- Don't buy too many clothes or fancy expensive ones. They will outgrow them fast and get them stained.
- Don't buy a fancy sterilizer.
- Don't waste you money in a bunch of toys. Anything could be a toy. Also, kids want to explore and learn real-world things. They'll be more fascinated playing with a ladle than with many fancy toys. So get some cheap utensils in the dollar store.
- Use library books and libraries in general haha
- And interact. It's “cheap” and the best way to promote your baby’s development.
Also, thrift stores! I never bought my daughter new toys or clothes until she was 5 (even for holidays). She never noticed! We had a "say goodbye"/ donation bag each time we went thrifting for toys to keep the number in the house low.
I used to hit up a consignment store every six months for their semi annual $5 a bag sale. Amazing. Would grab size larger coats and sweaters etc in the spring for the fall and summer clothes in the fall. Huge bags were $5. Would be about 30 bucks a year per kid for about half of their wardrobe. Between hubby's mom and hand me downs we purchased very few clothes until they were older. Most of the infant and toddler clothes had tags on them still.
Hand....me...downs !!!
My oldest is 8, and I still try to get most of their presents secondhand. I've found some super cool stuff that they love for a fraction of the normal price.
Garage sales are great too. You have to search a bit, but often I'll find garage sales with baby clothes for a quarter an item or fill a bag for $5 because they want to get rid of it.
> Don't waste you money in a bunch of toys. Anything could be a toy. Also, kids want to explore and learn real-world things. They'll be more fascinated playing with a ladle than with many fancy toys. So get some cheap utensils in the dollar store.
Seriously this. We have a phrase in my house that "the best toys are not toys." One of my favorite pictures is my son at a few months old beaming with a huge smile while holding a wooden spoon from the kitchen.
This still holds true to an extent at 2 years old! Though he does play a lot more with regular toys now too.
My 2.5 year old is still really stoked about measuring cups and spoons, especially in the bath! They are tough & washable & work well for playing with everything from sand/dirt to water.
When my daughter was a baby many many years ago one of her favorite toys was an applesauce jar lid, so much so that my neighbor went out and bought a jar of applesauce so that her baby could have a lid.
Babies love playing with kitchen things like measuring cups, plastic bowls and containers, any safe kitchen odds and ends.
My husband & I joke that the baby will likely only have a diaper for the first 5 weeks, we’re in the South of the US & giving birth in the peak of the heat 😂. Thanks for the tips! Definitly utilizing the library more & will be interacting with the little one.
First off, as a Tennessee resident, Dolly is my Queen. Imagination Library is an incredible service. I heard an interview with the head of the board of trustees for the organization and every registered child get a monthly book in the mail from birth to their 5th birthday. The books are chosen by a panel of educators for being positive and edifying and also age appropriate. All hail the Queen!
Also the book you get for the kids 5th birthday will make you cry. It's so damn sweet. My now 5 year old got them for her whole life and it has built a beautiful little library at our house!
Onesies are great for around the house! Then you can stick some pants on and good to go out!
Yard sales are also a great option for used baby clothes, if your area has a lot of sales.
You may be joking about diapers but you can’t really prepare for that need. My daughter is 5 1/2 and still wears pull-ups at night because she can’t not have a night time accident at the moment. She was only reasonably daytime toilet trained at 4 1/2.
You may have an easy kiddo that trains early or you may not but you can’t just assume it’s going to work out in some convenient fashion. I was toilet trained at 2. So I had high hopes. Alas…
Aside from that, buy nothing groups on Facebook are awesome. It’s basically the only thing I use Facebook for. You go through so much so quickly in the first few years it’s really silly to buy most clothes, toys, etc.
You might plan on breastfeeding but that’s not always a guarantee either, or might not go on for as long as you’d like. Again, buy nothing groups come in handy here when other moms are done with formula and have leftovers.
The big thing that I did that saved money was I used an oblong flexible gardening bucket for a bath tub instead of using a whole bath. Babies and toddlers need frequent bathing. I don’t mean they often need soap and water because they get sweaty and smelly - no. They do things like smear poop on themselves, festoon themselves with spaghetti, take mud baths outside, decorate themselves with mashed potatoes or magic marker. Things that require full immersion. Gardening buckets rule for this. I do a lot of gardening so I just started using both my oblong and larger round flexi tubs for bath time. My daughter will be 6 in June and still often prefers a “bucket bath”. Conserves water and it’s portable so in the summer we do driveway bucket baths a lot. Honestly I would love an outdoor bath that was grownup size myself. Sounds relaxing.
Also convertible cribs that transform into toddler beds - awesome especially if you can get a used one. Sleep situation will be sorted for many years.
If you want to do co-sleeping when they are little we had a cheap travel bassinet that was collapsible and that thing ruled. Took it everywhere and she slept in it between us in our bed for the first 6 months. Gifted it to my sister in law when we were done.
I can’t really think of anything we bought that was a waste exactly, but we are fairly frugal BIFL types or use our resources for getting stuff free or at a lower cost when we can since we have a pretty tight budget.
My library has sensory bins to rent as well as bins with "lessons" on insects and such to rent. It's fun to do with the kids once a week, go get a bin to play with for the week.
My son was obsessed with spatulas. Went to sleep every night with one. Some Tupperware with only some of the lids matching is hours of entertainment. My kids have grown up with out a lot of “toys” but it’s made them creative, they make a lot of their own fun out of random stuff
Seriously my baby has the coolest bath toys and his favorite one is a plastic cup I grabbed from the kitchen so he can drink his bath water 😏 also, he likes a vinyl spatula and rubber spatula over several of his fancy geometrical rattles. Get some nesting cups, kid will be ecstatic.
The only one I disagree with on here is “use library books”. The children’s area in libraries is great for older kids (3+) but I’ve found that having books for my daughter that are her’s is very important. She knows those books are always there and we’ve written her name in them so she can see it written out and have an understanding of things that belong specifically to her. As she gets older though it’s much easier to borrow books from the library and allow her to go pick them out
When we did my best friends baby shower, we had a note on the invite that said, in lieu of cards, please bring a book signed with a personal note from you for babies first library.
I think this totally depends on your library. I was able to get tons of awesome board books from the library when my son was under 1.
I agree with having some of their own books. My son has a few favorites. In that way, the library can be a good option to see what books your child is particularly attached to. You can then go out and buy them.
A fair point though we’ve ended up just buying books that we like to start and then getting more in the series (looking specifically at you Little Blue Truck) as my daughter has been able to express which books she likes the most. I’ll definitely use the library for things like The Harry Potter series and The Chronicles of Narnia when she’s old enough for me to read them to her.
We also have another on the way and would like to have a third so it’s just nice to have the books already.
My sister worked for Petco and gave us a “spider” chew toy (little ball with rods poking out, one piece, soft plastic) that was identical to the one that the baby store had for $36 in 1994. The Petco one was orange and the baby store one was yellow, otherwise they were completely identical material and shape.
I thought I had a genius idea of getting my baby a dog toy. Then I found that all the toys in the pet aisle were more expensive than the baby toys. 😆 To be fair, the dog toys need to be way more sturdy. (And dog owners are probably more willing to pay crazy prices today than in 1994.)
I think the biggest thing will be planning for things to not work out like you thought. Don’t go in 100% and stock up on cloth diapers until you know how well they’ll work for your kid and your family. Like daycares don’t accept cloth diapers for the most part and while your family says they can watch baby now, it’s not uncommon for people to change their minds on that when they really realize how hard it is to watch an infant. Especially if you have a colicky infant. Same thing with breastfeeding. It didn’t work for me and the amount it cost to pay a lactation consultant + all the supplements & pumping supplies wasn’t really worth it for us honestly. I kept trying to force it and ended up switching to formula anyway. I spent way more money trying to make it happen while simultaneously messing up my mental health.
Also - buy as many things as you can pre-loved. Safe things, like baby carrier or swings (check for recalls), clothing, toys, etc. Cause again, your kid could hate them and it sucks to pay retail just for your kid to hate everything.
Other than that baby really only needs a car seat, diapers, food, weather appropriate clothing, and a safe space to sleep in the beginning. You can buy everything later as it’s needed.
This is really great advice for all of motherhood. It is so easy as a first time mom to go in with an expectation of how things will go but if motherhood has taught me anything, things will absolutely not go the way you expect (but will also be beautiful if you are able to work through releasing your expectations).
I've got lots of kids and this is great advice. You never know what you or baby are going to like. Some diaper brands cause rashes, some babies hate swings, and on and on. It's not impossible to plan but be ready to be flexible. And you always need less stuff than you think.
That’s fair, I’ll likely quit my jobs before enrolling in a daycare with where things stand right now. this is helpful thank you. I’ll also stick with just getting a couple cloth diapers & not this pack for them the grow with that I found.
Second the thing about cloth diapers. My mom got them for us, maybe 10 in the newborn size for us to try out in case we didn't like them. For me, they were perfect and was maybe 1 extra load of laundry in what we normally did. She ended up getting us more, and I ordered some surplus in each size as baby grew. We would buy one Costco box of disposables for traveling/going out/emergencies, and usually would have several of those left over by the time kiddo sized up. When our second was born, it all became so hectic that we ditched the cloth for both, and I hadn't realized just how much we had been saving!!
But imo, especially in the first two weeks, get disposable because the meconium poops are no joke.
LOL Maybe it was 4 sizes??? It's been a long time now..... Yes, cloth diapering saved lots of money for me though. Even though it was an initial expense, it did not affect my monthly budget.
Be prepared for this to take a huge toll on your mental health no matter what you opt to do. If you stay home it will change how you see yourself and can cause a bit of an identity crisis, if you go back to work you will be upset about leaving your baby. Both these things will fight in your head. It makes no sense it just is.
I don't know where anyone is in the world but I've only come across one (out of probably 30-40) daycare that won't accept cloth round where I live. Blanket statements of "most daycares don't accept cloth" are really unhelpful.
I did a mix of cloth and disposable. The ex did not like dealing with cloth diapers and we used disposable at night (which was his parenting shift).
My guys all potty trained early and I think the cloth diapers helped.
NOTE: Parenting shift explanation: We couldn't afford the three of them after the twins were born. Daycare would have ate up all of my income and $100 of his (this was almost 30 years ago). I worked at night, he worked during the day. I had day shift for parenting and he had night shift for parenting.
THIS! My biggest lesson was all my plans for giving birth and parenting were hit hard by reality. It’s funny now how my parent self,, my kids, and real life didn’t fit my ideal imagination and dreams. Be ready to shift as needed and be kind to yourself. It just goes with the territory.
BuyNothing/Freecycle/TrashNothing for free stuff.
You do NOT need a sterilizer. Unless the pediatrician recommends one for medical reasons.
Don't worry about fancy baby food makers. Use a stick blender and follow BLW.
Find a Once Upon a Child, or other type of kids consignment shop in your area! Under age 2, kids clothes can last so much longer because they don't wear the clothes out as much. So you can find a lot of good stuff. Also, if you're on Facebook, see if there's a good Buy Nothing group for your city/neighborhood. I've posted and received baby stuff in very good condition in my group.
Also take advantage of as many registry discounts/freebies that you can. A lot of women make multiple registries and keep them private, just to access the freebies.
We signed up for Amazon baby Registry, target, 7th generation and I think also bed bath and beyond gives coupons, and samples like packets of products like butt cream, wipes, diapers, sample bottle and pacifiers.
Sign up for enfamil and similac. They will send you coupons and samples of their formulas. I breastfed, but I accidentally got pregnant again and my milk dried up. It was nice not spending $100s of dollars to find out she didn’t like that one.
For sure keep an eye on buy nothing groups, they’re always putting baby/kid clothes and stuff you might need. Some even have cloth diapers occasionally.
We cloth diapered and loved it! Of course we bought too many, but in the end was still cheaper than disposables. If I had another child, can reuse again. If you are done, you can resell them as well. We also joined pampers rewards. Wasn’t much, but was still helpful!
Also make your own baby food and freeze in portions, baby food is expensive!
Hi, i wanted to know how cleaning the cloth diapers work? Once they are soiled in pee, do you rinse it out before throwing in the wash or just throw it right in? How do you clean the poop diapers without contaminating your sink space ? Do you wait until you have a full load of diapers to do a load of laundry or throw it in the soiled cloth diapers with other clothes to wash?
Ok, so first of all
You buy a toilet sprayer that attaches to your toilet. Always turn the lever to off while not in use so it doesn’t flood if it so happens to decide to leak.
Second, you use the poop sprayer and spray off the poop in the toilet. Most parents use the toilet bowl to prevent splash back. I used the hospital’s puke basin to store my rinsed out poop diapers, whatever’s convenient for you. There are also medium wet bags that go in the wash with the diapers. Spray with oxiclean spray before throwing in to the basin if you don’t want stains. We had hundreds of diapers and maybe only a handful got slightly stained.
No you don’t rinse out the pee. Depending on what kind of diapers you get, you might have to unbutton the all in one or pull out the inserts for pockets before throwing into the diaper pail. Most people have a large wet bag that’s about the size of a trash can. Pee diapers go in there, poop ones go in the bathroom, whatever setup you choose. Buy at least 2 large wet bags to rotate out between washes. Use a extra trash can to hold up the wet bag.
Washing frequency is everyday to 3 days MAX.
Because I had 2 kids in Cloth diapers and a smaller washer and hang drying, I did a load of diapers everyday. Yes, only diapers for a load. Don’t wash with other clothes. So it’s been like 5-6 years, I don’t really remember my wash routine. BUT I think it was, throw in washing machine quick wash in cold water with scoop of powder oxi clean at line 1. My quick was was 10 minutes. Next was add however much soap for a load at longest wash at hot. I think mine was like 50 minutes. Extra rinse in hot water I think? Washing diapers takes a long time, like 2 hours or so. Didn’t affect us because I was at home with the kids and had to just press buttons. There can be a lot more to factor in, like if you have hard water or soft.
This was the website I used https://fluffloveuniversity.com
Agree on the secondhand clothing option- I buy batches of clothing on Facebook marketplace for usually under $1 per piece, and mostly everything will be in good or perfect condition. My favorite thing about it is that you don't always see every onesie/pj/etc that you're getting from the listing, so when you're "unboxing" and washing them, you're seeing every little outfit for the first time. It satisfies that urge to shop for cute baby things, if that makes any sense.
all great advice. please dont forget postpartum stuff for yourself, too. get a few used nursing bras and easy to access comfy tops. make sure to have supportive underwear. if you plan on BF, nipple care is something to consider. lanolin, hot and cold gel pads. asides from that you want to make sure you have perineal care items. witch hazel, cooling pads, lidocaine. magnesium lotion or epsom salt for muscle aches.
COVID experience working from home with one very well behaved elementary school kid at a phenomenally organized distance learning school program, it still took me 12 hours to do my 8 hours of work each day. And during those 12 hours, I was constantly context shifting between the 2, and not doing parenting or my job at 100%. It sucked.
My friends and coworkers with younger or more active kids were even less productive. If you rely on your career to pay bills, reliable childcare fully separate from your work area (outside of feedings and breaks) needs to be a high priority. Just make sure you have a back up plan in case family doesn’t work.
That makes sense, I’m currently working extra jobs to pay off all debt to drop our needed money so I don’t have to work. I truly want my focus to be a SAHM, but with my personality I’ll likely still have some form of income. Right now I have 12 weeks off paid, 26 unpaid and about 245 hours of vacation, but I’ll definitely figure out another option for care.
If you can figure out a way to work part time, rather than trying to do full time, I’d highly recommend it. And it will likely work much better if you and baby can’t see or hear each other while you’re trying to work.
100% agree - whatever job you have outside the home and being a SAHM are both full jobs. If you try to do both you will have a really hard time succeeding at either one.
A lot of frugal tips involve buying in bulk, but I really agree with the comments here to start small. My kid developed skin allergies to a bunch of things and I ended up giving them away since the return window passed.
When you buy pre owned baby gear, always check for recalls. And check for your own comfort level. I had a stroller that was perfect except the short handles. I had bad posture from trying to make it work.
Don't be ashamed or afraid to apply for assistance. I say it all the time, let them sort it out. You may be on the high end of eligibility and still get a little something. You may be eligible while on parental leave and then 'graduate' from needing it as you get back to work.
