What are YOUR Price Points for Baby Items?
Check out this email I recently received from reader, Jennifer…
Hi Collin! First, thanks for all you do to help us all save a bundle! Speaking of bundles, my husband and I just found out that we are expecting our first baby in September. 🙂 We are so happy and excited. Shortly after we found out, my husband said “you better start stocking up on baby freebies you know!” He has really come to love my couponing! LOL! I’m wondering if you might ask my fellow Hip2Savers to help me and other first time moms out there. I am totally lost on all things baby. What is a good price point for wipes, diapers, shampoo, lotion, formula etc.? Also, how far in advance can I stock up on certain items without worrying about spoiling? Can I stock up on wipes without worry that they will dry out? I have a million questions and know I can count on my Hip2Save community to help me out with the savings part!
Since all of my kiddos are finally out of diapers (Yippee!!), I am having a hard time coming up with good price points for the mentioned items above. So if you have a baby or toddler, please help Jennifer and other new mommies out by sharing your stock-up prices and any other money-saving tips/advice that you can offer a first-time mom. I would also love for you to suggest must-have baby items (i.e. for me, it was my sling and a Bumbo Baby seat) and baby items that you may feel are totally unnecessary.
And congratulations to Jennifer and all the other expectant Hip2Savers! 😀
The major place that we buy baby clothes from is “Mothers Of Twins” sales. We live in the Cincinnati area and there are 6 different clubs here. Clothes, toys, equipment, even maternity items are always dirt cheap and high quality, gently used. Our daycare thought that we spent a fortune on clothes until I told them that I bought the entire seasons wardrobe for three children for less than $200. These sales are usually twice a year, in the spring and fall.
As far as diapers go I never spend more than 11 cents for a diaper and an acceptable price to me for wipes is $5 a case. On the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) Babies R Us usually has their brand diapers on sale $10 a case and a case of wipes for $5. In our area very few people shop at Babies R Us on Black Friday morning so it is a quick in and out that morning.
18 cases of wipes lasted us a year and a half the first time we bought them. I did lose one of the cases and when I found it at Christmas time this past year the case was over two years old and was as wet and usable as if I had just run out to the store to buy them.
I never pay more than $4 for diapers…$2.50 is my stock-up price. You might want to wait til after the baby is born to buy too many of one brand. Pampers and Luvs worked best for my boys but Huggies were best for my girls. It might take a little trial and error to find what is best for your child. As for wipes, I shoot for .50 to .75 a tub. I have stored them for 2-3 years and they don’t dry out as long as the package is not opened. Lotion, shampoo, body wash are never more than $1 each. I pretty much only buy my kids clothes on clearance and it ends up being about the same as thrift store prices (sometimes even less!). I buy clothes and shoes in larger sizes and save them for the kids to grow into.
My “can’t live without it” item is a baby swing. All my babies slept wonderfully in it even when I couldn’t get them to nap anywhere else. I wouldn’t waste money on a bedding set. None of my 5 babies spent much time in the nursery. It was mostly for the adults to look at 🙂
The “can’t live without it” ideas are great, but don’t go crazy trying to follow suggestions. Most people swear by their baby swing, but my nephew hates it, and he sleeps in his crib all the time. Sometimes it just depends on the baby and also where and how you choose to put them to sleep.
My son HATED his swing, so we didn’t get one for our second.
Yes, it definitely depends on the baby!
Hollie, we could be the same person. We ended up using our REALLY expensive crib as a drying rack 🙂 That being said, I do know people whose babies actually slept in theirs. We LOVED our cradle swing. It rocks both directions. Our first was a 32 week preemie (he’s 7 now–and perfect–no worries), so we needed anything that would elevate him a little bit to keep his reflux down. We also loved our slings (and backpacks as they get older.) I would suggest borrowing a sling from someone and trying it out for a few days before investing in one. My babies didn’t like the Bjorn, but loved the Hotsling.
Good luck new mommies!
I am a mom of 2 in diapers, my first daughter is 2 and 3 months, and my second daughter is almost 4 months. One of the biggest things that I have learned is STOCK UP. Use however many coupons you have. When the big packs of Huggies went on clearance at CVS last year, I had all my family members printing coupons for me. I have a HUGE stock of diapers that I started when I was about 5 months pregnant. I started buying 1’s and then moved to 2’s, 3’s, 4’s. All while continuing to buy my daughters size 5’s. I always take avantage of the SCR, Up, ECB, RR deals. And when Amazon had their smoking deal on diapers, I cleaned out. Also, do not throw away the codes. They are like $$ Huggies when you get enough points you can get coupons for free wipes, refills, diapers, pull ups. Pampers for 150 points you can get a $3 promotional code for diapers.com that YOU CAN use with other codes, I saved all my points and got a box of baby-dry’s for around $2.
Wipes, wait for a hot deal such as the CVS mess up, the BRU mess up, etc and get as many as you can. In the mean time look for the cheap packs that come on sale and buy one here and there. By the time your little one comes, you’ll be set.
If you follow this blog, and read comments where ppl have suggestions, you will see that different things cycle and just when you are down to the last pack of wipes, BAMN, you see a HOT deal on H2S.
Also, sign up for ALL the newsletters. Even the formula ones if you plan on BF, they send you samples, coupons etc that you MAY have to use, or you can give to another mom. Good luck!
one tip….sign up for the Pampers Gifts to Grow program now! With promo codes alone I was able to buy some freebies before I ever bought a diaper or wipe. I also signed up my husband to double those deals.
As far as prices for diapers and wipes, it varies. We have to spend more for the Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive (we have a 4 month old) because of skin sensitivities. However, we buy from Amazon. With the Amazon mom program, you get 15% off, plus another 15% off if you use their subscribe and save….30% off all orders. Then, Parents magazine will occassionally put in a 20% diapers at amazon coupon, so you get them for 50% off. But, I wouldn’t recommended joining until your baby is here, because you can qualify for free shipping, but it maxes out at a year. So, you won’t be buying as many diapers now as you will when he/she arrives.
