Mummies share your money saving tips please :)

fernliebee

Thanks for the feedback on cot beds. Thought maybe I was missing something, but DD is in her own room and is fine in her cot at the min, then when she is done I'll get her a single bed I think. Thanks.

About slings, I had a wrap sling, but it was given to me by a friend, all she did was buy a stretch of fabric from a shop very cheaply. I did see a site that advised on type and measurements of fabric to buy but can't remember where now! Much more mse than buying a proper sling. Also very versatile if you learn the different wraps. I know some people don't get on with these but I loved mine, and DD can't keep her eyes open for more than a min in it

lolababy

Just to say about a full size bed. They can be quiet a way off the floor for a little one. You can use the cot sides on the bed to stop them falling out but some like to climb over it. My solution put a beanbag against the bed. Nice soft landing.

Morporkian

Re: CotBeds

We havent had the money to get DD a proper bed yet (she is 2 and 3 months) so she is still in her cot. Mum and my Grandparents bought the cot, so I got a lovely one from Mothercare (Playbead - not that she is much interested in the beads lol), but if Id have thought about it more, then I probably would have looked for a good CotBed instead - and knowing that Mum/Grandparents were paying I was trying to find a good stable one, with good reviews that wasnt too expensive.
A few reasons:
DDs room is very small.
Can be bought for about the same as a normal cot, but lasts longer.
Dont have to store a cot somewhere once child is too small, or have the hassle of selling/giving it away :P

I want to get DD a nice normal single bed (actually a really pretty one - saving needed!) but her room is really small and having a single bed doesnt leave enough space for wardrobe and/or chest of drawers and room to play in
I may get a nice toddler bed as it would fit nicer and then once she is big enough, she can have the spare single bed we already have (it is VERY high for her now, even if her room was big enough. Hence wanting another).

tiamai_d

Homemade baby food - awesome! Experiment a bit and you will find what works for you and what doesn't. I didn't use ice cube trays, I used cheap pots. They got the same lunch as dinner and never bothered.

Love the idea of pillow cases as moses basket sheets (will be doing that this time) and when baby moves into a cot, use the sheets/pillow cases as 'sickie sheets'. Lay across the cot where babies head will be and if they are sick at night it's a quick lift off with the wet sheet without too much effort.

Nappy wrappers and bottle warmers are a waste of money. Cheap nappy bags suited me better as I could always smell the nappy wrapper and when my two were small it was ok to store sterilised bottles with boiled water (cooled in the bottle) for 24 hours, then just add the milk powder you need. They had it room temp. Thats probably changed now though :rolleyes:

Clothes - cheap and cheerful, free if possible does it matter if baby is in asda/tesco cheapie or fancy £8 a vest clothes? They still throw up/pee/poo on them either way.

blaque*angel

bumping, i love this thread!

teacherandmum

we have a cot bed (£90 plus mattress - but i had lots of discount codes at MC). dd is 2 and a half and i feel much better about her being in the bed rather than a normal single, as it's quite low to the ground.

try here www.babycentre.co.uk for tips and forums too

lidl nappies are great for daytimes but couldn't cope with 12 hour stretches at nighttime

car boot sales are fab - got my moses basket, stand and bedding for £5!!

don't buy a huge travel system type thikng - i bet by 6 months you'll be buying another smaller stroller type like a mclaren or petit star zia/quinny zapp

get clothes from e-bay or ask around for hand me downs

don't buy expensive bottles if botle feeding - we were given some 'posh' ones but my daughter rejected them and prefered the cheap 'traditional' ones

if you're not thinking of another bab y straight away, get a morena coil fitted - my periods stopped and saved me a fortune on tampons and pads!!!!!!!!

skintbutsolvent

I don't have children but I always had Clarks shoes, carefully measured and usually ordered as I have A fitting feet. I have seen a chiropodist regularly since I was 8 as feet are so bad. At about 16 started buying my own cheap shoes, eventually stopped seeing chiropodist. 2 yrs ago, aged 31, 'treated' myself to a pair of Clarks, feet wrecked within hours:eek: Primark here I come. I'm not saying put your babies in jelly shoes all the time, but sometimes Clarks just aren't right.

fernliebee

skintbutsolvent wrote: »

I don't have children but I always had Clarks shoes, carefully measured and usually ordered as I have A fitting feet. I have seen a chiropodist regularly since I was 8 as feet are so bad. At about 16 started buying my own cheap shoes, eventually stopped seeing chiropodist. 2 yrs ago, aged 31, 'treated' myself to a pair of Clarks, feet wrecked within hours:eek: Primark here I come. I'm not saying put your babies in jelly shoes all the time, but sometimes Clarks just aren't right.

Theres a whole thread about this on here somewhere. I don't trust clarks fitting really, I have heard too many horror stories from close friends one of which had to go back 3 times to finally get a pair that fitted! I go to a small independent shoe shop, who fit my DD's feet, and I usually go for start rite shoes. I used to always have my shoes fitted as a child and usually had either start rite or elefanten but did have some clarks, and my feet are fine.

In a similar vein, I have heard of a shop called deichmanns which are apparently the 'ikea' of fitted shoes ie cheap. They start from about £6.99, are leather and fitted. We have one in a town near us and I want to go and check them out to see the quality of them. Anyone have any experience of these?

rsdiscos

I proudly showed a man Asda's own brand childrens paracetamol for £1.90 instead of the Calpol's bottle for £3.65 a saving of £1.75. He said I didn't know Asda do their own - he was well chuffed!
Melissa

skintchick

Avoid having to make purees at all by doing Baby Led Weaning http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/startingsolids/babyledweaning/ http://www.baby-led.com/ and then they can just eat whatever you're having.