Having a baby? So many feelings! Excitement! Anticipation! At the same time, reality creeps in and reminds you that having a baby is expensive. Yes, yes it is. Having a baby is expensive. Here are some ways to save money with a new baby.
How to Save Money When You’re Going to Have a New Baby
Some costs of course, can not be avoided. You can’t cut corners on things like car seats or high chairs.
(This is a GREAT high chair, with over 4,000 reviews – take a look!)
Baby security and safety is so very important, so make sure to buy quality items.
But there are several ways you can save money and cut corners. Baby will still be happy and as parents, you really do need to stretch every dollar as far as possible. Let’s look at a few ways to do just that.
Save Money and Use Cloth Diapers for the Baby
While the up-front costs of cloth diapers are much higher than disposable diapers (about $1.70 per cloth diaper compared to $.25 per disposable), the fact that they are reusable means families will come out ahead in the long run.
Disposable diapers will cost a family roughly $2,000 over the course of two years. Many parents also use Pull-ups at night for their kids well into age three.
Multiply that for 2 or three children, and it’s quickly and painfully obvious how much money is going down the proverbial toilet. And what about the amount of waste entering landfills?
A good, modern set of high quality cloth diapers like these ones, on the other hand, costs approximately $300 new and can be used for multiple children with no increase in cost (except for the cost of washing and laundry soap).
There’s also the fact that cloth diapers resale very well on sites like Craig’s List, meaning that in the end there’s no doubt as to which option is cheaper.
Breastfeeding a Baby is Cheaper Than Formula
One of the best things a new mother can do for her baby also saves a lot of money: nursing. The cost of formula feeding a baby with bottles for 12 months is about $1,000.
If mom is feeding solely at the breast, the cost is zero, except for a bit of extra food she needs to meet the additional calorie requirements of nursing mothers.
Even with some of the typical breastfeeding paraphernalia, the cost comes out far lower than the cost of formula feeding.
A breast pump costs between $30 and $200. This good quality breast pump has over 1700 reviews – take a look!
A nursing bra costs around $30. Here’s an extremely comfortable nursing bra with lots of great feedback and reviews. And comfort is #1 when it comes to a nursing bra!
Save Money by Making Baby Food
Why spend lots of money on jarred baby food when healthier, fresher, homemade purees are as easy as using a steamer and a blender?
Making homemade baby food from ingredients such as fresh bananas, apples, squash, sweet potato, peaches, plums and carrots costs only a few cents per ounce.
Compare that with commercial baby foods, which cost about $.23 per ounce. Find some good recipes here for making baby food.
Buy Discount Baby Clothes and Baby Items
Hand-me-downs are a fantastic way to save money on a new baby, and many moms are happy to share the wealth since they probably received hand-me-down baby clothing from relatives or friends as well.
Less worn items can be purchased at a discount from consignment stores, although some of these stores may be overpriced.
Shop around or ask friends for advice on local kids’ consignment shops.
Saving money at retail is best done at the end of a season. For example, when summer comes to a close and the stores are putting out their fall items, stock up on summer clothes for baby for the following year.
The trick is in accurately predicting what the child’s size will be in ten months. One way to estimate this is to look at the baby’s growth chart to date and estimate his growth forward assuming he stays in the same percentile.
There are many, many ways to bring down the cost of adding a new member to the family. Feed, diaper and clothe your baby on a budget.
Learn ahead of time what items parents don’t need to buy for a new baby. Ask friends and family what they bought that they realized they really did not even need.
Like, you do NOT need one of these special baby appliances! Get one of these multipurpose kitchen tools instead and you’ll be able to use it for years for the whole family, not just a baby.
And, if there is any chance you will be having another baby in the future, store everything that Baby outgrows and needs. Having to buy these items again will cost you even more in the future.
Having a bundle of joy should not add a burden of financial woe to a family. These tips can save families plenty of money – maybe even enough to send mom out for a pedicure once in awhile.
Even More Ways to Save Money:
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