Congrats!!
One of the things that is totally unnecessary in my opinion is wipe warmers. It’s a nice idea, but it dries the wipes out really fast, and you end up throwing them away! I never used the bumbo seat, it just seemed like I didn’t need it. Totally gotta have stuff is a good swing and an emergency diaper bag you keep in each car (spare diapers, wipes, bottle/formula/food, clothes, burp cloths, binky, etc..) Diapers = I buy at costco, really big box for $45 (about 250 diapers for size 3 I think. Don’t stock up on more than one really big costco size box of diapers in each size, because they grow so fast! Both of my sons only used one box of newborn, size 1 and size 2. Then he stayed on size 3 & 4 for a while. Just shop the clearance back end caps (at Target, etc..) and watch out for exp. dates. They start eating solid food (baby food) around 4-6 onths, so as long as it doesn’t expire before then, then you’re good! Also, check out freecycle.com and craigslist.com for great deals.
Also, sign up for Upromise, its pennies now but imagine what it can be in 18 years!
Oh thank you so much to all of you! I look forward to reading the rest of the replies! I am taking good notes on all your suggestions! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Congratulations, Jennifer! And congratulations to all the new mommies!
Love this post! I am expecting in early August and have been wondering the same thing.
Breastfeed, cloth diapers (with good prefolds and covers such as thirsties duos), make your own baby food, and find out about local consignment stores. I got so many AWESOME, barely used, name brand, whole outfits for $10 or less…..I mean shoes, socks, headband, jumper, and shirt from like Gymboree and Janie and Jack. Cloth diapering is a little bit of an up from investment, but you will save so much money in the long run AND you can use them for future kiddos!
I am with Kyla on the breastfeeding and cloth diapering!!! Great for the enviroment, baby and wallet! It has been a huge money saver for our family. We have an 8 month old daughter and look forward to saving on diapers with baby number 2. However, if you choose to do formula i would highly recommend signing up Similac’s Gold Membership. I did this for my SIL and always get coupons or checks for $5-10. Last week I got a coupon for $25!! it was a whole tub of formula FREE! The $5 coupons can be paired up with CVS or Rite Aid sales for free or next to free when you purchase the liquid-ready to use formula. I gave my SIL about 8 jugs of formula over the holiday that OOP was only about $4.
Keep in mind that it’s good to cleanse your washer after you wash the dipes. Our laundromat required that you ran a second (empty) load of bleach water after you ran a load of anything extra yucky like diapers or cloth feminine pads. That’s one reason that cloth diaper didn’t work for us–we never had enough quarters–although we did try it out. Now that we have our own washer, I’m thinking of trying it again. And we sometimes use a cloth diaper inside of a regular one for extra protection overnight.
Ditto all this! We do some disposables, but use mostly cloth and the money saved is well worth the initial investment. I also nursed exclusively, never paid for expensive formula! Super Baby Food is a great book to check into to make yourown baby food. Super easy! And no need to buy tiny bottles of “baby food”.
I have three grandbabies, a two year old boy, 7 month old girl and a 2 1/2 month old girl so we go through tons of diapers! I can usually buy diapers for under $4.00 and wipes around $1 a tub. We are lucky enough to live close to a Goodwill Clearance center where you buy items for $1.19 per pound. We buy tons of nice baby clothes and shoes for very little money. We also look for clearance clothing at the end of seasons. I also belong to Myfreecycle.org where we can give away and received usable items that are no longer needed. This has been handy as well for those items that babies grow out of fairly quickly like Bumbo seats, walkers etc.
We order diapers and wipes from amazon mom and set it to repeat purchase in order to take advantage of a greater discount. If you choose to buy instore, join the mailing lists to receive regular coupons.
You will/can receive certain items in the hospital when you deliver.
-aspirators (these are the best anyways)
-diapers (yep they sent me home with a bundle of diapers, if pampers or huggies save the packages that you use in the hospital to use the codes for their rewards programs.)
-diaper bag (this is usually included in a beginners formula pack either upon request or if you search formula websites for coupons to use in the hospital)
-If you bottle feed (formula and 2 oz bottles w/nipples (they may tell you to use them once, but we kept all we could to bring home)
-pacifiers
-knit hats
The only thing for bathing purposes we use is baby wash, diaper cream and lotion. You can make your own wipes with paper towels and your own mix of baby oil, baby wash, water, whatever else you like.
I would recommend purchasing your carseat brand new. Our research showed that they are only built to withstand one crash, and you would never know if the protective piece is broken unless you take it completely apart. (just our findings).
We had burp cloths, but honestly old hand towels are much more absorbant.
If you are stocking up on baby food, just pay attention to the exp date.
You can purchase baby hangers, but we found that we received enough from clothes given at showers.
We couldn’t keep socks on our newborns. So didn’t even use the ones that were purchased.
Dreft is great for sensitive skin, but we have since switched to a regular detergent with no color or scents. Much cheaper!
Hope this helps!
Congrats.
I always buy my diapers through Amazon. You can subscribe and save and save 15% that way and join Amazon mom for an additional 15% off plus free 2 day shipping. Also Parenting magazine is always putting out coupon codes for 20% off and I use swagbucks to get Amazon giftcards. One time I got my diapers as cheap as 7 dollars shipped for a box of 140 size 4 diapers through combining all those things above. Wipes just depend i’m never as good at getting deals on them as I am diapers. lol. I definitely agree about the baby swing from an earlier post. That was the best thing in the world when my daughter was first born. She’d go right to sleep when I put her in there and you save you arms a bit too from not having to hold them as much. Congrats on your first child, they truly are a miracle!
