First baby on the way, tips welcome!

Fiolondon

Hi
I have tried to post twice and lost the post twice so here is the summary:
- ikea for a cot bed & mattress for less than £100 will last until baby is say 3?, some toys and brilliant £15 high chair. We got a Gulliver cot bed and in the first 3 months had the side off and tied it to the bed with scarves. It was just like the fancy £400 special feeding cots - but for a lot lot less, plus it means you don't have to get out of bed (esp in the winter) to calm the baby who is just next to you. On occasions I just stuck my hand out from under the duvet and did a bit of patting - although that doesn't work too well in the early days as they mainly want food. Makes for very easy night feeds too.
- Ebay - my best purchase was a £5 moses basket and rocking stand with 5 spare sheets (RRP £150).
- Nearly New Sales (NCT and Twins & Triplets Societies - check the web for local groups).
- Freecycle - post wanted ads
- Gumtree.com
- People will buy nice outfits as gifts, but for quite a long time sleepsuits are by far the easiest and cheapest way to dress a baby. Get together as big a bag as you can from friends and sales (assorted sizes up to 6 months) as a newborn can use up to 4 a day depending on which end they are leaking out of! Having a big bag saves having to run the washing machine all the time and is a sanity saver for a new mum.
- Don't get sucked into fancy prams. A basic umbrella fold from birth to 4 is a lifesaver (eg Macalaren XT or similar Mothercare model) and is small/light enough to fit into cars, shops, cafes, other peoples' houses without fuss. I know a lot of people who have bought several buggies looking for the perfect fit - buy one knowing that whichever you choose, you will have to compromise on some feature or another.
- Breastfeeding - it involves more physical work for a tired mother, but it is free and has big health benefits for mum and baby. All your GF has to do is eat well and stay well hydrated. You can go and speak to a local Breastfeeding counsellor to find out more about it if you have not come across this before. If you are the sort of chap who thinks this is all a bit icky when it is totally natural, then think back to when you found out originally how babies were made - that sounded pretty icky at the time as far as I remember.
- Get some of those aluminium food containers and fill them with nice food, then freeze them. You might have a lot of help on hand in the first few weeks but after that just being able to get a nutritious dinner out of the freezer in the morning and then pop it in the oven in the evening is worth its weight in gold. PLus better and cheaper than takeaways.
- Find out where your local childrens centres are. They have new parents groups for free where new mums (and sometimess dads) can meet other parents and learn about parenting issues. It might be called a Surestart near you. Often they also have playgroups and ryhme times so mums can get out of the house and see other people for free - while also stimulating the baby! They also have advisors who can help with all sorts including breastfeeding, benefit claims, childcare, health clinics, health visitors, child development, speech therapy, etc etc
- Some stuff on ebay sells second hand for nearly the RRP. Watch sales carefully and don' get carried away as you have months to get stocked up. Consider buying new and then selling on ebay later for high value items with warranties, rather than going for second hand straight off - I know people whose wheels fell off their second hand prams and they had not recourse. Generally sell on old equipment.
- Don't bother decorating a nursery. The baby will have no clue and you will just have to redo it all to their taste after they are 2 or so. Magnolia is just fine and less stimulation will hopefully help the baby get off to sleep quicker!

Good luck and congratulations
Fiona

ironman1

Wow great information, especially the nursery bit, agree completely with that. Thanks for taking the time to type up your suggestions

pinkshoes

I'm 31 weeks pregnant, and as me and OH earn roughly the same, we'll pretty much be losing an entire salary. (I only get SMP, so 6 weeks at 90%, then £125 a week for 33 weeks).

OH and I have so far managed to buy all the basics for very little, as although we're not broke, we'd rather save the money now, and spend it on outings etc... after the baby is born.

TKMaxx has been superb for stuff, and ebay is also great for bargains if you're patient and do your research. My cot is a hand me down (and conveniently will do as a bed until they're about 5 or 6), and I've bought things that the baby will NEED, rather than WANT!

I'm going to do my best to breast feed (and bought an electric breast pump), and also planning to use reusable nappies, as in the long run these work out so much cheaper than disposables. Start researching reusable nappies in advance, as many local councils offer a free trial service, and there are other "try before you buy" schemes.

ironman1

The reusable nappies keep popping up on here. I will look them up. One thing I have found out is although you want to keep costs down, be careful mentioning certain things to the oh, I hate coming across as sounding tight!

I will also look into the council as well. As I said thanks for all the replies, really helpful!

redstararnie76

Take a look at the MSE Pregnancy Thread on this board, if you haven't already. The people on there are really friendly and a great source of knowledge and support. It's a really good place for advice...

rach

Ironman - it's not about sounding or being tight. I am 35 weeks pg with no1 and we both have decently paid jobs and even on mat pay (mine is rubbish) we can manage, albeit tightening our belts a little. However, being in London and wanting to buy our own place, plus not wanting to be dragged into buying loads of stuff that we *need*. We have been given/bought second hand almost everything, from a cotbed (bought new mattress) to reusable nappies (I am keen on these for environmental as well as financial reasons). We bascially figured that by saving money on stuff now we can keep t for when the child is bigger and will know the benefits. New stuff we have bought is cot mattress, pushchair (thanks to parents), some bedding and blankets and some clothing (though got some 2nd hand too), plus a few nappy extras.

One thing I'd really recommend is netmums, their nearly new section is excellent. It works especially well in London because of the population density! I find the Bromley site excellent, just today I've been given a free electric breastpump and bought a tens machine for labour for £25.

We will also save some money on travel whilst I'm not working, I will use a bit of PAYG oyster but not much, whereas currently have a 2-5 monthly travelcard at £100 a month.

Good luck and enjoy it all. I love thinking about where I've got all our bits from, not just one trip to mothercare with the amex but loving bought over months!

Tigsteroonie

Fiolondon wrote: »

- Don't bother decorating a nursery. The baby will have no clue and you will just have to redo it all to their taste after they are 2 or so.

Depends on the theme but again, doesn't have to cost - we were luck to get jungle-theme nursery stuff from our local FreeCycle, presumably from somebody who had to "redo it all"

rach

I've also got jungle themed stuff cheap, lightshade for £5, curtains for £10, clock for £5, moses basket and stand for £12 and musical mobile for £5 and have bought a little quilt thing for about £10 new from asda where it's far cheaper than elsewhere. I decided I wanted to make the room kind of match at least, and this way it has just been stuff I'd mainly buy anyway and still cheaper than the curtains new from mothercare!

ironman1

I agree with the decorating of the room aswell, so many good ideas on here :beer:

Indie_Kid

Fiolondon wrote: »

- People will buy nice outfits as gifts, but for quite a long time sleepsuits are by far the easiest and cheapest way to dress a baby.

On the subject of people buying clothes as gifts - ask that some buy 3-6 months, 6-9 months, etc. - you shouldn't end up with too many newborn clothes that the baby will never wear. (or wear once)