What do I need/don't need for new baby?

carpool72

You've got an NCT group in Guernsey, so you should be able to get 2nd hand clothes & equipment from them too. What with nct sales & a carboot-mad (yes, another!) MIL I've hardly bought anything new - cot mattress & car seats bought by parents, nappies & shoes (in the sale whenever poss of course). Our food bills are about the same, and with spending less on ourselves, going out etc it all seems to balance.

xC

swillyburger

Hi the wife & i have 5 kids :eek: we went mad on the first boy :beer: then just keept the clothes for the next 1 that came along (luckyit was a boy as well) small problem with the 3 one she was wrong sex ?? then twins for the last 2 boy & girl. we get ALL OUR clothes of ebay, we get most of the toys for the twins from car boot. get cardboard box's big ones they are played with more than the toys. but its true if we had saved up for a child we would never of had any. :A

PS remember a kid is for life not just xmass :rotfl:

tallulah_beaulah

Hi gemmaj!

Just wanted to say hello coz i noticed that you're in Guernsey. I'm in Jersey and share the frustration of very high mortagage (for a very small flat) and no cheap supermarkets!

My LO just turned 2, and i have found costs have levelled out a bit. The bigger stuff we bought eg. cotbed, carseat etc. we bought only stuff that's suitable for first few years, so would last, and not have to keep buying replacements.

EBay is a godsend both for buying and reselling stuff, always tonnes of baby stuff, things you just can't get when you're cut off from mainland.

I found the first year most expensive coz of doctors fees, took LO loads through through first-time mum paranoia (which has eased off a bit now)!

My other tips are all time consuming, old style things like cooking everything from scratch; making baby towels and bedding by cutting down any spares you already have, etc.

Oh, spend a bit of time cost checking in all the chemists, I keep a book noting the prices of different baby things like wipes, Calpol, baby powder, and price differences can be huge from one place to another.

Hope some of this helps (i seem to have rambled on for ages...)

rach29

Agree about Tesco/Asda clothes etc. I have found them excellent value & they wash up really well. Also consider hand me down's & second hand. you can never be too proud if you are on a budget! Havent seen other thread yet but have you considered some part time work? Banks particularly like to employ on part time/flexible hours. If your Mother in law is so keen for a granchild & lives close by you may be able to call on her for some freebie childminding? Alternatively, what about a job share with another Mum? you can care for each others kids while working & save all chilcare costs. The ideal is to stay at home full time but these days it isn't easy. I worked full time with my first two (12 years!!) Am now at home full time with the third (5 mths) but considering going back 1 day a week just to help with finances. Luckily my partner is flexible with his working hours so he can stay home with baby while I work.

fesdufun

Ebay is great for saving money if you play the game right.

I have noticed that some items of baby equipment on Ebay sell really well for example Bumbo seats and Next clothes. If you want to buy some items new then I would check ebay first to see what are the top selling items. If you look after these items and keep the box and instructions you can make back most of the cost by reselling it on Ebay.

You could also give you MIL a list of all the top selling names Avent, Next, Mamas and Papas etc. so she can look out at the boots sales for you. After you have used them you will probably make quite a profit on Ebay.

I buy a lot of my boys clothes on Ebay usually a large box full. Once they have worn them I resell so I normally end up getting the clothes for free.

Also do you have Adams Children's Clothes shop and do not accept Nectar vouchers? I have managed to get £300 worth of vouchers through taking out credit cards, changing gas and electricity supplier to take advantage of all the special offers.

HTH

Spendless

gemmaj wrote:

No double tax credits, but with the mortgage allowance and my tax-free allowance, Chris wouldn't pay any tax - income £1,100 per month.
Mortage £1058 a month.
I calculate that I will need £550 per month to live off, I'll have a boost to start with, 10 weeks full pay and 18 weeks maternity grant at £100 per week, then £50 per month family allowance.