Anyone who really wants to save on diapers (or anything else) should start using swagbucks! I pay for almost all of my diapers with amazon gift cards that i earned from swagbucks. It’s easy to sign up and you earn swagbucks pretty quickly. It also helps pay for christmas gifts. You can check it out at https://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Kristin19855
Definitely get stocked up now! Diapers, wipes, bibs for when your baby is teething, it saves outfits. You will already have a ton of laundry to do. Also grab a package of cloth diapers and wash them about 3-4 times. They become softer and more absorbant with each wash. You can use these for burb cloths. I wouldn’t buy any formula yet because the one you stock up on will be the one your baby cannot tolerate.
I have a 3 month old, 3 year old and an almost 6 year old… The bumbo has been amazing! I wish that I had one for the other two but it wasn’t invented yet! https://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-402-Baby-Seat-Blue/dp/B0007ORN7M We got it for Christmas and our 3 month old loves to sit up in it. It positions the baby perfectly supporting him/her in a sitting up position. I put him in there when I am cooking, cleaning, you name it. He loves it! They also come with a tray which I will be purchasing very soon as he likes to pick up and drop toys. https://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-Seat-Play-Tray-Ivory/dp/B000NAOH1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1295306726&sr=1-1
If you plan on breast feeding, the boppy is amazing as well. It keeps the baby at a perfect height. Even if you are not breast feeding the boppy can be used to prop your baby up when he/she is holding their bottle. My daughter used hers for a pillow until she was almost two.
I recommend Pampers swaddlers when your baby is a newborn. They have a great stretch to them and are a perfect fit for the newborn babies. I’ve used them with all three. CVS had a deal over the summer that when you purchased a jumbo pox of newborn swaddlers you got $10 ECBs, there was a limit of 2 but I turned around and used the $20 ECB’s on another jumbo pack of 92 diapers. So be on the look out for that deal soon. Babies-r-us will run a similar deal as well. Plus they are so absorbant and keep the baby dry you don’t have to change as often. Count on 8 times a day for a newborn whereas other brands, 12 to 14. Believe me, I tried to save $$ on diapers! I find the Pampers swaddlers to be the best fit and I just love that Pampers smell. Now that he is older, the Target brand is the best generic brand I have found. Stay away from Luv’s. You can get them cheap, but Target is the best generic. Also Target unscented wipes are amazing too if you can’t get a coupon for anything else and need to get generic. I actually prefer them. I also use them sometimes to remove my make-up at night and I’m always using them on my other kids faces. They are super gente. I do like Pampers wipes as well but they are much smaller. I do not like material of Huggies wipes but you can usually get them fairly cheaply with coupons and drugstore dollars.
Okay! I hope this helps and enjoy your pregnancy!
I would not stock up too much on diapers because you never know which ones will fit your baby best. Get a few Newborns and size 1s for the first few weeks and then try different ones out. The free samples of diapers that Collin posts sometimes help with that. My daughter was a little chunky monkey when she was little and somehow the diapers that fit her best were the Target Up and Up ones. She needed the elastic waist (which Pampers doesn’t have) or the poo would go up her back and ones that weren’t too thick (like Huggies) so they would fit between her chunky legs. This is the same reason I wouldn’t buy clothes too far in advance. My son always wore the same size as his age. My daughter was always a size ahead. She was wearing 18 month clothes at 9 months. But since she started walking, she slimmed down a lot and has been wearing the same 18 month size for almost 9 months. My big way to save money is consignment sales. I love them! They have a ton where I live (DFW) and you can get almost everything you need a lot cheaper. Most of them have a new mom shopping day where you get in earlier than the general public. Also, as you figure out what stuff you do and don’t like, you can sell it yourself and make money to buy clothes for the next season. My must haves are the My Brest Friend pillow, pacifiers (my kids never had a problem latching on and were using them on day 1), Baby Bjorn (didn’t use it with my son at all, but used it a lot with my daughter), burp rags (use the Gerber cloth diapers), OxiClean (about the only thing I can use to get some of the stains out, just be careful not to let it dry or it affects the color and snaps on some clothes), Graco stroller (a lot of people think they’re clunky, but mine is almost 4 years old and still going strong), and my Clean Shopper shopping cart cover. I could go on, but I think I’ve said enough. 🙂
jumo dipes:$5 or less (use rewards, coupons, combine mani coups with instore specials, shop clearance, sign up for amazon mom, get cvs bucks and roll those!)
toiletries: $1-$2 (this incl diaper rash cream, powder, shampoo, body wash, baby oil, combs/brush, toothbrush, )
clothes : $4 or less per piece for BRAND NEW items, this is super easy to do when u shop outlets or sales and clearances, carters, childrens place, old navy, target, walmart…my daughter has an ENTIRE seasons worth of clothes that ave $2.5 a piece!! i dont go to consignments for clothes, because i find them more pricey than my price point!
high priced necessities, like strollers ($100max can buy u peg perego or maclarens), highchairs ($45 max), take along swings ($45), etc… start looking for amazon reviews and see what suits ur needs…try albeebaby.com, nobetterdeals.com, babycheapskate.com (become fb fans to all these places also!) you can buy these on craigslist, but if u can get them new, i recommend it esp if u plan on having more than 1 child. combine sales with extra 20% off coupons at bru, and pricematch to get even better deals!)
some other notes~ make ur own baby food is simple as boiling or steaming veggies and water and blending and freezing in ice cube trays! or rice and chicken and blendind and freezing, pasta n sauce, beans, etc! eaassy! or if you want to buy jars, ‘d say .25 each.
clothdiapers are fun and fashionable, and sometimes an addiction– go to diaperswappers.com for great advice.
invest in a babycarrier (abc carrier, ergo, boba, babyhawk are all great!)
