Saving money on Babycare

Warning: This post could get long.

Babies don't need much. You wouldn't believe that is true if you have noticed the glut of baby items for sale in every direction at a mall or large warehouse-type store.

I assume it is natural when pregnant to want to buy everything you will need for the baby's arrival. If it is your first baby, you will be thinking ahead to a time when you have only one income, and the possibility of buying large-ticket items becomes more difficult.

Think carefully about what a baby really needs. Think about what your baby would have needed had he or she been born 200 years ago, or in the middle of Africa.

Then when you have a fairly good idea what a baby might need, consider how much of those items might be purchased 2nd hand, or given by those who have gone before.

The only things a baby needs when he or she arrives are milk and warmth. Breastmilk is best for a million reasons, but particularly when trying to save money. Blankets don't need to be pink, or blue, or say "Baby" , etc. Any blanket will do. I'm almost 100% certain someone will give you one. My midwife gave me two when Tombliboo was born, every new mum in our city that year got one, I believe.

BED: Baby should sleep with you. He will feed more, but this is necessary for his survival. Try not to get sucked in to the idea that babies who sleep more are "good" babies. You will sleep better for having that baby close by to check on him. I know this because I have done both...my first two babies slept in their own rooms, and my last didn't. The first two, I would be awake for hours each night after feeds, because the time it took to walk to their rooms, pick them up, feed them, settle them, and go back to bed meant that I was wide awake.

Tombliboo, otoh, has always woken more, but for shorter periods, and I fall back to sleep almost instantly. He has not had anywhere near the number of colds the first two had, despite being naked nearly every day.

TRAVEL: You do need a carseat if you have a car. You can get baby capsules new for $110 on Trade Me. We bought one and sold it for $55 1 year later. The better way to go, imo, is to buy a carseat designed for ages 0-4 years.

The capsule is handy if you want to be able to take a sleeping baby out of the car and in to the place you are going with him still asleep. We intended to carry Tombliboo more, and have him close to us, so we did not actually require that sort of seat. If he was asleep, and woke up when moved, he soon went back to sleep in the sling, or efd to sleep.

SLINGS: Slings are amazing. There are many different types, and some are better than others for different occasions. There is noting like a pouch sling for popping baby in to go somewhere in a hurry. A mei-tai type sling is wonderful for when your baby will be in the sling for long periods.

The beauty of slings is that your hands are free. This is wonderful if you need to hold the hands of other children, or shopping bags, etc. Actually, that's not the best thing- the best thing is the closeness, it's where babies are happiest. I don't know how many times someone stopped me to ask about my sling...or how many times a shop-person would comment how easy it looked, and how contented he seemed compared to children in strollers.

Tombliboo didn't go in a stroller until he was 2- it was his choice, he likes the novelty of it. He still goes in a sling periodically if he wants to, but mostly he prefers to run.

Nappies: This will need another post...there is more to the Great Nappy Debate than cloth vs disposables.

TOYS: Baby does not need any toys. Mine all have plenty, and your's probably will too- but nothing is more interesting to a young baby than you. They will stare at your face, and mimic your expressions for as long as you are interested. Older babies love to hold things- spoons work fine, as do pegs and bunches of keys.

When you do buy toys, they are very cheap on trade me (how often do I mention that?), but watch for the postage.

Books can be borrowed from the library, and the other places I suggested in my post on saving money on books.

FOOD: Baby doesn't need special food. Baby-Led Weaning is a way of feeding your baby that is more natural, and not to do with weaning so much as introducing solid food (which is the first stage in weaning, but weaning could be years away).

CLOTHING: You probably will want to buy clothing for your child :0)

Remember the first size your baby is in (newborn) will only fit for at the most 4 months, possibly only 2 weeks if he is large, and the garment is on the small side. Most of my newborn clothing items were outgrown by all my babies by 6 weeks.

This means that any second-hand clothing you buy for this size will look like brand new.

My advice would be to buy white singlets and one or two neutral (unisex) outfits. If buying new, you could get one for a girl, one for a boy, and the one you don't use will make a nice gift. Once you know what sex your baby is, you will be able to buy the clothing he or she needs.