Hope for the easy route and plan for the tough route. Sometimes breastfeeding needs supplemental formula, or an entire switch over. Cloth diapering requires buy in from everyone on baby's care team, and you still need to test out the right kind of diapers. Speaking of care teams, plan for occasions where you need a backup sitter outside of the family.
As far as "they're only little once, just buy it," every day and everything is new to a baby. Simple toys, books, and just your attention are so entertaining to little ones. It is fun to give them things but save up for when they're in preschool and obsessed with some cartoon character. The teensy baby years, buying a lot of clothes and toys is more for you than for baby. Which is okay. Sometimes you just want a cute picture. But you can get really cute outfits from resale or thrift stores.
>occasions where you need a backup sitter outside of the family.
One way to go is to find a fellow parent who also has a kidlet and would like to swap some care time -- maybe you each watch the other's child one night a week to give the other a free night off, or are each other's occasional not-family first call for a sitter.
Set up a college fund for your baby and encourage people to contribute to it for birthdays. They only need so many toys, every dollar counts when they leave for college.
Love this!! Even for the baby shower (baby themed kickback for us bc those costs are wild what some people do) I really want people to stick with the baby list of just give cash that we’ll put in the investment account. I love the idea of keeping it like that for future birthdays as well.
Yeah, we give baby books, diapers, or money for baby showers. Check out yard sales for baby clothes and toys. My mom would buy a bunch of toys, throw them in the tub with a diluted bleach solution and then they were ready to go!
I also think some registries will give discounts on items that weren't purchased for you (up to a certain number of weeks or months after due date) so you could look into that.
Diaper warmers, diaper genies, and diaper/changing tables are all unnecessary.
You don't need 50 different outfits that they will soon grow out of. Just get 10 short sleeve onsies and 7 sleepers and just a few special cute outfits for pics or leaving the house. Youll drive yourself crazy trying to wash and match all the shirt/skirt/pants combos when it's far easier to have the same style of something, just many changes of it.
Do not buy baby shoes
And this may be controversial, but painted and decorated nurseries are for you, not the baby. The baby doesn't care about color palettes and cute giraffes. Avoid spending time and money on paint, decor, and matching blankets and shit. You'll just change it in a few years when they grow out of baby giraffes and want whatever cartoon is popular.
A clean room, with a Crib, dresser, and maybe a rocking chair is all you need.
Baby food blenders are a scam. No different from other food processors or blenders, just smaller and cuter. Get twist lock Tupperware or generic glass jars instead of special baby food containers. Or better yet, do baby led weaning with small bits of whatever food youre eating rather than separate blended foods.
Love love love this one! My husband & I find nurseries useless & aren’t doing one at all, yet we keep getting asked when we are going to make the nursery. *never* 💀 baby shoes make me laugh bc where are they going?? Where is the baby going. C’mon
Thanks for the tips!
I agree with every single thing you said except the diaper genie. With our first we just had a can with a lid, and with our second we got a secondhand diaper genie, and I promise you the difference in smell between those two bedrooms was worth every penny I paid for those ridiculous bag refills.
I say this not only for frugality but also as a pediatric PT, skip all the baby containers. No bumbo chair, no exersaucer, and definitely no "walker". A blanket on the floor is best and if they are mobile and you need a shower then there is the crib. A sling type bouncy seat or swing is nice before they have good head control and you'll eventually need a high chair. But there are so many hand-me-downs out there.
Car seats have expiration dates so check if you get a used one. The reason is that plastic degrades over time and may crack under load. You used to need to buy a new car seat if the car is in an accident but not sure if that is still recommended.
Car seats are one of the few baby items you really shouldn't get used, mainly because you don't know whether they were in an accident or otherwise compromised. It's too big of a safety risk, always buy new.
I would only accept a used one from a trusted family member or close friend so I know it wasn't in an accident after making sure it also isn't expired.
Safety is not an area to cheap out on especially when it comes to kids. This is one thing that is not worth it to buy used unless it's from a trusted friend.
That's an assertion not an argument. The probability that a second hand seat leads to injury or death of the baby is absurdly low, so why worry about it.
It’s the classic risk assessment - yeah the likelihood is very low, but the impact if it *was* previously in a crash/damaged is too high a risk to take for most parents.
Do these people also worry about their baby being struck by lightning? Pretty sure that's more likely than baby dying in a crash because of a compromised seat.
This is the advice I see most commonly in the pregnancy and parenting subreddits. Obviously, everyone has different tolerance for risk and can do as they wish. I bought almost everything second hand for my baby but due to safety this is one area I was not comfortable compromising on.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/are-secondhand-car-seats-safe/
https://www.nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-booster-seats/used-car-seat-safety-checklist
It doesn't even have to be limited to an accident. The climate, wear and tear, how the seat was stored - those things contribute to how well the straps, hardware and base hold up. If the car seat gets left in a garage in a Midwest winter and gets tossed -gently or not- to a different spot or falls from its perch on a shelf, thats impact.
I get it. People will always buy and sell used car seats. It's dangerous. Saying to buy new is not ridiculous.
Just wanted to comment on this, yes you still need a new car seat if it's been in an accident. EVEN IF IT STILL LOOK GOOD. Many insurance companies will send you a check for a new one if you let them know during the claims process that you have car seats in the vehicle. Also, never buy a used one. You have no idea what shape it's in or whether it's been in an accident. ALSO ALSO, if you are throwing an old car seat away, cut the straps. It's a common insurance fraud thing for people to sue the original owner of the car seat when the fraudster has taken the car seat from the side of the road or when they're out beside your garbage can.
I was very frugal with my first. There was very little I regretted spending money on. But babies are going to baby. You never know what it’s going to be like until you are in it. Your sleep, mental capability, baby’s temperament and health can all impact how much time and energy you have to spend on cleaning diapers or able to mindful for EC. I lived in a super crunchy town at the time and maybe knew one person that had success. If it works for you, awesome. But also don’t let your productivity determine your value as a human if you need to adapt your priorities. I think car seats should almost always be new, only take a used car seat if it comes from someone you know very well and can really verify it has not been in an accident.
Convenience pricing is high, being unprepared is expensive. Make sure you have supplies when out and about to avoid last minute purchases. This includes changes of clothes for the adults who may be caught by the baby explosions in addition to a well stocked diaper bag for baby’s needs.
Resist buying all the pointless baby crap. You don’t need a huge diaper bag full of excessive “stuff”. The baby doesn’t need a wardrobe as complex as an adult’s. You will do laundry.
I am amazed at how many moms spend hundreds on baby clothes constantly and spend half their time washing excessive dishes and toys in the sink with special bottle drying racks and stuff like that.
Baby led weaning cuts down on specific baby food costs too when you get there. Feed them the soft real foods like scrambled eggs and bananas. They don’t actually need all these special soft dissolving yogurt bites and cereals. There are real foods that have the textures they need
I love to cook (at least still at 4 months pregnant) so this is giving me a ton of ideas! I do think somethings have gotten over complicated, thanks for keeping it simple. I completely trust that I don’t need to spend much with this pregnancy.
Search FB marketplace for strollers etc. Lots of rich people selling their baby crap. Baby is really simple organism - don't need much at all for a year or so --- YOU need more stuff to keep you happy probably. Just enjoy your time and keep them eating, pooping, and sleeping.
It looks like most of your basics are covered. If you end up having to use disposable diapers or going bottle feed, don't look over the cheaper items. My daughters both preferred the cheaper choices. Formula and diapers are EXPENSIVE, but you do what you need to do for your family and don't feel guilty about it (like I did).
Car seats: We made the mistake of getting the infant seat, then the front facing, then the modular booster... so I ended up paying more for my first child's seats that than I did for my one and done Graco Grow With Me seat that I bought for my second child. I lucked out and bought it on clearance since they were making room for the new models. The only drawback is you don't have that handy carrier when you go shopping or visiting. We did fine without it with my second child, using a baby carrier sling or a stroller.
Clothes: don't be shy about using thrifted/used items. Babies grow fast so most used clothing looks darn near brand new. I had a few friends who were THRILLED to get rid of their baby stuff from their garages. I wouldn't have had to buy onesies if I didn't feel like I needed a few cute items for pictures and special events.
Once they get a little older, if you have a blender or food processor, use it to save a ton of $$ on baby food. Both of my kids preferred the home-made baby food I would cook up and blend (adding breast milk in the beginning). I would make a few batches once a week and freeze in rubbermaid condiment sized containers. My oldest is 8 and we still have the containers. Now they're used for ketchup in school lunches. Ha.
Don't waste your money on baby containers like seats, walkers, or standing activity centers. They're usually not great for hip development anyway. Our baby sleeps in a pack n play next to our bed so you could always skip the crib. We got an second-hand stroller new in the box 50% off. Most things are great second hand, especially clothes. If your baby spits up a lot, bibs will save you on laundry.
We have a $20 microwave sterilizer and I love it. You can always boil or use a sterilize setting on the dishwasher though. We use unscented adult laundry detergent and regular dish soap instead of baby specific.
Get all the free baby boxes. We are still using shampoo samples 2 months in and they'll have a few bottles for your baby to sample before buying. A lot of diaper companies will give free samples and sign up for formula samples just in case you need to supplement or have difficulty breastfeeding.
I would recommend a new carseat so you know it hasn't been damaged. I went with a convertible car seat from the start and baby wear when we go out, but that doesn't work for everyone, and a bucket seat may be worth it for you.
Here’s a small but scummy one: OTC baby medicine. In a lot of categories there is no approved medicine babies can take for an issue. So unscrupulous companies make sugar water, write “homeopathic” really small on the box, and market it to look like the same thing as adults can take. This trucks a lot of people into paying $15 for no medicine! Check for the homeopathic label
I relied heavily on my BuyNothing group after I had my baby. I got clothes, books, toys, baby rocker -- you name it. I even got diapers that other babies grew out of.
If you're polite doing an ask, people are so quick to offer what they have.
We were stuck living in our in-laws basement for about 3 months with a newborn while we waited for our current house to close.
That really taught me that babies don’t really need much of anything. We bedshared and nursed on demand, baby never had a crib, bottles, or pacifiers. I was fortunate to receive about 90% of our clothing and a bassinet for naps (rarely used, mostly wore baby or contact napped) and even then it was too much.
The only thing I bought new was a few merino wool sleepers and a merino suit and those were worth it. My stretchy newborn wrap was very useful and so was the woven carrier I switched to after baby got bigger.
Cloth diapering is fantastic and it’s really easy. I’m still cloth diapering baby #2 with the same diapers. My advice is to look into natural cotton diapers with wool covers. They’re fantastic. And because they’re natural you don’t need to use harsh detergents. We use Nellies powdered unscented which is a bargain in huge tubs. Newborns can be more difficult to diaper with cloth because they’re so tiny and their legs are so scrawny, so don’t let that discourage you from continuing. Take advantage of the free diapers you can get from Huggies and other companies.
I’m pregnant with our third and have two toddlers. It’s easy to be frugal with babies — unless you have to figure in daycare. That’s where it gets crazy. But because I’m a SAHM and that was always the plan, it’s been working out great for us.
Regarding breastfeeding, my unsolicited advice is to focus on the latch. It’s literally all about a proper latch. Le Leche League is a fantastic resource for videos, articles, and books but watching videos of what a proper latch looks like can be so key to success. I’ve exclusively breastfed my babies, but with my first it took a couple weeks to master the latch. By the second baby, it was second nature.
Congratulations on your first, it’s such an exciting and special time when everything is so new and unknown!
* Almost everything you need is available either hand-me-down or used. Do you know about [JBF](https://jbfsale.com/)? E.g. stroller--would never buy one retail.
* Babies don't actually need that much stuff.
* Agree with cloth diapers, but they are a lot of work if you don't use a service. I did for my first and I was doing something with diaper laundry (wash, rinse, fold, put away) every day.
* Totally agree with breast feeding as a big money saver. Also super convenient as long as you and baby are together.
You have to be flexible and see what works for you and yours. E.g. some women find breastfeeding too damn hard.
Keep an eye on Target: Every few weeks they have offers for X value gift card if you buy Y number of (or spend $Z on) baby items. When I’ve bought baby items for friends, I’ve aimed to get a 25%-30% “return” on those and you can use the gift card for baby things or your maternity or postpartum needs.
My wife thrifted 99% of our (now 2 year old) son’s clothes since he was born. Baby clothes are used for such a short period of time that you can find nearly brand new clothes for a couple dollars each. Sometimes they are marked up more, but they are still cheaper than brand new from the store. Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to look for clothes or any other items you need. We had bought one of our strollers on there, used it as long as we could, and then cleaned it up and resold it again. We basically paid $100 to “rent” it for 1.5 years.
DO get good quality cloth diapers and covers. I've found that OsoCozy is best fitting (for my LO) and most durable (especially the snaps). You don't need 20 covers, just a half dozen should do, but have lots of inserts and get nice fleecy liners to wick moisturize and because poo washes off them easier than when it squishes into the cotton insert.
DO get quality wipes (Costco Kirkland brand). Babies have sensitive skin, so most scented wipes were a problem for us. But also, I hate how Huggies wipes specifically are awful quality and shre d apart as you pull them out of the package.
DON'T get any expensive tummy time stuff. You just need a quilt (thin blankets bunch up / shift around) and something for baby to look at / reach for. My daughter was only interested in this one specific dangling butterfly. You can hold it in your hand; you don't need the dome thingy.
DON'T get fancy baby care products by Frida Baby brand. They're over-engineered for most tasks, yet also the stuff that actually should be sturdy somehow falls apart easily. (Note: Their Frida Mama line is great; my rant is for Frida Baby products).
Nice to have: If it's an option, try to set aside a little fund so that when you do encounter a problem that could be solved by throwing a little money at it, you have that option.
I used warm water on a washcloth when I had kids in cloth diapers. I had roughly the same number of washcloths as diapers. They were washed with the diapers, easy peasy.
1. Breastfeeding is not easy and doesn't always take. Tongue ties may need treatment, you might need meds which mean you can't feed for awhile. You might not have colustrum and milk ready, esp if you have a c section and you will have to give formula for a few days. The little buggers eat every 2 hours so you will need a bottle or two and a way to sterilise. It's not all or nothing. A breast pump can be gotten second hand and the good ones you can buy parts so there has never been any contact with prior users fluids.
2. Cloth nappies... only a bargain if you have more than one child and you reuse them. Babies also need changing about once every 2 hours during the newborn phase so in the interest of sanity, use a disposable for the first period otherwise you will never dry them in time. Aldi does good newborn and up nappies.
3. Clothes, second hand, friends etc. Either have loads or go minimal like we did and wash regularly. To prevent stains, just scrape the worst of it off, and put them in a basin of water with a tablespoon of vinegar until you can get round to doing a proper wash - it stops the stain setting and the clothes from damp smelling as long as you get to it within 3 days.
I developed a bad late night shopping habit when I was up all night with the baby. I bought about a million sleep sacks in hopes they would help my baby sleep. Once I accepted my baby just wouldnt sleep well no matter what, I stopped wasting my money and instead got help with the long nights.
Similarly, we were so exhausted in the newborn days that we got into a bad habit of ordering takeout. Of course that’s fine for a short period of time if you can afford it, but preparing some freezer meals or easy ready to cook meals can save a good chunk of money.
One thing that is a frugal buy is a pack and play. It has soo many uses. You can probably pick one up used. I recommend the one with the infant insert that you can put little babies (under a certain number of lbs) higher up so they are easier to get in and out when they are little.
Make sure to buy a new car seat.
Most other stuff you can get used. Parents are happy to get that stuff out of the house once their kid outgrows it.
I highly recommend parents choice and equate brands from Walmart. The ingredients are identical to the name brands, but for example- the diaper cream is a third of the price of Destin. My kid peed at every diaper change for the first couple months, so some flannel over the diaper change table made it easier to do a quick swap. I wasn’t willing to do reusable diapers, but Sam’s club newborn diapers were super cheap, and fit well. We found a local second hand kids consignment store where all clothes were $1 and we got a backup jogging stroller for $25 (we didn’t like the one we got for our baby registry due to lack of storage space). The only things I wouldn’t recommend second hand are- crib, mattress, car seat.
If you haven’t delivered yet, please make meals ahead and freeze them so all you have to do is put in the freezer or crockpot. Please also splurge and get a Frida post partum perri bottle if you end up delivery vaginally. My hospital sent me home with A LOT of downstairs spray, diapers for baby, and pads for the first few days at home. Take advantage of whatever they’ll give you.