AND LASTLY, DO NOT BUY BLANKETS! I GOT LIKE A MILLION FROM EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHERS! LOL
Lots of good advice here. One thing that I did not see is to TRADE coupons. Sign up for a coupon website that has a trading forum. Check the baby/kid trading forums often. There you can trade coupons you already have and don’t need to get MORE baby product coupons…that way when a sale comes you can really stock up using the additional coupons. You can always find coupons in those forums for formula, diapers, wipes etc. When I was pregnant, I traded to get lots of those $2 pamper wipes coupons last summer that made wipes free…so I stocked up big time thanks to my trades!
And of course..#1 tip…Follow Hip2save…she lists the baby deals at drugstores etc when they come up!!!!! She has saved me sooooo much money with my baby!
Just curious as to where you find these websites? I get TONS of Enfamil rebate checks & coupons & use Similac. Same with Huggies diapers.
try swapmamas.com! they swap coupons like crazy on there!
totallytarget.com has a very good trading section in their forum!!!! i really wish Collin would have one!
I love this post! I am also a new mom going on 21 weeks! I just love some of the tips on here! One thing I can suggest to my fellow first time mommys is your local pregnancy support center. When I was first pregnant it took me so long to get my insurance set up so my pregnancy support center did a free ultrasound for me at 8 weeks to assure me that my baby was healthy and had a heartbeat. They also set me up with a earn as you learn program. You watch informational videos (which are extremely helpful) and you earn credits each visit! Normally you earn $3-6 “baby bucks” per visit and the baby clothes in their store only take $.25 of your baby bucks so honestly taking the 10minutes to watch an extremely helpful video and earn 24 free outfits for it.. I’d say it’s totally worth it 🙂 They also have formula, baby food, wipes, diapers, strollers, high chairs pretty much everything. Even the strollers only took $1-2 baby bucks I think so it is totally worth it!!
Wow, where is this program?
I think these are usually volunteer pregnancy help centers so honestly its meant for those in true need. As nice as it’d be i would hope nobody takes advantage of these who isnt truly in need. I have a friend that runs a center and thats where i like to donate any of my baby items too for a mother in a crisis or unplanned pregnancy.
I’m not taking advantage of anybody! I went there to get the ultrasound (because I couldn’t get one until 20 weeks) and they pretty much talked me into doing the program even though they know I am married and have a steady income. They are just out to help people through their pregnancy. It does not matter what your income or situation is.
My little man is now 4 months old & BOY did I OVER SHOP before I had him. I stock piled Huggies diapers in all sizes N – 3 & to be honest with you – HATE THEM. My son & Huggies just do not get along. I ended up using Pampers Swaddlers & they keep him happy and dry. Quite a few of my friends have told me that their girls did well in Huggies & boys in Pampers. Just something to think about. Amazon has been a GOD send for buying Pampers! I pay about $10-$20 for a case of 150+ (depending on what size they are in) diapers. Sign up for as many free Parents magazine subscriptions that you can (I think that there’s a link on Similac.com after you sign up). Go to all the baby brand websites (Gerber, Pampers, Similac, Enfamil, etc…) and sign up for their freebies. I tried to BF my son but unfortunately I had to have surgery before he was born & then again after & my milk just never really came in (we tried medicines, you name it) so we ended up on formula & man between the coupons online for Similac & getting their rebate checks I have been getting the liquid formula for about $.50 – $.84 a bottle! SOOOOOOOO worth stocking up! Use mycouponhunter.com to stock pile on coupons like that when they come out! Also take advantage of consignment stores – and watch clearances that are going on right now! I have gotten 2 pairs of shorts, 4 shirts, and 2 sleepers from Macy’s & Children’s Place for under $25 this week (just do NOT buy too far ahead!!!)
Biggest waist that’s in his nursery now is his Moby (I’m a big chested woman & just can’t get a comforable wrap with him but again some swear by it!) and his Boppy (but only b/c I couldn’t breastfeed). BTW – if you end up formula feeding your baby or will be a pumping mommy – Dr. Brown’s bottles are AWESOME! They require a lot of attention when cleaning them, but worth every penny & so is the Dr. Brown’s bottle warmer. I would be LOST without it – warms up 7oz of formula straight from the fridge in 5 minutes.
As suggested above, I use the Amazon Mom plus Subscribe & Save and the promotion codes from Parents Magazine to get really cheap Pampers on Amazon plus free shipping. You can often get Parents Magazine subscription either free or really cheap. Just look for one of Collin’s posts. Then I get points on Swagbucks and Checkpoints and save up to get Amazon gift cards. Right now, I think I have $20 on Amazon just from Swagbucks and Checkpoints. I get cases of Sam’s store brand wipes. They’re great and my baby doesn’t have a reaction to them like she does Huggies wipes.
Just wanna say if you do stock up on one type of diaper couldn’t you always take it back if that brand doesn’t work for your baby? and swap for the brand that does? With my last baby 🙁 (she’s 4 now) I breast fed as long as possible and used cloth diapers and wipes. I would recommend that over anything. However, not all are up for it. But since I am new at couponing I don’t have any idea about the other. I just paid 6.99 a pack for pull ups for my daughter and I thought I was getting a great deal, that was without coupons.
we’ve returned diapers at walmart–we received too many newborns and size 1’s from my husband’s work as a gift and walmart took them back no problem.
Cloth diapers will save you a tonne and are better for the environment, you can get one-size ones that will do from about 10 lbs through to potty training 😀
Formula is terribly expensive, breastfeeding is better for everyone involved and if you are struggling, spending a little money on a private lactation consultant for additional help will still be worth it over spending money continuously on formula!
Clothes can be purchased second hand easily, through online forums if you choose, or local second hand sales or Kijiji/Craigslist. Same goes for furniture and just about everything else!
Making your own baby food is healthier for baby than pre-packaged stuff when you get to the point, plus costs very little, cooking a few extra carrots for baby is barely seen in the budget 😀 I think people have it in their heads that babies have to cost a tonne and they don’t!
