7 ways to keep costs down with your newborn
Newborn babies may be small, they may be gorgeous, but they’re also noisy and can be pretty pricey!
There’s not much you can do about the noisiness, or the sleep. But when it comes to the expense, with a few little savvy switches, you can save a lot of money and still get all the things you need for your precious little bundle.
Don’t Buy A Tonne Of Clothes.
Before you start buying a load of clothes for your new baby, remember that people will buy you things, and you might soon be inundated with baby grows.
Buy yourself enough to keep you going and if you don’t get given enough, go out and get some then. Babies grow pretty quickly, too, and they’ll only be in some outfits for a couple of weeks and might only wear them once.
Choose Cloth Nappies
While cloth nappies may seem more expensive at first, if you actually do the maths, it will work out cheaper in the long run. It’s definitely worth considering.
And of course, it’s a lot kinder on the environment.
Forget About Shoes
Don’t waste money on shoes until your little one is walking. They might look cute, but they’re not needed, and your baby’s feet need room to grow. I learnt this the hard way – not being able to resist pram shoes… only for them never to wear them!
Take Everything You’re Given
If someone offers you their old stuff, then it’s worth taking it. Baby stuff is one of those things that you only need for a certain amount of time, and people buy one pram and realise it’s not right for them, so if they’re your friend and they’re offering to give it to you, then take it. I was so precious with Sofia and didn’t want anything handed down, even from close friends and family – but I learnt with Arlo!
It’s like an unspoken rule when it comes to baby stuff that you’ll take things you’re given, but then you’ll pass things onto the next person too.
Buy Second-hand Where You Can
Again a lot of stuff is hardly used either because the baby grew out of it or just didn’t like it, so whether its toys, jumparoos, walkers, bouncers, don’t bother buying new. There are loads of mum to mum markets and second-hand events where you can get everything you need.
It’s worth a look on Facebook marketplace because you’ll find some excellent bargains there too.
You Don’t Need Toys
You’ve got to adjust to this new little person in your life, and for the first six months or so, they don’t do much, so don’t waste your time buying a load of toys which they’re not going to be able to use for ages. Wait until they’re bigger, and can appreciate them more – then you won’t stop start spending your money on toys!
Avoid stockpiling and consider reselling.
Don’t buy loads of the same product before the baby arrives; you might think you’re getting a good deal, and then it turns out that you’ve wasted your money because you don’t need or want what you have bought. This happens so often that people buy things, and then they’re still in boxes, or they see a good deal on formula, but then the baby doesn’t like it. It’s better to wait and see before going all in. If you do end up with things you haven’t used, you could resell them, so try and keep boxes.
You can check out my newborn essentials list here.
* this is a collaborative post.