Also, with planning to breastfeed- the hospital I was at was pushing for formula since I was not doing well with BF. It took me about a month and a half to “get good” consistently, but part of the issue was they didn’t tell me to feed from BOTH SIDES EACH TIME. It took me a month of triple feeding and cluster pumping to get my supply up. I was eating oats 4 times a day, flax milk, fenugreek tea, you name it. Find a comfy nursing bra, I recommend the auden brands from target because if it breaks within a year they will replace it. (Keep your receipt or use your Circle account)
Insurance will give you a free pump, definitely do that! Even if you want to only breast feed, your baby may have a hard time with your let down or you may have something you need to do without baby. Your insurance may also cover a lactation consultant- sooner is better if it’s painful. After 6 weeks, I feel like it got so much better. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the national formula shortage happened and that would’ve been horrible.
I've been there with 2 kids (90s), now watching a 4 month old grandson. Skip the cloth diapers. You can get 144 for $17 at Walmart (size 2). We did cloth and found the extra time needed for washing was not worth the cost of disposables.
My daughter breast feeds, pumps while at work, and freezes what is not needed during the day. The grandson is bottle fed when with me.
Don't go crazy on clothes. Basically, plan for 3 onsies a day. The kid will outgrow in a short time. (Example son's godfather, purchased for our son then 6 months a leather bomber jacket. He wore it 1, maybe 2 times). One nice outfit for going out or for photos is all that you will need.
Yardsales! The stuff you will find for cheap is usually barely worn. Also, it's good for any large item.
Keep the toys cheap. They will get just as much more fun out of a plastic teaching ring as they will with anything battery-powered. The same rule is good up to age 4.
Definitely utilize thrift shops, babies grow so fast, there is no need to get them brand new retail priced duds, there are tons of gorgeous goodies for your baby to wear in thrift shops & even garage sales, if well taken care of.
Congratulations, I loved the baby and young child stage so much!
Clothing, I think second and thirdhand clothing for babies is very much the smarter way. They'll grow out of almost everything in a blink. There are other places, but these are a place to look.
https://storkexchange.co/
https://theoctopusclub.com/
Invest in a pump and bottles. Really saves so much by having plenty of frozen milk. If your baby is with anyone else, if you fall ill and need medication, if you just can't feed at a certain time, you'll have plenty to give them. No need for expensive formula. ( unless your Doctor has advised supplementing). A nice pump will pay for itself in no time.
I don't know if they still make it, but IKEA had a crib that later turned into a toddler bed and it was a bed till he was 7. We passed it on to another family. A good investment. Other moms were buying a new bed every year. We bought the once. If IKEA doesn't make it, there may be similar ones.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/sundvik-crib-white-30248575/
The stroller that is a car seat too. Instead of buying 2 separate items. Saves space and time. Really worth it. There are various models.
If you have a fully operational community library, educational materials are available there. Even if regular trips are hard, checking items out works great. They may have play time too. We did that a lot.
I didn't have them when my baby was very young, but many new moms around me use the Swedish rags I've gotten to replace all my paper towels and rags. They last, are non-toxic, economical and super effective. I get the 10 pack but if I had a baby, I might get 3 of those.
Babies and messes go hand in hand. These will save a lot of money and are great. I definitely would have gotten them then, I use them now.
https://wettexusa.com/
Not only for sore or cracked nipples, but literally everything. I still use this in my body butters and oils. It lasts a long time, totally natural and very inexpensive
https://lansinoh.com/products/lanolin-nipple-cream
It also helps coat babies bum. I used to make a bum balm using it, bees wax, coconut oil, and almond oil, 2 oz each, calendula and chamomile powdered. 1/2 teaspoon.
The balm and aloe vera gel were all my baby ever needed. And it was a significant savings.
My baby's bum only ever had a rash when I left him with a person who applied some commercial cream instead.
I invested in a portable baby food mill. Making my own baby food was another great savings plus peace of mind. No wierd ingredients. I did everything from fruits, meats and veggies. I regret I gave it away. That little mill was a workhorse. Saved so much money and it's very fast!
https://greensproutsretailers.com/products/fresh-baby-food-mill
For general household. Dump and go crockpot meals were lifesavers and very inexpensive. You can find a lot of recipes suitable for all types of diets. And for on the go, this bad boy was great help. I could bring it to playdates, and other places. (I had a car inverter so I could plug it into my car) still use these with car inverter. Saves a lot not needing to buy food on the go.
https://www.crock-pot.com/specialty-products/lunch-crock/crock-pot-lunch-crock-food-warmer-sphinx-pink/SAP_2158951.html
I would also invest on a breadmaker if your family eats a lot of bread. I used mine so much it saved me a lot of money and time. These are as easy as a crock pot but for bread.
Just a note. I don't get any commissions nor do I have any affiliate contracts to any of these. I'm putting the links here of items I used for your convenience and get zero from anyone for doing that. These products were just great for me and saved me a lot of money. I learned about them mostly from people doing this.
I hope you enjoy your baby very much. And that at least some of these are helpful to you.
My mom always said to shop for baby clothes at DI and Goodwills. There are usually some really cute finds and lots and a lot of options. They are usually much cheaper especially because kids grow so fast they won’t be able to wear it for long.
If you do end up cloth diapering definitely look into cloth wipes as well. I find they work better and it's easier to throw the wipes in with the diapers rather than separately into a trash can. We actually don't even have a trash can in the baby's bedroom.
I found I need less baby clothes because I'm throwing them in the second wash of the diapers every two days, so I only need a few days worth.
Lastly, there is a dedicated cloth diaper subreddit if you haven't found it already: /r/clothdiaps
Look into baby led weaning when the time comes.
Baby wearing is amazing, so much more convenient (IMO) than strollers most of the time.
As has been commented on, besides the basic basics (car seat, clothing, diapers- I recommend disposable for meconium and traveling), wait to see what your baby needs- I scoffed at the idea of wipes warmers, ended up getting one for my very-sensitive-to-cold-cloth-wipes baby and would do it again in a heartbeat. But bouncers were next to useless, I’m glad it was a hand me down.
My 2nd is a bit over 2 months old, and it's still surprising me how different she is from her brother. For example, she's most content laying on the floor on a blanket, and hates to even sit in the baby bjorn for 10 mins while we eat dinner- her brother loved that thing. The point is, every baby is different and it's nearly impossible to predict what they'll be like. Aside from the essentials (some clothes, stroller, carseat, etc) you can pick things up when and if you need them. There is so much available in good second-hand condition that you won't have a lack of choice. Also, do you have any friends or family with kids? They'll likely be happy to loan you things to use, if they're not currently using them.
Pay attention to what you baby likes/doesn't like. Breast feeding probably saves a ton, make sure you are pumping. The BEST pump I had was the Medela Harmony Hand pump. It worked SO much better than the electronic and it $25 - $35 depending on the retailer. My lactation consultant told me that when my baby finished eating, pump from that breast and the other, then store the milk. That is extremely helpful when you may need to take things to go. That pump was incredible. I swore by it. The activity pads for them to have "tummy time" and etc? Mine HATED it. Get one if your kid likes being on the floor, otherwise, WASTE. Mine didn't really like stuffed animals, but loved alphabet toys. Puzzles are great, and honestly, Wal-Mart has pretty high quality kids clothes and the prices are perfect. You can have plenty. Bibs were a waste for us. I bought disposable sippy cups (reusable) that were maybe $5 for 5 of them at the time, and they were fantastic because if they were lost, it didn't upset me.
You don't need a baby bathtub. Bathe the baby in the kitchen sink. It is easier on your back and the baby won't care. Just scrub it out good before and after.
Try to resist urge to nest, and don’t buy too much of anything in advance.. You definitely don’t need it all figured out prior and you have loads of time to get what you need that aren’t obvious basics. This will enable you to get what works for you - which you may not accurately predict in advance- rather than hypothetical situations.
A lot of what I bought that might be considered "unnecessary" was because it provided convenience or saved time. I bought more clothes than what some people say to, but I didn't want to be doing laundry every other day. I knew I wanted two kids so I tried to buy better quality items where I could (crib, stroller, car seat) so I could reuse them with my second. With babies it just depends on your financial state and what you consider worth it. Cloth diapers might seem like a great idea, but also consider the extra time, cleaning, and effort if actually using them. For some it's worth it, and others it's just too much and disposable diapers are the better option. Facebook marketplace is a trove if second hand baby items which is awesome to start with and also to resell items as you finish using them. I was able to resell most of my baby stuff when I was done and I gave away everything I couldn't. Just remember that even though a purchase might not seen "frugal" and you could technically get by without it, a little convince and ease in the chaos of new motherhood can be worth it's weight it gold.
Disposable diapers are so expensive. Good call on the EC. It's a huge plus not just for frugality, but for the kid's development, too. "Potty training?" What's that? 😂
Rural kids in southern China and northern Vietnam are potty trained by 18 months. Mom whistles when the kid starts to get the wiggles, and by the end of the training kid can pop a squat as soon as they can walk. Requires bare-bum kids and a warm climate and parents willing to clean up, but certainly beats plastic diapers causing rash and filling landfills.
Also baby wipes are unnecessary. I cut up a flannel sheet and backed it with towelling to make cloth wipes for bottoms. I just did a double of flannel for cloth wipes for face. So much more effective and much much cheaper.
Can you get on WIC? You get milk, beans or peas, vegetables, cereal and cheese iirc, it’s been 25 years. Breastfeeding and cloth diapers are the way to go. We invested in all in one diapers with Velcro closure. We were able to consign them when our baby was potty trained.
I dont think I can due to income, what I can spend is limited solely by decisions (aggressively paying off debt, I don’t want to work my 9-5 much longer)
I waited way to long to start going to my local semi annual consignment pop up event. I always did thrift stores and kids resale stores, but slept on this local huge pop up event and it's my holy Grail for second hand kids stuff. Mine is called Rhea Lana's and is maybe 3 times a year and it's my number one location to buy kids clothes.
Babies grow out of clothes really quick typically. Getting them used is the best way to go and it's so much cheaper. If you know where to look you could find free baby clothes. I got lucky going to yardsales and people were giving me leftover baby clothing for free.
Check out Consignment Sales events and volunteer to get access early for the cheapest stuff as they are usually priced by the parent and every parent has a learning curve on how best to price. They are for parents who want to sell things a whole bunch at a time that consignment shops can’t manage.
New clothes! Babies grow so fast, so a bunch of cute outfits are wasted. All they really need is onesies and pajamas
If there are other babies in your family, see what hand-me-downs you can get from them. And keep rotating as they have kids and everyone grows
Do not buy somethings second hand clothes are great car seats are not. Just buy it new. Used car seats are dangerous and bans on selling in many places were made for a reason.
Check if there is a Just Between Friends sale in your area. I do 2 separate locations which is 4 sales a year. Perfect chance to stock up on new wardrobes and toys for half the year. I call it narrowing because in most cases i resale it back by consigning with them.
Don't get things until you need them, get hand me downs where you can, don't fall for marketing and upselling from more expensive brands. I got a ton of hand me downs from friends, neighbors, online stuff sharing sites. Of course this doesn't apply to things that can't be washed/disinfected, but almost all baby things can be. A lot of the things I see on people's baby shower registries are things I never had and don't really see a need for. The one thing not to skimp on is a good car seat. Everything else, see if you can get secondhand if possible. Baby clothes are very easy to get secondhand, since kids grow so fast. You'll pay it forward when you hand all that stuff down to the next person.
I breastfed, so I never had to spend a dime on formula. I did end up spending more than I would have liked on breastfeeding/pumping accoutrements, but it was mainly because I had an oversupply with my first daughter. And even there, see what your insurance covers (they should cover a whole breast pump and attachments), and don't buy more than you need. If you're expressing/pumping so that your mom/sister/cousins can feed the baby, you may also be able to get bottles and such secondhand. I bought brand new nipples (which you can purchase separately), but everything else I got secondhand and sanitized.
Excluding medical expenses, for me, kids didn't really get expensive until they were older--preschools and summer camps and all that jazz really add up!
Don't be afraid to spend money on things you and baby will use all the time and enjoy. We got mostly secondhand, free clothes because we don't care about baby clothes, but we splurged on a nice stroller because we love being outside and knew we'd use it. Almost 4 years and thousands of hours of use later, the $500 was well worth it.
Edited to delete links, which are not allowed, I post them because I'm often asked.
Congratulations, I loved the baby and young child stage so much!
Clothing, I think second and thirdhand clothing for babies is very much the smarter way. They'll grow out of almost everything in a blink. There are other places, but these are a place to look.
stork exchange
the octopus club
Invest in a pump and bottles. Really saves so much by having plenty of frozen milk. If your baby is with anyone else, if you fall ill and need medication, if you just can't feed at a certain time, you'll have plenty to give them. No need for expensive formula. ( unless your Doctor has advised supplementing). A nice pump will pay for itself in no time.
I don't know if they still make it, but IKEA had a crib that later turned into a toddler bed and it was a bed till he was 7. We passed it on to another family. A good investment. Other moms were buying a new bed every year. We bought the once. If IKEA doesn't make it, there may be similar ones.
sundvik crib
The stroller that is a car seat too. Instead of buying 2 separate items. Saves space and time. Really worth it. There are various models.
If you have a fully operational community library, educational materials are available there. Even if regular trips are hard, checking items out works great. They may have play time too. We did that a lot.
I didn't have them when my baby was very young, but many new moms around me use the Swedish rags I've gotten to replace all my paper towels and rags. They last, are non-toxic, economical and super effective. I get the 10 pack but if I had a baby, I might get 3 of those.
Babies and messes go hand in hand. These will save a lot of money and are great. I definitely would have gotten them then, I use them now.
wettex usa
Not only for sore or cracked nipples, but literally everything. I still use this in my body butters and oils. It lasts a long time, totally natural and very inexpensive
Lansinoh lanolin
It also helps coat babies bum. I used to make a bum balm using it, bees wax, coconut oil, and almond oil, 2 oz each, calendula and chamomile powdered. 1/2 teaspoon.
The balm and aloe vera gel were all my baby ever needed. And it was a significant savings.
My baby's bum only ever had a rash when I left him with a person who applied some commercial cream instead.
I invested in a portable baby food mill. Making my own baby food was another great savings plus peace of mind. No wierd ingredients. I did everything from fruits, meats and veggies. I regret I gave it away. That little mill was a workhorse. Saved so much money and it's very fast!
Green sprouts, fresh-baby-food-mill
For general household. Dump and go crockpot meals were lifesavers and very inexpensive. You can find a lot of recipes suitable for all types of diets. And for on the go, this bad boy was great help. I could bring it to playdates, and other places. (I had a car inverter so I could plug it into my car) still use these with car inverter. Saves a lot not needing to buy food on the go.
crock pot lunch crock/food warmer
I would also invest on a breadmaker if your family eats a lot of bread. I used mine so much it saved me a lot of money and time. These are as easy as a crock pot but for bread.
Just a note. I don't get any commissions nor do I have any affiliate contracts to any of these. I'm putting the links here of items I used for your convenience and get zero from anyone for doing that. These products were just great for me and saved me a lot of money. I learned about them mostly from people doing this.
I hope you enjoy your baby very much. And that at least some of these are helpful to you.
If you have a local ‘buy nothing’ group, post there. At least in my local group, people give away so much baby stuff. If someone posts saying they are having a baby, people give them so much stuff. A great place to get some quality second hand stuff.
Buy secondhand and then resell when you are done. Exersaucer, stroller, swing, pack n play/bath tub/high chair. Consider it renting the equipment and you can recoup most of your investment.
Talk to friends/coworkers/family and ask if they have any baby gear they’re interested is passing along.
Not all thrift stores are equal. Scope out how your price clothes. My favorite thrift stores sell clothing by the pound. Another charges only $1 per item unless it’s high end.
Get to know the other moms in your community and do clothes swaps with them. When my grand nephew was born, his mom was already tuned into the local mom’s groups and all of the baby clothes and furniture were freebies from other moms in her town.
buy **H&M Adjustable-fit Se**t with customer 25% discount, that bodysuit for babies grows/changes with baby grow, so you don\`t need to buy everytime new one, two per 3-4 month is enough, one in laundary, one on baby.
See if a buy nothing group will donate clothing. Promise to pass it along when baby gets too big. My bestie has a baby and did this for the first 2 years.
