Having a baby Old Style???

bluep

On the other hand...when I was growing up it was just me and my mum - had to get an gov assisted place at school, free school dinners etc...wear hand-me-downs from cousins, cheap and cheerful holidays, no trainers!! It provided me with a great work ethic - I have been employed part-time or full-time since I was 14 and although I love to spend money, I do appreciate the value of it.

My mother couldn't afford to contribute virtually anything to my University expenses (although would have loved to) and I have self-funded and worked though a Bachelors, Masters and half a PhD. Ok, so I'm in debt but got a great job at the end of it - and am thinking of it like an education mortgage for the future!

Teenagers don;t have to be incredably expensive - if they grow up thinking in terms of earning and saving, then they may suprise you by being finanacially independent earlier than you hoped! Although, as a parent myself now, I really want to be able to help out my daughter at Uni when she grows up so she doesn't have TOO much pressure to study and work all the time (a little bit never hurt anyone though!).

bluep

Thanks for the thought Spendless, but Omneo Comfort isn't provided by any of our health clinics and it was the only formula she would take without real digestion problems! What I do though is collect coupons like mad (all the good tips on the Coupons board here lol - King of Shaves, Zing magazine etc...) and then use them at Waitrose to basically get the milk free - usually get around 75% of my shopping free by using coupons. So that's what's seen us through the hard months.

larmy16

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but could anyone tell me how you reply to a specific post. I have looked in the FAQ and seen the explanation but could not make head nor tail of it.

Anyone got a simple explanation? Thanks v. much

gravitytolls

Yes to all the above, breast feeding, great...but bear in mind it hurts for a bit(quite a bit),and when I say hurt, I mean it may make your toes curl...Best to be aware fromthe start, otherwise you think there's something wrong with you. But once it's established, there's nothing like it.

Puree your own food. Brillo.

Check out your local freeads and neighbourhood. Once word is out you're expecting and are int he market for decent 2nd hand stuff, you'll be surprised how many people come forward, then you'll have the benefit of knowing where it's come from too.

Lots of people just don't like to offer, for fear of causing offence (all donations gratefully received in this house).

And most of all, just enjoy your baby. There's nothing like the magic of smiling wiggling babies, just overjoyed at see ing YOU. Make the most of it, and do whatever you think is right.


Good luck.

Spendless

larmy16 wrote:

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but could anyone tell me how you reply to a specific post. I have looked in the FAQ and seen the explanation but could not make head nor tail of it.

Anyone got a simple explanation? Thanks v. much

Press on the quote button at the bottom of persons post and then type reply.

Daft_Ada_2

I hope that all MSE member parents and parents-to-be read this post as I think that it will be of great benefit to all moneysavers:-

I am a member of https://www.freecycle.org and as soon as you have completed the joining requirements (ie you have to place an "offered" post as your first post) you can post as many "wanted" ads as you wish.

Freecycle is what it says - a set of localised Yahoo groups where people place their unwanted items up for grabs for FREE to save on landfill.

It can be absolutely ANYTHING - and you can also post "WANTED's" too, and I have seen many people offering and requesting baby-related items.

HOWEVER - Even if you are babynesting on the cheap remember that both car seats and cot/moses-basket mattresses should always be brand new, nice as people are and however honest they may be it's never a good idea to accept an offer of these things secondhand.

my son Jake is now 11 weeks old and we are also now the proud owners of a freecycled sandpit/paddling pool, a bottle warmer and a cupboard that just so happens to match his wardrobe!

Hope this post helps other MSE users,

lol

Lara
xxx

catalonia13

As a Mum of 3 children 17,14, and 3, and having brought all up on my own (don't ask!!) this has been a really interesting thread, with some really different views/opinions so I'm just offereing mine too! at the end of the day the money issue is down to what you do with it, I was on benefits with the first two but we never went short, I am however extreamly economical, always looking for bargains, grow my own veg, go camping, no posh hols abroad anymore, avid car boot and ebay hunter, I have made lots of sacrifces to stay at home with my children, no hairdressers, rarely buy new clothes, mimimal alcohol consumption and rarely go out, but I'm happy with that, I could have gone back to work and earnt really good money but that was not for me, my parents both worked full time, I had everything I ever wanted financially, but I did not have my parents, that still bothers me sometimes at 44 years old, hence my adamence that I would not return to work when I had children, but it's 'each to his own' isn't it, my parents did what they thought was right, they really struggled to buy their own house, this has never been a priority for me and is yet another issue, like breastfeeding, returning to work, disposables etc. that would have totally different opinions, I just think you have to do what is right for you at the time. I don't think anyone can ever quote an exact cost of having a baby, it costs what you make it cost! 3 months after having my last baby I took out a loan for a brand new car, (and I was back on benefits at the time!) I'm still paying it off but to me it is worth every penny! now I'm running my own business from home, money is still tight but again, we're all happy, I know if I went back to work we'd have loads more money but I wouldn't be happy at all, everyone's priorities are different.