CONGRATS!
My 2 cents… make your own baby food. I know it might sound like a lot of work, but it couldn’t be easier and you will save a TON of money. Steam fruits and veggies and throw them in a food processor, then pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Lots of recipes out there on the internet if you want to mix it up.
Oh, and my can’t live without item was the Miracle Blanket (swaddler) — the velcro ones we got at the baby shower didn’t last as my baby muscled his way out of it. My little guy slept in a Miracle Blanket until he was 6 months old. We quickly learned it was the best way to get him to sleep soundly.
As far as diapers, I would say 4-6 dollars is the MOST I’d ever pay for a pack. $2 is a price I’d stock up at. (Oh! And if you need diapers and can’t find a good coupon deal, try Aldi’s diapers… we love them! And they are 5.99 a pack…not too bad!)
And join all the perks programs for the different diapers. I won a couple gas cards and a credit towards household bills playing the Huggies Enjoy The Ride instant games.
$1 or under is a good price for baby-related toiletries…
And as far as feeding, PLEASE give breastfeeding a chance! It is such a wonderful experience (if you can stick-it-out through the often-frustrating first week), it’s the best for baby and it’s FREE!!!!
If breastfeeding isn’t an option for some reason, I have heard that hospitals and doctor’s offices will give you free formula if you ask!
GOOD LUCK! 🙂
ETA: I second Amy about making your own baby-food… cheap, easy and fun 🙂
My stock up price for diapers is less than 10 cents per diaper. I usually buy at Rite Aid, but also have been buying from amazon.com. I always try to combine moneymaking deals to make the diapers less or do transactions where everything is free up to $20 except the diapers so that my $4/$20 coupon can go toward the diapers. My stock up price for wipes is less than 2 cents per wipe. I would get about 3-4 jumbo packs of newborn size diapers and maybe about 5-6 jumbo packs of size one, and about 5-6 jumbo packs of size 2. If you tape your receipt to the packages you can always trade them at the store if you need to go to the next size. My Rite Aid always does this for me, no questions. I agree with everyone else that the swing is a must, as well as a pack-n-play. Check out http://www.beautifulfrugallife.blogspot.com also, she has a mission to find the best diaper deals each week!
Well, I would say this first…it’s YOUR choice to breastfeed! Yes, it’s great for your child but with my first son I tried to breastfeed and my milk never came in and I felt like a horrible mom!! Also, I was banking on the fast that I would breastfeed! THEN my mom was allergic to the powder so we had to switch him to ready made soy!!! That stuff even with coupons is expensive!! Plus he is allergic to Huggies and most of the other diapers out there except Pampers!!! THEN my son grew so fast tall wise he was never in the right size! He was in newborn for a week and by 3 months he was in 6 to 9 month close and now he’s 2 and in 4t!!! My daughter was the complete opposite! I breastfeed her until 6 months…I lost my milk 🙁 BUT she hasn’t been allergic to anything so far! *Knock on wood* So, my advice I’d say have a back up! Diapers it’s just gotta be your choice whether you chose disposable or cloth! Both are great but your choice! Also, clothes I agree with people about yard sales and thrift stores BUT you really have to know your prices because I just went to Target and got awhole bunch of clothes for 1.00 or less on each item! For instance Goodwill every baby item up to 24 months is 1.99 so anything under 1.99 thats brand new I get if I need it!! You really got to do some research on everything!! I write down prices that each store and online has for normal prices then I check those prices when things go on sale to see if it’s a good deal or not! 🙂 Just something to think about! 🙂 Good luck and congrats!!
Everyone has given you plenty of price advice so I will stick to must haves! Huggies Overnites – not a must when they are tiny but once they start urinating a fair amount (post juice consumption) – you will need them and they are the best IMO. Amazon seems to have the best deals – wait for an Amazon Mom (make sure you sign up for this now), Subscribe & Save and coupon code deal! They are pricier than reg diapers but you only use them overnight.
I second this. My son can do pampers or huggies but overnight huggies are the best!
I just had my first baby in September! I used deals on this site combined with the TONS of coupons I was able to score from all the leading diaper and formula companies to really build up a stockpile of things for our baby. In fact, my daughter was born on September 23rd and I only went back out to the store for diapers for the first time two weeks ago!
One place that is fantastic to score deals is Target. If you sign up for their baby registry make sure they give you your goodie bag FULL of freebies and coupons. I combined their TARGET coupons with manufacturer coupons as well as the Buy 2 boxes get a $5 gift card deals many times to get incredibly cheap diapers. I was able to double coupons like that for wipe deals, too.
I also trade coupons with the online community of mommies who were due around the same time as me. I get coupons for all kinds of brands of formula and trade for the ones I need.
We got lots of stuff second-hand at garage sales, consignment stores, etc. We plan to make our own baby food, as well. It’s much easier than you’d think. The biggest savings can be made if you choose to breastfeed. That in itself is a total money-saver!
Sometimes you can purchase Udder Covers (nursing covers) with a free promo code, just pay shipping. We also received a goody bag of samples from the first dr appt.
Uh, I don’t have kids so does anyone want a 20% off diapers code from Amazon?
Edit: Taken!
Money saving advice when you have a kid is BREASTFEED. It’s hard and it’s time consuming, but after a few months it’s easier than bottle feeding (I could feed my son in less time than my bottle feeding friend could, especially if you count cleaning bottles!) Also, make your own baby food. As a single mother working and going to school I didn’t have time to really prepare, so I bought a food grinder ($6 or so) and would put whatever I had for dinner into it and feed my son. Also cloth diapering will save you tons of money. Big start up cost but saves so much in the end! Lastly, make a friend who has a child a year or so older than yours and pray for hand me downs!!!