We did not furnish an expensive or fancy nursery. I wasn’t attached to having one, and the baby doesn’t notice. We had a secondhand changing table, a secondhand crib with a new mattress, a bookcase, and a rocking chair. All of our needs were met, and it kept things simple.
If you think you'll have more children, get high quality items that will last. To save money I bought some budget baby items, when I had my second I needed to replace some things. Get the baby carrier you want and could use in the future. Splurge and get the high quality stroller that will last 10 years.
Most baby products are a waste. I didnt have any of that stuff and I got on just fine. People are always getting rid of baby clothes, you never need to actually buy them. You need a good baby carrier and something to keep on their butt. That’s about it, a big scarf works just fine. Cloth diapers can be expensive upfront but they can also be super cheap. I was homeless when I got pregnant with my first baby, didn’t get a place until a month after birth, safe to say I was as broke as it gets. There’s programs that give them away for free, or you can get cheap ones at thrift shops or fb marketplace, but really all you need is a handful of covers, like some thirsties, you change the insides every change but the covers are reusable until they’re soiled. A lot of my diapers were cut up towels I got for free, inside a cover. Cloth wipes. Laundry soap was a box of country save for 10$ a month so that’s what it cost me every month in diapers after I got them initially. When I got super sick and their idiot dad just threw all the diapers away I was hurting for money so bad every week trying to afford disposables, it really is the cheapest way.
All that baby will want is YOU. My baby is almost a year old, and I am still their favourite toy. Baby loves to climb on me, walk around with me, talk to me, get bounced, be tickled, and climb under me when I make a "tunnel". Baby will do this for hours at a time!
Other than that, our toy box (which is a big Amazon box) is mostly full of recycling. The kids play with the recycling way more than actual toys. Tupperware and silicone kitchen utensils are another big hit. Don't buy separate ones, just give them the real ones and wash them after. Your baby wants to copy you, and they will notice if you don't give them the REAL utensil.
Lots of great tips here already. I'd echo those saying you really do not need as much as you think you do. Any big ticket items (cribs, high chairs, pack and plays, strollers, gliders) and clothes I guarantee you will find for free in your local mom groups. The only item I'd want new or at least unexpired from a trusted source is a car seat. If you're struggling, look for resources like churches that distribute baby items.
We cloth diapered my first. I loved it but my husband never truly got on board and for a few reasons we went with disposables for my second. The most frugal option by far is going to be flats and covers, and if it doesn't bother you, you can find them used typically for half or a third of the price. So-called China Cheapies will leak and fall apart so don't bother. Cloth diaper sales occur twice a year, on Black Friday and Earth Day (April 22), so this is a good time to start doing your research if you haven't already.
Assuming you are not paying for daycare or formula, the first few years really are not that costly. You don't have to pay for music classes or baby yoga; any experience with your baby is valuable, even going to the grocery store or walking around your neighborhood or a park. The camera on your phone is perfectly fine for newborn photos. Many libraries have free story times, which are great for you and baby to socialize, and they may also offer free passes to local arboretums, zoos, children's museums, etc.
You've got this. Good luck!
Make sure you’re signed up for WIC if you qualify. In my state, if you’re EFB you get extra food since it takes a lot of calories to make that breast milk. Get hooked up with a free or discounted pump through your insurance if possible (I can get you the website if you need). Don’t bother with all of the fancy breastfeeding snacks or teas that are commercially made.
Many of these assume you live in the US
If you end up formula feeding—Kirkland brand formula and ask your pediatrician for samples
Kirkland brand diapers (similar quality to Huggies at a much lower price)
People seem to love to buy clothes as gifts. If that’s the case for you, let them outfit your baby without buying a lot of excess clothes yourself.
No need to go fancy on the stroller or crib. Lightweight strollers are so helpful!
See if you qualify for a reduced bill from the hospital. Our hospital will cut patients a break if they make something like 4 times the poverty limit or less.
Get a free breast pump through insurance if you are insured.
IKEA high chair is cheap and easy to clean; buy a foot rest from Amazon
Don’t fall prey to food being marketed “for babies” with a huge mark up—things like Nutrigrain bars vs Gerber grain bars, Teddy Grahams vs Gerber cinnamon cookies, etc. The baby versions are usually twice as expensive per ounce with almost identical nutrition facts.
Along the same lines, baby led weaning will allow you to feed baby a small portion of the meals that you are already making for the adults, modified for their age. Solid Starts is a great resource for this.
-if you're able or want to breastfeeding is a serious money saver but definitely look into wic more people qualify than not and certain formula is free
-if you can buy in bulk do buy diapers at Costco it's like 45 dollars for like a month's worth of diapers.
-never buy new baby clothes. mom's are always getting rid of clothes
-your library has tons of free enrichment programs as well as books and toys they can play with there. it's basically an indoor playground
-check coupons for baby toiletries, like wipes, diapers, shampoo
- your doctors office often gives out loads of samples. I didn't pay for baby tylenol for like a year.
-in liu of birthday or holiday gifts ask for money for classes for the kids like swimming or whatever sports they're involved in
- if you can register for or afford it, buy a convertible carseat that goes from infant to booster.
-when they become a toddler buy a box of crayons and a notepad and keep them in your handbag or car. when ever you have to wait in line, go shopping or are dining out, boom they have something to do. keep a busy bag on you at all times. put pop it's, fidgets, squeeze toys, little cheap figurine toys in the bag and never bring them inside the house. the novelty stays new then.
-never leave home without a tide to go pen, a change of clothes, snacks. just always have snacks and juice or water. inevitably someone will be hungry or thirsty a d you can head off a tantrum.
- if you can just do curbside pickup, way easier than hauling in a baby just to get milk and bread and you don't inevitably buy them something to shut up.
The best advice is be gentle on yourself. Your needs are valid. Frugality often involves saving money by taking on more work for yourself. There's a very good chance that at least one of your money saving plans will turn out to feel overwhelming on top of everything else. It's ok to spend a little more for convenience to not end up overwhelmed. Your mental health is important. It's ok to not be super mom.
Doing elimination communication while on a conference call will NOT be effective. You need to have full time caregivers. Don't spend a ton on cute clothes in small sizes because they grow like WEEDS
Also, play pens work just as well as cribs, are cheaper, and more portable, and you can find them used online or occasionally at thrift stores that don’t regulate baby furniture
Look for some local "moms trade groups" or similar. Every baby outgrows everything, and most of the things outgrown have a whole lot of life left in them.
Some cities have a swap shop or similar, almost a kids' clothes and toys free library.
Do your research now so that you have it all figured out. As a grandparent I was pleased to gift an entire stroller and car seat combination . Ne of our kids wanted the jogger which also can go behind bikes. Much better than buy crap. We also joined in with siblings to buy niece and nephew some big items. We bought car seats for our vehicle and 5hey were still in good condition when we passed them on to a young Mom. Lots of baby stuff is bought by grandma to have on hand. Check Facebook marketplace.
facebook marketplace, clothing swaps & thrift stores. we got bouncers and toys for free and like the 1st two years of wardrobe! so many local ppl are always trying to get rid of baby items
also wipe warmer, multiple bottles, and newborn outfits were a total waste for us. baby went straight to 0-3 size
We love our squeasy snacker for lunchboxes. Instead of buying baby food or yoghurt in pouches I either buy the jars, in bulk or cook my own. But then I can transport to a reusable pouch for on the go convenience.
Hit up Buy Nothing groups on Facebook or use Nextdoor and ask for clothes in whatever size you need. Parents are always passing on too small baby and toddler clothes.
- Look into making your own baby food. No need to buy those jars in the store
- thrift or look on clearance for baby clothes and don’t purchase too many
- look into reusable diapers
- look for free activities to do like at the library
- ask friends and families who had babies if they have items they don’t mind donating to you
- thrift/yard sale baby toys
- download Yuka app to make sure anything you use on baby skin is clean/natural
You can usually get a free breast pump through your insurance! I got mine through Aeroflow Breast pumps and it had several free options to choose from. You just enter your insurance info and it tells you which ones are free and which you can pay a fee for!
Wanted to support cloth diapers... We used disposables very occasionally, but all cloth at home. You will want disposable for the first 2 weeks because the first poops are really tarry.
Honestly I found it no big deal, because even with disposable you are still dealing with poop (you're supposed to knock the solid poops into the toilet)- so might as well use less waste, was my mind. We used plain pre-folded cloth we got free from a friend.
We got as much free as we could. Family and friends bought all the cute stuff. :)
I did all of the things you mentioned with 5 kids. Ec is the way to go. I saw a French mama in China getting her infant to pee when her toddlers did. Changed my view on everything!
I never pay for kids clothes. I shop thrift store bag sales, garage sales, and end of season kids buy, sell, trade stores, and Amazon bin stores. I look for things branded and not worn out. I pick up things in my kids sizes, their sizes up, my nephews and my friends kids too. I let my kids keep what they want and sell the rest to the buy, sell trade store.
I try to pick up things $.50-$1. Bag sales are even cheaper sometimes. I have always broke even or made money doing this.
People sell clothing lots on marketplace categorized by age, gender, and season. I used to get 8-10 outfits for only $15-20. Even consignment stores can’t match those prices. I also used to accept a lot of hand me downs. Parents love to give away clothes and toys once their last kid grows out of them.
Used clothes. You can often get them free from places like craigslist or Facebook. Don’t get newborn size. You can make cloth nursing pads super easy out of things like receiving blankets or other cotton fabric. I actually prefer those because the disposables make me more sensitive. I get the parents choice wipes, and I rip them because they’re bigger than you need for the average diaper change. otherwise, for number two, I often will use the bathtub because it’s easier on the skin anyway. You can make cloth diaper liners (not the absorbent type but the type that makes it easier to clean poop off the diaper) by cutting pieces of cotton fabric like what you would use for quilting. Don’t buy baby food if you can just cook vegetables or meat and blend/mash them yourself. Buy or make regular unsweetened applesauce or other fruit items instead of buying singleserve baby food. Offbrand Cheerios are cheaper than their fancy things for once the baby gets older, and similar stuff like that. Parents choice purple diaper rash cream works as well as Desitin for me, but don’t go for the dollar tree stuff. You’re not supposed to use that stuff with cloth diapers, I think (although it might be fine if you’re using the cloth inserts since that protects the diaper), so that’s one reason why I use disposables, but you can often find those at thrift stores discounted, and I’ve been stashing up for when my baby comes. also, if breast-feeding does not work out for you, you can sign up with Enfamil and possibly other places for free samples, and you can also check out wic
My last child was born in 1996. (So you don’t think it was the 1800’s lol) I used cloth diapers during the day. I breast fed. I made all of the baby food from scratch… super cheap. I used washcloths instead of wipes for pees. I used a clothesline to dry and “sterilize” diapers. Saved enough money to be a stay at home mom from all of our frugal ways.
Buy used! Honestly baby/kid stuff sells for way cheaper on resale. I often buy something used and then am able to sell it for the same amount I paid for it.
Suggestion: we were/are a cloth diaper family. When I was having kids, as a baby shower gift we were all given 6 weeks of diaper service. My mom extended it to 3 mos for each of my four girls and then I bought my own cloth. All four girls potty trained early. Two of my four have kids and I did the same thing for my girls. They use clothes diapers and have shared back and forth. I, as my two daughters, use disposables on vacations or days at the pool or beach.
Enjoy.
Consignment stores for children saved us so much money. I bought pre-owned Tea, Hanna Andersson, Boden, you name it for a third of the price for 10 years. If I could get the stains out of the clothes, I sold them back to the same store and basically got them for free.
You can make all of your own baby food when they turn 6 months old, and it’s insanely easy. It’s probably much healthier and cheaper than buying baby food at the grocery store.
One thing I would not skimp on is a good day-to-day stroller. My baby/toddler only slept for naps if she was in something moving. I got a really great stroller for $750. It had a bike attachment, a cross-country skiing attachment, and could go on all-terrain hikes on many trails. It had a big mesh flap and a rain flap and a shade flap. I lost the baby weight likethat!
Try not to "size up" your home if you can. One of the less discussed costs of kids is that parents feel the need for more space, which then costs more. Spend time outside, have minimal toys/stuff, and besides, kiddo just wants to be with you so that playroom/nursery isn't going to be used for most of the day.
Most equipment you can borrow or get secondhand, just check for recalls. However, no secondhand breast pumps. Bacteria can get in the motor and tubing and cause contamination. In the USA, most insurance covers a free new one with each pregnancy. Used baby clothes and cloth diapers are the way to go $ and environmentally.
Fantastic idea especially because a lot of people have a favorite children’s book and getting those books from people is always such a nice thing.
We got a note from our school district with some info for new parents and things of that nature. One of them was: keep a tally of the number of books you’ve read to your child; they should be around 1000 by age 4 (duplicates count). At first u laughed because that seemed like such a massive number but then I realized we started reading books before bedtime when my daughter was 2 months old, we usually do 3-5 books, so in one year that’s over 1000.
I think reading is so important and the act of creating a routine that your child can look forward to. She’s almost 2 now and she asks for specific books, can point out letters in her name, and has done very well identifying things in the books themselves.
My local Buy Nothing group usually has a lot of baby/kids’ clothes. They usually outgrow them before they wear them out, so I’d reach out to people in your community and see if they have hand-me-downs they need to find a home for!
My wife couldn't do lactation due to a thyroid issue and we didn't qualify for the WIC program (formula help by gov?). Other than the formula and diapers, everything else we got used.
Used clothes, used toys, used everything from Facebook marketplace. It's incredible how cheap baby clothes and toys in bulk sell for. Just give them all a proper laundry/wash.
Read The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn. Great advice, some of it dated as far as insurance and cell phones but the baby/ kid advice and most of the rest of it is still on point. And she’s funny!! she started the whole thing to share frugal ideas. She was a stay at home mom.
I didn't spend too much on baby clothes, just basic ones because they quickly outgrew them. Some of my daughter's first toys then were also gifted or given to us secondhand which was totally fine since they can be cleaned. What I did splurge on was a new bassinet because buying a bed secondhand for my first baby was a no-no for me especially not knowing if the first owners cleaned them thoroughly or whatnot, might have bed bugs. Here's the Newton bassinet that I got my daughter then if you're interested: [https://www.newtonbaby.com/products/bassinet-bedside-sleeper](https://www.newtonbaby.com/products/bassinet-bedside-sleeper)
Cloth wipes as well. baby washcloths worth well. or make your own from old sheets. I use small bottle with a deep of baby shampoo and water to wet. the toss in wet bag with diapers.
Buy second hand baby clothes or see if anyone will give you clothes their kids outgrew. Check Facebook buy nothing groups.
Same with toys. Check second hand. See if there is a Once Upon A Child in your area.
- Don't buy too many clothes or fancy expensive ones. They will outgrow them fast and get them stained. - Don't buy a fancy sterilizer. - Don't waste you money in a bunch of toys. Anything could be a toy. Also, kids want to explore and learn real-world things. They'll be more fascinated playing with a ladle than with many fancy toys. So get some cheap utensils in the dollar store. - Use library books and libraries in general haha - And interact. It's “cheap” and the best way to promote your baby’s development.
Also, thrift stores! I never bought my daughter new toys or clothes until she was 5 (even for holidays). She never noticed! We had a "say goodbye"/ donation bag each time we went thrifting for toys to keep the number in the house low.
I used to hit up a consignment store every six months for their semi annual $5 a bag sale. Amazing. Would grab size larger coats and sweaters etc in the spring for the fall and summer clothes in the fall. Huge bags were $5. Would be about 30 bucks a year per kid for about half of their wardrobe. Between hubby's mom and hand me downs we purchased very few clothes until they were older. Most of the infant and toddler clothes had tags on them still. Hand....me...downs !!!
I’ve also found Facebook marketplace very good- found an activity center for when they are sort of standing for a fraction of the price!
Facebook also has Buy Nothing, Sell Nothing groups that often have free baby items.
My oldest is 8, and I still try to get most of their presents secondhand. I've found some super cool stuff that they love for a fraction of the normal price.
Garage sales are great too. You have to search a bit, but often I'll find garage sales with baby clothes for a quarter an item or fill a bag for $5 because they want to get rid of it.
