Go back to the very basics. (Preparing for Birth On a Budget)

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	Preparing for Birth On a Budget
Date:	23/01/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You will have more money to spend on other things

Disadvantages: You won't be a 'Jones'

Society has a way of making you believe that you need everything that appears on the TV screen, in magazines and on high street billboards and this is no different when it comes to babies, in fact I think its worse. You are made to feel a failure if you don't have the latest highchair, most expensive rocker and the prettiest Moses basket in the shop. All the time manufacturers are bringing out new inventions that are supposedly suppose to encourage your baby to do this and that and you feel that you should buy it but I am here to tell you that you don't have to buy into these lies. You can get the best but without paying the earth.

Having a baby can be an expensive time but I know you can also spend a little amount of money and get some really nice stuff because that's exactly what I did. If you are on a budget then it's important to know exactly what you can do with and without so I'm going to give you some useful tips.

Lets start with what you can do without which I think is just about everything that society tells you, you need.

Moses basket.
They look pretty but are expensive and don't last very long. From the outset you can put your baby in a cot. It won't harm them at all and you may find they sleep better because the mattress is much thicker than the ones in a Moses basket.

Baby bath.
Again they don't last five minutes and are a pain to carry. You can start them off in the normal bath or just throw them in the sink (make sure you clean the sink before though!)

Top and tail bowl.
A pointless invention really. Just make sure you clean the bottom end first and if you're that worried then you ca use a couple of Tupperware pots from the kitchen.

Bath seat.
Everyone coped before these were invented so I'm pretty sure some will go on coping without them too.

Breast pump.
If you are going to breast feed then you don't necessarily need one of these as you can express by using your hands. You certainly don't need one of these straight away as you need to get baby sorted on the breast first.

Pram.
You don't really need one of these straight away. You can carry your baby in a pouch.

Cot mobile.
You really don't need one of these. A cot is for sleeping and if you attach one of these then it will stimulate your baby and may have problems with them going to sleep.

Baby care products.
Most of these you can do without. You don't actually need baby bath, oil, powder and lotion. Most health professionals recommend that you don't use anything on a newborn baby's skin including wet wipes.


I think this is a basic list of the bare minimum that you could get away with.

Boobs.
Your baby needs to eat and what better way than from you. It's much cheaper than formula milk and much healthier for them too.

Cot.
Obviously a baby needs somewhere to sleep but if you can't even afford a cot then you could consider co-sleeping.

Baby monitors.
I don't consider myself a worrier but I would definately recommend a set of these. It saves you having to trapse up and down the stairs checking on your baby and you won't end up disturbing them if you are peering around the door every five minutes.

Car seat.
If you have a car then you can't compromise with your child's safety. They will need a car seat.

Pouch.
You don't necessarily need a pram straight away. Buy a pouch which costs around £12 and not only will your baby be secure and warm they are right next to their favourite person.

Sleepsuit
These have been a god send for me. When your baby is out of the 'Swaddling' phase then these are brilliant for the next step. I found with my boys that they ended up kicking off their covers so using one of these prevented that and had the added bonus of being secure in the fact that they haven't pulled the covers over their face.

Baby products.
The only two that I think you will need is cotton wool and nappies. Cotton wool and water is cheaper than wet wipes and if you can use cloth nappies then they work out really cheap in the long run.

Change mat
I found that my boys tended to poo and wee whenever I took their nappy off in the early days. Their poo was always runny and watery due to the breastfeeding so when they did it, it went everywhere. The changing mat will save your carpets and floors and they only cost around £5 new.

If you do want anything and everything then are ways of getting around that without spending mega bucks.

1. Ask family and friends to buy you specific things rather. This is a great way of getting everything you want without ending up with ten thousand different outfits for your babe. You can also borrow off family members which is a great way of getting use out of a baby product.

2. Go to car boots and see if you can pick anything up. You will often find that people are practically giving things away.

3. Look in your local paper for bargains. Most of the baby will stuff is generally in immaculate condition because it's hardly used. I find that the good thing about this is that you can check out where your good are coming from.

4. Ebay can be quite good for bargains.

5. Become a member of Freecycle.co.uk. You can pick up great things that other people are throwing out. I've had a playpen, a bath seat and various other expensive items off this site all for free.
Just remember that people are generous when it comes to babies. I found that everyone and anyone bought us gifts even people that we'd never met before. My biggest tip is 'DON'T BUY CLOTHES!'. I know its very tempting when you are stood looking at the lovely tops and things but I can guarantee you will get loads.

Also remember that if you don't end up with stuff that you need then you can always send a willing parent out to get it for you. The shops aren't going to swiftly go on strike as soon as they hear you've had your baby.

Lastly don't worry about keeping up with The Jones. My boys have never had a bumbo, we never paid out for expensive monitors where you can see your baby sleeping and they've not had the most expensive toys in the shop. Infact even for Christmas we kept toys back in a cupboard that people had given us. As a result of this they are still very healthy, happy and intelligent children who have a lot of love.

Summary: It doesn't have to be expensive.