I agree about breastfeeding and making your own baby food! Breastfeeding is a little hard at first, but after you get the hang of it, it’s so much faster than bottles and cleaning the bottles. All you have to do is throw a nursing cover in your diaper bag and your out the door. You can even go to the fitting rooms at the mall to feed if you dont want to do it in public (I have never fed my daughter in public and would never).
As far as making your own baby food… it’s so simple that when you do it you will ask yourself why people even buy the jars. I made some last week and I couldnt stop eating it. It was so yummy!!! You can freeze the babyfood in ice cube trays and once they are frozen you put them in zip lock bags. It’s easy and SUPER CHEAP!!!
As for formula I have always used the walmart “Parents Choice” brand with my last two boys. They make differnt brands that mimic Enfamil, Similac, Soy, Sensitive, ect. Our health Insurance has changed repeatedly in the last 3 years, so our children have had several pediatricans and all of them have told us that Parents Choice is just as good as the name brands. The cost of Parents Choice is 1/2 the cost of the name brand. I have never found sales and coupon match ups to beat the price of that. Also I’d wait before purchasing a breat pump if nursing. I know that with my 2 of the 3 of my children my health insurance covered the cost of a manual “Medula” breast pump from the hospital. Unless you are going back to work and are trying to pump alot and are going to be pumping at work a manua Medula pump worked just as good as some of the cheaper electric pumps. Sometimes hospitals will let you barrow or rent the hospital grade breast pump. My son was in the NICU for the first 3 weeks and I was not able to breast feed him. I was able to use the hopstital grade pump during that time to keep up the milk supply and it was so nice. It was like a milking machine. That might be something you want to look into if you are going to be needing to do pump alot.
I have a Fisher Price Deluxe Jumparoo and that has been the only gadget(bouncy seats, swings, ect.) my children have used. I also do daycare and all the baby’s I have ever watched love it.
Babies R Us formula is the cheapest I have ever found. First they often have dented cans on “clearance” for 9.98 on the end caps. 2ndly, there are bigger cans that cost the same that have coupons inside the lids for $5 off a little can. The trick I learned just the other day is that coupon take $5 off ALL the little cans you buy in a transaction. I got 7 clearance cans for less than $35 dollars the other day and they counted towards my r us card where if you buy 9 you get the 10th can free!
I just purchased a case (204 diapers) of sz 3 pampers on amazon for $19.00, regularly $41.00. It came out just over .09c per diaper. You CANfind them cheap! My daughter is 3 months old, and I am JUST NOW learning how to get the best deals on necessities. I used the $1.50 online coupon, did amazon mom auto ship (saved 30%) and then had the 20% off diapers magazine coupon. Also, be on the lookout for Target clearance, great deals on baby items there! I stocked up on thermal sleepers sz 6 mo – 18 mo today, @ just $1.68 each, usually $6.99! Just like a lot of the ladies said, buying larger sizes when you find great prices is the key. You definitely don’t want to get to a size and have to buy full price because you didn’t buy low when you could. Congratulations and good luck! Having a sweet baby is the best thing in the world, they become your heart! 🙂
I have an 8 month old, and he’s my first.
I recommend stocking up ahead of time on diapers when you find great deals; I did, and saved a ton. Plus we also invested in cloth diapers–we use g diapers. They are an upfront investment, but I believe we have saved quite a bit of cash and landfill space using these when we are at home. Plus, they seem to be helpful in avoiding diaper rash.
For clothes, it is extremely helpful to find someone for hand-me-downs! Babies this age grow so fast, they are in clothes for only a short time, so nothing you’ll get is too worn out. Also hit up garage sales, or better yet, community rummage sales.
The best secret I have discovered for removing baby poopy stains is very very cheap–Fels Naptha soap. It is sold at my grocery store down the same aisle as the laundry detergent, and is $1.39 a bar, and I have only used a fraction of my bar, and have used it a TON for several months, and never had a stain not come out!
I started out breastfeeding, but still signed up for the Enfamil, Similac, and Gerber formula programs. Good thing I did, because after about 5 months, I could no longer breastfeed. So now we’re on Enfamil, and I am glad to have the (few) checks they mail me every now and again. (If anyone has any Enfamil checks they don’t need, please let me know! 🙂
I have stocked up on both wipes and diapers and they have lasted for years without going bad/drying out. For wipes, I try to keep my stock up price at $.01/wipe. When I can get it this low, I stock up! I refuse to pay more than $.02/wipe. For diapers, your per diaper price is going to be different for each size because the smaller size diapers have more in them. If buying the jumbo packs, I try to keep it around $4.00 for name brands. It may be hard to get it that low, depending on which stores you are near. Amazon Mom has proven to have some great deals. Use it with the Subscribe & Save and the 20% Amazon diaper coupon in recent magazines and you can often times get the diapers much cheaper than at your local store. If you aren’t against store brands, you can get them lots cheaper and don’t have to worry about shopping sales and using coupons. I use store brands during the day and name brands at night. In regards to formula, sign up for ALL the formula programs. Then, take the checks that you receive from the other brands you don’t use and trade it for the ones that you do. You will notice the older your child gets, the less checks you will receive. At about 6 months, I signed my mom and a few friends up and they started receiving the higher value checks, which helped a lot!
Which infant toy did I like best? The Jumperoo. Both of my kids LOVED it! Well worth the money (and great resell value too)!
Breastfeeding and cloth diapers and wipes save me a ton of money. And you can feel great about both of them knowing it is the best for your baby!!
Hi from a mom of four, and congrats!!! I believe formula expires, so I wouldn’t stock up too much. I’ve never had a problem with wipes drying out, but I’m a wipe snob and love the kirkland wipes from costco. My friend has one in diapers, and she gets her diapers for free all of the time. My two cousins just had babies and i ordered them 45 dollar cases off of amazon for 4-8 dollars a case with coupons and deals. So I’d say free to 80% off retail for diapers.
