having a baby Old Style

debtfreeforme

pebbles88 wrote: »

also,

i was thinking rather than using baby wipes that i would be happier to perhaps use face cloths etc that can be washed?? i think baby wipes are v dry anyhow. ????

Hi Pebbles

Baby wipes are full of nasty chemicals too - ask any painter how great they are at cleaning their brushes and mopping up spills!

I make my own with strong kitchen roll. I put a bit of water, some sunflower (or any other oil) and a couple of drops of tea tree and lavender in the bottom of an ice cream tub (they have antibacterial and cleansing properties - chamommile is also very soothing for nappy rash) and soak the bits of kitchen roll in it. OK it's not as easy as pulling them out of a packet but it only costs me about £1 per month to make these for my daughter vs the £6/£7 is was spending on natural baby wipes.

In the beginning I only used water and cotton wool though as their skin is so sensitive.

You can also buy washable wipes in places that sell cloth nappies - these are great and if you're washing the nappies anyway...... Same for reusable nappy liners - fleece ones are so soft for baby's botty and my daughter never had nappy rash.

Just buy the basic vests and babygrows to start - you'll probably find people will want to spoil the baby rotton with clothes anyway and my daughter ended up with loads of stuff she never wore.

Don't bother with expensive baby bathing products - just a little olive oil in the bath and a few drops of lavender looks after their skin and helps them sleep too!

Hope that helps a bit - loads of luck with the adventure!
x

lilmisskitkat

What a great thread!

Theres so many things i had for DD that i would never get again, or at least would not pay full price for. The thing was that she was the first baby in the family for 8 years and none of my friends had babies (i was 16 ) so i didn't get anything given and had to buy it all new. I had my surestart grant but my family helped with a lot. As with many first time mums i really had no idea, i thought you needed everything on those lists in the Mothercare catalogue :rotfl: I'm older and wiser now though!! A few things i found....

I wont be getting a baby bath this time, far too much hassle to fill and empty. I'm getting a bath support so i can bath him and DD together.

Won't be getting a baby moniter until i can borrow someones to see if it works in our house - spent £60 on DD's and it just kept crackling with interference from various things.

Definitely not too many clothes, i had only bought a pack of 3 sleepsuits and vests in newborn but then my uncles GF gave me 2 huge bin bags full of stuff so now he doesn't need anything until he outgrows 0-3 size

Many people say about having a lie-back buggy rather than a large pram but i used my big pram everyday with DD until she was about 2.5yrs, first as a carrycot, then sitting up facing me, then forwards facing. I walked everywhere though and i'll be doing the same this time to shift those lbs!! Everything i need (school, my mams, shops etc) are in short walking distance so i'll not be using the car too much - only to visit my sil, gran and to Asda once a week.

Oh and a few of the cloth nappies i bought have arrived today - i've got 3 Motherease sandies and a weenotions one, aww they're so cute, i can see an addiction coming on :rotfl: And like someone said above, i'll just HAVE to have a cow-print one!!

Kate xxx

rhubarbs

If you are using a moses basket or carry-cot then pillow cases make great fitted sheets.

I bought a cheap fleece blanket from Ikea which I cut into strips to use as nappy liners. The fleece draws moisture away from baby's skin and into the nappy. It also makes flushing poo away easier and helps keep the nappies from getting stained. The fleece can be washed in with the nappies at either 40 or 6oc.

In the last month of your pg do a bit of batch cooking and stock up your freezer that way you won't need to resort to ready meals/ takeaway or sandwiches every night!

Greenqueen_2

Loads of great ideas have been mentioned about cutting down baby costs but please remember they turn into big kids and the expenses continue.....usually at least until they are 18ish. Dont forget to factor in extra costs such as the need for a bigger car? an extra bedroom? holidays for more than 2 people? loss of a wage? food bill exploding? future school costs?.........

purplemoon

squashy wrote: »

Another MSE idea is to look at baby led weaning. Going straight to finger food avoids the need for lots of kitchen gadgetery.

I do alot of finger foods- although this baby finds them trickier to swallow, digest, etc than my first. However, although I already have a blender (and make us soups and smoothies that we share- the baby's taken out before seasoning or honey) you don't really need one, especially if you start solids at 6 months or thereabouts. Banana, avocado, potato, etc can all be mashed easily, and dried baby cereals- rice, porridge, etc needs no blending... (You need such small amounts dried cereals are easy to make up at first). So although I have a blender I'm not using any more now than before the baby was eating with us.

purplemoon

Greenqueen wrote: »

Loads of great ideas have been mentioned about cutting down baby costs but please remember they turn into big kids and the expenses continue.....usually at least until they are 18ish. Dont forget to factor in extra costs such as the need for a bigger car? an extra bedroom? holidays for more than 2 people? loss of a wage? food bill exploding? future school costs?.........

