Great 'pregnancy MoneySaving' Hunt

Former_MSE_Debs · 22 April 2013 at 12:56PM

Great 'Pregnancy MoneySaving' Hunt

From tips on what to buy and what to wait to buy, to cheap maternity clothes, we want MoneySavers' collective wisdom on saving money when you're expecting a little one.

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, watch our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

View all past Great Hunts

[threadbanner] box [/threadbanner]

mrs*s_7 · 24 April 2013 at 9:10AM

Don't spend a fortune on clothes - for you or baby.

You really only need around 8-10 each of basic vests and sleepsuits/babygros to start with, and nothing else! Buy from tesco/asda/primark - they are just as good as anywhere else and less pricy to replace when they get covered in the inevitable stains! There is no need for fancy outfits to start with, baby is more comfortable in sleep suits, and they are far easier to deal with when you are constantly changing nappies! Let friends and family buy everything else...! We had so many clothes given to us, including bags full of second hand stuff, theres really no need to buy a lot.

Buy maternity clothes as you need them rather than rushing out to buy a whole new wardrobe - I got over excited and bought lots early on in my first pregnancy, but the maternity jeans and trousers that felt comfy early on were awful towards the end! Buy one or two pairs to start and then more in a different shape if and when you need them. I also found lots of tops that I already had were stretchy enough to fit round bump, so didn't need to buy too many extras, just a few roomy shirts for the last couple of months, or some breastfeeding tops that stretched round bump and were also good for afterwards. Don't scrimp on bras though - comfort is essential!

And don't go mad with baby equipment either - there is a massive market of 'essential' items, mostly gadgets that you can live without! There isn't much you need in the first month or so so wait until baby arrives and you have thought about what you really need - when you will probably have been given gifts or mothercare vouchers anyway!

Finally - I could go on all day! - Try and borrow or buy second hand. There are a lot of local 'kidstuff' groups or similar on facebook where people sell on good condition used items for a fraction of the cost. Put bits through the dishwasher or washing machine and they are often good as new! And sell your old bits on when done (unless you're saving them for bump no.2!) and get back some of your cash!!! :j

TrickyDicky · 24 April 2013 at 9:20AM

I agree with the above. We got all of our big baby purchases 2nd hand from ebay or friends who no longer needed it.

Mothercare cot with matress and bedding along with a set of shelves and change mat £100 from ebay
Moses basket, baby bouncer + other toys £20 from a work colleage
Quinny Speedy buggy plus new born car seat that doubles as 0-6month carrier in buggy £120.
There are regular NCT nearly new sales all over the place. Generally good for 0-12 month clothes. Pickings get a little thin after that.

I was always told though that you shouldnt buy car seats second hand from people you dont know, as they may have been involved in a crash.

Elsewhere, South west trains season ticket holders can get a free 1st class upgrade from 4 months:
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/Mumstobe.aspx

Get a baby on board badge for the tube:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/transportaccessibility/1169.aspx#page-link-baby-on-board-badges

lauralou83 · 24 April 2013 at 9:25AM

I agree with mrs s on pretty much everything, I am currently 29weeks with my first, but from the beginning have been keen not to waste money, when my clothes started getting tight I bought one pair of jeans from mothercare, a bump band from eBay (which has been great for wearing over my non Preg jeans and work trousers) and a couple of tops this low cost budget wardrobe has taken me thro most of my Preg, and I have been surprised at the amount of friends who have offered me there old maternity clothes, I've accepted the majority but have only worn a few items tbh.