Please don’t scrimp on a car seat, do not purchase a used car seat. Even if a car seat has been in a 10mph crash it’s safety can be compromised. The one item I absolutely couldn’t live without for my youngest was the Fisher Price Jumperoo…she loved it so much and let me tell you she is now six and has some amazingly strong legs! I don’t think breastfeeding is hard at all, in fact I think it’s easier due to no nasty bottles. However, that should be your choice, and if you’re a working mom, way harder, though not impossible. I’m all for our environment, but unfortunately I really love disposable diapers, and huggies supreme were my favorite for all kids! You can never have enough onesies, burp rags, receiving blankets! SIgh, I need me a baby
I purchased a used Jumperoo and Exersaucer for $40 (that’s for BOTH!) and they were invaluable!
Well I am a mom of a 5 month old and a 19 month old and both are in diapers and I managed to diaper them, get Johnson and Johnson, Meds, for free. I took advantage of the Rite Aid promotion last year on their trial size Tugaboos that were $.99 a pack and inside was a $1 coupon making your diapers free. I bought all of them in my surrounding area (I have 36 Rite Aids in my area) and some were even nice enough to reorder some for me. I did this over a 7 month period. I used my up rewards to buy meds (when they were in sale and with a coupon) and also bought sippy cups, spoons, wipes (got a good deal of wipes from the Medco $10 off $10 deal from last year). I have so many diapers I will have excess left over and paid on $12(all tax). I am working on Pullups and have 7 packs inbetween both kids so by the time they do get to that point I have a nice stockpile so I am waiting for another stockpile price. I have enough J&J products for next 5 years, I buy toys and clothes from babylegs, Kohls, and other places that have deep discounts. I even have that $200 diaper bag that I paid $30 for a few months ago. I manage to do EVERYTHING with $30 a week. I do think about the future so I am working on learning systems and reading materials too when they come along. I hope this helps!
And I breastfeed….its is hard at first even when you have more kids but DON”T GIVE UP! Breastfeeding a partnership so it is new for you and the baby and it may take the baby time or you time but don’t give up. My daughter was biting me for two weeks until she figured what she was suppose to do.
Totally breast feed if you can, you will save a ton! Also make as much of your own baby food as you can! I would make a big batch of say carrots one day, cook, and puree, then poor into ice cube trays to freeze, once frozen toss the cubes in one ziptop bag and you always have the prefect serving size at hand.
I know it may sound odd, but create a baby registry at every store in your area even if you only add a few things to each, the main goal is to get on there mailing list for in store coupons that you can stack… we saved a tons on diapers the first year with my son! They will also give you sample packs with freebies, I found to be great to keep those it the diaper bag.
For clothes, try to buy for the next year at the end of each season, at penny’s and K-mart! At both places I’ve gotten whole outfits for $2 or less, I got my sons coat for this year for $3 it had a zip out jacket we used in the fall, now its back in since its cold and will be his spring jacket too!
One tip… keep a zip top laundry bag for delicate’s and when you take a pair of socks off, put them in there that way when they come out of the wash, none are missing, those little socks get lost easy.. I had to keep buying them!
I use one of those for bibs too, they keep the Velcro from getting stuck to everything else in the load of laundry.
Must have item is a Fisher Price Cradle Swing for us. Mine died the other day and I have a 3 month old. Craiglist is my friend. I got the same one for 35$. They sell for $160 normally.
Also for diapers. I love Amazon subscribe and save. If I’m couponing I don’t like to pay more than 3.50 a bag for the Jumbo size. Wipes I get from Costco or Sams, but with coupons, I don’t like to spend more that $1-1.50 per container of wipes.
Real Bananas/Avocado/Yams are great for baby food, and way cheaper, but I do stock up if I can get jars/bottles less than .45 cents each. Really for the baby food you can make it way cheaper.
I breastfeed, since my milk is free and way better for baby, but I do stock up on Formula freebies in case I need to supplement as she gets older. Ij just watch expiration dates and donate to a food bank if they get close to expiring.
It’s really hard to say, because every little person (baby) is different! Although we tried to buy quality “got to have things” and also stock up, we ended up changing the brands of bottles due to gas, formula due to tummy troubles, soap and lotion due to eczema, and diapers due to strange whelp-looking rashes! It took a while to get it right. We generally just found that some items did not work for us. Our son didn’t care for the swing, the bebe pod, pacifiers, sleep-sacks, or those little wedge things we put in his bassinet. I won’t even begin to talk about the changes in baby food! I also tried to breastfeed, and thus bought several pumps and paraphernalia, trying to make it work, but none of it paid off. It is wise to try to stock up on things, but don’t invest too much, and have someone in mind that you can give things to if it doesn’t work out. Congratulations and just enjoy it all!
My daughter is almost 7, so I can’t help with price points. However, the one item that was a life-saver was the Fisher Price Cradle Swing. My daughter had very bad acid reflux and couldn’t lay flat. She slept in it for 8 hours straight the first night we got it. It was worth every penny!
She ended up sleeping in it until she was 8 months and then she was able to sleep in the crib with the mattress inclined.
I have suggested that swing to everyone I know that has had a baby and they have all loved it!
Lots of great advice here! I’m having baby #6 on Wednesday and I agree with so many things that have been said here…
My #1 piece of equipment used is a good swing. They make plug-in ones now (Fisher Price) that save a ton of money on D batteries. Oh, and a good quality diaper bag is a necessity. I’d rather pay for one that will withstand months of being carried around everywhere than 2-3 cheap ones that fall apart!
I try to always pay less than $.10 each per diaper and $.02 per wipe. I LOVE Huggies wipes…Pampers are fine for wet diapers but stink (excuse the pun) for poopy clean-up!
I’m not brand-loyal for diapers and with my 5 previous kids, I’ve used whatever I could get on sale and never had a problem. However, having said that…my kids have never had sensitive skin and I have 4 boys, 1 girl so far. So..that’s my experienced opinion on diapers. I already have 10-12 case stockpiled and they include Pampers, Huggies, and Luv’s.
