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

fred246

The baby car seat manufacturers association must rub their hands with glee when they read this. Who's idea was it to start the rumour that there are thousands of baby car seats around that look absolutely perfect but in fact are invisibly damaged due to being involved in major accidents. I assume everyone having a baby must buy a brand new car too just in case a previous owner had a major accident in the car without leaving any signs of damage on it

Kynthia

fred246 wrote: »

The baby car seat manufacturers association must rub their hands with glee when they read this. Who's idea was it to start the rumour that there are thousands of baby car seats around that look absolutely perfect but in fact are invisibly damaged due to being involved in major accidents. I assume everyone having a baby must buy a brand new car too just in case a previous owner had a major accident in the car without leaving any signs of damage on it

A quick Google would have given you the reasons buying car seats new is recomended. No-one imagines lots of seats have been in major accidents but they don't have to be to be unsafe. Sample testing has shown there is a risk. I read an article where a company (not one that sells car seats) bought 10 second-hand car seats and found a number of them had been damaged, altered or no longer met current safety standards (and this is an item where you do want current standards met, if not exceeded). Also their shelf life is an issue. Car seats only have a shelf life of about 10 years due to the plastics they're made from, the wear and tear they endure, and the conditions they are stored in (cars can get very hot/cold, be in direct sunlight or stored in damp garages) so the need for the frame and straps to endure high forces can be compromised. Plus they have fairly delicate insulation which is easily damaged but for the purpose of shock absorption like cycle helmets. So even if a seat hasn't been in an accident this can degrade or be damaged by being dropped or knocked over. So if you're buying second-hand you have no idea if it's in good condition beneath the surface, been damaged or modified, or even if it's 15 years old and nowhere near the current safety standards.

I'm all for saving money, keeping things out of landfill and not buying unecessily but I'm not skimping on car seats which can make the difference between life and death. When disposing of your old car seats you should cut off the straps to prevent others "rescuing" it from the rubbish and using it or even selling it on to an unsuspecting buyer.

fred246

Oh dear second hand car seats must be really dangerous. They must be a major cause of childhood deaths. The other day I saw a 'walking bus' going to our local primary school. They weren't wearing helmets! How dangerous is that?

Sagaris

fred246 wrote: »

Oh dear second hand car seats must be really dangerous. They must be a major cause of childhood deaths. The other day I saw a 'walking bus' going to our local primary school. They weren't wearing helmets! How dangerous is that?

The can be incredibly dangerous. As a road safety officer I've seen some awful examples that people have bought to me to fit for them, hoping to save money. A 15 year old example (they are all date stamped if you know where to look) with black mould on the cover and harness, another one with the wrong harness (that was the incorrect weight limit and would never have restrained a child in a collision) and people just buying completely the wrong type of seat for their child (high backed booster that uses a seat belt to restrain the child and seat for a 10 month old). No instructions on how to fit the child in the seat or in the vehicle. They are not somewhere nice to put a child in a car, they are safety equipment, but people are very complacent and forget that.

fred246

Sagaris wrote: »

The can be incredibly dangerous. As a road safety officer I've seen some awful examples that people have bought to me to fit for them, hoping to save money. A 15 year old example (they are all date stamped if you know where to look) with black mould on the cover and harness, another one with the wrong harness (that was the incorrect weight limit and would never have restrained a child in a collision) and people just buying completely the wrong type of seat for their child (high backed booster that uses a seat belt to restrain the child and seat for a 10 month old). No instructions on how to fit the child in the seat or in the vehicle. They are not somewhere nice to put a child in a car, they are safety equipment, but people are very complacent and forget that.

My car is over 15 years old. All the seats are over 15 years old. I expect I need to replace them all. Mould is all around us. If you can see it it just means there is a lot of it there. It needs cleaning not throwing in the bin. A harness that is OK for a 5 KG baby but breaks at 20Kg? I'd like to see it. People with a bit of common sense can easily assess what would happen in an accident and if it's safe or not. I know not everyone has common sense but for those that have a second hand car seat is fine.

Sagaris

fred246 wrote: »

My car is over 15 years old. All the seats are over 15 years old. I expect I need to replace them all. Mould is all around us. If you can see it it just means there is a lot of it there. It needs cleaning not throwing in the bin. A harness that is OK for a 5 KG baby but breaks at 20Kg? I'd like to see it. People with a bit of common sense can easily assess what would happen in an accident and if it's safe or not. I know not everyone has common sense but for those that have a second hand car seat is fine.

We will have to agree to differ then - I'm sure 20+ years of experience and numerous training courses can't all be wrong.

building_with_lego

Mummy2cheekymonkeys wrote: »

Having had 2 babies in the space of 15 months I have had a lot of experience recently lol. My number 1 best buy would without a doubt be cheeky wipes. I absolutely hated the packs of baby wipes that you get from the shops. Im so glad I made the investment with my first child as when baby no 2 came along I just ordered a few more extra wipes. They are still going strong and my youngest is now 1. I reckon I've saved a few hundred quid in wipes alone for the 2 of them. Plus they are so much more user friendly then the horrid packet ones.
Unfortunately for me I struggled to produce enough milk so had to switch to formula. I used aptamil with my first but then with my second I tried the aldi mamia and there was no discernible difference (except for the price).

If cheeky wipes are microfibre, you can make your own embarrassingly easily by simply chopping a piece of microfleece into pieces- I used it as cloth liners for nappies- keeps baby dry- and also as wipes. Bought a metre by 1.5 metres for under a fiver and they lasted two babies, were always soft, and washed easily at 40 or 60 degrees. Superb moneysaving! :money::money:

building_with_lego

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?

Buy nursing bras instead of maternity bras- the only difference is that the cups unclip to make feeding easier once baby is actually here.

I'd be wary of buying formula "just in case" your wife finds breastfeeding difficult at first. Imagine if she suggested a vibrator or some Viagra in the bedside table before sex, "just in case"- how would that make you feel?! (The "just in case" formula made several of my friends feel utterly worthless, for the record, and angry at their husbands for making them feel like that. Plus they felt less keen on working at learning how to breastfeed and they fed for less time than they'd wanted to, and still feel bad about it.)

Kynthia

fred246 wrote: »

My car is over 15 years old. All the seats are over 15 years old. I expect I need to replace them all. Mould is all around us. If you can see it it just means there is a lot of it there. It needs cleaning not throwing in the bin. A harness that is OK for a 5 KG baby but breaks at 20Kg? I'd like to see it. People with a bit of common sense can easily assess what would happen in an accident and if it's safe or not. I know not everyone has common sense but for those that have a second hand car seat is fine.

Having common sense clearly doesn't mean people know the forces incurred by the harness restraining a 5kg child and a 20kg child in a 70 miles per hour crash are very different and what they are. Very qualified people test these seats and the law insists you use them and use the right class for the weight/height of the child so this is for good reason. Child car seats are different from the seats in your car so comparing their useful life is ridiculous. They are made of different materials, as child seats would be unaffordable if they were made the same as actual car seats, plus child seats need to be lighter so they can be moved from car to car. They are also fixed to the car very differently, permanently versus temporarily.

I don't know why you're insisting these safety measures are unnecessary. What is your expertise.

Sunshinesally

Is your wife having a baby shower?
If people offer to buy clothes ask them to buy 6 months plus or even older as they spend much of the first months in sleep suits.
Try and buy unisex colours for buggy etc if intending to have more children.
Bright, high constrast colours are supposedly most appealing to babies.
Don't be duped into buying useless stuff like special bins to dispose of nappies or cot bumpers which are dangerous.
Don't bother with talc, it's non recommended for baby's skin.