Frugal planning for baby?

[starearedkid]

I am also having the baby shower after. Being Jewish, people believe that it is bad luck to have a shower before the baby is born. However, my husband is Catholic--so I may have his family have a shower---but I know with my parents/family/family friends that would probably be after, so I am trying to guage also what I need NOW, as opposed to three weeks later.

[mommax4]

RE: rectal temperatures-whether or not you need to take one will most likely depend on your pediatrician. Some will insist on a rectal until over 6 months of age, others will accept a temporal scan. The problem with most ear thermometers is that they are too large for infant ear canals so the readings are inaccurate. The good thing is you can use any regular, non-glass thermometer (I prefer digital) to take a rectal temp. So if you find out you need one, they're only a couple of dollars. I actually wrote "rectal" on mine with a sharpie so it never got used anywhere else, even though I cleaned it with alcohol after each use.

[Peace77]

Check with your hospital to find out what they give to the new mothers. Many of them give away formula samples. Some give away diaper bags.

Consider joining your local La Leche League group. The mothers can give you lots of tips on breastfeeding and mothering.

While 30 cloth diapers may seem like an awful lot, it's not. I'd suggest starting with 20. They are useful for so many things: burp rags, bib for messy breastfeeder, wiping up spit ups, extra changing pad, lap pad for your guest with fancy outfit, etc. Towels and wash cloths don't work well for burp rags. Towels are too large and wash cloths are too small. How many you get depends on how often you do laundry and you may not want to do laundry often if you are sleep deprived after being up most of the night with the baby.

The diaper pail is for cloth diapers. No need if you are using disposables. You may want to stock up on plastic grocery bags for the dirty ones later.

Toys R Us used to have great prices on diapers. Of course, they are hoping you will buy more than just diapers.

You can use old washcloths or cut up old towels instead of wipes. Just wet them with warm water at home or wet them and put them in a zip lock baggie. I've also seen directions for making your own out of paper towels. Some babies are sensitive to the alcohol in the wipes.

Skip the snap on the side t-shirts. They just ride up when baby gets picked up. Onesies are much better.

I've never seen anyone use a breastfeeding cover. Everyone uses a baby blanket thrown over the shoulder.

No need for lots of fancy clothes. Babies can stay in sleepers until they get wet/dirty/need to be changed.

Check prices at different stores so you will know when something is a bargain.

Wait until late in the pregnancy to buy nursing bras. Your size won't be the same as it is now.

Register at Target and Babies R Us early. Someone may decide to send you something before the baby is born.

[NastyWoman]

I am going to vote down the "baby in the sink" approach to save on buying a baby tub. Those things are not expensive and while things have changed over time, I don't think that is true for babies: they will "go" whenever and where ever the urge strikes them. And as far as I am concerned that is not going to be in my sink...

[happyscooter]

Please have a will made out. And buy extra life insurance on you/spouse.

[donnafreedman]

Here's the piece of advice I give to all new parents: "Keep one end full and the other end dry." ;-)
I had these great sleeper sacks for my daughter: they were huge and roomy and they unzipped from the hem so you could change her diaper easily. This was 32 years ago, you understand, but maybe you'll get lucky and find something like that.
As others have pointed out, you don't need much of what is promoted as "essential."
If I may be so bold: Consider using cloth diapers. The state of the art has VASTLY improved over what I used, especially the covers/wraps. You might be able to find diapers and covers at yard sales; a little bleach if you're squeamish and you're good to go. Disposables cost a ton of money, although they are useful for traveling (and some day care providers won't accept anything but).
Breastfeeding is terrific. Look for a La Leche League or moms' group near you so you can ask questions.
Read, read, read as much as you can -- and if the books you want aren't in the library, ask for an inter-library loan.
I like the idea of stocking a pantry and freezer as your due date approaches. There will be days when you wonder how an 8-pound human can bring two adults to their knees. It's good to have easy-to-fix meals for days like that.
Congratulations. You're gonna be a mom!

[museumgal]

Frugalnurse -- I am going to do a lot of clearance and thrift store hunting once the date gets a bit closer.

latebloomer -- The shower's going to be combined with the christening for the family, but I'm sure my friends will do a baby shower before the baby gets here as well. Most of my family lives so far away they just wouldn't be able to make two trips for both events.

Oreo -- I am definitely going to look into breast feeding classes.
Thank you for the info on the best sizes and types of bottles. Also its good to know why the baby towels are necessary. We're still looking into strollers -- I hope that my cousin still has hers.

mommaX3 -- I will definitely check with the pediatrician on this -- we have an extra rectal one if we do need it.

peace77 -- Our hospital has an excellent children's hospital so I bet there are a bunch of good giveaways there. And thank you for the info on the Le Leche League group and the diapers -- its nice to know why everyhing ends up on those check lists. What sort of temps do you need to wash the homemade wipes on? Do they need to be washed separately? I think we're definitely leaning towards onesies for the most part. I'm definitely doing registeries soon! We almost did one tonight but I didn't have my list with me.

joss -- .....That never occurred to me as a problem with the sink. That's definitely a vote for the tub!

happyscooter -- Yes we are going to make an appointment at the lawyer's soon and are looking into life insurance policies.

Donna -- I'm still looking into sleeping things. Everyone seems really divided on this so I might just try one of each until I see what the kid likes best. I hope my cousin has some to try out. The cloth diapers...we're still trying to decide. We live in an apartment and our laundry is very expensive -- $4 a load. I'm not sure cloth is going to be more economical when taking that into consideration. I definitely need to get some books out of the library. And we are going to stock up on some easy to prepare meals before the baby gets here.

[Deleted]

Jan 11, 2011 1:43:14 GMT -5 museumgal said:

I need some advice -- I just found out I'm pregnant and need some frugal budgeting tips for getting ready for this new family member. It's our first child so I don't at all know how to plan for this financially. How much should we be saving up? We have about $6000 we've already cut out of the budget we can set aside for this year. Our insurance is set up to cover maternity/delivery.

Also it would great to know from parents on the board what is actually needed for a newborn and baby's first year -- there's all these "essential" lists of baby supplies all over the internet that seem to have a lot of, well, non-essential things.

CONGRATS! ;D ;D ;D ;D


I would find one of those baby bottle banks. At the end of each day, put your loose change in it. After the baby is born, you're going to need a "ME" day. Use the money you saved to paper yourself!

[Peace77]

"What sort of temps do you need to wash the homemade wipes on? Do they need to be washed separately?"

I wash all underwear and towels on HOT setting. You could wash them separately but at $4 per load, I would throw them in with the underwear and some bleach.

"I'm definitely doing registeries soon! We almost did one tonight but I didn't have my list with me."


When I registered at Target, it was not a one time thing. You could go back and add more or make changes as needed.

[museumgal]

thecropchick -- that's a good idea, I am sure I am going to need some pampering afterwards!


peace77 -- thanks for letting me know the temp and its good to know you can edit your list at target.

[oreo]

You can also add to your registry online as well as at the store. I don't think I ever even registered at the Target store, I did it all online. Plus you can do it from the comfort of your home. There might be items online that aren't in your local store.

Keep in mind that you don't have to buy EVERYTHING before the baby comes. You can buy stuff as you need it too! Since you are having your shower after the baby is born, that is a HUGE advantage I think (we had that too). You'll figure out what you need pretty quickly and can add those items to the registry before the shower.