spare change, to a UTMA to a separate savings account -- anything that takes money out of your pocket and puts it away for the youngster is a good thing. Pay it first; you won't miss it.

 

[ama223]

My boys were barely in 1s... They were in 3s the longest and DS2's been in 4s for a VERY long time.

 

[neatokimmo]

Add me to the cloth diaper group. Check out www.diaperswappers.com to find out more information on cloth diapers. There will also be a lot of good info on breast feeding, the right kinds of carseats yada ya.

I can't wait for my next little one, I have wool (for like the 5 of us on here that know what that means! lol)!

 

[justbishop]

Just xposting from the thread about cloth going on in the Families forum at the moment:

I agree with a lot of the above, but just a warning, diaperswappers has a reputation for handing out some nasty computer viruses and flat out denying it. Clothdiapernation dot com has a great FSOT section for buying used (which IS a great way to save some cash and do the trial and error thing to find the right fit for your babe), and is run by normal Moms, rather than a corporation.

 

[knitster]

If you're looking to save money (with the added bonus of no chemicals against your little one and less trash in landfills), you should definitely consider cloth diapers! They're so much better now than the old prefolds, pins, and plastic pants

(No judgment or flames from me, expressed or implied. Just offering up my expertise and making a friendly suggestion!)

was just coming here to say that! cloth has come a long way baby, check out www.bumgenius.com

and...don't I know you? CDN? MCN?

 

[justbishop]

was just coming here to say that! cloth has come a long way baby, check out www.bumgenius.com

and...don't I know you? CDN? MCN?

Same sn on CDN, but never have figured out what MCN is, lol!

 

[knitster]

Same sn on CDN, but never have figured out what MCN is, lol!

yep, same sn on CDN for me too! MCN 9which used to be Mel and Sam [mom]'s home forum) actually doesn't exist anymore. When Mel left as our tech admin and it was time to renew our domain, we decided to break out on our own and we're now jadedcinderellas.com

/end hijack

 

[LaurenLC]

- Clip coupons for diapers and wipes... My mom and mother-in-law clip for me and send them to me when they see them. I also signed them both up on Huggies, Pampers, Enfamil and Simalac websites so they send me their coupons and checks too.
- When you register, put your due date about 8-12 weeks earlier than it really is, then you can begin to use your completion coupons before you actually have the baby... I did this at Pottery Barn Kids and Land of Nod.
- I highly recommend getting a membership for Consumer Reports on-line. We found this really helpful when deciding on things like the car seat, stroller, furniture, etc.

The biggest piece of advice I have is realize that for the first few months your baby really needs very little. Don't go crazy buying stuff..... You'll get to know what your baby likes and what you want to use for parenting.

 

[justbishop]

yep, same sn on CDN for me too! MCN 9which used to be Mel and Sam [mom]'s home forum) actually doesn't exist anymore. When Mel left as our tech admin and it was time to renew our domain, we decided to break out on our own and we're now jadedcinderellas.com

/end hijack

Yeah, I recognize you

I'll have to check out the new site sometime...I might need a new place to hang out if I end up getting lynched in the hot button forum at CDN

 

[rosanne91]

Thank you for all of the replies!

This is our third child. We have a six year old and an 8 year old. A little bit of a gap!

With our first we used Pampers. I found out with my second that Pampers got really full fast and hung between the legs. I realized, that other diapers did not do this! I used the walmart diapers in the purple box and they worked wonderfully. I think White Cloud?

I just want to start stocking up a little when I can and if there is a really good deal or samples. I was layed off on Friday, I am a teacher. So, the income we were counting on is no longer going to be there. So, I want to start trying to stock up now. I will be breast feeding so the most expensive thing on our list will be diapers and wipes. I know it is cheaper and more economical to do the cloth diapers, but I just don't have the stomach for that.

Keep your tips coming, thank you all so much!

we have a 5 year old and a 13 year old!! SO I am starting from scratch AGAIN!! I am due may 1. We are super excited, and now its tuile to start stocking up!

 

[christygobar]

So funny, I was going to recommend cloth too

We cloth about 50% of the time (DH won't touch them). I am HARDLY what anyone would call a crunchy mama. This is the one thing I do that is on the line of crunchy. But I can say it is honestly just as easy as a disposable. And even using them half the time, I feel like we have saved a lot on diapers. I use liners to help the "solid" issues

I use GroVia (and some BumGenius, but they are SO bulky) and this weekend I am going to attempt to make a couple of my own so they will be a little bit of a trimmer fit on my DD.

Otherwise, stock up on diaper coupons from the Sunday papers. Since you are BF'ing, that is certainly much more economical

Those 20% of BRU coupons can come in handy too

 

[SoonerSarah]

Every child is going to be different on diaper sizes. My oldest didn't move to a size 3 until she was 15 months. My middle moved between 6-9 months into size 3 and my baby is 13 months and still in size 2's.

If you get, or know anyone that gets Parents Magazine, they have been having some 20% off a box of diaper coupons from Amazon. If you sign up for AmazonMom, you automatically get 30% off. Currently, not counting a 20% off coupon, I'm getting size 2 Pamper Swaddlers for less than 16 cents per diaper. Delivered to my door for free. I've currently got over 600 diapers in the house.

Also, if you would like to start budgeting things out a bit, I have always reccomended that people take a set amount per month, $40 or whatever you want, and put it on a gift card to a store where you will be buying diapers, food, clothing, whatever. Most people I know will buy a lot of baby items from Target and Walmart. If you remember to do this, by the time your baby comes it's a nice little amount to help out.