No, I’m not having a baby. This post just came about because a friend of mine is due anyday now. Her due date is actually today, but we went out last weekend and I gave them a practical gift of diapers, baby shampoo, lotion, oil, powder, wipes, diaper rash cream, ear cleaners. Using coupons and sales I got it all for a very expensive price of $22! Ouch.
I know I could easily have done better but we were talking and she mentioned not having anything ready for the baby. Yep NADA. They were thinking maybe after the baby came her DH could run out and go shopping. I raised and eyebrow and decied our gift to them would be stuff they could use upon getting home without running to the store. My DH thought I was stupid, because who doesn’t have these things ready? Well some people figure they’ll come home and go out shopping, maybe it’ll happen, but maybe not.
So I was thinking, if we were to get pregnant soon what would I do to start preparing for the baby? And could I do it for very little money? I think it could be done.
First off would be focusing on buying diapers and wipes on sale. I read HotCouponWorld which has great tips for shopping. When I was looking for deals on my last minute gift buying trip, I skimmed over the baby section. It’s an amazing resource for understanding the diaper deals.
For example, 10 cents/diaper is a considered a stockpile deal. The women also suggest buying diapers of different sizes throughout your 40 weeks of pregnancy. The women also approximated how many diapers they used and how many packages of each size would be appropriate. This way the cost of diapers are bought not only when they are cheapest, but without straining the budget if you build it in weekly or monthly pre-birth. This method should also be used to stockpile baby wipes.
Second, sign up asap on all baby manufacturer’s mailing lists. In case you are unable to breastfeed or like specific products, the manufacturer will send you formula checks or coupons. And you can start to build a stockpile early because formula can be expensive.
Third, take the time to shop garage sales if it’s summer. This will give you an opportunity to cheaply buy clothes. Waiting until after the baby comes could make shopping difficult.
I think that preparing the most you can before birth will save you the most. Mainly because you won’t be in a rush to get home or frustrated with a newborn. This will let you leisurely shop and organize your baby stuff.
So my gift while boring, hopefully buys our friends some peace and quiet when they get home. Plus while they’ll pay full price shopping afterwards, at least if they’ve used the products and liked it, they won’t have to waste time debating between X or Y.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Rachel // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Definitely prepare while pregnant- ebay is good for clothes- especially if you aren’t going to find out boy or girl.
depending on how thrify you want to be, cloth diapers can save alot of money- probably not with baby #1, but if you are planning more than 1- definitely.
It also depends on your parenting style as to how many diapers you need. Some people demand feed- basically, when baby cries, you feed them. Because there is no schedule, you change alot more diapers (12 or more). Other people flex-schedule so they know when baby is going to eat and they change the diaper every time they eat- so if they eat every 3 hours, they might change 6 to 8 diapers a day.
So I would be a little careful on buying too much, just because I would be annoyed with if I bought too much and baby outgrew that size, so I have to give them away or store them for a couple years.
I normally buy 2 pks of newborn (these seem to work better w/ name brands) then a couple big pks of size 1 & 2 and that’s it– it’s hard to tell how fast your baby will grow- some are thin and some are chubby.
I can get the walmart cheap brand in size 2 and up, under that they tend to let more escape. THey are $.13/each
you can get alot of free products to try online as well.
One of the best things is if you have friends that already had their kids would be willing to share clothes/bedding, etc.
I think the reason people view having children as so expensive is they want new name brand things.
Also if you make your own baby food- or do the “Child Led Weaning” where they just go into feeding themselves it is alot cheaper.
I probably wouldn’t invest in formula- you can get free samples of them from the companies, but if you breasfeed it would be a waste of money to have them stockpiled and then if you have to formula feed, not all formula is going to agree with your baby- some are more gassy, sometimes they are allergic to milk or soy, some can constipate more than others, etc.
2 Livingalmostlarge // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Thanks for the extra tips!
3 T.B. // Sep 11, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I wouldn’t stockpile on babywipes– they do dry up after a while, and baby doesn’t want his/her tushy wiped with something akin to sandpaper… ouch!
They’re on sale often enough anyways where you can get them shortly before delivery. =P
4 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 11, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Cool, I had no idea. But I bet HotCouponWorld people have ideas how long they last and how to keep them moist!
5 Kristy // Sep 12, 2008 at 10:51 am
I didn’t think having a child was too expensive, except for daycare. Daycare can be pricey!
Monroe on a Budget » Festival of Frugality 9/23 - Sep 23, 2008
Carnivals, Festivals and Linklove — Almost Frugal - Sep 28, 2008
Leave a Comment