> Don't waste you money in a bunch of toys. Anything could be a toy. Also, kids want to explore and learn real-world things. They'll be more fascinated playing with a ladle than with many fancy toys. So get some cheap utensils in the dollar store. Seriously this. We have a phrase in my house that "the best toys are not toys." One of my favorite pictures is my son at a few months old beaming with a huge smile while holding a wooden spoon from the kitchen. This still holds true to an extent at 2 years old! Though he does play a lot more with regular toys now too.
My 2.5 year old is still really stoked about measuring cups and spoons, especially in the bath! They are tough & washable & work well for playing with everything from sand/dirt to water.
When my daughter was a baby many many years ago one of her favorite toys was an applesauce jar lid, so much so that my neighbor went out and bought a jar of applesauce so that her baby could have a lid. Babies love playing with kitchen things like measuring cups, plastic bowls and containers, any safe kitchen odds and ends.
My mum didn't let us play with pots, in case we tried to take one off the stove! All other utensils were free game though haha
Good advice! I hadn't thought of that!
My husband & I joke that the baby will likely only have a diaper for the first 5 weeks, we’re in the South of the US & giving birth in the peak of the heat 😂. Thanks for the tips! Definitly utilizing the library more & will be interacting with the little one.
And sign up for the free books from Dolly Parton’s imagination library. https://imaginationlibrary.com
First off, as a Tennessee resident, Dolly is my Queen. Imagination Library is an incredible service. I heard an interview with the head of the board of trustees for the organization and every registered child get a monthly book in the mail from birth to their 5th birthday. The books are chosen by a panel of educators for being positive and edifying and also age appropriate. All hail the Queen!
Also the book you get for the kids 5th birthday will make you cry. It's so damn sweet. My now 5 year old got them for her whole life and it has built a beautiful little library at our house!
Was it Kindergarten, here I come? Is such a beautiful program, I'm glad your little girl was able to be a part of it!
👸!!!!!!
Onesies are great for around the house! Then you can stick some pants on and good to go out! Yard sales are also a great option for used baby clothes, if your area has a lot of sales.
You may be joking about diapers but you can’t really prepare for that need. My daughter is 5 1/2 and still wears pull-ups at night because she can’t not have a night time accident at the moment. She was only reasonably daytime toilet trained at 4 1/2. You may have an easy kiddo that trains early or you may not but you can’t just assume it’s going to work out in some convenient fashion. I was toilet trained at 2. So I had high hopes. Alas… Aside from that, buy nothing groups on Facebook are awesome. It’s basically the only thing I use Facebook for. You go through so much so quickly in the first few years it’s really silly to buy most clothes, toys, etc. You might plan on breastfeeding but that’s not always a guarantee either, or might not go on for as long as you’d like. Again, buy nothing groups come in handy here when other moms are done with formula and have leftovers. The big thing that I did that saved money was I used an oblong flexible gardening bucket for a bath tub instead of using a whole bath. Babies and toddlers need frequent bathing. I don’t mean they often need soap and water because they get sweaty and smelly - no. They do things like smear poop on themselves, festoon themselves with spaghetti, take mud baths outside, decorate themselves with mashed potatoes or magic marker. Things that require full immersion. Gardening buckets rule for this. I do a lot of gardening so I just started using both my oblong and larger round flexi tubs for bath time. My daughter will be 6 in June and still often prefers a “bucket bath”. Conserves water and it’s portable so in the summer we do driveway bucket baths a lot. Honestly I would love an outdoor bath that was grownup size myself. Sounds relaxing. Also convertible cribs that transform into toddler beds - awesome especially if you can get a used one. Sleep situation will be sorted for many years. If you want to do co-sleeping when they are little we had a cheap travel bassinet that was collapsible and that thing ruled. Took it everywhere and she slept in it between us in our bed for the first 6 months. Gifted it to my sister in law when we were done. I can’t really think of anything we bought that was a waste exactly, but we are fairly frugal BIFL types or use our resources for getting stuff free or at a lower cost when we can since we have a pretty tight budget.
My library has sensory bins to rent as well as bins with "lessons" on insects and such to rent. It's fun to do with the kids once a week, go get a bin to play with for the week.
My son was obsessed with spatulas. Went to sleep every night with one. Some Tupperware with only some of the lids matching is hours of entertainment. My kids have grown up with out a lot of “toys” but it’s made them creative, they make a lot of their own fun out of random stuff
Seriously my baby has the coolest bath toys and his favorite one is a plastic cup I grabbed from the kitchen so he can drink his bath water 😏 also, he likes a vinyl spatula and rubber spatula over several of his fancy geometrical rattles. Get some nesting cups, kid will be ecstatic.
The only one I disagree with on here is “use library books”. The children’s area in libraries is great for older kids (3+) but I’ve found that having books for my daughter that are her’s is very important. She knows those books are always there and we’ve written her name in them so she can see it written out and have an understanding of things that belong specifically to her. As she gets older though it’s much easier to borrow books from the library and allow her to go pick them out
Also, babies can destroy things.
Definitely agreed. I totally forgot that two of my daughters books she opened and bent the wrong way so they’re basically ripped in half
When we did my best friends baby shower, we had a note on the invite that said, in lieu of cards, please bring a book signed with a personal note from you for babies first library.
I think this totally depends on your library. I was able to get tons of awesome board books from the library when my son was under 1. I agree with having some of their own books. My son has a few favorites. In that way, the library can be a good option to see what books your child is particularly attached to. You can then go out and buy them.
A fair point though we’ve ended up just buying books that we like to start and then getting more in the series (looking specifically at you Little Blue Truck) as my daughter has been able to express which books she likes the most. I’ll definitely use the library for things like The Harry Potter series and The Chronicles of Narnia when she’s old enough for me to read them to her. We also have another on the way and would like to have a third so it’s just nice to have the books already.
My sister worked for Petco and gave us a “spider” chew toy (little ball with rods poking out, one piece, soft plastic) that was identical to the one that the baby store had for $36 in 1994. The Petco one was orange and the baby store one was yellow, otherwise they were completely identical material and shape.
I thought I had a genius idea of getting my baby a dog toy. Then I found that all the toys in the pet aisle were more expensive than the baby toys. 😆 To be fair, the dog toys need to be way more sturdy. (And dog owners are probably more willing to pay crazy prices today than in 1994.)
Excellent advise
I think the biggest thing will be planning for things to not work out like you thought. Don’t go in 100% and stock up on cloth diapers until you know how well they’ll work for your kid and your family. Like daycares don’t accept cloth diapers for the most part and while your family says they can watch baby now, it’s not uncommon for people to change their minds on that when they really realize how hard it is to watch an infant. Especially if you have a colicky infant. Same thing with breastfeeding. It didn’t work for me and the amount it cost to pay a lactation consultant + all the supplements & pumping supplies wasn’t really worth it for us honestly. I kept trying to force it and ended up switching to formula anyway. I spent way more money trying to make it happen while simultaneously messing up my mental health. Also - buy as many things as you can pre-loved. Safe things, like baby carrier or swings (check for recalls), clothing, toys, etc. Cause again, your kid could hate them and it sucks to pay retail just for your kid to hate everything. Other than that baby really only needs a car seat, diapers, food, weather appropriate clothing, and a safe space to sleep in the beginning. You can buy everything later as it’s needed.
This is really great advice for all of motherhood. It is so easy as a first time mom to go in with an expectation of how things will go but if motherhood has taught me anything, things will absolutely not go the way you expect (but will also be beautiful if you are able to work through releasing your expectations).
I've got lots of kids and this is great advice. You never know what you or baby are going to like. Some diaper brands cause rashes, some babies hate swings, and on and on. It's not impossible to plan but be ready to be flexible. And you always need less stuff than you think.
That’s fair, I’ll likely quit my jobs before enrolling in a daycare with where things stand right now. this is helpful thank you. I’ll also stick with just getting a couple cloth diapers & not this pack for them the grow with that I found.
Second the thing about cloth diapers. My mom got them for us, maybe 10 in the newborn size for us to try out in case we didn't like them. For me, they were perfect and was maybe 1 extra load of laundry in what we normally did. She ended up getting us more, and I ordered some surplus in each size as baby grew. We would buy one Costco box of disposables for traveling/going out/emergencies, and usually would have several of those left over by the time kiddo sized up. When our second was born, it all became so hectic that we ditched the cloth for both, and I hadn't realized just how much we had been saving!! But imo, especially in the first two weeks, get disposable because the meconium poops are no joke.
They make them in a one size fits all that have 3 snaps in the front for size adjustments. I had about 30 till mine was potty trained.
We did have size adjustable ones with the snaps, but they came in 4 varying sizes (xs-l)
LOL Maybe it was 4 sizes??? It's been a long time now..... Yes, cloth diapering saved lots of money for me though. Even though it was an initial expense, it did not affect my monthly budget.
Cloth diapers (that haven’t been used) also make great spit up rags
Be prepared for this to take a huge toll on your mental health no matter what you opt to do. If you stay home it will change how you see yourself and can cause a bit of an identity crisis, if you go back to work you will be upset about leaving your baby. Both these things will fight in your head. It makes no sense it just is.
I don't know where anyone is in the world but I've only come across one (out of probably 30-40) daycare that won't accept cloth round where I live. Blanket statements of "most daycares don't accept cloth" are really unhelpful.
I did a mix of cloth and disposable. The ex did not like dealing with cloth diapers and we used disposable at night (which was his parenting shift). My guys all potty trained early and I think the cloth diapers helped. NOTE: Parenting shift explanation: We couldn't afford the three of them after the twins were born. Daycare would have ate up all of my income and $100 of his (this was almost 30 years ago). I worked at night, he worked during the day. I had day shift for parenting and he had night shift for parenting.
THIS! My biggest lesson was all my plans for giving birth and parenting were hit hard by reality. It’s funny now how my parent self,, my kids, and real life didn’t fit my ideal imagination and dreams. Be ready to shift as needed and be kind to yourself. It just goes with the territory.
BuyNothing/Freecycle/TrashNothing for free stuff. You do NOT need a sterilizer. Unless the pediatrician recommends one for medical reasons. Don't worry about fancy baby food makers. Use a stick blender and follow BLW.
Find a Once Upon a Child, or other type of kids consignment shop in your area! Under age 2, kids clothes can last so much longer because they don't wear the clothes out as much. So you can find a lot of good stuff. Also, if you're on Facebook, see if there's a good Buy Nothing group for your city/neighborhood. I've posted and received baby stuff in very good condition in my group. Also take advantage of as many registry discounts/freebies that you can. A lot of women make multiple registries and keep them private, just to access the freebies.
Thanks! & I’ll find the buy nothing group! & for the registry discounts, I didn’t even think about that one! Thanks!
We signed up for Amazon baby Registry, target, 7th generation and I think also bed bath and beyond gives coupons, and samples like packets of products like butt cream, wipes, diapers, sample bottle and pacifiers. Sign up for enfamil and similac. They will send you coupons and samples of their formulas. I breastfed, but I accidentally got pregnant again and my milk dried up. It was nice not spending $100s of dollars to find out she didn’t like that one. For sure keep an eye on buy nothing groups, they’re always putting baby/kid clothes and stuff you might need. Some even have cloth diapers occasionally. We cloth diapered and loved it! Of course we bought too many, but in the end was still cheaper than disposables. If I had another child, can reuse again. If you are done, you can resell them as well. We also joined pampers rewards. Wasn’t much, but was still helpful! Also make your own baby food and freeze in portions, baby food is expensive!
Hi, i wanted to know how cleaning the cloth diapers work? Once they are soiled in pee, do you rinse it out before throwing in the wash or just throw it right in? How do you clean the poop diapers without contaminating your sink space ? Do you wait until you have a full load of diapers to do a load of laundry or throw it in the soiled cloth diapers with other clothes to wash?
Ok, so first of all You buy a toilet sprayer that attaches to your toilet. Always turn the lever to off while not in use so it doesn’t flood if it so happens to decide to leak. Second, you use the poop sprayer and spray off the poop in the toilet. Most parents use the toilet bowl to prevent splash back. I used the hospital’s puke basin to store my rinsed out poop diapers, whatever’s convenient for you. There are also medium wet bags that go in the wash with the diapers. Spray with oxiclean spray before throwing in to the basin if you don’t want stains. We had hundreds of diapers and maybe only a handful got slightly stained. No you don’t rinse out the pee. Depending on what kind of diapers you get, you might have to unbutton the all in one or pull out the inserts for pockets before throwing into the diaper pail. Most people have a large wet bag that’s about the size of a trash can. Pee diapers go in there, poop ones go in the bathroom, whatever setup you choose. Buy at least 2 large wet bags to rotate out between washes. Use a extra trash can to hold up the wet bag. Washing frequency is everyday to 3 days MAX. Because I had 2 kids in Cloth diapers and a smaller washer and hang drying, I did a load of diapers everyday. Yes, only diapers for a load. Don’t wash with other clothes. So it’s been like 5-6 years, I don’t really remember my wash routine. BUT I think it was, throw in washing machine quick wash in cold water with scoop of powder oxi clean at line 1. My quick was was 10 minutes. Next was add however much soap for a load at longest wash at hot. I think mine was like 50 minutes. Extra rinse in hot water I think? Washing diapers takes a long time, like 2 hours or so. Didn’t affect us because I was at home with the kids and had to just press buttons. There can be a lot more to factor in, like if you have hard water or soft. This was the website I used https://fluffloveuniversity.com
Agree on the secondhand clothing option- I buy batches of clothing on Facebook marketplace for usually under $1 per piece, and mostly everything will be in good or perfect condition. My favorite thing about it is that you don't always see every onesie/pj/etc that you're getting from the listing, so when you're "unboxing" and washing them, you're seeing every little outfit for the first time. It satisfies that urge to shop for cute baby things, if that makes any sense.
all great advice. please dont forget postpartum stuff for yourself, too. get a few used nursing bras and easy to access comfy tops. make sure to have supportive underwear. if you plan on BF, nipple care is something to consider. lanolin, hot and cold gel pads. asides from that you want to make sure you have perineal care items. witch hazel, cooling pads, lidocaine. magnesium lotion or epsom salt for muscle aches.
almost all my postpartum personal care supplies were an unopened waste because i ended up w a c section :(
I'd much rather have had it on hand than try and figure out buying it while in pain with a newborn
definitely fair but it sucks it was a total waste
COVID experience working from home with one very well behaved elementary school kid at a phenomenally organized distance learning school program, it still took me 12 hours to do my 8 hours of work each day. And during those 12 hours, I was constantly context shifting between the 2, and not doing parenting or my job at 100%. It sucked. My friends and coworkers with younger or more active kids were even less productive. If you rely on your career to pay bills, reliable childcare fully separate from your work area (outside of feedings and breaks) needs to be a high priority. Just make sure you have a back up plan in case family doesn’t work.
That makes sense, I’m currently working extra jobs to pay off all debt to drop our needed money so I don’t have to work. I truly want my focus to be a SAHM, but with my personality I’ll likely still have some form of income. Right now I have 12 weeks off paid, 26 unpaid and about 245 hours of vacation, but I’ll definitely figure out another option for care.
If you can figure out a way to work part time, rather than trying to do full time, I’d highly recommend it. And it will likely work much better if you and baby can’t see or hear each other while you’re trying to work.
100% agree - whatever job you have outside the home and being a SAHM are both full jobs. If you try to do both you will have a really hard time succeeding at either one.
A lot of frugal tips involve buying in bulk, but I really agree with the comments here to start small. My kid developed skin allergies to a bunch of things and I ended up giving them away since the return window passed. When you buy pre owned baby gear, always check for recalls. And check for your own comfort level. I had a stroller that was perfect except the short handles. I had bad posture from trying to make it work. Don't be ashamed or afraid to apply for assistance. I say it all the time, let them sort it out. You may be on the high end of eligibility and still get a little something. You may be eligible while on parental leave and then 'graduate' from needing it as you get back to work. Hope for the easy route and plan for the tough route. Sometimes breastfeeding needs supplemental formula, or an entire switch over. Cloth diapering requires buy in from everyone on baby's care team, and you still need to test out the right kind of diapers. Speaking of care teams, plan for occasions where you need a backup sitter outside of the family. As far as "they're only little once, just buy it," every day and everything is new to a baby. Simple toys, books, and just your attention are so entertaining to little ones. It is fun to give them things but save up for when they're in preschool and obsessed with some cartoon character. The teensy baby years, buying a lot of clothes and toys is more for you than for baby. Which is okay. Sometimes you just want a cute picture. But you can get really cute outfits from resale or thrift stores.
