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25 replies

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 16:48

Currently pregnant and a student so living on a limited budget, would love to use reusable nappies but the upfront payments are scaring me slightly! Does anyone have any that they don't use/need anymore? I would be greatful of any sort as I'm a novice and haven't got a favourite :)
Complete sets would be ideal as then I'd be able to get used to one sort and go from there but anything is really helpful! If you're thinking of replacing/throwing yours away please send them to me first!! (the better the condition the better really... but ho hum!)
xx

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
jazz412 · 16/01/2011 16:59

oops I've just read above that I'm not allowed to ask for buying and selling... sorry all (I'm more asking for freebies though....Blush Blush Blush)

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Pingpong · 16/01/2011 17:09

have a look at cloth nappy tree they have a freecycle bit and loads of second hand ones for sale.

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 17:29

oh brill! thanks smac x

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NappyShedSal · 16/01/2011 18:14

jazz - I've just sent you a private message.

DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 20:38

When are you due jazz?

Do you need them soon?

If not, you can keep an eye out on freecycle for things coming up, I've seen quite a lot on there.

Also, go to any NCT sales in your area, I've seen some second hand complete kits go for about £25. Go to www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.info/in-your-area/nearly-new-sales to find any in your area.

DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 20:49

Being impatient to find out if you need them quickly (can't stand the idea of a baby botty in need of some fluffy cloth Grin ) I've just looked at your other threads and with being only about 7 weeks gone (if I've got that right, apologies if not) I wouldn't be panicking about nappies yet, you'll be able to find some.

If you don't have any luck here I'm sure you'll find lots come up over the next 6 months or so on freecycle etc, even checking local charity shops is worth it. After I shelled out for a kit of nappies I found a slightly older but otherwise lovely kit of nappies in my local cat protection charity shop, I was gutted!

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 21:09

ooooo thanks! xx

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jazz412 · 16/01/2011 21:13

yeah no need to worry hun, I am still very early but wanting to buy things over a period of time so I don't notice the money draining quite so much... also a bit of an impatient control freak!!!
freecycle is a good idea however I only ever see garden furniture on there! Imust be looking at the wrong times :) xxx

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DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 21:17

Try Natural Mamas, they have quite an active FSOT nappy thread. For example, tonight there is this thread naturalmamas.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=95444 which has these for sale for £40 which is a serious bargain:

Pocket Nappy Pack - £40.00
12 popper fastening BTP pocket nappies. 6 Purple, 5 pink and 1 yellow. All come with 1 microfibre insert. I've also inlcuded some extra cotton boosters in the price. Used lightly by us, there may be some staining but otherwise they are in excellent condition.

Seriously, don't panic, you just need to have a good luck around. Its worth reading through a nappy site like twinkle on the web or babykind to get to know the different types of nappy and then when you see some at a bargain price you'll whether they are something that you are interested in or not.

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 21:22

thanks :) I've been looking solidly at nappies for about 2 days now, I think I'm going insane and have confused myself!

All we want/need are reliable CHEAP nappies that ideally would be birth to toddler and easy to use so others can if they need to xxx

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itsonlyajob · 16/01/2011 21:32

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DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 21:37

The other thing is that if you are on a budget you don't want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes. Get ye on ebay and start looking for the basics now, you will be due sometime at the end of summer? People selling summery maternity clothes now in this chilly weather might not get a decent price because there might not be much of a demand at the moment.

DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 21:44

Plus, things like baby sleeping bags, search in the hottest week in july for a winter sleeping bag and they will go for cheap, cheap cheap! (can you tell we're on a budget too?!)

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 22:21

DHisinthepub I love you! you are a wise wise woman! I'm loving the bargain tips :) Charity shops have been great for baby clothes (30p each or 4/5 for a pound!) mostly hardly worn as well!! it's quite amazing what people give away - love it! xxx

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DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 22:36

Glad you don't mind me hi-jacking the thread with other budget tips!

For our first I set up a spreadsheet to keep track of what we needed and how much we could spend and what I had already spent. It really helped me keep things under control. I managed to get everything for less than some friends spent on their pushchair alone!

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 22:44

a spreadsheet? you nerd ;)
I wish I had the patience to be that organized I'm just a bit of a control freak and love a bargain - good job really as we HAVE to love a bargain!!
When you say everything - are you including pushchair, cot etc etc?? impressive! Give me more tips!! xx

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DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 23:25

Oh, you've opened a whole can of worms here, this will be long!

Bought a secondhand pushchair for about £50, a mothercare one that was about 3 years old, it came with a car seat that clicked on but we bought a new car seat anyway (not trusting a secondhand one). It was really similar to this one here www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Trenton-Deluxe-Pushchair-Travel/dp/B001SADRYM?_encoding=UTF8&

Have sold it since for £40 as we now have a double buggy, but that means that for the year we had it we only spent £10, less than a pound a month!
Ebay, Gumtree and Freecycle are your friends!

I bought the Sniglar cot from Ikea and am really happy with that too, it was only about £35, bought a mattress from babymattressesonline.co.uk for cheaper than Ikea though for about £20.

