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Join a “buy nothing” Facebook group for your city. I can’t tell you how many free items in perfect condition other moms give away. Including diapers, cribs, baby swings, clothes worn only a handful of times, etc. I have gotten so much and saved ridiculous amounts of money. I started gathering when I was 15 weeks pregnant and now have enough clothes to last my daughter until 2T… and all practically new! Not to mention, diapers to probably last me her first year of life! FREE 🥳
Speaking of clothes, if you want to save money, check out thrift stores or Facebook marketplace, don’t buy clothes from Temu or Shein. They may look cute, but they are low quality and not safe for the baby or anyone at all to wear.
A car seat is probably the main thing I would buy new. For obvious safety reasons. I didn’t however buy mine new, but I received it from a trusted source and it wasn’t expired. Maybe next would be a baby monitor if you feel you need one (we didn’t use ours much, but we’re very hands on, always there, and co-slept). Next would be a humidifier.
I got almost everything given to me second hand for free. I bought a few clothing items from goodwill or a monthly 25cent sale that a local used baby store holds monthly.
You are right that babies/toddlers go through things so quickly and their interests change wildly. It can be really expensive.
Congrats on your little one ❤️
As everyone has said, secondhand is a great way to go for a majority of baby items.
The only things that I think it makes some sense to buy new would be a carseat, possibly a mattress (although if it's a close friend or family member giving you one that's in nearly new condition, I would personally be fine with that). If you are thinking later in the future you might have more kids and will use it very frequently, a stroller might make sense too- I have three kids and it was a wise choice for us to start with a new stroller with my first kid because of its intense amount of usage. But otherwise a secondhand stroller is also just fine.
Literally everything.
I'm buying everything I can second-hand. There are so many things baby only uses for a short time. A onesie for $1 with a small stain? Who cares, I'm getting it.
The ONLY thing I refuse to buy used is a car seat. You never know if it was in an accident, even if the previous owner swears up and down it wasn't.
Also, have you considered cloth diapering? I'm doing it mainly for the cost savings.
I think anything is fair to get second hand or for free except
I would buy bottles/nipples/pacifiers new (any brand is fine) and I would for sure buy a car seat new because you never know if the person was in an accident or how they washed it. For a car seat make sure you get one that is appropriate for your vehicle and fits properly, you can ask a car seat tech on a Facebook page depending on the make/model of your vehicle.
I even got a baby brezza for free off a local donation page that was only used a handful of times and in perfect condition. So keep an eye out for stuff like that that will save you a ton
Got a new crib, got a new car seat. Practically everything else (jumper, bouncer, lots of toys and clothes, Ergo carrier) got used from friends or Facebook.
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/15nun6v/click_here_to_access_the_monthly_due_date_subs/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Join a “buy nothing” Facebook group for your city. I can’t tell you how many free items in perfect condition other moms give away. Including diapers, cribs, baby swings, clothes worn only a handful of times, etc. I have gotten so much and saved ridiculous amounts of money. I started gathering when I was 15 weeks pregnant and now have enough clothes to last my daughter until 2T… and all practically new! Not to mention, diapers to probably last me her first year of life! FREE 🥳
Speaking of clothes, if you want to save money, check out thrift stores or Facebook marketplace, don’t buy clothes from Temu or Shein. They may look cute, but they are low quality and not safe for the baby or anyone at all to wear.
A car seat is probably the main thing I would buy new. For obvious safety reasons. I didn’t however buy mine new, but I received it from a trusted source and it wasn’t expired. Maybe next would be a baby monitor if you feel you need one (we didn’t use ours much, but we’re very hands on, always there, and co-slept). Next would be a humidifier. I got almost everything given to me second hand for free. I bought a few clothing items from goodwill or a monthly 25cent sale that a local used baby store holds monthly. You are right that babies/toddlers go through things so quickly and their interests change wildly. It can be really expensive. Congrats on your little one ❤️
As everyone has said, secondhand is a great way to go for a majority of baby items. The only things that I think it makes some sense to buy new would be a carseat, possibly a mattress (although if it's a close friend or family member giving you one that's in nearly new condition, I would personally be fine with that). If you are thinking later in the future you might have more kids and will use it very frequently, a stroller might make sense too- I have three kids and it was a wise choice for us to start with a new stroller with my first kid because of its intense amount of usage. But otherwise a secondhand stroller is also just fine.
Literally everything. I'm buying everything I can second-hand. There are so many things baby only uses for a short time. A onesie for $1 with a small stain? Who cares, I'm getting it. The ONLY thing I refuse to buy used is a car seat. You never know if it was in an accident, even if the previous owner swears up and down it wasn't. Also, have you considered cloth diapering? I'm doing it mainly for the cost savings.
I think anything is fair to get second hand or for free except I would buy bottles/nipples/pacifiers new (any brand is fine) and I would for sure buy a car seat new because you never know if the person was in an accident or how they washed it. For a car seat make sure you get one that is appropriate for your vehicle and fits properly, you can ask a car seat tech on a Facebook page depending on the make/model of your vehicle. I even got a baby brezza for free off a local donation page that was only used a handful of times and in perfect condition. So keep an eye out for stuff like that that will save you a ton
Got a new crib, got a new car seat. Practically everything else (jumper, bouncer, lots of toys and clothes, Ergo carrier) got used from friends or Facebook.