Nappy sacks, I'm sorry but I cannot understand why anyone buys these! I only used disposable when visiting family but found if you neatly rolled the nappy up, folded the sides over and re used the sticky tabs you ended up with a neat little clean package with contents all inside! if you really feel you must put it in something then use those free bags that your fruit and veg come in!

Baby wipes - again only ever used when out, at home I used flannels for 'clean' jobs, for the more messy bits I used old sheets cut into squares, you get loads from a double! and threw away.

Baby food - never brought, made all my own, dead easy and cost pennies, and got empy jars from friends though to store it in!

summer babies - definately not good, had two in July and think they both missed a whole year of being a child, last one is an October birth, he gets a whole year longer at playschool and I think that great, they just don't get to be little children any more once they start school.

well think thats more than enough from me! hope I don't offend anyone with my opinions, they are only that, my opinions, there is no right or wrong when it comes to bringing up children!!

mitziwaltz

Been there, done that--no problems. My biggest problems were ones you won't have thanks to the NHS--medical bills (both of mine were born in the US... had the 1st one in a teaching hospital, with an audience, the second at home with a midwife who I paid partially by making her some nice business cards and flyers.)
Everyone has covered the big stuff, breastfeeding, making your own food etc. There's no need for anything but breastmilk for months anyway--most people start babies on solids well before they're ready anyway. When solids time comes around, rice cereal is the only thing really worth buying and it's very cheap. Apparently my own 1st bed was a dresser drawer. My 1st had a crib but hated it, so the second slept with us. Indeed, he still crawls in occasionally (only he's 14 and 6'3). The most recent research shows that a cot by your bed is probably best though. Instead of a toddler bed, both had a futon on the floor. Easy to get in and out of, no worries about falling out of bed, doubles as a tumbling mat :-)
Check on local bulletin boards and craig's list (https://www.craigslist.org) for cheap or free baby stuff.
About daycare -- co-op with other mums if you can when you are ready to go back to work, or when you simply need to.For instance, if you have a day-shift job, you can swop care with someone on the night-shift. If a few mums work together they can have home-style care at no cost in terms of cash--just time. Some of the SureStart schemes are good quality too.
And get your SO to play his part from the start... I was lucky to have a dad who was very involved in taking care of me as a young child, not typical at all in the 1960s. My mom was a teacher and really enjoyed her job, felt it was her calling. They worked together to make sure someone was always home after school, and of course mum was home for the summers, which was great. There were times when she worked and he went to school, and vice versa. My partner has often been the primary carer for our disabled son because I earn more, and it has been a terrific arrangement for us.
Find out about free stuff to do with little ones early on (parks, museums, playgroups, etc.), when you still have the energy to do research.
Oh, one thing about 2nd hand stuff--with cribs, make sure the slats are close together, meeting current safety regs. Some older ones are lovely but babies can squeeze their heads between the slats and choke. Same with car seats--some older models are not very good. But anything from the past 2 or 3 years is probably fine.
BTW, my daughter is about your age now and has a lovely young daughter. She's getting by on literally next to nothing, thanks to smart buys on craig's list and 2nd hand shops, gifts and swops with friends, and being a smart shopper. It's not easy, and it's not always fun, but it sure it worth it.Good luck!

mitziwaltz

There should not be any effect from piercings on breastfeeding or childbirth (I know someone who has been, shall we say, a test case on this!) The only exception would be if a nipple piercing was very poorly done and caused extensive scarring. Let's assume that's not the case, eh?

Zziggi

ancasta wrote:

Mohammed Smith, Jean Claude Jones, Chiatali Scott.

Would have a very original ring to it.

no offence intended with any of them names.

Well our 2nd baby (blonde hair, blue eyes, white skin) was called Muhammad Taylor !!!! And it did raise a few eyebrows initially!

*i say 'was' as he died at 11 days old.