Moneysaving tips for all you pregnant ladies

susiebaby2011 · 10 April 2011 at 7:24PM

Having recently had a baby I wanted to share my money saving tips for those of you who are on a budget like we were but still want nice items for your baby. I got everything I needed but I saved so much money. See below for my tips.

1) Only buy some cheap cotton baby sleep suits/ baby grows and an outfit for leaving hospital before your baby is born because you will get lots of clothes from friends and family. If you don’t you can always buy what you need after the birth. Or get family to pick up clothes you need if you’re not ready to leave the house.

2) Get a base for your car seat. They make getting your baby in and out of the car so much quicker and easier. I got a Maxi-Cosi Easy Fit base. See below for how I saved money on this.

3) Get as much as you can on ebay. For instance I wanted a Maxi-Cosi Easy Base for my Car Seat so I looked on Ebay. The only one I could find was being sold with a car seat (I already had a car seat) so I bid on it and sold the extra car seat which meant I paid £10 for a base that is usually £90 in the shops..

4) To prepare for birth it really helped me to listen to the birth hypnosis however the courses are so expensive and even CDs are £15 so I got iHypnobirth app on my iphone for £2.99. I listened to it all the time, even when I went into labour. It was amazing. It helped me feel relaxed and made my experience of birth both positive and calm.

5) Ask friends and family if you can borrow items that you won’t use for long such as bouncer chairs, door bouncers etc because different babies like different things so you might think something is a good idea then not use it much.

6) I got an activity centre from a charity shop. It is £50 new, I got it for £8. It looks as good as new because they are not used for long so it is worth getting them second hand.

7) Check local boards such as Netmums for second hand goods. I got a Bumbo for £20 which my baby doesn’t like that much so I will resell on ebay.

8) If you are planning on breast feeding don’t buy loads of bottles. Breast pumps usually come with bottles so you won’t need any extras. We got a half price Tommee Tippee one for £44 (they always seem to be on sale somewhere so shop around)

9) I got a pram on ebay. I changed the preferences on search to ‘nearest first’ and checked everyday and ended up getting a Bugaboo Bee for a third of the retail price.

10) When you buy items keep all the boxes so when you come to reselling them they are in good condition.

I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL.

chanie · 10 April 2011 at 8:17PM

1) Altough I did buy a baby bath, DS has a bath with his Daddy. Its their special time and so much easier that trying to manage a heavy bath filled with water.

2) Rather than using wipes, when I'm at home, I use muslin clothes to clean him when I change his nappy. I use Liz Earle skincare so I have loads of flannel size muslin clothes going spare and its saved me a fortune. When he's done a no 2, I just fill the basin and wash him down. Just as quick as using wipes.

3) when baby gros get too small, I cut the feet off them so they last longer. I also have kept a bag of the tatty ones (i.e. the ones that are too tatty for future children) for household cleaning.

Derivative · 10 April 2011 at 11:42PM

It is very difficult to read posts that are all caps.

Lirin · 11 April 2011 at 7:03AM

I had a look on Gumtree, and just bought a pram, car seat and bath for £50! They all look brand new.

valkirn · 11 April 2011 at 11:46AM

The only other thing i will add is instead of reselling once done with your baby items (if this is your first) then bag up and box up and if you have space in your loft store as much of it as possable (the bigger items that is)

My first child cost me a pretty penny 12 years ago, my other 3 have cost me virtually nothing in baby equipment i say virtually as there has still been new matresses for the cot bed and swinging crib.

diva86 · 12 April 2011 at 8:45AM

When I had my son in 2006 I spent an absolute fortune which I now realise was totally pointless as babies do not care how mnay items of clothing they have or if they are sleeping in a second hand cot etc.

My top tips would be:
1. Ask around friends/family if they have any baby equipment you could borrow, more often than not people are happy to lend stuff out rather than it sitting around as long as you take care of it.

2. Stick to the basics before birth and buy only what you know what you WILL need, not what you think you may.

Basics List -
Clothing- 5x babygro's, 5x vests, 2x cardigan's, hat and scratch mitts.
Travel - Car seat, lay flat pushchair, raincover, footmuff and/or sling.
Sleep - Moses basket/crib/cot, matress, 2x sheets, 2x blankets.
Bathing - 3x flannels, olive oil, 20x reusable wipes, 1 pack napppies/reusables.
Feeding - Breastfeeding? Try hand expressing if you need to. Bottle feeding? 6 bottles, dishwasher/sterilising fluid, waterproof tub with lid, 3x muslins.

Anything else can be picked up AS NEEDED.

