First-time Mum & Dad - any tips for money-saving?

barbiedoll

There are loads of baby clubs to sign up with BUT....open a new email account just for these, you will get loads of spam mail enticing you to buy life assurance, private health plans, etc etc. Bounty have recently been fined for selling on data gleaned from eager new parents, they are a dreadful company, don’t give them any ammo. And whatever you do, don’t give your phone number out....you will be hounded with sales calls. If a site insists on a number, give a false one (your mortal enemy perhaps? )

My “baby” is now 21, but I can remember getting a voucher for a pack of nappies from one of the baby clubs, which arrived on his first birthday! So they can be worth joining.

Formula: don’t think that more expensive=best. They’re all much the same (by law) so just buy the cheapest. Your baby won’t know the difference!

Toiletries: babies don’t need any apart from nappy cream and (possibly) baby shampoo. The latest advice is to not put any creams or oils on the rest of their skin for the first 3 months, (unless they have a skin condition, and you have been advised to do so by a doctor) You will hear conflicting advice on this front as not everyone is up-to-date with this. They really don’t need coconut oil, olive oil or anything else, even if their skin is a little dry after the birth. And definitely not baby oil, which is made from petrol by-products! :eek:

Good luck, it’s a fabulous, scary and exhilarating time...but it doesn’t need to be too expensive. Save your pennies for future bicycles, Playstations and ballet/karate lessons...it’s only gonna get worse!

Shoxt3r

Wow so many great insights, thanks very much!
A great thought is around "nipple confusion" which is not something we'd fully appreciated but makes so much sense. As many have said there are many ways to bond with a baby so we'll be using those alternative methods instead. As some have said we'll have a bottle and steriliser on standby if things don't work out with breastfeeding.

We've resigned to the fact that we will be buying a travel system from new just to make things easier, have peace of mind with the guarantee and also ensure that there is no damage to it (i.e. if we bought second-hand this would be uncertain as many have said).

We've made a shortlist of essential items and will be buying these first and either asking others to buy other things we "need" or just buying them as we need them later on.

A couple of additional things we've thought about....

• My wife is now starting to get pain around her hips and upper legs with the additional weight

Is there anything that can be used to relieve this without resorting to painkillers? It's fairly mild at the moment and a short walk while out yesterday did help to some extent. She's also doing some antenatal exercises using an exercise ball and some YouTube videos which appear to be helping but if anyone has any other tips it would be much appreciated. I'm usually giving her a back-rub to help relieve some of the pain but it doesn't seem to be enough.

• We've started looking at some deals on travel systems - only Halfords and Mothercare so far but we're finding some conflicting specifications.

There's one favourite we've found by Joie but we're confused by some of the terminology and the offers - for example the Joie I-Level gives the ability to lie the child seat flat, whereas the base is fixed?

The Joie I-Gemm seems to be the seat that people rave about in reviews but there's no clear comparison between the I-Level and the I-Gemm...?

Also it isn't clear what the difference between Isofix and I-Size is - they appear to be the same thing?
Our car will support both Isofix and I-Size I found out after extensive searching (surprised that no website has a clear guide on what to go for in each situation and why - we guess that a lot of people simply visit a store and ask there instead?)

For example - the Halfords bundle we've found below seems to be a steal...?
https://www.halfords.com/kids-zone/travel-systems/travel-systems/joie-chrome-dlx-stroller-with-carrycot-and-i-level-travel-system-bundle

However, Silver Cross have an Isofix system but it's much more expensive and we can't work out why? https://www.mothercare.com/car-seat-bases/silver-cross-simplifix-isofix-base/560908.html

Joie seem to be the market leaders of in-car safety...?

• We're in the process of signing up to NCT classes - these start around July.

Thanks again for all of your replies, very helpful!

Munchkin84

I bought a pregnancy support belt off ebay , it felt like a big hug and helped with back pain and supports the bump from underneath. I’m sure it was only around a tenner

NeverendingDMP

Depending on your area the midwuves may have access to physio, support belts etc. Give them a call to see if you can self refer or they need to. Its best to ring early rather than late as it can get uncomfy as baby gets bigger. I had a very nice looking tuba grip thing round my belly for a while. Ha ha

Glad

Congratulations

take a look at 52 tips 'n' tricks to save with a baby or toddler on the main MSE site

Shoxt3r

Thanks everyone for your help! I'll create another thread about pushchairs as I think this is a much bigger topic haha

Shoxt3r

Thanks everyone for your replies!
As you might have seen from my other post we ordered a Joie Travel System from Halfords which includes everything (we think, apart from the footmuff as the pictures aren't clear. We found we can get a compatible one from Amazon or eBay though if needed) - parents are helping us out with things thankfully

https://www.halfords.com/kids-zone/travel-systems/travel-systems/joie-chrome-dlx-stroller-with-carrycot-and-i-level-travel-system-bundle

Regarding cots we've had a look around Mothercare and think we've found a nice one for £50.
We started picking up a few starting bits in Ikea too like furniture and small baby things just to get us going.

One main question is around the feeding system (whether we decide to go down the breastfeeding route or formula), what would be the easiest solution for each?

mikeeboy

Couple of years yet but..... stay out of McDonalds

sheramber

My son and DIL have a Jack and Jill sale in their area and have used it a lot.

People buy and sell baby items they no longer need - prams, buggies, clothes , toys etc

There may be something similar in your area.

sn1987a

Shoxt3r wrote: »

One main question is around the feeding system (whether we decide to go down the breastfeeding route or formula), what would be the easiest solution for each?

What do you mean? feeding system for the breastfeeding route??