Bringing Up Baby Old Style ... 2013 and beyond

optimistic-mummy

I started this thread as i thought the previous thread was slightly dated now regarding prices etc.

This Thread is for everyone to give their tips and ask questions regarding bringing up babies Old Style or who just simply want to be MSE from bumps and beyond .... please be nice we are all here for advice and to give advice.

Here is the Link to the original thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3872803

welcome everyone i and many others look forward to tips, and tricks when wanting to be OS and MSE

optimistic-mummy

ok so im going to introduce myself as i would like to be as MSE and OS as possible with our next bundle of joy... its early days yet ... not due till december 2013. my top 5 tips to being Money Saving and Old style would be :

1. breastfeed - free and better for baby
2. washable nappies and washable wipes (saves a small fortune)
3. except second hand/buy second hand - again will save you a small fortune
4. make your own baby food
5. shop around for the best price

xx

tiny_courageous

Will be watching this with interest as our first baby is due in October. Very much enjoying going to car boot sales to get baby stuff at the moment, as well as vast amounts of hand me downs (from maternity clothes to baby clothes) which will be put to good use.

cloudy11

Looking forward to this thread too as our first baby is due in October. We are also hopefully buying our first house around the same time so money is tight! :eek:

Luckily I love second hand and I have no problem accepting hand me downs. Our parents are very excited too so no doubt will help out.

kettlenic

Hi I would like to follow this thread too as I am due with Number 1 in October and money is going to be tight with Mat pay!

So far people have been so generous and have given us heaps of second hand things and bought little outfits for baby.

My Parents want to buy us a Buggy which is great news!! and a great help

My SIL has a 3.5 month old and she is not OS at all so is handing over heaps of bits and pieces which she no longer needs, she knows how I like to be OS in my approach so I am happy to receive it all

They has just moved house and are getting rod of a lovely sofa and dishwasher - which we will be very grateful for!!

chickien_2

I'm going to join in too

We're expecting our first (a little girl) at the end of July and I have had great fun going to nearly new sales and carboots with a little ebaying to get nearly everything we need for a fraction of the price! Had a trip to Kiddicare to try out the prams and then found the one we liked on the way home on ebay and got it for 1/3 of the price :rotfl:I especially like buying nearly new things and then googling to see how much they would have cost (I know, I'm sad )

Am loving the tips optimistic-mummy and am planning to follow most of them, but was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for reusable nappies. They seem so expensive to begin with and after reading about the different brands on Mumsnet even the top rated ones have some really bad reviews?? Are they a lot more hassle than disposables?? I know I could be saving a fortune (and the planet) so would like to give them a go

cazj80

chickien wrote: »

Am loving the tips optimistic-mummy and am planning to follow most of them, but was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for reusable nappies. They seem so expensive to begin with and after reading about the different brands on Mumsnet even the top rated ones have some really bad reviews?? Are they a lot more hassle than disposables?? I know I could be saving a fortune (and the planet) so would like to give them a go

I used reusable nappies on our first baby, they were great, we used close parent pop-in dream dri nappies, as we don't have a tumble drier, no room for one and I didn't want the cost of buying one and running it, and these nappies dried so quickly just hung inside, even in the winter.

We didnt use them much with our second baby, but there's just over a year gap between them and all I ended up doing was washing, it was just too much for me, if we'd had a bigger gap and our eldest was out of nappies we would have used reusable nappies more with our second.

It's worth looking for them second hand if you can, saves even more. I sold mine on eBay for £50

optimistic-mummy

hi, for anyone that has a poundland or b&m near them check them out they have some great baby bargains. yesterday i brought a 5pc set for £6.99 and 2 pk of slogan vests for £2.99 they also had a changing mat in there for £4.99 and a shawl for £2.99 xxx poundshop do johnsons baby toiletries but be careful as sometimes when supermarkets have deals on it could work out cheaper at the supermarket. search ebay work out the best time to bid on items ... this helps if you are organised for example our baby will be born in dec so winter stuff age 0-3 and newborn are ideal and summer item in 6-9 autumn/spring 3-6 and 9-12 as well as winter items in 9-12 ... summer items during winter won't get much interest and vica versa this is why it pays off to be prepared ... i got a newborn pram suit the other day for a friend for 99p + postage total cost was £4.49 ... the lady selling the item was selling it the wrong time of year and had a finishing time where most people would be busy. (4.55pm) it was a mothercare one so new would be around £30 ... again with ebay know the tricks as a buyer and a seller x

optimistic-mummy

sorry for another post but i wanted to ask what everyone thought were essentials what with keeping the cost down and all ....
here is what i have came up with so far :
sleepsuits
vests
carseat
pram/pushchair
cot and/or moses basket
bedding / blankets
bouncer - not essential but handy to have
hats and mittens
pramsuit if winter baby summer hat etc for summer babies
nappies
wipes

omg im minds gone blank again .... :mad: if anyone would like to add to the list feel free my brain has gone to sleep .... its been doing it alot lately x

pigpen

optimistic-mummy wrote: »

sorry for another post but i wanted to ask what everyone thought were essentials what with keeping the cost down and all ....
here is what i have came up with so far :
sleepsuits
vests
carseat
pram/pushchair
cot and/or moses basket
bedding / blankets
bouncer - not essential but handy to have
hats and mittens
pramsuit if winter baby summer hat etc for summer babies
nappies
wipes

omg im minds gone blank again .... :mad: if anyone would like to add to the list feel free my brain has gone to sleep .... its been doing it alot lately x

I'd add

Couple of cardies
A jacket
muslin squares

Sling.. you don't need the newborn pushchair stage then

washing up bowl instead of a bath unless your kitchen sink is big enough to bath baby in.

Some people reckon pillow cases for moses sheets but I've never found they fit.

kittiej

I was going to say washing up bowl too pigpen lol it really saves you from back strain!

Cheap towels, I used them for everything from going over my shoulder whilst winding the baby and as bibs, I also put them in the moses basket or cot to catch any dribbles