Didn't bother with moses basket/crib, just put cot next to our bed.

Breastfed so didn't need to buy formula, thankfully had no problems with bfeeding.

Use washable wipes (well, I did until my second was born and I couldn't keep up) but don't buy them, its an utter con!

Just buy cheap face flannels from wilkos or similar or buy a big fleece blanket and chop it up (this also works for fleece liners for your washable nappies, never buy them, again a total con). You can keep them damp in a tupperware box or an old ice cream tub ready to use or buy a water spray bottle and spray wipe or bum as required.

Didn't buy cot sheets, they are so expensive for what they are. I cut up, hemmed and elasticated our spare old double bed sheets to make fitted cot sheets.

Didn't buy baby towels, waited for some towels to be reduced and cut them in half to make perfect baby sized towels. They aren't as cute as special baby towels but the baby has no idea!

Found a baby sling on Freecycle, and a big set of baby toys (that I sterilised in milton before using), also got a baby gym/activity arch which I put through the washer on a hot wash (they had a cat and I'm allergic).

Don't buy a highchair, just get a booster seat. Both of mine have been fine in this www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3972520.htm?_$ja=tsid:11527|cc:|prd:3972520|cat:nursery+/+feeding+and+bathing+/+other+baby+accessories+/ booster seat from about 12 weeks, easily in time for weaning at 6 months. Its great because in a small house you don't lose space for a large highchair and you don't need to buy a travel highchair/booster seat because you can just take that one with you. You can get them secondhand quite cheap, here is one on ebay for buy it now £12 cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fisher-Price-Booster-Seat-used-/170589904750?pt=UK_Baby_Babay_Feeding_Highchairs_Boosters_LE&hash=item27b7f35f6e#ht_500wt_898
I only paid £15 for each of mine, I now recommend them to everyone I know.

I still get a lot from NCT sales, I've bought all sorts from there. Aim to get there right at the start, grab anything you think you might want - its ruthless in there - once you have a good stash sit at the side and look through what you have and put back anything you don't really want. Always think ahead, if you see a real bargain but you don't need it until next year still buy it (if you can), I think £3 in a charity shop now is better than £20 in mothercare next year.

When you wean, always make your own for the baby, its healthier and cheaper than buying all those jars of food (provided you have a freezer).

Can probably think of more but think that might be enough.

The hardest thing is going into Mothercare and seeing all the beautiful things and wanting them but being sensible and getting things cheaper elsewhere. I can honestly say though that it doesn't bother me now and my DDs are none the wiser. TBH we're better off now but once you get into the habit of being frugal its hard to give up!

DHisinthepub · 16/01/2011 23:31

So summarising (can you tell I'm a teacher?!), the 'big' things we got for

cot&mattress £50
buggy £50
car seat £70
washable nappies £50
booster seat £15

We also bought clothes, sleeping bags etc but we managed it all for about £300, a lot less than some spend on a pushchair.

jazz412 · 16/01/2011 23:38

You're my new favourite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some fantastic tips hun, deffinatly doing all of them!! LOVE YOU! (if you think of any more :))

with the flannels - did they get rough after a while and how many will I need? xxxxxxx

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DHisinthepub · 17/01/2011 09:00

Personally, I use fleece for wipes because I think they are softer on bums. I buy cheap fleece blankets when I spot them, its cheaper usually than buying it by the metre.

A few friends I know have bought the Ikea Krama washcloth flannels here www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40054538 and they think they are fine.

For the wipes solution I put water, a spoonful of baby oil and about two drops of tea tree into a spray bottle and use that with my fleece wipes. If they get a sore bum, you can switch to putting a few drops of chamomile oil in instead of the tea tree and its very soothing. You can just use water though, no need for anything else.

DHisinthepub · 17/01/2011 09:11

Sorry, meant to add that I probably had about 30-40 fleece wipes in constant rotation. You need enough to last between washes of nappies as they all go in together.

If you buy a wipes kit, you often get only about 10-12 in a pack but on a particularly bad poo I can easily use 3 to clean it all up so 10 just won't last long enough and you'd need to buy a few packs. Just buy a blanket, cut up half into liners and half into wipes and take it from there.

Feel free to PM me if you want to know anything else Xx

jazz412 · 17/01/2011 16:17

:D when you say fleece do you mean like umm a fleece blanket you can pick up quite cheaply and use on the sofa as a snuggly blanket type thing? cut one of those up and use that? xx

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HermyaLovesLysander · 17/01/2011 20:15

You can get a big fleece blanket from Ikea and use that, they're about £2 - £3 I think. My friends all do that for washable wipes.

DHisinthepub · 17/01/2011 20:16

Yeah, thats the type. There are different qualities of fleece though, some are very thin and don't wash well but the thicker fleece is better. I've bought one recently from Tesco for about £2 and cut it up into loads of liners. I've had ones from Ikea and Matalan before too, you can get them in loads of places.

jazz412 · 17/01/2011 22:36

Do you use them as liners in all in one nappies too? xx

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