So is it really possible to spend less than £500 on baby to start?

[mamadiva]

My friend is here wityh mke and is currently 4 months pregnant, she wants to start baby shopping but is skint so can only really afford £500 sure start grant. I have tried explaining that there are so many thing she can wait to buy with first family allowance rather than mad dash to buy. Have also told all of the things I think are a waste of money. She won't take my word for it!

Could you all tell us how much roughly you spent on your LO when you were expecting and what was your best/worst buy? Sorry for hounding you all but I have to do it LOL. I am scouring internet sites to compile a must have list as we speak. Pram etc as cheap as possible she is bloody fussy

Thank You all.

IKEA, IKEA, IKEA.

You can get a cot and changing table (not totally essential) really cheap. Plus cheap bedding.

You could still spend a decent amount on a pram, best way to buy is on the internet obviously

Blimey yes!

We spent hardly anything

Cot was from a friend (who had originally got it from Loot second hand)

Car seat from same friend, they had used it but it was fine, they had never crashed

DH bought a McLaren techno which was £100 ish I think

Then a few babygros.

Oh and some nice bedding about £50 I think. My mum bought us a moses basket.

As poster above said, babies can be as expensive as you want. We didn't want, so went with the basics. Saved a fortune breastfeeding and using washable nappies. Also used a sling or car seat and didn't bother with prams. Much more snuggly - though we had to borrow one when Grandma visited as she needed to push her first grandson around the village!

Clothing - babygrows and vests - £40 new
Nappies - terries/muslin squares/nappy nippas/wraps - £120
Cot - second hand £10.
Moses basket - borrowed
Car seat - £40
Babybjorn - second hand £10
Breast pump, steriliser and bottles etc for expressing- £80
Bouncy chair £15
Changing mat, cot linen etc - £35

£400

We got prams off Freecycle and got given loads and loads of stuff, I would advise your friend not to spend all the money in advance if she can help it. Later on we did need to buy a bit more stuff and you also start to think, this is what I really need now. For example, most people who buy £500+ travel systems won't be using them by the time the baby is 6 months old, and for that reason they're often quite easy to obtain cheaply if not free. DS was given lovely clothes that we never got to put him in, the same happens to lots of people, so ebay, nearly new sales etc are often full of under 6 month clothes in lovely condition, and on ebay they go for very little. 6 months up and your friend will be needing to spend more, probably.

Hi all thanks I finally managed to convince her to borrow my things when baby arrives I have it sitting there(DS is 2 and still have alot of baby stuff) thanks to you lot!

If I have another I will no better than to spend so much I can't believe how well you lot done with it, we didn't have to spend much luckily because my mum has twins 8 months older than my DS so we borrowed alot of their stuff which is now being passed on to my friend yeay.

A baby is one time where you can get away with spending very little, the baby doesn't care! Most things you can get second hand. Clothes especially are great because they have had such little wear.

Bit late for the original post but for anyone else with same worry:

Although tempting to buy all new go second hand, you can always buy newer things when you work out what you use a lot and value and being nice looking/better model that you have.So far I've spent £60 on a Dutalier rocker and footstool on ebay and £25 on a car seat from my friend at work. Everything else we've been given as cast offs from friends and family or as presents (new mattresses for moses basket and cot.

All I need to buy now is a changing mat and a pram (£50 for the one I want on ebay)

Erm...yes.

Car boot for big baby stuff - cots etc. Charity shops for clothes.

And there is a lot you can do without.

Join your local freecycle to ask for things such as cots, clothes, blankets. Car boot sales are fantastic for bargains. Just buy in a few basics such as nappies, wipes etc and get those when they're on bogof. Encourage her to bf and make sure she gets to bf workshops antenatally so that she has a realsitic idea of what to expect - that will save her a fortune in the long run.
Good luck to her, it shoudl be do-able with budget of £500

cot/cotbed dont need one straight away and if she gets it from littlewoods etc she can pay little bits. Moses basket. CAr/pram/travel system kiddicare.com brilliant site and freecycle etc for clothes. We got bags full of clothes for my dd all of it lovely stuff. those would be my only essentials for a start.

