Cheaper babies and kids!

lauren_1

Yes they do exist!!
I usually spend a lot of time on another forum but have flitted over to this one to reduce my debt a bit.:j

I have some tips on how to make children a bit cheaper, well ok not the actually babies them self but the stuff needed to go with them.

1,
If you are pregnant try to shrug off the superstition and start buying earlier, if your pregnancy coincides with dec/jan then thats the peak sale time, BOOTS its a goldmine at that time of year.

2,
Dont buy in to that onebuggyupmanship thingy either, If you are going to spend £400+ and a buggy with no shopping basket and looks like some kind of mechanical extra from dr who then you really dont need to be here, if you really really really want a flashy one then trawl the internet rather than shops as they can be up to £150.00 cheaper.

3,
YOU DO NOT NEED A BREAST PUMP UNTIL YOUR BABY IS 6 WEEKS OLD.
you will buy it, use it 5 days after giving birth and wonder why it isnt working then bung it in the drawer for months on end under the illusion of "its rubbish"
The ounce that was sucked out IS all thats in there, which is why your baby will feed CONSTANTLY in the first 2-3 weeks, every hour is quite normal in the early days.:eek:

4,
Try car boot sales for larger baby items, we bought our crib for £20 with bedding and once our lump had outgrown it went back to the same car boot and sold it for £35

5,
baby bedding can easily be made at home, i have seen the prices of a certain baby chain store and unless they are handmade by elfs then they are not worth the price tag,

Pillowcases are better than PRAM SHEETS as they seem to fit better, just slip it over the matress, if it doesnt quite cover the bottom dont worry, no ones going to see it.

BABY FLEECE BLANKETS are a con too, ikea do large fleece blankets for just over £2 in various colours, remember fleece does not fray so you dont need to hem it or anything after you cut it to size, this way you can get 2-3blankets for just over £2.

Asda do very cheap single duvets (£7 i think) and if you know someone with a sewing machine ask them to hem the bottoms, or if you have one you can do it your self, it doesnt need to be neat stitching either. just cut it in half and they make perfect sized cot quilts, so far the cheapest cot quilts i found is junior joy for around £10

6,
Dont neglect freecycle! another untapped goldmine

7,
cloth nappeis might not be cheaper if you get them from the high street shops, but ebay and other online retailers tend to be cheaper by up to 50%, dont be afraid of buying "pre-loved" ones either, the small ones or size 1's only fit for about 8 weeks so they generally are in good condition and a quick boil wash will make them brand spanking new again!

8,
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY BABY WIPES
They too are a con. That handy fleece blanket from ikea will make up to 60 wipes and a dozen nappy liners, the 25p face cloth form wilkinsons make exellent wipes to (if you have/had a boy you will understand that normal wipes are just rubbish). A tupperwear oyster box is watertight so you can throw some damp wipes in there when you go out (all you need it water) Cotton wool is okay but tends to leave fluffy bits and is not re-usable. (oysters are on ebay for around £3)

9,
Sign up to boots parenting club, we got a free changing bag (its huge) free no7 make up and loads more freebies than i can remember (good even if your not pregnant)

10,
For older children who are picky about their bath stuff (cheers kandoo:mad: )
Save the bottle and top up with cheaper stuff, cheap pink bath creme (59p for 1ltr) works ok in the froggy bottle for hands and to wash them in the bath too

If anyone has any more please post them

bobsa1

Check out charity shops for kids clothes, they grow so quickly that things are virtually unworn.

When shops have clothing sales buy a year ahead, ie buy for next winter in the January sales.

Never say no when people offer to give you something, they may not offer again.

Tell friends that you are looking for a baby bath etc. someone you know will have one they no longer need.

Plastic toys can be cleaned in steralising solutions so can be used by loads of kids, if you are offered something that is a bit grubby it will probably clean.

When your kids have grown out of something pass it on to someone you know.

moozikgal

Freecycle can be a goldmine for baby things as they grow out of them so quickly! clothes and toys that is. Use them and then pass on to someone else who needs them. Just watch out for ebayers and carbooters lurking for baby things to make a quick buck

shariatlanta

Just to add my little bit, it's been years since I had a baby but baby wipes weren't around when I had mine nor were nappy sacks and disposable nappies were only just coming out. There were no fancy baby bags so my going out bag was usually a carrier bag with 2 terry nappies ( no fancy shaped ones either ), spare nappy pin, wet flannel in small food bag plus extra carrier bag for dirty nappy. My eldest is now 28 as has suffered no ill effects due to me using the above
Seriously though much of the things that are around now are not needed, don't waste your money on them.

lil_me

Try https://www.adtrader.co.uk and https://www.ad-mag.com aswell, bags of baby clothes cheap.

I also do the changing what is in a bottle trick, also do it with food, amazing how many times you can refil those little boxes you get with raisins in, or how many times the wrapper falls of the less funky tins etc. I also put frozen stuff into small size bags when I buy it, then they have no idea what make/brand it is. DP only likes Heinz sauce but he's had cheap stuff for years without noticing

Shop around for toiletries if you buy them, flanels are cheaper in the long run than baby wipes. Terry nappies aren't as much hard work as people make out. Breast feeding is free.

Other sites like https://www.dontdumpthat.com aswell as freecycle for free stuff. Don't be shy to accept things from other Mums. Get friendly with local charity shop and they might put any new with tags stuff to one side for you (my local one did this for me I got first refusal on anything new)

Pushchairs, furniture etc also comes up in freecycle and the local ads, nothing wrong with second hand as most are like new. Car boot sales aswell. If you want new try ToysrUs and Ikea. Some of the cheapest around.

Join every baby club possible. Tescos, Sainsburys, Huggies, Pampers, baby food ones etc etc.

Don't buy too much for 'next year' as you'll either forget you have them or they will be in the size in the wrong season, it's sods law.

Primark really cheap baby clothes all the time not just the sales.

happygal_3

Don't waste money on a baby bath. Buy a large washing up bowl and use that instead.

I also use carrier bags as dirty nappy bags.

The only thing i'm finding with washable nappies is trying to find clothes to fit DD properly - everything seems so fitted that I can't squeeze her nappy in!

Make your own baby food. Argos sell blenders for about £4.99 and it's far cheaper to buy fresh fruit and veg rather than jars. In the long run you will probably have less picky kids when it comes to mealtimes to. My 4 year old won't touch pizza, ready meals etc she prefers homemade stuff.

Bibendum

happygal wrote:

Make your own baby food. Argos sell blenders for about £4.99 and it's far cheaper to buy fresh fruit and veg rather than jars. In the long run you will probably have less picky kids when it comes to mealtimes to. .

and while out and about with a very small person a mashed banana and/or avocado is very handy, nutricious and cheap!