3. What you can't borrow check Netmums, Freecycle, Local Ads, Ebay for as mostly second hand is almost new because stuff gets little use. BUT preferably buy a new matress/car seat unless you know who it has come from because car seats can look fine on the outside but be damaged underneath and are very dangerous in an accident (from personal experience)!

4. As you baby grows sort through things that you don't use anymore and decide whether to keep or sell and do it straight away or you will end up drowning in old baby stuff! Box up things that you want to keep and put things on Ebay etc. I buy a lot clothes from Ebay so sell old to fund 'new'.

5. Last but not least don't be fooled by fancy stuff that's all singing and all dancing! Prams etc just need to be practical for you whether that be a small stroller or big walking pushchair there is nothing more wasteful than buying something you can't use! Bouncy chairs etc are nice to have as an extra but your baby will be just as happy with a car seat and a cheap toy bar. You'd also be surprised at the 'toys' you can find around your house.

My son loved banging pots and pans with a spoon or spinning a salad spinner with dried pasta inside for noise and trips to the library, park or baby groups are free/cheap and if you have access to a toy library you can borrow toys and change them regualrly.

Hope my ranting has helped someone... sorry it's so long :rotfl:

brians_daughter · 12 April 2011 at 12:05PM

1.ebay ebay ebay! I saw a wonderful outfit for my daughter but it was way out my bugdet at £40.. so to ebay i went and i purchased 15 outfits (ott i know) inc postage for £30, 10 of them were new with tags, including the outfit i wanted originally.

2. NCT sales

3. Family/mate swaps. my lo is 8 weeks younger than my cousins. so i bought 1 item and she bought another (bouncing cradle and door bouncer) and we just swap when we fancy a change! No need to house lots of things all at once

4. musilm cloths rather than bibs and wipes. The cloths are so big they cover the babygro fully when feeding so any vomit goes on cloth and not teh clothes, saves a fortune in washing machine powder adn electricity!

5. Basic ranges, such as bedding, moses basket sheets etc. I go through about 6 sheets a day (sickly baby) but got the asda value range of bedding for the crib - £10 for 6 sheets (i think )

6. dont buy a lot, i am always amazed at how generous ppl are when it comes to newborns. For instance we hardly talk to our neighbours (not cause we have argued, just busy ppl) and 4 families in teh street all brought gifts for lo when she was born. We have so many outfits i dont know what to do with them!

7. Going on from number 6... dont be afraid to be a bit cheeky lol. I f you know baby has more 0-3 stuff than you will ever use dont be afraid to ask who ever has purchased you 0-3 clothes if they mind if you exchange them for teh next size up. i was horrified when my mum mentioned this, but in all honesty people would rather lo wear the gifts than not so dont mind at all if you change the sizes in store

8, buy the pram you NEED not the one you WANT! i wanted such a pretty pram, but realised that it wasnt what i needed, i needed something small, lightweight and would go up and down easily. dont be fooled by spending £400 on a used pram that retails for £1000 new when you can get one that does what you need it to for £150 new!

pigpen · 12 April 2011 at 12:19PM

diva86 wrote: »

Bouncy chairs etc are nice to have as an extra but your baby will be just as happy with a car seat and a cheap toy bar.

Except baby isn't supposed to be in a car seat more than 45 minutes as it can cause suffocation as the head is pushed forward onto the chest. Bouncy chairs are not good with a toddler running about we almost lost DD3 across the street when DS3 laid on the back of her seat and stood up suddenly.. thank goodness for straps!!!!

Debbie_B_3 · 14 April 2011 at 8:31AM

We were lucky in that my brother had a baby boy several months before our son arrived, so we got lots of clothes handed down which was great.

Also I did get the iphone app mentioned above and it was good value for money as I was looking at CD's that were triple the price! It was relaxing and calming.

I think that buying branded stuff off of ebay is a good move as they hold their value and you can resell them after your baby has outgrown them. (everyone wants a bugaboo so will have no problem selling it after use)

Really good point about the car seat I think many people are not aware that your baby should not be in them for more than 45 minutes.

Debbie x

roxiegriff · 14 April 2011 at 4:21PM

this is a really good thread, i wish i new all of this when i was pregnant with my daughter who is now 2

i wasted far too much money on stuff that i just didnt need

i really didnt need any of it

diva86 · 25 April 2011 at 10:35AM

The guidelnes for car seats are 2 hours as far as I know.

I laso should have pointed out thought that babies should'ne be left sitting upright in any item for long as it puts a strain on their spine and windpipe whether it is a bouncer or car seat.

For short periods though a cheap toy bar and car seat will do the job because you should'nt be leaving them unnattended anyway.

Moneysaving tips for all you pregnant ladies

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