I spent less than £500

Babybath £8 - Mothercare
Mosesbasket and Materess - borrowed from friend, they only last a few months
Cot - £125 + materess (cant remember)
Top & Tail bowl -£4 Mothercare
Pushchair - borrowed Graco travel system from friend for the first three months, then:
Mc Claren Techno XT £169 - Mothercare
Baby Bouncer - £29 - Mothercare - A MUST!
Cellular Blankets - Mothercare
Fleece blankets - mothercare
Muslin Squares - Mothercare

Bits and bobs, such as nappies, vests and sleepsuits, baby lotion, cotton, nappy cream
From Mothercare, not expensive

She can buy a lot on ebay very cheaply

There's not much you need that HAS to be new - just dummies, bottles (if using), maternity towels etc. Most of it can be bought secondhand.

If she sticks to ebay, boot fairs, NCT sales etc., and loaned equipment from friends & family, £500 should be plenty!

£50 second hand travel system from friend I knew hadn't crashed so the car seat was fine.

£15 second hand cot - I didn't buy a new mattress as for one reason and another I was on the bones of my arse and couldn't afford it when it came to buying one. I would advise it though, they are about £20.

Free bedding from a friend
Free toys from a friend
Packets of nappies - my best friend bought me a couple of packets, but they are about £5 a week after the first few weeks
Handmedown clothes from a friend
Baby bath from a friend
Moses basket and stand from a friend.

You can post messages on freecycle for these things or put the word about - failing that, bootsales and charity shops will be your friend.

And she has my empathy because it's shit raising a newborn when you're poor.

Just a thought aswell. Mothercare do see just about everything she could possibly want all under one roof, but they do charge extortionate priccs for it. Tesco, Wilkinsons, Home Bargains etc are far cheaper for the same products (even branded ones)

Don't get too much in the beginning - just nappies, baby vests, babygros, cardi's, hat, socks, coat - get these secondhand or perhaps people will give you their things. If you're bf then bf bras for you, if you're co-sleeping no need of a separate bed. A car seat if needed & a babysling for going out & about (I use a babybjorn - again go for second hand). Have some thick towels for nappy changing or get a mat to go on the floor (can be wiped down easily) Trying to think or what else you'd need.

Just a thought aswell. Mothercare do see just about everything she could possibly want all under one roof, but they do charge extortionate priccs for it. Tesco, Wilkinsons, Home Bargains etc are far cheaper for the same products (even branded ones)
Baby baths and top and tail bowls are a complete waste of money imo
We got a perfect condition used cosatto cot from e-bay for £30.
How's she getting on btw?

PSML I forgot about this thread okay since has been reopened will update you on all of the gossip

She is now just over 7 months now and has bought quite alot of stuff, which she didn't mean too but is still getting a lot from me.

NCT Nearly New Sales have some fantastic bargains on equipment.

I actually get a great deal of satisfaction of seeing how little I can spend on DS2 - particularly when compared to friends who buy everything new even for the second baby . I would never, ever, spend £500 on a pram - what a complete waste of money.

My sources are freecycle/jumble sales/charity shops/friends who've had babies/small ads. I use ebay with caution - there are some bargains but also some crap deals particularly when you add postage to the cost.

Just spent £15 on a bumbo chair from a second hand baby shop - best thing I ever bought.

Does anyone have a Britax Visio pram? She was going to get one from kiddicare.com whilst there on sale from £229.99 to £99.99 fab offer!

If she'll let people they will be falling over themselves to give her baby stuff, it's bulky and people want it out of the house.
I must have enough to start my own nursery in my garage and yet nobody will accept it and I can't be doing with ebay.
My first cost me about £500 though, as long as she doesn't blow it all on the pram she'll be fine.

Britax make fab car seats, the only one I would buy so that sounds like a fantastic deal.