BAGGY · 24 April 2013 at 9:50AM

Re maternity clothes. I bought a smartish pair of jersey trousers. I bought larger sized vests from primarni (18) and wore them under an unbuttoned shirt to work. I think people dont expect you to look fantastic especially when you get huge. With twins I second the belly belt. I am convinced it stopped my stretch marks. Once on maternity leave, I admit to lounging in joggers and xxxxxl t-shirts and crocs.
Most of my baby stuff was given to me except the double buggy and the matresses for the cot.
Clothing was second hand or supermarket sleepsuits. If you have a winter baby buy a fleece onsie to go over a cotton sleepsuit instead of a coat which gets rucked up at the back. Also tights for boys are great rather than socks as there is no exposed leg.

womblenz · 24 April 2013 at 10:50AM

I have saved a fortune on baby clothes, simply by watching places like Netmums and Gumtree for well priced good looking bundles of clothes for the different ages of my little girl. I buy a bundle that looks good has good variety in it, then I treat myself/her to one or two brand new extras as needed. Because I am looking in advance of really needing I have found real bargains, and always have clothes that fit in the cupboard even after a rapid 'overnight' growth spurt.
This has also put me off cruising the shops looking at baby clothes and impulse buying

Rose_Garden · 24 April 2013 at 11:15AM

It's not strictly money saving but, if you add a bag of nappies/wipes to your weekly shop whilst pregnant(mix of sizes!) it isn't such a major expense whilst managing on maternity benefit.

Always buy new cot mattress even if cot is 2nd hand. And always buy new car seat. Safety of your little one should always come before cost.

sj82 · 24 April 2013 at 11:54AM

TrickyDicky wrote: »

Mothercare cot with matress and bedding along with a set of shelves and change mat £100 from ebay

Not wanting to fear monger but I just wanted to comment on this bit. I've taken the below information from the cot mattresses section on the Which? site - I haven't posted enough to link, sorry.

"The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) recommends you buy a new cot mattress, or - if using a used mattress - carefully check that it's clean, dry and free from cracks or tears beforehand. Your cot mattress should be firm, with no sagging and fit the cot snugly, with no gaps."

julestf · 24 April 2013 at 11:55AM

Hi there,
As I love to save money I have kept a list of larger money savings I have made and it adds up to over £700
Granted I have brought most things new as its our first baby but utilising comparison websites and vouchers sent when signing up for websites has saved us lots of money
I would highly recommend the price match offer for Kiddicare - this saved me almost £200 on the Maxi Cosi travel system I wanted
But spend the time trawling websites when you know what you are looking for
Enjoy!

Thegirl · 24 April 2013 at 12:30PM

I agree with the sleep suits thing. I was seriously upset when my son had to start wearing 'proper' clothes! We had bought jeans and things for him too when he was little, he wriggled so much we were almost guarenteed nappy failure if he wore them until he was nearly a year.

Sterilising stuff. I spent a fortune on bottles, sterilising equiptment. My son never drank from a bottle with a teat, regardless of what make I tried (having already invested in one brand). He was breast fed and when he went to nursery would only drink when fed from a sippy cup. My advice would be do not buy a huge amount from any one manufacturer. If possible borrow a couple of types from a friend and try them out. Your little one may prefer one to another. Also a microwave steriliser is cheaper and will fit most bottles, so not so big an investment.

On that subject, breast feeding is very moneysaving if you are happy to and able to. If you want to but experience difficulties La Leche League offer great phone support (I never went to a group, I'm sure they're lovely, but had to ring when I had a problem wiht a blocked duct) and my local health authority ran a breast feeding clinic every day to help. That said I took to it like a duck to water and was very lucky to never have problems, other than the duct.

You need no where near as many toys and equiptment as you think you do.

Second hand buggy/pram everytime. I know one girl who ended up buying four buggies as she didn't get on with any of them. New each time. I bought my first pram/buggy from a friend and then a second one from ebay after my back had gone and I needed an easier one to put up/put down as the boy grew. Sold the old one, ended up £100 in profit.

ScrimperMary · 24 April 2013 at 3:02PM

It's a long time my boys were babies (youngest is nearly 6) but the biggest saving I made was by using washable/reusable nappies. I have 3 children and spent about £200 in total on nappies for all of them. Compare this to the thousands I would have spent on disposables and it was a huge saving. You can buy them second hand and you can sell them on again when you have finished with them :j

Don't forget Freecycle for baby items/clothes/maternity clothes

Oh and instead of an expensive pram/pushchair you might want to consider baby slings. Find a local SlingMeet in your area to find out more

Great 'pregnancy MoneySaving' Hunt

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free