When you first have kids, it’s nearly impossible to imagine how expensive they can be. Which is why it’s important to save on baby items when you can. Babies require anything and everything from clothes to diapers, it almost seems never ending. Check out these 5 tips for saving money on baby items.
Buy Second Hand
One of the best ways I have found to save on the kids is buying second hand. I love shopping at our seasonal consignment sales. Make sure you check out my tips for shopping consignment sales. I love being able to pick up tons of clothes for ¼ of their cost in the store.
If I can’t find what I need second hand, then I always buy on clearance. You can scour the clearance racks and buy a size or two up. It’s amazing what stores will get rid of when they no longer see a need for it or it goes out of season.
Don’t Buy a Ton Before They’re Born
If there is one thing I have learned about babies, it is that they don’t need a lot to get by. While some parents feel like their babies need 100 outfits, they really only need 10-15. Also, baby gear is great, but your baby may not love everything you purchase. Charlie loved the swing, but Owen loved the bouncer.
Allow them to use 1-2 items to see if they like it before you go out and buy even more. You could even borrow a bigger baby item to see if your baby will love it or hate it.
Utilize Store Brand Diapers & Wipes
Another way I save on baby items is by buying store brand diapers and wipes. Courtesy of MARTIN'S, we recently got the chance to try out their new store brand diapers and wipes. The Always My Baby™ brand can be be found at Giant Stores as well as MARTIN'S Food Markets.
I love being able to get great quality diapers at an everyday low price. I don't even need to wait for sales to stock up!
Accept Hand Me Downs
One of the best feelings in the world for me is when I get a box of hand me downs. It’s like Christmas for an adult. I get to go through the clothes and check out items that I know are going to get good use. There are few things in this world better than getting hand me downs.
When someone offers you their used stroller, pack and play, bouncer, swing, etc. – you take it! Just make sure there are no recalls on it before you put it to use!
Make Your Own
There are tons of baby items you can make yourself! Everything from baby lotion to baby food, I can make all on my own. Most of the time, making your own baby supplies can save you a ton of money. We made our own baby food pouches, which are great for babies through preschoolers!
While having kids can be expensive, I’ve been able to narrow some things down for us to help save money here and there.
What are some tips that you have for saving money on baby items?
Julie @ Logger's Wife says
Many of the items for my now 3.5 year old were from a second hand store or hand me downs. It really does save so much money! We also made our own baby food and I plan to do the same with our second baby due later this year. The one thing that I wanted to work but didn’t was store brand diapers and wipes. All we have locally is Walmart and a local grocery chain. Neither have very good diapers. I’ve heard great things about the Target brand but we don’t have a Target. We did mostly cloth when at home but did use disposable diapers. I found Luvs worked well for us and weren’t as expensive. Plus, there were often coupons for Luvs so I could get them fairly close to store brand price! (visiting from Monday Madness)
Quinn Caudill says
Pinned! Thanks for sharing with us at #Throwback Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you bring to the party this week.
joy says
BABY SWINGS are Absolutely AMAZING!! Talk about freeing up time whilst listening to my baby enjoying themselves.
Baby Fences says
Great article that covers all of the basics. I especially love the white noise machine, since travel can completely disrupt a little one’s sleep schedule. If you don’t have a white noise machine, there are some apps that do the trick nicely as well. Traveling with a baby can be tricky, but the right gear makes it so much easier. If you are going to be out and about walking with your baby while away, the right baby carrier and/or stroller makes a world of difference too. The roamingmommy site has some helpful product reviews for being on the go with baby.