Baby on a tight budget

[Chelyanne]

There are many who need to keep costs low so...

Have you any tips for things you've picked up at bargain prices?
New, used or hired?

Facebook marketplace and eBay are brilliant. Breastfeed if you can as it's basically free. Cloth nappies are cheaper long term than disposables and you can get them second hand easily.

I second Facebook marketplace. There are very few things you need to buy new and most things are used for such a shirt time that they'll still be in great condition.

Cheeky wipes and you'll save a fortune compared to buying endless packs of disposable wipes.

Aldi is really good for nappies and wipes. Don't be afraid to go for second hand items - your baby will not know the difference and second hand items serve exactly the same purpose. I would just say, the one item to splurge on/buy new is a car seat due to safety. I'll be getting rid of loads of baby stuff in sept/Oct due to emigrating so lots of barely used stuff will be going on eBay

Second hand clothes, lot of ppl sell bundles which are great value and things don't wear out

Buy second hand and start looking early. I didn’t have a particularly tight budget and I would have bought new if I couldn’t find what I wanted second hand. But we are also doing a massive renovation before the baby comes and I was just aware that money could be spent on better things.
I’ve bought a few packs of next next sleepsuits second hand, they actually still have the designs on sale. I got 4 first size sleepsuits for £4 and 4 sleepsuits and matching vests for £4 in up to one month just the other day. They look brand new.

We are using be a mini cot instead of a bassinet so I was perfectly happy to but that second hand as it could easily be cleaned and sanitised. Our crib is a beautiful little white wooden one which fits perfectly in our room and cost £10 from eBay, not a mark on it.

Initially I wasn’t going to go for a second hand pram as I didn’t want a used and scuffed one, just me being snobby. Once I narrowed down what I wanted I kept an eye out on gumtree and Facebook marketplace and I actually found the exact pram I wanted for £180 instead of £400 and it has barely been used. The previous owners used it as a holiday stroller and due to covid they used it about twice in 18 months and it literally looks fresh out of the box. Make use of sign up/ first order offers. I plan to get a new carrycot to go on the frame and will order from a place with 10% off. In total I’ve paid about half price for the pushchair and newborn bit but it feels like new.

Things that are used for short amounts of time are the key things to buy second hand imo.

Babies cost very little , they need a few babygros and vests, hats and cardigans, somewhere to sleep which can be very simple, a car seat if you have a car, a sling or pram, and then nappies and wipes. Don't get dragged into the nonsense shopping , just in case scenarios that you see n shops and, indeed, on multiple threads here. Second hand is the way to go for the sake of your budget and the planet .
Child care is ferociously expensive.

Clothes,equipment can be asy to get secondhand(Facebook,eBay,Gumtree etc).NCT and local sales are fab but non existent at the moment.
Don't buy baby bath,use sink,square/rectangualr large bowl taht can be utilized later for diffrent purpose.I had one for my last that looks like washing basket but without holes.
Washable nappies if feasible,if not supermarket brands are pretty cheap and some are way better than popular brands(alternatively,reusables for the day,disposable for the night time).
Breastfeeding if you can as formula/extra equipnemt will add to the cost massively.
You don't need tons of stuff as it will mostly be unused.
For the very beginning, you just need some weather-appropriate clothes, a sling or pram and nappies.Well,place to sleep for the little one if you are not co-sleeping or to just put the baby somewhere to rest during the day.Obviously you may invest in some stuff for you but you can replace a breastfeeding bra with a normal soft bra and so on.
We just live in such weird times when overconsumption is absolutely awful and everyone says you need x,y&z for the baby.I only learned this after 3rd one (long gap as well and the rules and consumerism change a lot) when I realized that we waste lots of stuff that is absolutely redundant,not to mention expensive.

Start as early as you can
Look on ebay and market place for preloved items

Bundles of baby clothes are often cheaper
Dont bother with a basket they don't last cot from the start is fine

Baby blankets matalan cellular £6 !
Ebay also do cheaper ones then shops

If you don't want to do cloth newborn nappies can be bought for as cheap as 89p
And 3 for bigger sizes buy a pack a week in different sizes it does soon add up

Baby wipes boots do a box cheap and also aldi if there's one here

Baby can be done on a good budget

I think it's fine to invest in some of the bigger items if you plan on having more children. I am a hoarder, I have a huge amount of clothes and other bits in storage from older children. We didn't have the space to store many things from our eldest so we sold things to help with cost of the next size/stage of things we needed.
Always buy mattresses and car seats new, only 2nd hand if they are ones you know the full history of so fine if you used for an older child. We used our 1st carry seat and pram for babies 1-3, bought new for our twins but kept both carriers and a 1-3 group seat (other went to our niece). We only have a small space in the car boot so a will get a cheap stroller (probably same brand as the double we had), still have the thick foot muffs from our twins they were worth spending more on.
I picked up a nice travel cot for less than £52 from amazon. Not a brand name I knew but had it up and back down again and it all looks and functions well (most brands are made in the same places anyway). This is for our living room, with 5 kids and a big dog pottering about we need a stable place to pop baby down. This has a bassinet for the earlier months, fold away changing mat, nappy storage and musical mobile.
I bulk buy a lot of stuff when it's on offer, this is a general money saving technique. So if you have space make good use of the baby events which tend to run every 3 months.

Just buy bits a time so it isn't such a big cost at once. Keep an eye on Facebook market place.

For prams either go second hand or look at something like online4baby.

Facebook is great . Got my moses basket for 15 pound with stand. I've also had to work to a budget. It can be done.

Just to add. I stopped buying from brand new baby clothes and got some almost new from Facebook as babies outgrow so quickly.

Definitely buy bits each month and plan out your most expensive items so you know when/where you're getting them from.

Agreed that Facebook marketplace is amazing and eBay!

Breastfeeding has saved me tons of money that I would otherwise use on formula (if you can do it, not for everyone or not possible sometimes I know).

Don't buy an expensive breast pump unless you absolutely know that you'll need it. I learnt this the hard way after I bought one in a panic, then ended up building most of my freezer stash with a £15 Hakka anyway!

Clothes wise, if you've got a particular shop in mind that you feel you absolutely have to get clothes from that you know is more expensive (H and M/Zara/Rivers/Next), if you can, wait for the sales especially Zara and Next sale can be amazing if you time it right. And absolutely do not waste money on baby bodysuits or sleep grows from there as no one will see them hardly!

When weaning, buy cheap silicone ice cube trays to store puréed food if that's what you're doing and buy fresh and plan a day of food prep to make a couple weeks worth so it's ready. So so so much cheaper than buying jars and snacks from out

Aldi nappies are amazing and so so cheap. But if you've got the money available, do invest in cloth nappies but make sure you research the ones you want and feel you can manage thoroughly.

Buy clothes bundles off schpock. Usually around £15-20 for a big bag and got some decent clothes in ones I've bought.