Hand-me-down Heaven (Preparing for Birth On a Budget)

Member Name: AliB

Product:	Preparing for Birth On a Budget
Date:	17/05/01 (277 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, FREE!!

Disadvantages: Have to be careful, Must double check quality/safety

Preparing for birth is daunting at the best (and wealthiest) of times, but when you have to do that preparing when money is tight, it gets a bit more stressful! Before the birth of my son I had lists and lists of essentials and the prospect of not being able to buy them! Fortunately this did not become a problem, in the end we hardly paid for a thing! My partners Mum has a two year old son, so from that situation came the cot. She has lots of friends with babies; from them came a pushchair, a pram, a steam steriliser, clothes, and toys. My sister has two sons, so from them we had black bags full of clothes, toys, blankets, sheets, etc. And then of course there are the presents! We had a lovely Moses basket bought for us, beautiful new baby clothes, some perishables (wet wipes, baby bath, talc, barrier cream, nappies) in preparation. Basically, friends and family made sure we would be OK without having to buy a thing! But we did, of course - it wasn't much, but we bought one or two outfits, nothing necessary. We had to buy things like teats, bottles were provided! All in all we could have managed without buying a thing for the birth, and then it was just top-ups of nappies and formula!

Of course, we were very lucky - when you've got friends and family help is always on hand, and you'll never go without an essential for baby. However, if you're in a situation where you haven't got this help then it is going to cost more, but there are still cheap ways of doing things.

Baby clothes are never worn for long so they are actually the best to buy second hand - they're generally still in very good condition. Charity shops and car boot sales are good for them, and also for lots of other stuff! At a car boot sale I went to recently there was so much baby stuff and all either in good condition or simply in need of a wipe over - there were toys, games, and practical things like a car harness, and a seat for the bath.

>Lots of baby shops specialise in second hand goods - cots, prams, baskets, etc. Obviously, everything bought second hand needs to be checked over to make sure it's safe and sound but in my experience it's rare to find shoddy baby stuff in these shops.

Parenting websites usually have buy and sell sections so you can pick up some bargains there. They are also full of useful advice and tips that can save you money. I had a steriliser given to me, but if you can't afford one at all use an empty ice cream tub or some Tupperware, steriliser tablets can be really cheap - there's a handy tip!!

I think what I'm getting at is that, whatever you are buying or you want to buy, there is usually a cheaper alternative to brand new from Mothercare!
And remember, you DO NOT need everything people/magazines/websites/shops recommend; buy in some essentials for the birth, then go with the flow! You'll discover what you and your baby need in your particular situation - and if you buy some items that you later realise you never needed, sell them. You can just as easily sell your unwanteds at the car boot sales or to the second hand shops.


I would just like to add, please be careful when buying a baby car seat - if you buy second hand you can never be sure if they have been in an accident, which makes them unsafe.

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