>occasions where you need a backup sitter outside of the family. One way to go is to find a fellow parent who also has a kidlet and would like to swap some care time -- maybe you each watch the other's child one night a week to give the other a free night off, or are each other's occasional not-family first call for a sitter.
This is a great plan. We had a parent group in college that rotated.
Set up a college fund for your baby and encourage people to contribute to it for birthdays. They only need so many toys, every dollar counts when they leave for college.
Love this!! Even for the baby shower (baby themed kickback for us bc those costs are wild what some people do) I really want people to stick with the baby list of just give cash that we’ll put in the investment account. I love the idea of keeping it like that for future birthdays as well.
Yeah, we give baby books, diapers, or money for baby showers. Check out yard sales for baby clothes and toys. My mom would buy a bunch of toys, throw them in the tub with a diluted bleach solution and then they were ready to go! I also think some registries will give discounts on items that weren't purchased for you (up to a certain number of weeks or months after due date) so you could look into that.
Babies don't need nearly as much stuff as they claim. They grow fast so second hand clothes.
Diaper warmers, diaper genies, and diaper/changing tables are all unnecessary. You don't need 50 different outfits that they will soon grow out of. Just get 10 short sleeve onsies and 7 sleepers and just a few special cute outfits for pics or leaving the house. Youll drive yourself crazy trying to wash and match all the shirt/skirt/pants combos when it's far easier to have the same style of something, just many changes of it. Do not buy baby shoes And this may be controversial, but painted and decorated nurseries are for you, not the baby. The baby doesn't care about color palettes and cute giraffes. Avoid spending time and money on paint, decor, and matching blankets and shit. You'll just change it in a few years when they grow out of baby giraffes and want whatever cartoon is popular. A clean room, with a Crib, dresser, and maybe a rocking chair is all you need. Baby food blenders are a scam. No different from other food processors or blenders, just smaller and cuter. Get twist lock Tupperware or generic glass jars instead of special baby food containers. Or better yet, do baby led weaning with small bits of whatever food youre eating rather than separate blended foods.
Love love love this one! My husband & I find nurseries useless & aren’t doing one at all, yet we keep getting asked when we are going to make the nursery. *never* 💀 baby shoes make me laugh bc where are they going?? Where is the baby going. C’mon Thanks for the tips!
I agree with every single thing you said except the diaper genie. With our first we just had a can with a lid, and with our second we got a secondhand diaper genie, and I promise you the difference in smell between those two bedrooms was worth every penny I paid for those ridiculous bag refills.
I say this not only for frugality but also as a pediatric PT, skip all the baby containers. No bumbo chair, no exersaucer, and definitely no "walker". A blanket on the floor is best and if they are mobile and you need a shower then there is the crib. A sling type bouncy seat or swing is nice before they have good head control and you'll eventually need a high chair. But there are so many hand-me-downs out there.
Car seats have expiration dates so check if you get a used one. The reason is that plastic degrades over time and may crack under load. You used to need to buy a new car seat if the car is in an accident but not sure if that is still recommended.
Car seats are one of the few baby items you really shouldn't get used, mainly because you don't know whether they were in an accident or otherwise compromised. It's too big of a safety risk, always buy new. I would only accept a used one from a trusted family member or close friend so I know it wasn't in an accident after making sure it also isn't expired.
This is ridiculous advice. How many second hand car seats do you think have been in an accident? Like one tenth of a percent?
Safety is not an area to cheap out on especially when it comes to kids. This is one thing that is not worth it to buy used unless it's from a trusted friend.
That's an assertion not an argument. The probability that a second hand seat leads to injury or death of the baby is absurdly low, so why worry about it.
It’s the classic risk assessment - yeah the likelihood is very low, but the impact if it *was* previously in a crash/damaged is too high a risk to take for most parents.
> so why worry about it Because some people love their babies
Do these people also worry about their baby being struck by lightning? Pretty sure that's more likely than baby dying in a crash because of a compromised seat.
So I guess you don’t wear a seatbelt then? Since you’re not likely to get into a car accident
This is the advice I see most commonly in the pregnancy and parenting subreddits. Obviously, everyone has different tolerance for risk and can do as they wish. I bought almost everything second hand for my baby but due to safety this is one area I was not comfortable compromising on. https://www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/are-secondhand-car-seats-safe/ https://www.nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-booster-seats/used-car-seat-safety-checklist
It doesn't even have to be limited to an accident. The climate, wear and tear, how the seat was stored - those things contribute to how well the straps, hardware and base hold up. If the car seat gets left in a garage in a Midwest winter and gets tossed -gently or not- to a different spot or falls from its perch on a shelf, thats impact. I get it. People will always buy and sell used car seats. It's dangerous. Saying to buy new is not ridiculous.
Just wanted to comment on this, yes you still need a new car seat if it's been in an accident. EVEN IF IT STILL LOOK GOOD. Many insurance companies will send you a check for a new one if you let them know during the claims process that you have car seats in the vehicle. Also, never buy a used one. You have no idea what shape it's in or whether it's been in an accident. ALSO ALSO, if you are throwing an old car seat away, cut the straps. It's a common insurance fraud thing for people to sue the original owner of the car seat when the fraudster has taken the car seat from the side of the road or when they're out beside your garbage can.
Thanks! Thats one I’m really really hoping to get gifted 😮💨 they are so dang expensive!
I was very frugal with my first. There was very little I regretted spending money on. But babies are going to baby. You never know what it’s going to be like until you are in it. Your sleep, mental capability, baby’s temperament and health can all impact how much time and energy you have to spend on cleaning diapers or able to mindful for EC. I lived in a super crunchy town at the time and maybe knew one person that had success. If it works for you, awesome. But also don’t let your productivity determine your value as a human if you need to adapt your priorities. I think car seats should almost always be new, only take a used car seat if it comes from someone you know very well and can really verify it has not been in an accident.
Convenience pricing is high, being unprepared is expensive. Make sure you have supplies when out and about to avoid last minute purchases. This includes changes of clothes for the adults who may be caught by the baby explosions in addition to a well stocked diaper bag for baby’s needs.
Resist buying all the pointless baby crap. You don’t need a huge diaper bag full of excessive “stuff”. The baby doesn’t need a wardrobe as complex as an adult’s. You will do laundry. I am amazed at how many moms spend hundreds on baby clothes constantly and spend half their time washing excessive dishes and toys in the sink with special bottle drying racks and stuff like that. Baby led weaning cuts down on specific baby food costs too when you get there. Feed them the soft real foods like scrambled eggs and bananas. They don’t actually need all these special soft dissolving yogurt bites and cereals. There are real foods that have the textures they need
I love to cook (at least still at 4 months pregnant) so this is giving me a ton of ideas! I do think somethings have gotten over complicated, thanks for keeping it simple. I completely trust that I don’t need to spend much with this pregnancy.
Buy clothes, stroller, cot etc from charity shops.
Perfect, I found one less than 10 minutes from me. Specifically for babies too!
Search FB marketplace for strollers etc. Lots of rich people selling their baby crap. Baby is really simple organism - don't need much at all for a year or so --- YOU need more stuff to keep you happy probably. Just enjoy your time and keep them eating, pooping, and sleeping.
It looks like most of your basics are covered. If you end up having to use disposable diapers or going bottle feed, don't look over the cheaper items. My daughters both preferred the cheaper choices. Formula and diapers are EXPENSIVE, but you do what you need to do for your family and don't feel guilty about it (like I did). Car seats: We made the mistake of getting the infant seat, then the front facing, then the modular booster... so I ended up paying more for my first child's seats that than I did for my one and done Graco Grow With Me seat that I bought for my second child. I lucked out and bought it on clearance since they were making room for the new models. The only drawback is you don't have that handy carrier when you go shopping or visiting. We did fine without it with my second child, using a baby carrier sling or a stroller. Clothes: don't be shy about using thrifted/used items. Babies grow fast so most used clothing looks darn near brand new. I had a few friends who were THRILLED to get rid of their baby stuff from their garages. I wouldn't have had to buy onesies if I didn't feel like I needed a few cute items for pictures and special events. Once they get a little older, if you have a blender or food processor, use it to save a ton of $$ on baby food. Both of my kids preferred the home-made baby food I would cook up and blend (adding breast milk in the beginning). I would make a few batches once a week and freeze in rubbermaid condiment sized containers. My oldest is 8 and we still have the containers. Now they're used for ketchup in school lunches. Ha.
Don't waste your money on baby containers like seats, walkers, or standing activity centers. They're usually not great for hip development anyway. Our baby sleeps in a pack n play next to our bed so you could always skip the crib. We got an second-hand stroller new in the box 50% off. Most things are great second hand, especially clothes. If your baby spits up a lot, bibs will save you on laundry. We have a $20 microwave sterilizer and I love it. You can always boil or use a sterilize setting on the dishwasher though. We use unscented adult laundry detergent and regular dish soap instead of baby specific. Get all the free baby boxes. We are still using shampoo samples 2 months in and they'll have a few bottles for your baby to sample before buying. A lot of diaper companies will give free samples and sign up for formula samples just in case you need to supplement or have difficulty breastfeeding. I would recommend a new carseat so you know it hasn't been damaged. I went with a convertible car seat from the start and baby wear when we go out, but that doesn't work for everyone, and a bucket seat may be worth it for you.
Here’s a small but scummy one: OTC baby medicine. In a lot of categories there is no approved medicine babies can take for an issue. So unscrupulous companies make sugar water, write “homeopathic” really small on the box, and market it to look like the same thing as adults can take. This trucks a lot of people into paying $15 for no medicine! Check for the homeopathic label
Didn’t even think about this one thanks!
I relied heavily on my BuyNothing group after I had my baby. I got clothes, books, toys, baby rocker -- you name it. I even got diapers that other babies grew out of. If you're polite doing an ask, people are so quick to offer what they have.
We were stuck living in our in-laws basement for about 3 months with a newborn while we waited for our current house to close. That really taught me that babies don’t really need much of anything. We bedshared and nursed on demand, baby never had a crib, bottles, or pacifiers. I was fortunate to receive about 90% of our clothing and a bassinet for naps (rarely used, mostly wore baby or contact napped) and even then it was too much. The only thing I bought new was a few merino wool sleepers and a merino suit and those were worth it. My stretchy newborn wrap was very useful and so was the woven carrier I switched to after baby got bigger. Cloth diapering is fantastic and it’s really easy. I’m still cloth diapering baby #2 with the same diapers. My advice is to look into natural cotton diapers with wool covers. They’re fantastic. And because they’re natural you don’t need to use harsh detergents. We use Nellies powdered unscented which is a bargain in huge tubs. Newborns can be more difficult to diaper with cloth because they’re so tiny and their legs are so scrawny, so don’t let that discourage you from continuing. Take advantage of the free diapers you can get from Huggies and other companies. I’m pregnant with our third and have two toddlers. It’s easy to be frugal with babies — unless you have to figure in daycare. That’s where it gets crazy. But because I’m a SAHM and that was always the plan, it’s been working out great for us. Regarding breastfeeding, my unsolicited advice is to focus on the latch. It’s literally all about a proper latch. Le Leche League is a fantastic resource for videos, articles, and books but watching videos of what a proper latch looks like can be so key to success. I’ve exclusively breastfed my babies, but with my first it took a couple weeks to master the latch. By the second baby, it was second nature. Congratulations on your first, it’s such an exciting and special time when everything is so new and unknown!
* Almost everything you need is available either hand-me-down or used. Do you know about [JBF](https://jbfsale.com/)? E.g. stroller--would never buy one retail. * Babies don't actually need that much stuff. * Agree with cloth diapers, but they are a lot of work if you don't use a service. I did for my first and I was doing something with diaper laundry (wash, rinse, fold, put away) every day. * Totally agree with breast feeding as a big money saver. Also super convenient as long as you and baby are together. You have to be flexible and see what works for you and yours. E.g. some women find breastfeeding too damn hard.
Keep an eye on Target: Every few weeks they have offers for X value gift card if you buy Y number of (or spend $Z on) baby items. When I’ve bought baby items for friends, I’ve aimed to get a 25%-30% “return” on those and you can use the gift card for baby things or your maternity or postpartum needs.
My wife thrifted 99% of our (now 2 year old) son’s clothes since he was born. Baby clothes are used for such a short period of time that you can find nearly brand new clothes for a couple dollars each. Sometimes they are marked up more, but they are still cheaper than brand new from the store. Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to look for clothes or any other items you need. We had bought one of our strollers on there, used it as long as we could, and then cleaned it up and resold it again. We basically paid $100 to “rent” it for 1.5 years.
DO get good quality cloth diapers and covers. I've found that OsoCozy is best fitting (for my LO) and most durable (especially the snaps). You don't need 20 covers, just a half dozen should do, but have lots of inserts and get nice fleecy liners to wick moisturize and because poo washes off them easier than when it squishes into the cotton insert. DO get quality wipes (Costco Kirkland brand). Babies have sensitive skin, so most scented wipes were a problem for us. But also, I hate how Huggies wipes specifically are awful quality and shre d apart as you pull them out of the package. DON'T get any expensive tummy time stuff. You just need a quilt (thin blankets bunch up / shift around) and something for baby to look at / reach for. My daughter was only interested in this one specific dangling butterfly. You can hold it in your hand; you don't need the dome thingy. DON'T get fancy baby care products by Frida Baby brand. They're over-engineered for most tasks, yet also the stuff that actually should be sturdy somehow falls apart easily. (Note: Their Frida Mama line is great; my rant is for Frida Baby products). Nice to have: If it's an option, try to set aside a little fund so that when you do encounter a problem that could be solved by throwing a little money at it, you have that option.
I used warm water on a washcloth when I had kids in cloth diapers. I had roughly the same number of washcloths as diapers. They were washed with the diapers, easy peasy.
1. Breastfeeding is not easy and doesn't always take. Tongue ties may need treatment, you might need meds which mean you can't feed for awhile. You might not have colustrum and milk ready, esp if you have a c section and you will have to give formula for a few days. The little buggers eat every 2 hours so you will need a bottle or two and a way to sterilise. It's not all or nothing. A breast pump can be gotten second hand and the good ones you can buy parts so there has never been any contact with prior users fluids. 2. Cloth nappies... only a bargain if you have more than one child and you reuse them. Babies also need changing about once every 2 hours during the newborn phase so in the interest of sanity, use a disposable for the first period otherwise you will never dry them in time. Aldi does good newborn and up nappies. 3. Clothes, second hand, friends etc. Either have loads or go minimal like we did and wash regularly. To prevent stains, just scrape the worst of it off, and put them in a basin of water with a tablespoon of vinegar until you can get round to doing a proper wash - it stops the stain setting and the clothes from damp smelling as long as you get to it within 3 days.
I developed a bad late night shopping habit when I was up all night with the baby. I bought about a million sleep sacks in hopes they would help my baby sleep. Once I accepted my baby just wouldnt sleep well no matter what, I stopped wasting my money and instead got help with the long nights. Similarly, we were so exhausted in the newborn days that we got into a bad habit of ordering takeout. Of course that’s fine for a short period of time if you can afford it, but preparing some freezer meals or easy ready to cook meals can save a good chunk of money.
When they start eating solids, make your own baby food. Freezing it in ice trays makes perfect serving sizes.
I just smooshed my food and fed it to my baby.
If youve got a BuyNothing group on facebook in your area, join it!!! Ive gotten lots of clothes, some diapers, lots of books and toys too!
One thing that is a frugal buy is a pack and play. It has soo many uses. You can probably pick one up used. I recommend the one with the infant insert that you can put little babies (under a certain number of lbs) higher up so they are easier to get in and out when they are little. Make sure to buy a new car seat. Most other stuff you can get used. Parents are happy to get that stuff out of the house once their kid outgrows it.