I breastfed all of my children for at least 4-7 months. After that, I usually preferred Enfamil formula (and I don’t remember the stock up price – my youngest is 4), but I also used the Parent’s Choice brand with no problems!
Clothing – get used, or clearance every chance you get! They outgrow clothes SO fast – I think it’s a real waste of money to spend a ton of money on a wardrobe for an infant!
So – there’s my advice. Congrats on the new baby!! They are such a blessing!
I forgot to add that though it is expensive, i will not wash my kids clothes in anything other than dreft until they are about 4 years old. It smells so delicious, it gets the stains out, even nasty baby food stains, and it’s so wonderful on their sensitive skin! the dreft stain spray works a miracle too!
My son was allergic to the additives that are in Dreft, and his allergist had us use All Baby because it is actually milder (and cheaper!).
I won’t be much help with the prices since my baby will be 18 in February but I would suggest getting a play activity blanket. There are different ones but they all have things to stimulate the baby as far as small motor skills and sight. I would also be careful on how much you stock up on diapers because it depends on how big the baby is when its born, babies sometimes skip diapers sizes. Good luck, enjoy your pregnancy, congratulations!
I’ve always liked the idea of stocking up in advance on diapers, but once I had my son I found that it wasn’t always the most practical thing. Some brands worked great, but it sometimes felt like every time he gained a pound my favorite brand suddenly wouldn’t work anymore and I’d have to switch for a few weeks. And then there were brands that wouldn’t work at all. It was so frustrating spending money on diapers that I couldn’t use. I found it was also complicated to gauge just how long he would be in a size–somehow they always stopped fitting at least a few pounds before the max listed on the package. So I never stocked up a lot at one time. I would have just wasted a lot of money. As far as price goes, I’ve just barely started on Amazon Mom and I’m wishing I’d had that a couple years ago. Would have saved me loads!!
That subject aside, one thing I did that really helped was blending breastfeeding and formula. I almost exclusively breastfed. It worked well for us. But it’s not always easy to breastfeed everywhere I went (a church meeting–I’d miss most of church; on a long car trip, the store). Pumping never worked well for me and even if it did, half the time I had no way to get a bottle warm. After awhile I just started relying on formula when I needed to go out. It was easy to keep the water warm and easy to mix everything up as needed. At first I’d buy a can of formula powder, but they expire pretty fast after opening them so since I never used them fast I’d waste most of it (spendy!). Then I realized that Enfamil sells formula in little one serving packets.(a box of sixteen); it took me several weeks to go through one box. It was so convenient!
Don’t stock up on too many diapers too far ahead… If you don’t know what brand you like (they are NOT all created equal!!) Also, if the baby is born large, he or she probably won’t be in newborn size very long or at all. A boppy is my favorite must-have, especially if you are nursing.
Congratulations Jennifer! Very exciting to have a new one on the way!
A good price point for diapers is NO more than 4.50 a pack of diapers. Because I have been able to stock up so much in advance my personal price point is $3.50 TOPS! I usually get them on average of $2.50 or a moneymaker w/ sales. The best place to buy these diapers are Walgreens & Rite Aid. Occasionally Target when you bet a gift card back. Oh & Amazon too w/ thre diaper special that Hip2Save had on here. Tip: ALWAYS keep the diaper coupons on you in case you run into a clearance sale- like the grocery store!
Pesonally I love LUVS brand the most, but harder to get a good deal on. I have the best luck w/ getting Huggies brand cheap. Also try the Walgreens brand! I really like them & you can get them cheap on there B1G1 sales & use your RR towards them too. I have no leakage problems withthem! Only their training pants are a little stiffer than the Pull Ups brand though.
Stocking up on diapers in advance (from my personal experiences)- I would only buy:
1 or 2 Size NB (you will be amazed how fast they grow even starting at 6 1/2 Lbs!),
up to 4 pkgs. Size 1,
up to 4-5 pkgs Size 2
Then it seems like they are in Size 3, 4, & 5 for awhile.
Wipes- I was lucky to be able to buy a BUNCH of wipes about 2 years ago & still using them. They were the old Target brand & Pampers. I also have a lot of Huggies tubs. I have not had any problems w/ any of those brands drying out or going bad! If you forget to close a tub lid & they dry out I have used water to remoisten them. So if you see wipes cheap- stock up! My personal price point iwas less than a $1 for a tub/pkg (of around 65-80 wipes). Since I have a great stockpile $1 is too much so I will only buy them if I can get them under 50 cents or less. P.S. Also a friend of mine recently learned that wipes freeze when left in the car in snowy areas. I live in sunny CA so I would have never known. 😉
Tip: sign up for coupons on all the formula & diaper websites. If you are nursing, still get the formula if you can get it free or as close to free as possible. You never know if you might run across a problem w/ nursing & need it. If not, donate it to a friend, shelter, etc when you are done nursing. Just watch the expiration dates.
Hope this helps! Congrats again!
Jaclyn 😉
Mother of 5 boys (12, 4, 3, 1, & 2 1/2 months).
Diapers .09-.16 per diaper depending on size
less than .02 per wipe
clothes and shoes usually $2(or less)-$5 per item. Stock up at clearance sales,
Sign up at Beech nut for some freebies. The doctors office should have free formula or coupons
Garage sales for some items like dresser, changing table, glider. You can paint to match.
Congrats!
We were given a lot of newborn and size one diapers so we didn’t have to buy any of those so I wouldn’t stock up on those. Target diapers have been the cheapest in price but best in quality I’ve found. I’ve found cheaper diapers (in price) but the quality is horrible. I buy the huge boxes of wipes and haven’t had any problems with them drying out. My must haves: Halo sleepsacks and NoseFrida (that thing is amazing!). Congratulations!!