There is possibly nothing more exciting than expecting a baby. I’m currently expecting baby number three and I can tell you, that the excitement only gets more exciting as we keep adding new members to our growing family.
However, in the excitement of expecting, it can be so easy to overspend and make rash, thoughtless purchases. In order to financially prepare for your baby and to stick to raising a baby on a budget, I have compiled a list of things you do not need and a list of things that you do need. Of course, we all have different budgets and we all have different children so make sure you tweak this list to fit your family.
What You Do Not Need:
Wipe Warmer
Bottle Warmer (running the bottle under warm water in the sink is super quick and works great)
Changing Table (I used a dresser as a changing table for my oldest and I repurposed my old vanity from when I was a little girl into a changing table for my second. Most babies start rolling between 4 and 6 months, which means typically you are going to end up getting only a handful of uses out of your changing table.)
A Stockpile of Newborn Size Diapers (Most babies do not stay in a size newborn diaper very long. You can always attach the receipt for your diapers to the package of unopened diapers to be returned later if you do purchase too many size newborn diapers.)
A Bunch of Gender Specific Clothing (Unless you are only planning on having one child, avoid purchasing mass amounts of gender specific clothing. This will prevent you from having to furnish your second or more children with a completely new wardrobe by being able to reuse some of the clothing you had for your first child.)
What You Do Need
A place for baby to sleep
This may seem like a simple enough answer until you start combing through the aisles at Target realizing that there are pack-n-plays, bassinets, cribs, travel sleepers, co-sleepers, and the list goes on. Depending on where you plan for your baby to sleep will determine what you need to purchase. For instance, our home is a drive under ranch, which means that all our living space is on the main level and we have a small master bedroom. These two things combine mean that we have no use for a basinet or large pack-n-play. Instead, we opted for a convertible crib and a travel size pack-n-play for traveling.
Knowing where your baby will sleep will help you determine how much money you realistically need to spend on your baby. You can ask around to see if any of your friends or family have an old crib or crib mattress they are willing to part with. We did this when we were planning our youngest son’s $68 nursery.
Deciding on Cloth or Disposable
It is no secret that cloth diapers are a pricey investment that is why if cloth diapering is something that you are planning with your baby; ask for cloth diapers specifically when registering. Another option for cloth diapering on a budget is to purchase your diapers from Craigslist or eBay.
If you are planning on using disposable diapers, remember that every diaper is different and they fit each baby different. For instance, with my oldest son White Cloud diapers (available at most Walmart’s) worked beautifully, but for my second son, they failed miserably. When registering for your new baby, I suggest you register for different brands of diapers and in different sizes.
Breastfeeding or Formula
With my oldest child, I thought breastfeeding was going to be easy. I mean women have been doing it for centuries long before Google was ever invented. However, I quickly learned that breastfeeding is not as easy as it looks and for some women it is a struggle. I struggled for two weeks breastfeeding my oldest child until I finally decided I had had enough starving my child (my milk production was very low) and switched to formula.
Even if you are planning on breastfeeding, I highly encourage you to sign up for coupons and free samples of formula. This way if breastfeeding does not work out for you, you have an alternative at 3 in the morning already in your kitchen. If breastfeeding does work out for you, you can donate your unopened containers of formula to food pantries
These are just a few of the things that you can do to help reduce the cost of having a baby. The most important part of raising a baby on a budget is to make sure that you avoid going overboard and enjoy your sweet new bundle of joy.
What is your tip for raising a baby on a budget?
Michelle Wallace says
I refused to pay full price for anything for my baby (now 11 weeks old!). The only things I even considered were safety items (carseat, gates etc.) but I started searching early and found them all on sale.
Buy/sell/trade groups are awesome for getting kids stuff. Garage sales take a lot of time to find what you need but I can scan facebook quickly to find what I need for my son. We paid 25 dollars for six months worth of really cute clothes! And when we’re done we can turn around and sell them again.