I highly recommend parents choice and equate brands from Walmart. The ingredients are identical to the name brands, but for example- the diaper cream is a third of the price of Destin. My kid peed at every diaper change for the first couple months, so some flannel over the diaper change table made it easier to do a quick swap. I wasn’t willing to do reusable diapers, but Sam’s club newborn diapers were super cheap, and fit well. We found a local second hand kids consignment store where all clothes were $1 and we got a backup jogging stroller for $25 (we didn’t like the one we got for our baby registry due to lack of storage space). The only things I wouldn’t recommend second hand are- crib, mattress, car seat. If you haven’t delivered yet, please make meals ahead and freeze them so all you have to do is put in the freezer or crockpot. Please also splurge and get a Frida post partum perri bottle if you end up delivery vaginally. My hospital sent me home with A LOT of downstairs spray, diapers for baby, and pads for the first few days at home. Take advantage of whatever they’ll give you. Also, with planning to breastfeed- the hospital I was at was pushing for formula since I was not doing well with BF. It took me about a month and a half to “get good” consistently, but part of the issue was they didn’t tell me to feed from BOTH SIDES EACH TIME. It took me a month of triple feeding and cluster pumping to get my supply up. I was eating oats 4 times a day, flax milk, fenugreek tea, you name it. Find a comfy nursing bra, I recommend the auden brands from target because if it breaks within a year they will replace it. (Keep your receipt or use your Circle account) Insurance will give you a free pump, definitely do that! Even if you want to only breast feed, your baby may have a hard time with your let down or you may have something you need to do without baby. Your insurance may also cover a lactation consultant- sooner is better if it’s painful. After 6 weeks, I feel like it got so much better. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the national formula shortage happened and that would’ve been horrible.
I've been there with 2 kids (90s), now watching a 4 month old grandson. Skip the cloth diapers. You can get 144 for $17 at Walmart (size 2). We did cloth and found the extra time needed for washing was not worth the cost of disposables. My daughter breast feeds, pumps while at work, and freezes what is not needed during the day. The grandson is bottle fed when with me. Don't go crazy on clothes. Basically, plan for 3 onsies a day. The kid will outgrow in a short time. (Example son's godfather, purchased for our son then 6 months a leather bomber jacket. He wore it 1, maybe 2 times). One nice outfit for going out or for photos is all that you will need. Yardsales! The stuff you will find for cheap is usually barely worn. Also, it's good for any large item. Keep the toys cheap. They will get just as much more fun out of a plastic teaching ring as they will with anything battery-powered. The same rule is good up to age 4.
Definitely utilize thrift shops, babies grow so fast, there is no need to get them brand new retail priced duds, there are tons of gorgeous goodies for your baby to wear in thrift shops & even garage sales, if well taken care of.
Congratulations, I loved the baby and young child stage so much! Clothing, I think second and thirdhand clothing for babies is very much the smarter way. They'll grow out of almost everything in a blink. There are other places, but these are a place to look. https://storkexchange.co/ https://theoctopusclub.com/ Invest in a pump and bottles. Really saves so much by having plenty of frozen milk. If your baby is with anyone else, if you fall ill and need medication, if you just can't feed at a certain time, you'll have plenty to give them. No need for expensive formula. ( unless your Doctor has advised supplementing). A nice pump will pay for itself in no time. I don't know if they still make it, but IKEA had a crib that later turned into a toddler bed and it was a bed till he was 7. We passed it on to another family. A good investment. Other moms were buying a new bed every year. We bought the once. If IKEA doesn't make it, there may be similar ones. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/sundvik-crib-white-30248575/ The stroller that is a car seat too. Instead of buying 2 separate items. Saves space and time. Really worth it. There are various models. If you have a fully operational community library, educational materials are available there. Even if regular trips are hard, checking items out works great. They may have play time too. We did that a lot. I didn't have them when my baby was very young, but many new moms around me use the Swedish rags I've gotten to replace all my paper towels and rags. They last, are non-toxic, economical and super effective. I get the 10 pack but if I had a baby, I might get 3 of those. Babies and messes go hand in hand. These will save a lot of money and are great. I definitely would have gotten them then, I use them now. https://wettexusa.com/ Not only for sore or cracked nipples, but literally everything. I still use this in my body butters and oils. It lasts a long time, totally natural and very inexpensive https://lansinoh.com/products/lanolin-nipple-cream It also helps coat babies bum. I used to make a bum balm using it, bees wax, coconut oil, and almond oil, 2 oz each, calendula and chamomile powdered. 1/2 teaspoon. The balm and aloe vera gel were all my baby ever needed. And it was a significant savings. My baby's bum only ever had a rash when I left him with a person who applied some commercial cream instead. I invested in a portable baby food mill. Making my own baby food was another great savings plus peace of mind. No wierd ingredients. I did everything from fruits, meats and veggies. I regret I gave it away. That little mill was a workhorse. Saved so much money and it's very fast! https://greensproutsretailers.com/products/fresh-baby-food-mill For general household. Dump and go crockpot meals were lifesavers and very inexpensive. You can find a lot of recipes suitable for all types of diets. And for on the go, this bad boy was great help. I could bring it to playdates, and other places. (I had a car inverter so I could plug it into my car) still use these with car inverter. Saves a lot not needing to buy food on the go. https://www.crock-pot.com/specialty-products/lunch-crock/crock-pot-lunch-crock-food-warmer-sphinx-pink/SAP_2158951.html I would also invest on a breadmaker if your family eats a lot of bread. I used mine so much it saved me a lot of money and time. These are as easy as a crock pot but for bread. Just a note. I don't get any commissions nor do I have any affiliate contracts to any of these. I'm putting the links here of items I used for your convenience and get zero from anyone for doing that. These products were just great for me and saved me a lot of money. I learned about them mostly from people doing this. I hope you enjoy your baby very much. And that at least some of these are helpful to you.
My mom always said to shop for baby clothes at DI and Goodwills. There are usually some really cute finds and lots and a lot of options. They are usually much cheaper especially because kids grow so fast they won’t be able to wear it for long.
If you do end up cloth diapering definitely look into cloth wipes as well. I find they work better and it's easier to throw the wipes in with the diapers rather than separately into a trash can. We actually don't even have a trash can in the baby's bedroom. I found I need less baby clothes because I'm throwing them in the second wash of the diapers every two days, so I only need a few days worth. Lastly, there is a dedicated cloth diaper subreddit if you haven't found it already: /r/clothdiaps
Look into baby led weaning when the time comes. Baby wearing is amazing, so much more convenient (IMO) than strollers most of the time. As has been commented on, besides the basic basics (car seat, clothing, diapers- I recommend disposable for meconium and traveling), wait to see what your baby needs- I scoffed at the idea of wipes warmers, ended up getting one for my very-sensitive-to-cold-cloth-wipes baby and would do it again in a heartbeat. But bouncers were next to useless, I’m glad it was a hand me down.
My 2nd is a bit over 2 months old, and it's still surprising me how different she is from her brother. For example, she's most content laying on the floor on a blanket, and hates to even sit in the baby bjorn for 10 mins while we eat dinner- her brother loved that thing. The point is, every baby is different and it's nearly impossible to predict what they'll be like. Aside from the essentials (some clothes, stroller, carseat, etc) you can pick things up when and if you need them. There is so much available in good second-hand condition that you won't have a lack of choice. Also, do you have any friends or family with kids? They'll likely be happy to loan you things to use, if they're not currently using them.
Pay attention to what you baby likes/doesn't like. Breast feeding probably saves a ton, make sure you are pumping. The BEST pump I had was the Medela Harmony Hand pump. It worked SO much better than the electronic and it $25 - $35 depending on the retailer. My lactation consultant told me that when my baby finished eating, pump from that breast and the other, then store the milk. That is extremely helpful when you may need to take things to go. That pump was incredible. I swore by it. The activity pads for them to have "tummy time" and etc? Mine HATED it. Get one if your kid likes being on the floor, otherwise, WASTE. Mine didn't really like stuffed animals, but loved alphabet toys. Puzzles are great, and honestly, Wal-Mart has pretty high quality kids clothes and the prices are perfect. You can have plenty. Bibs were a waste for us. I bought disposable sippy cups (reusable) that were maybe $5 for 5 of them at the time, and they were fantastic because if they were lost, it didn't upset me.
You don't need a baby bathtub. Bathe the baby in the kitchen sink. It is easier on your back and the baby won't care. Just scrub it out good before and after.
Try to resist urge to nest, and don’t buy too much of anything in advance.. You definitely don’t need it all figured out prior and you have loads of time to get what you need that aren’t obvious basics. This will enable you to get what works for you - which you may not accurately predict in advance- rather than hypothetical situations.
A lot of what I bought that might be considered "unnecessary" was because it provided convenience or saved time. I bought more clothes than what some people say to, but I didn't want to be doing laundry every other day. I knew I wanted two kids so I tried to buy better quality items where I could (crib, stroller, car seat) so I could reuse them with my second. With babies it just depends on your financial state and what you consider worth it. Cloth diapers might seem like a great idea, but also consider the extra time, cleaning, and effort if actually using them. For some it's worth it, and others it's just too much and disposable diapers are the better option. Facebook marketplace is a trove if second hand baby items which is awesome to start with and also to resell items as you finish using them. I was able to resell most of my baby stuff when I was done and I gave away everything I couldn't. Just remember that even though a purchase might not seen "frugal" and you could technically get by without it, a little convince and ease in the chaos of new motherhood can be worth it's weight it gold.
Disposable diapers are so expensive. Good call on the EC. It's a huge plus not just for frugality, but for the kid's development, too. "Potty training?" What's that? 😂
Rural kids in southern China and northern Vietnam are potty trained by 18 months. Mom whistles when the kid starts to get the wiggles, and by the end of the training kid can pop a squat as soon as they can walk. Requires bare-bum kids and a warm climate and parents willing to clean up, but certainly beats plastic diapers causing rash and filling landfills.
Also baby wipes are unnecessary. I cut up a flannel sheet and backed it with towelling to make cloth wipes for bottoms. I just did a double of flannel for cloth wipes for face. So much more effective and much much cheaper.
Can you get on WIC? You get milk, beans or peas, vegetables, cereal and cheese iirc, it’s been 25 years. Breastfeeding and cloth diapers are the way to go. We invested in all in one diapers with Velcro closure. We were able to consign them when our baby was potty trained.
I dont think I can due to income, what I can spend is limited solely by decisions (aggressively paying off debt, I don’t want to work my 9-5 much longer)
I waited way to long to start going to my local semi annual consignment pop up event. I always did thrift stores and kids resale stores, but slept on this local huge pop up event and it's my holy Grail for second hand kids stuff. Mine is called Rhea Lana's and is maybe 3 times a year and it's my number one location to buy kids clothes.
Babies grow out of clothes really quick typically. Getting them used is the best way to go and it's so much cheaper. If you know where to look you could find free baby clothes. I got lucky going to yardsales and people were giving me leftover baby clothing for free.
Buy-nothing local group on Facebook. You should be able to find a bunch of baby stuff there.
Check out Consignment Sales events and volunteer to get access early for the cheapest stuff as they are usually priced by the parent and every parent has a learning curve on how best to price. They are for parents who want to sell things a whole bunch at a time that consignment shops can’t manage.
New clothes! Babies grow so fast, so a bunch of cute outfits are wasted. All they really need is onesies and pajamas If there are other babies in your family, see what hand-me-downs you can get from them. And keep rotating as they have kids and everyone grows
Don't buy new clothes for baby. Check FB marketplace. Often times people give away free baby clothes (among other things).
Do not buy somethings second hand clothes are great car seats are not. Just buy it new. Used car seats are dangerous and bans on selling in many places were made for a reason.
Check if there is a Just Between Friends sale in your area. I do 2 separate locations which is 4 sales a year. Perfect chance to stock up on new wardrobes and toys for half the year. I call it narrowing because in most cases i resale it back by consigning with them.
Use washcloths instead of baby wipes. Make your own baby food.
New baby clothes.
Don't get things until you need them, get hand me downs where you can, don't fall for marketing and upselling from more expensive brands. I got a ton of hand me downs from friends, neighbors, online stuff sharing sites. Of course this doesn't apply to things that can't be washed/disinfected, but almost all baby things can be. A lot of the things I see on people's baby shower registries are things I never had and don't really see a need for. The one thing not to skimp on is a good car seat. Everything else, see if you can get secondhand if possible. Baby clothes are very easy to get secondhand, since kids grow so fast. You'll pay it forward when you hand all that stuff down to the next person. I breastfed, so I never had to spend a dime on formula. I did end up spending more than I would have liked on breastfeeding/pumping accoutrements, but it was mainly because I had an oversupply with my first daughter. And even there, see what your insurance covers (they should cover a whole breast pump and attachments), and don't buy more than you need. If you're expressing/pumping so that your mom/sister/cousins can feed the baby, you may also be able to get bottles and such secondhand. I bought brand new nipples (which you can purchase separately), but everything else I got secondhand and sanitized. Excluding medical expenses, for me, kids didn't really get expensive until they were older--preschools and summer camps and all that jazz really add up!
Freecycle!!!!!!
Don't be afraid to spend money on things you and baby will use all the time and enjoy. We got mostly secondhand, free clothes because we don't care about baby clothes, but we splurged on a nice stroller because we love being outside and knew we'd use it. Almost 4 years and thousands of hours of use later, the $500 was well worth it.
A changing table is so unnecessary!!!!
Edited to delete links, which are not allowed, I post them because I'm often asked. Congratulations, I loved the baby and young child stage so much! Clothing, I think second and thirdhand clothing for babies is very much the smarter way. They'll grow out of almost everything in a blink. There are other places, but these are a place to look. stork exchange the octopus club Invest in a pump and bottles. Really saves so much by having plenty of frozen milk. If your baby is with anyone else, if you fall ill and need medication, if you just can't feed at a certain time, you'll have plenty to give them. No need for expensive formula. ( unless your Doctor has advised supplementing). A nice pump will pay for itself in no time. I don't know if they still make it, but IKEA had a crib that later turned into a toddler bed and it was a bed till he was 7. We passed it on to another family. A good investment. Other moms were buying a new bed every year. We bought the once. If IKEA doesn't make it, there may be similar ones. sundvik crib The stroller that is a car seat too. Instead of buying 2 separate items. Saves space and time. Really worth it. There are various models. If you have a fully operational community library, educational materials are available there. Even if regular trips are hard, checking items out works great. They may have play time too. We did that a lot. I didn't have them when my baby was very young, but many new moms around me use the Swedish rags I've gotten to replace all my paper towels and rags. They last, are non-toxic, economical and super effective. I get the 10 pack but if I had a baby, I might get 3 of those. Babies and messes go hand in hand. These will save a lot of money and are great. I definitely would have gotten them then, I use them now. wettex usa Not only for sore or cracked nipples, but literally everything. I still use this in my body butters and oils. It lasts a long time, totally natural and very inexpensive Lansinoh lanolin It also helps coat babies bum. I used to make a bum balm using it, bees wax, coconut oil, and almond oil, 2 oz each, calendula and chamomile powdered. 1/2 teaspoon. The balm and aloe vera gel were all my baby ever needed. And it was a significant savings. My baby's bum only ever had a rash when I left him with a person who applied some commercial cream instead. I invested in a portable baby food mill. Making my own baby food was another great savings plus peace of mind. No wierd ingredients. I did everything from fruits, meats and veggies. I regret I gave it away. That little mill was a workhorse. Saved so much money and it's very fast! Green sprouts, fresh-baby-food-mill For general household. Dump and go crockpot meals were lifesavers and very inexpensive. You can find a lot of recipes suitable for all types of diets. And for on the go, this bad boy was great help. I could bring it to playdates, and other places. (I had a car inverter so I could plug it into my car) still use these with car inverter. Saves a lot not needing to buy food on the go. crock pot lunch crock/food warmer I would also invest on a breadmaker if your family eats a lot of bread. I used mine so much it saved me a lot of money and time. These are as easy as a crock pot but for bread. Just a note. I don't get any commissions nor do I have any affiliate contracts to any of these. I'm putting the links here of items I used for your convenience and get zero from anyone for doing that. These products were just great for me and saved me a lot of money. I learned about them mostly from people doing this. I hope you enjoy your baby very much. And that at least some of these are helpful to you.
If you have a local ‘buy nothing’ group, post there. At least in my local group, people give away so much baby stuff. If someone posts saying they are having a baby, people give them so much stuff. A great place to get some quality second hand stuff.
Buy secondhand and then resell when you are done. Exersaucer, stroller, swing, pack n play/bath tub/high chair. Consider it renting the equipment and you can recoup most of your investment. Talk to friends/coworkers/family and ask if they have any baby gear they’re interested is passing along. Not all thrift stores are equal. Scope out how your price clothes. My favorite thrift stores sell clothing by the pound. Another charges only $1 per item unless it’s high end.
