New baby and the expense!

Aimee-lou

Hi everyone,

I'm currently 8 months pregnant and we've been buying 'little and often' to get the stuff together that the new baby will need. So far i've spent about £400 and I still have so much to get and we just don't have the money. (I will have to find the money as some of it is essential! - cot for baby, baby gates to keep the dog out of the nursery, etc etc)

I'm just in shock about how much this stuff costs! :eek: At least we've kept it all neutral so we can ru-use it next time! Looks like i'm going to have to raid the cupbards for more ebay fodder for the last push towards parenthood!!

daphne_descends

Do you have a moses basket? You won't need a cot for a while if so. Co-sleeping is free

Gates can be found on Freecycle or very cheaply on Ebay or check the listings on Netmums. We didn't get gates until DS was about 10 months old, no need before then really.

What else do you need?

jess1974

Car boot sales are really good for cheap bits and pieces, you can have a really good look at it all before you hand over any cash....

BitterAndTwisted

In the very beginning all a baby really needs is warm clothing, a nappy and mum. A Moses basket would be nice but when they're still very tiny a cardboard box or a drawer would do in a pinch. Or so my mother told me.

Don't pressure yourself to buy loads of kit you might not need. When junior's up and running about is when you're going to really need money for stuff.

Make a wish-list and see what friends, family-members or work-colleagues can drag out of their lofts or cadge from their friends for you. They grow so quickly, some stuff hardly gets used at all. You'll soon see when you've got a house-full of it yourself

stilernin

I'd second the car boot route, there is usually loads of stuff.

Also check out the NCT website for a table top sale near you.

nearlyrich

OP said they needed a gate to keep the dog out of the nursery so she will need it before junior is running around.

amilotte

I am have been scouring ebay at the mo in preparation for our new addition and have picked up some fab bargains! I have just bought my pram, car seat (some may not be happy doing this), changing bag, different colour covers for the pram (not an essential item I may add!). I have also bought many bits of clothing, a cot bumper and sheets and the best bargain yet - a Mothercare gliding crib (4 months old) for £16 :T. I know it can be a bit of a gamble but I only go for items described as excellent/ immaculate and the good thing about baby stuff is that the newborn bits and pieces tend to have been hardly used.

It depends how organised you feel you need to be, this is my third (a boy who I'm sure would npt appreciate having the pink items I had kept from my DD's) and I'm not fussed about having a nursery ready for the arrival. As with my DD's this baby will be in with us for the first 6 months (well, thats the plan!) so that gives us plenty of time to look at sorting the nursery after he is here. If you do want to be prepared IKEA do some lovely nursery furniture very cheaply but then so does ebay and you can pick up a cot frame and bedding for next to nothing (you would just need to purchase a new mattress as is advised).

I have learned at the grand age of 29 that second hand is acceptable and even though I am image conscious (sad but true) I have still managed to pick up what I would have wanted for the baby but for a few hundred cheaper than if I had gone to the shops :j.

Also I assume you are aware of the Health In Pregnancy grant that every pregnant women will get (£190). There is also the surestart grant worth £500 if you qualify for it, we don't unfortunately but that is a huge help for those who do.

Oh and also ASDA do baby toiletries at a fraction of the cost of the well known brands, their sensitive baby wipes are great and far cheaper than 'the leading brand'

HTH

Becles

Stop and think do you really need things before you buy them.

For example we've never bothered with safety gates. I've had three children and had two dogs when they were all babies, but the dogs just got shut in the utility room on an evening, and were fine with the run of the house during the day. Youngest is two now and is currently rolling around on the floor with the dog!

BitterAndTwisted

nearlyrich wrote: »

OP said they needed a gate to keep the dog out of the nursery so she will need it before junior is running around.

I would have thought that a closed door would be better than a gate for keeping a dog out of a room unless there's something I haven't quite understood

kelloggs36

Excellent advice about what you actually NEED rather than what you would LIKE. Honestly, you don't NEED that much - you will be surprised at how quickly babies grow out of things and you can easily find alternative ways to cut costs. When I had my babies, I would have dearly loved to have a changing station, but couldn't afford one so had a mat instead - which came with the changing bag (that was an essential because it was waterproof, which at the time came from Argos at less than a tenner - don't go for designer!!!) I got most toys second hand and only bought my pram new - and even that I could have got second hand if I had wanted to. With prams, it is easy to get carried away - one which fits into the car and can easily be folded down is all that you need. Good luck and enjoy your baby as it won't be long before you are looking back remembering how it was.;

1HANNAH

Another here to suggest Carboots as we didn't and spent a fortune on our kids but have recently just sold all there stuff at a carboot, a £35 moses basket, still in mint condition and I was happy to get £8 for it.