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| Story and picture by Heather Green |
Not only do you have to deal with the initial shock of learning that you’re going to be a mom or dad, but you now have to go bankrupt so you can bring another person in this world. For now, though, take a breath and think on these tips before you decide to rob a bank, er, declare bankruptcy.
First Things First
Before we get started on what you can actively do (or not do) to save yourself some grief, here’s a tip: start planning now. You’ve got about nine months to prepare for the baby so use them wisely.You can argue that everything—the color of the clothes, the pictures on diapers, the toys—depends on the sex of the baby. You won’t figure that out until twenty weeks in, so rushing is inevitable.
Not true. Really, you probably shouldn’t be dressing up your baby to look like a pink marshmallow peep or Superman, anyway, but if you insist, consider this: you may one day have another baby of another sex. Then, what? All the things your firstborn is too big for now is the wrong color or theme than what you want for your new baby. You’ll save money if you remain fairly neutral, namely because less flamboyant items tend to cost less.
The point is to start looking for deals and freebies now so you have plenty of time to consider prices and options as the due date crawls closer.
Essentials and the Not-So-Essentials
But what to buy, what not to buy?—that’s the question. Here is a short list of things your baby needs:· Clothing. No, your baby can’t be naked all the time. Society doesn’t like it and the baby will at some point get cold. We’ll talk more about clothes and how to save money on them later.
· Diapers. Get the cheaper ones without the butterfly wings and bunnies on them. The quality is the same and your baby doesn’t care either way; he or she will tell you so when they reach the cognizant age of thirty. Moreover, if you’re willing to save the planet and your bank account some pain, go for cloth diapers. They’re not as gross as you think and you’ll be saving money after just the first month, never mind the years thereafter if you decide to have more kids.
· Car seat. Never ever put a baby in a car without a car seat. You’ll read about the boons of second-hand items later, but a car seat’s safety properties are so important that you should get it new.
Here’s where things get tricky.
· Do you need a stroller? Not really. A sling gives Mom or Dad better mobility in crowded areas like the mall and costs less, to boot. It keeps your hands free so you can cook, clean, feed the dog, and answer phone calls at no discomfort to either the wearer or the baby. A stroller is handy for jogging moms and dads, but one can argue that steering a stroller on bumpy asphalt with one hand is far more dangerous than taking a power walk with your baby in a sling. His or her added weight will help you build endurance and strength, too. Also, a sling is a lot easier to fit into your car than a stroller.
· Do you need a changing table? Do you really need something else to buy, or another surface area off of which your baby can fall and hurt him- or herself? Why not just lay out a towel and change the baby’s diapers on the floor?
· Do you need formula or can you breastfeed? Daddy can’t, but Mommy sure can if she wants to save a few extra bucks a week.
· Once your baby is old enough, does he or she need to go to daycare? Daycare is good for socializing your baby but it’s also great for catching sniffles and outrageous childcare bills (often $150 to twice as much in a week!). If you as a parent trust someone—your partner, your parents, a good friend—to watch your baby while you work , you’ll be saving yourself some much-needed cash to save up for his or her college tuition. If you’re worried about socialization, find other mommies and daddies and schedule play dates with them when their kids aren’t carrying something contagious.
Let’s get back to clothes, like I promised. As with the diapers, your baby probably won’t care if he or she is dressed well enough to be in a BabyGap catalog, but don’t worry, your baby doesn’t have to look like a hobo, either. Ask your friends, siblings, and other family members if they have any baby things lying around that they no longer need. You’ll be surprised how willing some people will be to part with even sentimental items—including clothes—as long as you promise to use them.
Yard sales, thrift stores, and even eBay are also tried and true avenues of raising your baby on a budget. There’s nothing embarrassing about second-hand items, especially since buying new clothes means that kids not much older than your baby on the other side of the world sewed those clothes with their tiny hands for what amounts to less than a penny an hour. It’s better for everyone and the planet if you go second-hand than not.
If you start looking now—going from store to store to compare prices, asking friends for second-hand items, and networking—you’ll save yourself a lot more than grief.
Heather Green is a freelance writer and the resident blogger for An Apple a Day... blog, a free informational website offering tips and advice on online nursing schools.
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