Mmmm... yes, the first year should be one of the cheapest really- you may be able to save (if you're not in debt).

Imani

if cost of a blender is an issue. dont worry about it. my health visitor always says just get a fork to mash the foods down. my friends mum hand comes like a blender and she can get baby food really smooth

Imani

Greenqueen wrote: »

Loads of great ideas have been mentioned about cutting down baby costs but please remember they turn into big kids and the expenses continue.....usually at least until they are 18ish. Dont forget to factor in extra costs such as the need for a bigger car? an extra bedroom? holidays for more than 2 people? loss of a wage? food bill exploding? future school costs?.........

its all to do with priorities really. a baby, toddler, child, pre teen, teen, young adult only cost as much as you chose in some cases. of course things like school meals and uniforms factor in but there is so many options.

you just have to except that you spend less on yourself and priorities, learn to save when you can, most of all dont neglect yourself

my friends always say but you have 2 kids how can you treat yourself. i am like because i can and my kids are taken care of end of

kimme

This is a great place to start if you're thinking of having a baby. As soon as you're pregnant you'll be bombarded with magazines and leaflets - just remember you're a prime target for advertising! The packs of freebies and coupons are great as long as you don't get end up buying things you don't really want or need because of it.

I've just had my second baby and would def agree that aside from the drop in income, the outlay can be really quite small if you make wise choices - esp after the first. Don't fall into the trap of buying all the things on the lists that you supposedly "need" - you wouldn't do your weekly grocery shop with someone else's list!!!

Once people know yr expecting and happy to have pre loved you'll prob be inundated and have to start saying "thanks but I've already got it!". Freecycle is fab and a great way to meet like-minded people too. Baby sales can be gd but beware you can end up paying nearly new prices. Have had some great finds in charity shops and at car boots - I know it's hit n miss but often the hits are AMAZING! When buying anything consider storage - your house will soon be overrun no matter how selective you are or how big it is......travel system buggies may seem great but have loads of friends who couldn't wait to get rid of them. Personally had a baby car seat from a friend (I know what they say about having new car seats but it hadn't been in an accident and besides the environmental aspects my car isn't new!) and bought (one of the VERY few things) an umbrella folding buggy suitable from birth, also used a sling quite a lot. No regrets - even with a tiny buggy it was suprising how little space I had left in the car boot for shopping. Would agree travel cots are excellent for all their uses and ability to fold away.

As for nappies used reusables and loved them. My personal preferance is terries - passed on from my sis - also tried several types of pre-folds and all in ones (lent by friends who had bought but often not used them) I found they took ages to dry and not really worth it. I've tried lots of wraps too (def agree that velcro isn't great - also very rough if it catches on skin), like the multi -wrap by nature babies best (thelemon coloured ones are uni-sex and don't highlight any stains either!! Found fleece liners ideal but didn't buy them (cut up an old white fleece jumper that was tatty - everything deserves a second chance).

Plenty of bibs and muslins will be a must esp if you have a sicky baby - they will save so much washing. Beware that even milk will breastmilk will stain - as I have discovered when getting out my first boy's clothes for reuse (I thought the marks had been washed out before storage!) Oh and on that note mashed bananas are a nightmare for staining too (it took me ages to figure out what was causing those irremovable marks - it's the almost invisible seeds apparently that cause it)

On the subject of toys def wait and see what they like first - baby and toddler groups are great for that as is visiting friends. I'm a nursery nurse so should know whats what, but even so my little boy loved some of the oldest, most hideous second hand rattles, toys etc and on the rare occassion we chose something new he didn't even look at it! My little boy has always been far more interested in pots and pans and empty boxes anyway.

Good luck.........

englishmac

Discuss gifts in advance with the givers. For practicality, I buy day to day items like bibs and romper suits. The people I have bought these for have always been really chuffed with them as it saves them money. I also usually buy a selection of bigger sizes so there are clothes waiting for them to grow into. I find Woolworths is brilliant for this. They often have half price items so you can get double the number for the same cost and they stock good quality brands. If your giftgivers could be persuaded to co-ordinate their efforts, you could have at least a years worth of clothes available to you for free.