Which leaves a £115 per week deficit. I need to look at whether there are any other things I could claim off my government, or how far my savings are going to go after I've bought the necessaries.

Its not as hopeless as I thought, though! :j

Thanks all.

Hi, I don't know what benefits you do/don't get on Guernsey compared to mainland U.K but would you get tax credits at all? On quite a high salary they can be worth £20 a week for babies 1st year reducing to £10 a week after that and child benefit £17 a week for the eldest child.

jellyhead

i've been caught out by needing new stuff this month as baby turns 6 months, i haven't bought most of it yet though lol! he's starting to sit up etc. and is also too big for the borrowed moses basket, so he needed a cot. i got that from kiddicare.com - complete with mattress for around 80. it also came with a free quilt and bumper for when he's older, we're sleeping bag fans though. he's outgrown his bath seat so i got him one for sitting up babies from kiddicare.

at 6 months he's started eating babyfood and needs a highchair but i haven't decided which one yet so am feeding him in his rocker at the moment (that's the new rocker i had to buy because he was too heavy for his first one, i ended up buying the fisher price birth to toddler rocker for him and wish i'd bought it to begin with lol!). he also needs a new car seat in the next couple of weeks because he's such an enormous baby. the lady in mothercare thinks the only solution is a britax one that lasts from birth to 4 years, it faces backwards or forwards (babies under 9 months don't have the body control to face forwards apparently, so if you have a huge baby the only option is to have this combi seat so he can face backwards in it but it's large enough for his body lol!). the britax combi seat is 130!! i suppose i should have bought it to begin with but i wanted an infant carrier and i didn't know that at 6 months he'd be bigger than the average 1 year old. he needs a new travel cot now too and will soon need a fireguard and stairgates. he also needs a new pushchair because he's just too big for the one i bought - i wish i'd just bought the recommended maclaren one to begin with but i thought the one i bought would last until he was walking. and his 9-12 month sleepsuits are tight on the toes, the thoughtless child has grown again :eek:

i recommend hunting for things before you need them, that way you can look out for a bargain. sorry i sound like such a moaner lol! it can also make sense to buy equipment that will last from birth to toddler, such as a combi carseat, and if you can't borrow a crib or moses basket maybe just use a cot from the start.

gemmaj

Goodlord Jellyhead, what have you been feeding the kid? Supergrow baby milk? :rotfl:

Lillibet_2

Cot beds are better value than cots in the long run as they are suitable up to about 4 years old (Unless you're Jellyheads little monster:rotfl:) I bought ours off of ebay, used but as new cotbed & a new mattress for £80. We also got the birth to 3 years pushchair (again ebay, an ex-display model for £75 inc all accessories) which will hopefully see Spud through until he's toddling, although I can see the advantages of downsizing to a spider-buggy after around 6 months if you have a car (I don't so need a serious pushchair to withstand all the walking & shopping). We have got the next size car seat, 9 months to 4 years I think?, got it last month in the sales when they were half price & it's ready to go as soon as Spud has perfected sitting up (he's nearly there:D) I tend to buy clothes & toys at least 6 months if not a year ahead, that way I can look around for bargains & they don't cost nearly as much as I have time to be choosy. Also we looked around for things in the car boot sales last summer, sure it means we have been moving the damn high chair out of our way for 4 months now but it's just starting to get used and it only cost us £4. It's really a case of just thinking ahead 'cos they are certain to grow into/need these things eventually, plus having a vaguley normal size baby helps (Sorry Jellyhead:rotfl:)

donna-j_2

I have an enormo-baby too! He was 20lbs at 5 months. He is 6 months tomorrow and I can't belive I've had him half a year already.

T still fits in his stage 0 carseat, but only just. I might get another month or so out of it. It's a pain as I love just clipping on the buggy and away we go.

We have bought a lot, but most of it new or used from ebay. For example, the bouncy chair I bought for £12 + postage new in box was £40 in John Lewis.