Bringing Up Baby on a Budget: 10 Ways to Save Money on Baby Essentials

“Poverty is hereditary – you get it from your children.” – Phyllis Diller… Yep, you get a lot of things from your kids. Sleepless nights – first, when they’re a newborn and require constant care, then again as teenagers, when you’re up all night worrying whether they’re safe. Wrinkles from worry, grey hairs from stress, and if you’re not careful – one heck of a hole in your budget! So many people assume that babies have to be expensive – but honestly, through experience, I’ve learned that does not have to be true. Keep reading to find out what I’ve learned, and how I learned it…

My Story of learning to save

I’ve always been pretty careful with my money. Even in my early 20′s, when I made VERY little, I made sure to always keep at least $1,000 in savings – which is hard when you’re living paycheck to paycheck, and all of your friends are going out each weekend. But, my frugal habits served me well when I lost my job a few years ago – I was suddenly laid off with no notice, while still on maternity leave! I was 30, a full-time college student, with a newborn baby at home. I was in the biggest panic of my life! So, I quickly learned a ton of new ways to save on things that a new mom needs. I’m excited to share some of those tips with you – and hope you find some that help you get through the baby years without breaking the bank!

Bringing Up Baby on a Budget: 10 Ways to Save Money on Baby Essentials

One thing I want to mention… Saving on baby essentials starts before the baby arrives. You seriously do NOT need everything that you see when shopping the baby departments, trust me. Sure, a bottle or wipes warmer might be kind of cool, but it’s SO not needed. Abby had to share a room with me when she was a baby, which helped me keep things under control, since we had extremely limited space. And I never once missed all of those “must-haves” that people suggested. I’m starting a series on Baby to Toddler: What a New Mom Really Needs, so stay tuned for that…. But now, on to tips to save once baby arrives.

Looking for a way to earn money from home – while still spending time with baby? Get my 10 tips to earning an income from home.

• 1. Everything does not need to be new. I am forever grateful to the friends and family that sent us their hand-me-downs! There are so many baby itmes – especially those infant outfits – that barely get used before they’re outgrown. Ask around to anyone with a toddler – I bet many of them have a ton of unused stuff that they’d love to pass down! And make sure to shop second hand shops {Get tips for shopping second hand effectively here} or yard sales, to stock up on clothing, furniture, gear, and more at big discounts. But when buying things like car seats or cribs, be sure to use an easy tool to check for kids products that have been recalled.
• 2. Kids clothing doesn’t have to be expensive. I have always had plastic storage totes, labeled for the next two year’s sizes. As I find great clearance. second hand finds, or donations from friends – I store them in those totes. As seasons change or Abby grows, I can fill her closet with those totes, instead of rushing to buy new clothes at full price. This will save you hundreds! You can also use a site like Thread Up to make buying used kids clothes super easy, it’s like a consignment store, but all online – they sort them by size, style, price, and more, and have strict quality standards. You can also set up a free account there and earn money by sending in your used kids clothes. Another awesome site for saving on kids clothes is Cookies Kids – they have THE.BEST. search tools for kids clothes – size, style, and then from lowest to highest. I have gotten little girl designer dresses for only $3.99. LOVE it. Another tip is to use a service like Wittlebee, where you get a box of brand new kids clothes at BIG discounts. 
• 3. Use coupons to save big bucks. Getting started with couponing is a lot easier than you might think, and you can seriously save a ton of cash with them. There are coupons available for just about anything you can think of, especially when it comes to baby essentials like diapers, wipes, foods, and baby care products. And make sure to sign up for the email lists for your favorite baby companies, to get alerts when they have awesome new promotions or coupons.
• 4. Save on babysitting expenses. One tip is to set up a co-op with other moms – take turns watching the kids for each other when you need to run errands, or go on a much -needed date night. Or, to find credible baby sitters at an affordable price, check out a site like Care.com, or ask your local community college for recommendations from their early childhood education students.
• 5. Save when feeding your infant. Obviously, the best option for your family is to breastfeed. It’s best for their health and development, and it’s pretty much free. But, for many moms {like me} – things go wrong, and you’re not able to breastfeed for very long. Don’t worry – formula is still a very healthy alternative, and nothing to be ashamed of. But to save big, try some of the store brand varieties, they can be just as good as the brand names, at a fraction of the cost.
• 6. Find free or cheap deals locally. Watch sites like Craigslist.com for great deals on gear for the baby, or even check to see if you have a local group on Freecycle.org, where people offer their unneeded things totally free to other people in the community who need them. This one is more hit or miss – but if you find something that’s a good fit, you sure can’t beat free, right?
• 7. Reuse what you have. If you have an old dresser, give it a second life in the baby’s room – store diapers in one drawer, essentials like diaper cream and wipes in another, and all of those extra blankets in the lower drawers. Hang old baskets on the wall to hold stuffed animals. Convert an unused tackle box into a portable diaper changing station, easy to take from room to room. Have old picture books or outdated calendars? Frame pages from those as artwork in baby’s room. Take a look around the house, and you’re sure to find lots of things you can reuse.
• 8. Make your own baby food. This is so simple, and does NOT take a lot of time, promise. Abby and I were big fans of the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker, and even had some of our recipes featured in their cookbook. If you grow even a little bit of your own fruits and veggies, you can save huge amounts over buying jarred baby foods, and you’ll be serving better bites to baby too. No time or room for a garden? No worries. You can still use the Baby Brezza {or other baby food maker} – shop at local Farmer’s Markets, stock up great produce sales at the grocery store, or even just use it to make your “grown-up” dinner baby-friendly. The Baby Brezza has a rice/veggie steamer, can blend up anything from meat to pasta, and makes it super quick and easy to turn your favorite dinners into baby food.
• 9. Take advantage of freebies. Every brand out there wants to send you a free sample of their products – they want to give new moms a chance to try their goodies, in hopes that you’ll become a new loyal customer. There are so many ways to get freebies and samples, but here are a few of my favorites: Deals for Mommy for awesome local deals and samples, free baby carrier from Seven Slings,  free carseat canopy cover, or free nursing cover – all with code ENBABY, or other coupons and free samples for baby, and MySavings.com for all sorts of cool freebies.
• 10. Save big on diapers. It feels expensive to buy those great big boxes of diapers – but trust me, you’ll almost always save more per diaper when buying them in bulk! I recommend buying them online, so that you can partner those savings with cash back when shopping through a site like zuuzs.com or Ebates. {And don’t forget to sign up for rewards programs like Pampers Gifts to Grow, so you earn more free stuff just for buying those diapers!} One of my favorite places to shop for diapers online is at Walmart.com, since you always get free shipping when having them sent to your local store to pick up! Plus, Walmart often does really cool promotions, like the one that they have going on now….

Right now at Walmart, when you buy Pampers diapers you also get a seriously awesome freebie - Receive one free Gillette® Venus® ProSkinTM razor AND one free Gillette Fusion® razor with any purchase of Pampers diapers on walmart.com, while supplies last. That means you and dad both get a little gift, just for ordering the diapers that you’ll be buying anyway – sweet!

What’s your best tip on saving money on baby essentials? Share in the comments below – I love to hear from you!

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{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks and Pampers. All tips and content are my own, but I was compensated to share information about the free offer available at Walmart.com. photo credit: kelsey_lovefusionphoto via photopin cc.}