Buying budget stuff baby help!?

[babyunicornvomit]

Hi,

So I'm only 16 weeks pregnant at the moment but I'm a student just finishing up with uni and my boyfriend has only been working full time for a year so our money isn't unlimited. I'm trying to save and budget for when the baby arrives (late July) - can anyone help with stuff we will need e.g. Obvious things like pram, cot, and less obvious things we might forget. How much will these things be? Has anyone bought them second hand, where from and would you recommend 2nd hand? Any good places to buy reasonable stuff from?

Basically we don't want to forget anything, or skimp on quality just for money. we want the little one to have the best start possible and be happy but as I said, we don't have loads of money xx

NCT sales. Get your clothes super cheap. Dont buy things that you might not need, stick to basics

Yes those baby sales are great for picking up bits. Likewise most areas now have a Facebook page where people sell baby and kids things.

Gumtree, eBay and your local Facebook baby stuff selling groups are great. Prams can range from £100-1000 so it's totally up to you how much you spend.

Baby clothes - for the first 3 months you just need basics - vests and sleepsuits. Mothercare, sainsburys and next are good for these.

I think second hand is absolutely fine for clothes etc. I've bought loads of second hand stuff for my dc, mainly from table tots sales and nct sales with a few bundles from e bay. If I were having another my lists would be:

Brand new- car seat, mattress

Second hand-
Sling (I loved my Caboo and sold it for £20 in great condition)
Buggy- I've bought two second hand buggies, a Quinny and a Phil and Teds, they've both been great (they were £90 and £80, one from friends, one from e bay)
Vests- 10 plain white. Absolutely fine second hand- preferable in fact as they get sick and poo on (you can get these for as little as 20p each at second hand sales)
Baby grows- 6-8 plain white (maybe £1 each)
Cardigan, hat, snow suit (depending on weather obviously!)
Bouncy chair- loved mine and sold it for £15 in great condition
Blankets- a couple, I got them new from asda but second hand would be fine.
Cot- or somewhere for the baby to sleep. As long as the mattress is new second hand cot is fine.

Dont be worrying about having all new stuff! It really isn't necessary to give your baby the best start. The only things you really need to make sure are new are your mattresses and car seat (unless you get a car seat from say a sister so you can be sure it hasn't been in an accident).

The first things you will need are a car seat and moses basket (check the Asda baby event for moses baskets, i got a perfectly good one for £25 last week). If you are breast feeding you wont need to worry about formula or bottles.

You don't need to buy pampers nappies - Aldi ones are supposed to be really good, I hear good things about Lidl and Asda ones too though from what I can figure out it depends on your baby and their shape.

You'll be surprised what people give you too - don't be afraid to mention to any friends or family members with young children that you need bits and bobs and they'll probably rush to pass things on to you! You'll get things bought to you as gifts as well so don't panic.

I would say don't go mad buying little outfits either - some vests and sleepsuits in newborn and 0-3 will be enough to get you started.

Don't forget things like sheets for the cot and towels. Stuff like that can add up so make sense to look in sales and spread the cost.

My best advice is to shop around for your pram and car seat set. Do not buy a second hand car seat for safety purposes (pram is fine though). You can get such differences so get an idea of what you want to prioritise I.e height/ position of baby, use of car seat on pram or not, storage space underneath.

I would get baby toys/ a baby swing etc on eBay with local pick up you'll save a fortune there. You can just buy sterilising wipes for the toys.

Personally clothes I would always buy new. I have found M&s baby clothes to be the best quality they last the longest, they wash well and they are generous sizes so they last longer than the month range unlikely other shops. I've had to chuck loads of vests from other shops as they don't want wash well and I cant remove the stains. if you want to save money in the long run M&s all the way. I've saved his M&s clothes for baby 2.

The NHS website has a good essentials list for the basics you will need.

Oh and have a baby shower!!! To save money get someone else to host I.e mum? Or just do it at 3pm for instance and have only biccys and tea and small cakes rather than having to spend a fortune on a lunch.

You'll get so many gifts and will get to share a day with those close to you xxxx

I really like the babygrows and vests from Sainsburys. They're bound to have one of their 20% off clothes sales before July. Also, their 20% off also was on blankets and things so we managed to pick up quite a bit cheaply.
I made sheets for the cot and Moses basket out of a flat double sheet. Much cheaper. Also, you don't need a Moses basket, we only had one as it was free.

It is sensible to get everything you can 2nd hand at this point.(Except mattresses and only get car seat from someone you know really well so you are positive it has not been in an accident)

We found we were given so much stuff, even from people we only knew vaguely, that all we had to buy in the end was a breast pump.
(We also bought sling, stroller and cot, because I was fussy, but we had also been given these, but I didnt like them!)

These days I would search Facebook selling sites and go to NCT sales.
Don't buy anything new until a lot nearer the due date, until then, drop hints that you'd not be offended by 2nd hand stuff!

The thing that will work in your favour is that people want to get rid of all their stuff when the baby has grown out of it so they can get more stuff, so there's lots of really nice things going for half-nothing second hand. Never buy new if you can avoid it (except for the afore-mentioned mattress and car seat)!

Aldi baby event have loads of basics for cheap, they had moses baskets for £20 and blankets for under £5.

All the supermarkets do good quality basics, look out for sales I've had lots of bits for £2 or less from sainsburys and asda.

As pp have said Facebook selling groups, nct sales and ebay are also good.

I suggest buying gender neutral stuff as much as possible so that when you sell it on after you have finished with it you're not restricting your potential market

Remember you don't need half the stuff

Ie someone above listed Moses basket sheets and towels. A baby can use any towel, I'm assuming you already have one for yourself. And noses basket sheets you can just use a normal pillow case you have. Or skip buying basket and straight to cot or co sleeping

I suggest you write a list of everything you think. Then go through and work out what you could use you already have and what can be bought later. You don't need to buy everything incase either, if you find you want something after it can be bought quickly

I agree that you only need a new car seat and mattress. If you're unable to get cast offs and don't want to buy second hand, I agree that Aldi is good and so is ikea for some stuff. I have a v good income but still bought stuff cheaply or was pleased to inherit from friends because babies don't care.

Make sure you claim all the benefits you're entitled to. If you've had part-time and/or summer jobs over the last year or so, you might be entitled to some Maternity Allowance. If not, you will be entitled to Income Support until 15 weeks after the baby is born. You are also likely to be eligible for a Sure Start Maternity Grant. After the birth you will be able to claim Child Benefit and probably Child Tax Credits too. You could use an online calculator to work out your entitlement, or visit/contact Citizens Advice for their help.

I wouldn't worry about buying new stuff. I don't think it matters what your income is - it is wise to buy second hand items as they re used for such a short time.

I have bought almost everything second hand but the high end good quality stuff. Do your research as if you will be buying new and then get the same item second hand - I would write a list and start early.

If you walked in my house it would look like we have spent thousands on our babies - we didn't!!

Even now I still buy lots second hand - bikes, strollers, swing, slide etc!

No one has ever asked if things are second hand but I would be happy to say yes!

Congratulations - the best thing for your baby is you and they don't care if they are dressed in a second hand vest! X

Schpock is a good place to look for local stuff as well. Just bought a spare buggy for grandparents to use it's perfect. I got a sleepyhead deluxe for £50 hardly used (£110 brand new). It's my new favourite thing.