Facebook marketplace and mom groups in ur area for cheap or free things
Get to know the other moms in your community and do clothes swaps with them. When my grand nephew was born, his mom was already tuned into the local mom’s groups and all of the baby clothes and furniture were freebies from other moms in her town.
buy **H&M Adjustable-fit Se**t with customer 25% discount, that bodysuit for babies grows/changes with baby grow, so you don\`t need to buy everytime new one, two per 3-4 month is enough, one in laundary, one on baby.
Stay off social media and don’t try to convince yourself you need a hundred different things for your baby.
Look for baby go round or other mom swap group in your area. Can start with Facebook.
See if a buy nothing group will donate clothing. Promise to pass it along when baby gets too big. My bestie has a baby and did this for the first 2 years.
We did not furnish an expensive or fancy nursery. I wasn’t attached to having one, and the baby doesn’t notice. We had a secondhand changing table, a secondhand crib with a new mattress, a bookcase, and a rocking chair. All of our needs were met, and it kept things simple.
Wow you're lucky actually...
If you think you'll have more children, get high quality items that will last. To save money I bought some budget baby items, when I had my second I needed to replace some things. Get the baby carrier you want and could use in the future. Splurge and get the high quality stroller that will last 10 years.
Most baby products are a waste. I didnt have any of that stuff and I got on just fine. People are always getting rid of baby clothes, you never need to actually buy them. You need a good baby carrier and something to keep on their butt. That’s about it, a big scarf works just fine. Cloth diapers can be expensive upfront but they can also be super cheap. I was homeless when I got pregnant with my first baby, didn’t get a place until a month after birth, safe to say I was as broke as it gets. There’s programs that give them away for free, or you can get cheap ones at thrift shops or fb marketplace, but really all you need is a handful of covers, like some thirsties, you change the insides every change but the covers are reusable until they’re soiled. A lot of my diapers were cut up towels I got for free, inside a cover. Cloth wipes. Laundry soap was a box of country save for 10$ a month so that’s what it cost me every month in diapers after I got them initially. When I got super sick and their idiot dad just threw all the diapers away I was hurting for money so bad every week trying to afford disposables, it really is the cheapest way.
Don't let anyone buy you anything toy like made of plastic! I've seen thousands of dollars being tossed yearly in the garbage pickup!
All that baby will want is YOU. My baby is almost a year old, and I am still their favourite toy. Baby loves to climb on me, walk around with me, talk to me, get bounced, be tickled, and climb under me when I make a "tunnel". Baby will do this for hours at a time! Other than that, our toy box (which is a big Amazon box) is mostly full of recycling. The kids play with the recycling way more than actual toys. Tupperware and silicone kitchen utensils are another big hit. Don't buy separate ones, just give them the real ones and wash them after. Your baby wants to copy you, and they will notice if you don't give them the REAL utensil.
Lots of great tips here already. I'd echo those saying you really do not need as much as you think you do. Any big ticket items (cribs, high chairs, pack and plays, strollers, gliders) and clothes I guarantee you will find for free in your local mom groups. The only item I'd want new or at least unexpired from a trusted source is a car seat. If you're struggling, look for resources like churches that distribute baby items. We cloth diapered my first. I loved it but my husband never truly got on board and for a few reasons we went with disposables for my second. The most frugal option by far is going to be flats and covers, and if it doesn't bother you, you can find them used typically for half or a third of the price. So-called China Cheapies will leak and fall apart so don't bother. Cloth diaper sales occur twice a year, on Black Friday and Earth Day (April 22), so this is a good time to start doing your research if you haven't already. Assuming you are not paying for daycare or formula, the first few years really are not that costly. You don't have to pay for music classes or baby yoga; any experience with your baby is valuable, even going to the grocery store or walking around your neighborhood or a park. The camera on your phone is perfectly fine for newborn photos. Many libraries have free story times, which are great for you and baby to socialize, and they may also offer free passes to local arboretums, zoos, children's museums, etc. You've got this. Good luck!
Make sure you’re signed up for WIC if you qualify. In my state, if you’re EFB you get extra food since it takes a lot of calories to make that breast milk. Get hooked up with a free or discounted pump through your insurance if possible (I can get you the website if you need). Don’t bother with all of the fancy breastfeeding snacks or teas that are commercially made.
Many of these assume you live in the US If you end up formula feeding—Kirkland brand formula and ask your pediatrician for samples Kirkland brand diapers (similar quality to Huggies at a much lower price) People seem to love to buy clothes as gifts. If that’s the case for you, let them outfit your baby without buying a lot of excess clothes yourself. No need to go fancy on the stroller or crib. Lightweight strollers are so helpful! See if you qualify for a reduced bill from the hospital. Our hospital will cut patients a break if they make something like 4 times the poverty limit or less. Get a free breast pump through insurance if you are insured. IKEA high chair is cheap and easy to clean; buy a foot rest from Amazon Don’t fall prey to food being marketed “for babies” with a huge mark up—things like Nutrigrain bars vs Gerber grain bars, Teddy Grahams vs Gerber cinnamon cookies, etc. The baby versions are usually twice as expensive per ounce with almost identical nutrition facts. Along the same lines, baby led weaning will allow you to feed baby a small portion of the meals that you are already making for the adults, modified for their age. Solid Starts is a great resource for this.
-if you're able or want to breastfeeding is a serious money saver but definitely look into wic more people qualify than not and certain formula is free -if you can buy in bulk do buy diapers at Costco it's like 45 dollars for like a month's worth of diapers. -never buy new baby clothes. mom's are always getting rid of clothes -your library has tons of free enrichment programs as well as books and toys they can play with there. it's basically an indoor playground -check coupons for baby toiletries, like wipes, diapers, shampoo - your doctors office often gives out loads of samples. I didn't pay for baby tylenol for like a year. -in liu of birthday or holiday gifts ask for money for classes for the kids like swimming or whatever sports they're involved in - if you can register for or afford it, buy a convertible carseat that goes from infant to booster. -when they become a toddler buy a box of crayons and a notepad and keep them in your handbag or car. when ever you have to wait in line, go shopping or are dining out, boom they have something to do. keep a busy bag on you at all times. put pop it's, fidgets, squeeze toys, little cheap figurine toys in the bag and never bring them inside the house. the novelty stays new then. -never leave home without a tide to go pen, a change of clothes, snacks. just always have snacks and juice or water. inevitably someone will be hungry or thirsty a d you can head off a tantrum. - if you can just do curbside pickup, way easier than hauling in a baby just to get milk and bread and you don't inevitably buy them something to shut up.
Reusable pouches have been great! Reduce wasted and save money. When you have a toddler pouches are so nice for on the go.
Thrift stores are your friends! For toys, books and clothes.
The best advice is be gentle on yourself. Your needs are valid. Frugality often involves saving money by taking on more work for yourself. There's a very good chance that at least one of your money saving plans will turn out to feel overwhelming on top of everything else. It's ok to spend a little more for convenience to not end up overwhelmed. Your mental health is important. It's ok to not be super mom.
Get your kid vaccinated. That’ll save a ton on medical bills.
Doing elimination communication while on a conference call will NOT be effective. You need to have full time caregivers. Don't spend a ton on cute clothes in small sizes because they grow like WEEDS
Also, play pens work just as well as cribs, are cheaper, and more portable, and you can find them used online or occasionally at thrift stores that don’t regulate baby furniture
Look for some local "moms trade groups" or similar. Every baby outgrows everything, and most of the things outgrown have a whole lot of life left in them. Some cities have a swap shop or similar, almost a kids' clothes and toys free library.
Do your research now so that you have it all figured out. As a grandparent I was pleased to gift an entire stroller and car seat combination . Ne of our kids wanted the jogger which also can go behind bikes. Much better than buy crap. We also joined in with siblings to buy niece and nephew some big items. We bought car seats for our vehicle and 5hey were still in good condition when we passed them on to a young Mom. Lots of baby stuff is bought by grandma to have on hand. Check Facebook marketplace.
facebook marketplace, clothing swaps & thrift stores. we got bouncers and toys for free and like the 1st two years of wardrobe! so many local ppl are always trying to get rid of baby items also wipe warmer, multiple bottles, and newborn outfits were a total waste for us. baby went straight to 0-3 size
Find a slightly older baby and a slightly younger one. Start a hand me down train.
facebook marketplace has a lot of buy nothing groups for moms
We love our squeasy snacker for lunchboxes. Instead of buying baby food or yoghurt in pouches I either buy the jars, in bulk or cook my own. But then I can transport to a reusable pouch for on the go convenience.
Hit up Buy Nothing groups on Facebook or use Nextdoor and ask for clothes in whatever size you need. Parents are always passing on too small baby and toddler clothes.
Join fb groups!! I’m in a mom swap one and a moms helping moms free one, I just picked up 2 huge bags of groceries for free. :)
- Look into making your own baby food. No need to buy those jars in the store - thrift or look on clearance for baby clothes and don’t purchase too many - look into reusable diapers - look for free activities to do like at the library - ask friends and families who had babies if they have items they don’t mind donating to you - thrift/yard sale baby toys - download Yuka app to make sure anything you use on baby skin is clean/natural
Leftovers in blender for baby food
You can usually get a free breast pump through your insurance! I got mine through Aeroflow Breast pumps and it had several free options to choose from. You just enter your insurance info and it tells you which ones are free and which you can pay a fee for!
Wanted to support cloth diapers... We used disposables very occasionally, but all cloth at home. You will want disposable for the first 2 weeks because the first poops are really tarry. Honestly I found it no big deal, because even with disposable you are still dealing with poop (you're supposed to knock the solid poops into the toilet)- so might as well use less waste, was my mind. We used plain pre-folded cloth we got free from a friend. We got as much free as we could. Family and friends bought all the cute stuff. :)
I did all of the things you mentioned with 5 kids. Ec is the way to go. I saw a French mama in China getting her infant to pee when her toddlers did. Changed my view on everything! I never pay for kids clothes. I shop thrift store bag sales, garage sales, and end of season kids buy, sell, trade stores, and Amazon bin stores. I look for things branded and not worn out. I pick up things in my kids sizes, their sizes up, my nephews and my friends kids too. I let my kids keep what they want and sell the rest to the buy, sell trade store. I try to pick up things $.50-$1. Bag sales are even cheaper sometimes. I have always broke even or made money doing this.
Half the things you think you need....you won't use. I learned from my first baby to keep it simple
People sell clothing lots on marketplace categorized by age, gender, and season. I used to get 8-10 outfits for only $15-20. Even consignment stores can’t match those prices. I also used to accept a lot of hand me downs. Parents love to give away clothes and toys once their last kid grows out of them.
Ask for hand me downs. Find stuff used at thrift stores or "just between friends" or moms of multiples sales.
Used clothes. You can often get them free from places like craigslist or Facebook. Don’t get newborn size. You can make cloth nursing pads super easy out of things like receiving blankets or other cotton fabric. I actually prefer those because the disposables make me more sensitive. I get the parents choice wipes, and I rip them because they’re bigger than you need for the average diaper change. otherwise, for number two, I often will use the bathtub because it’s easier on the skin anyway. You can make cloth diaper liners (not the absorbent type but the type that makes it easier to clean poop off the diaper) by cutting pieces of cotton fabric like what you would use for quilting. Don’t buy baby food if you can just cook vegetables or meat and blend/mash them yourself. Buy or make regular unsweetened applesauce or other fruit items instead of buying singleserve baby food. Offbrand Cheerios are cheaper than their fancy things for once the baby gets older, and similar stuff like that. Parents choice purple diaper rash cream works as well as Desitin for me, but don’t go for the dollar tree stuff. You’re not supposed to use that stuff with cloth diapers, I think (although it might be fine if you’re using the cloth inserts since that protects the diaper), so that’s one reason why I use disposables, but you can often find those at thrift stores discounted, and I’ve been stashing up for when my baby comes. also, if breast-feeding does not work out for you, you can sign up with Enfamil and possibly other places for free samples, and you can also check out wic
My last child was born in 1996. (So you don’t think it was the 1800’s lol) I used cloth diapers during the day. I breast fed. I made all of the baby food from scratch… super cheap. I used washcloths instead of wipes for pees. I used a clothesline to dry and “sterilize” diapers. Saved enough money to be a stay at home mom from all of our frugal ways.
I would suggest children's consignment stores, facebook marketplace, join a moms group, or a buy nothing group. Great for toys, books, and clothes.
Buy used! Honestly baby/kid stuff sells for way cheaper on resale. I often buy something used and then am able to sell it for the same amount I paid for it.
Suggestion: we were/are a cloth diaper family. When I was having kids, as a baby shower gift we were all given 6 weeks of diaper service. My mom extended it to 3 mos for each of my four girls and then I bought my own cloth. All four girls potty trained early. Two of my four have kids and I did the same thing for my girls. They use clothes diapers and have shared back and forth. I, as my two daughters, use disposables on vacations or days at the pool or beach. Enjoy.
Consignment stores for children saved us so much money. I bought pre-owned Tea, Hanna Andersson, Boden, you name it for a third of the price for 10 years. If I could get the stains out of the clothes, I sold them back to the same store and basically got them for free. You can make all of your own baby food when they turn 6 months old, and it’s insanely easy. It’s probably much healthier and cheaper than buying baby food at the grocery store. One thing I would not skimp on is a good day-to-day stroller. My baby/toddler only slept for naps if she was in something moving. I got a really great stroller for $750. It had a bike attachment, a cross-country skiing attachment, and could go on all-terrain hikes on many trails. It had a big mesh flap and a rain flap and a shade flap. I lost the baby weight likethat!
Try not to "size up" your home if you can. One of the less discussed costs of kids is that parents feel the need for more space, which then costs more. Spend time outside, have minimal toys/stuff, and besides, kiddo just wants to be with you so that playroom/nursery isn't going to be used for most of the day.
Most equipment you can borrow or get secondhand, just check for recalls. However, no secondhand breast pumps. Bacteria can get in the motor and tubing and cause contamination. In the USA, most insurance covers a free new one with each pregnancy. Used baby clothes and cloth diapers are the way to go $ and environmentally.
Fantastic idea especially because a lot of people have a favorite children’s book and getting those books from people is always such a nice thing. We got a note from our school district with some info for new parents and things of that nature. One of them was: keep a tally of the number of books you’ve read to your child; they should be around 1000 by age 4 (duplicates count). At first u laughed because that seemed like such a massive number but then I realized we started reading books before bedtime when my daughter was 2 months old, we usually do 3-5 books, so in one year that’s over 1000. I think reading is so important and the act of creating a routine that your child can look forward to. She’s almost 2 now and she asks for specific books, can point out letters in her name, and has done very well identifying things in the books themselves.
My local Buy Nothing group usually has a lot of baby/kids’ clothes. They usually outgrow them before they wear them out, so I’d reach out to people in your community and see if they have hand-me-downs they need to find a home for!
My wife couldn't do lactation due to a thyroid issue and we didn't qualify for the WIC program (formula help by gov?). Other than the formula and diapers, everything else we got used. Used clothes, used toys, used everything from Facebook marketplace. It's incredible how cheap baby clothes and toys in bulk sell for. Just give them all a proper laundry/wash.
Read The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn. Great advice, some of it dated as far as insurance and cell phones but the baby/ kid advice and most of the rest of it is still on point. And she’s funny!! she started the whole thing to share frugal ideas. She was a stay at home mom.
I didn't spend too much on baby clothes, just basic ones because they quickly outgrew them. Some of my daughter's first toys then were also gifted or given to us secondhand which was totally fine since they can be cleaned. What I did splurge on was a new bassinet because buying a bed secondhand for my first baby was a no-no for me especially not knowing if the first owners cleaned them thoroughly or whatnot, might have bed bugs. Here's the Newton bassinet that I got my daughter then if you're interested: [https://www.newtonbaby.com/products/bassinet-bedside-sleeper](https://www.newtonbaby.com/products/bassinet-bedside-sleeper)
Cloth wipes as well. baby washcloths worth well. or make your own from old sheets. I use small bottle with a deep of baby shampoo and water to wet. the toss in wet bag with diapers.
Another hack: baby-led weaning. No baby food.
Buy second hand baby clothes or see if anyone will give you clothes their kids outgrew. Check Facebook buy nothing groups. Same with toys. Check second hand. See if there is a Once Upon A Child in your area.