It’s estimated that the cost for the first year of having a baby is between $20,000 and $50,000. That’s a lot of money! Babies can be expensive. But not everything that you can get for baby is necessary for baby. Keep reading for ideas on how to save money when you have a baby. Check out my post on what is necessary for a baby, as well as my post on what isn’t necessary for a baby.
Set A Budget
The first thing you should do when you need to save money on something is set up a budget. Decide with baby’s father (if they’re in the picture) how much money you will spend on your baby. You may have to go back and adjust the number as you can if you find out that some items are cheaper or more expensive than you thought.
Related: How To Create A Budget
Buy Used
Use Facebook marketplace, local thrift stores, or other second hand shops to purchase whatever you can. You can often find items with tags still attached for half or a quarter of the price. In my town we have a Salvation Army, value village, and once upon a child. Garage sales are also amazing! People want to make a little money back on a product their kids used and loved and it will save you money for sure.
If you can compare the used prices with amazon or Walmart as some thrift stores actually are more expensive on some items than brand new products.
Decide What’s Necessary
Do some research and decide which items you think are actually necessary for a baby. There are a lot of advertising ploys that prey on first time parents making you think you need something that you don’t. Check out my post on what you don’t need for baby.
Create A Registry
To help your family and friends know what you actually need, create a registry of the items you need for baby. If you make your registry with amazon, you get a completion discount after your baby shower. This means that one time you get 10-15% off any approved items that are left in your registry.
Get Gender Neutral Clothes
If you plan on having more than one kid get clothes that work for both boys and girls. My daughter wears a lot of clothes that were my sons. Blue, gray, and black are all great gender neutral colors. We also didn’t find out the gender of our kids so gender neutral was the way to go.
Accept Hand Me Downs
There are tons of people who have kids who have outgrown their clothes and want to pass them on. We received tons of clothes and shoes and outdoor gear this way and I’m sure we received hundreds of dollars in clothes by allowing others to pass on their clothes.
Skip Shoes
Baby shoes are adorable. Something about how tiny they are definitely makes them appealing. But they are so unnecessary. Babies don’t start needing shoes until they can walk. Get some zutanos baby booties if you need to keep your babies feet warm in the winter. They actually stay on. We got the 18 month size and use them from when our kids are tiny until they walk and need boots or shoes.
Skip The Tub
We never bought a baby bath tub. We gave sponge baths when they’re super tiny, then baths in either the sink or tub on a hand towel. Then by the time they’re sitting up on their own (usually around 6 months) they don’t need the baby tub anymore anyways.
Don’t Get Unnecessary Furniture
A changing table is completely unnecessary. I change my babies on the floor. For my son we got doggie pee pads and changed him on those, but for my daughter we lay her on the rug except for her bottom and change her there so if there is anything that splashes or spills or smears it’s easy to clean up.
We also didn’t purchase a glider. We were gifted a rocking and reclining chair but that wasn’t used for our daughter and we ended up getting rid of it as it became a toy for toddlers.
Skip The Rocker, Swing, Bouncer
We don’t have these items, our kids don’t really like them and they don’t help your baby learn to move. It’s much more effective for them to lay on the ground and get tummy time than to sit in a device. If you’re thinking about getting one, see if a friend has one you can borrow.
Try A Montessori Floor Bed
Instead of purchasing a bassinet, then a crib, then a toddler bed, then a twin bed, we jump right to a Montessori floor bed. It’s supposed to help teach your child independence and it will save you a great chunk of change- both literally and figuratively.
Breastfeed Or Pump
Formula is expensive. If you are able to produce milk, breastfeed or pump for at least 6 months to save money on formula. You can also look into milk donations from women who overproduce. Check out Facebook groups titled human milk for human babies in your area.
Try Baby Led Weaning
Jarred or pouches of baby food is expensive. Look into baby led weaning where you start giving them real food from day one of starting solids (usually around 6 months). You won’t be buying special baby food, you’ll just give baby some of what you’re eating.
Alternately if you want to make purées you can do that as well. Get a squeeasy pouch and fill it with whatever blended creations you can come up with! We also use this for yogurt and smoothies for our toddlers.
Try Cloth Diapers
Disposable diapers will cost you thousands of dollars in the 2.5 year average it takes for your child to become potty trained. If you purchase cloth diapers, it’s an upfront purchase, but they will last you more than one baby and it’s a whole lot cheaper. Check out my post cloth diapers when you’re broke to see how to spend less than $100 on diapers for the first 2.5 years of diapering.
Related: 12 Necessities For Baby
Conclusion
There are tons of ways you can save money even though babies can be expensive. We probably live in a more extreme camp for saving money. Hopefully you have some good ideas on what you can do to make sure your bundle of joy isn’t breaking the bank.
