Hevs posted something that gave me the idea to start a thread for tips on the best ways we can save money when Bod arrives.

I am starting to think cloth nappies are indeed going to turn out to be more hassle than they're worth....

I've already bought all the equipment mostly second hand, and I keep an eye out at garage sales and charity shops for clothes and toys.

I am hoping to breast feed which will obviously save on formula, although will just see how it goes.

So, if anyone has any handy money saving hints would be pleased to hear them :flowers:

Just one final thing, Marco: it's too late to say "dont have one" :lol:

Damn! How did you know that was gonna be my reply?

You are too predictable! :P :lol:

a lot of people who want to give you gifts when Bod is born tend to buy a lot of the newborn clothes that Bod will grow out of before (s)he's had good use. Instead ask for older clothes or nappies - much more useful

Also start to collect up a batch of Sudocrem if you ever see it on sale as it is the only thing that would sort out nappy rash or just dribbly chin rash during teething!

Forget any baby lotions and potions as you will waste your money, A lot of them especially Johnsons you will find will cause a lot of rashes, go for the unscented baby bath, and forget shampoo as the baby bath mix will be enought o wash her head for quite a while.

Start to buy a bag of nappies (in various sizes), panty liners for yourself (the heavy loss sort!), bra pads etc every week in your shopping so you have a batch of them stored up as these will be the things you need a big supply of.

People will ask you what to get you so maybe save the main things like baby monitors, towels, etc for them to buy. Make a list of what you are after and don't think you are being cheeky asking them for it otherwise as ohippy has said you will end up with heaps of the same sized baby grows!

I'll have to think on a few other things I found useful.

I would suggest Bridie that you ask people (if they offer to get you something) baby clothes for a variety of age groups -they grow out of them so quickly) Also I got a lot of lovely baby clothes at car boot sales - all in perfect condition and hardy worn because they grow out of them so quickly! I also didn`t bother with a moses basket - I used to put Hayley in my wicker ironing basket (just put a folded blanket on the bottom and laid it on the floor - great when I was doing housework -again they grow out of the moses baskets quickly) My midwife thought it was a brilliant idea. :wink:

My D.i.L used the no name brand of Sorbeline on Amy's bum, and she never got nappy rash. If ever it was a little bit red, first thing in the morning mainly, by the next nappy change it was back to normal.

It's far cheaper (buy the big dispenser with nozzle) than any other bum cream you could buy, and will keep your hands soft too. Every supermarket has their own generic brand.

Pelican

Maybe you might like to collect gift tokens instead of actual gifts. If you get them for the same store, you could then buy whatever you need/like when you are ready, and nothing will be wasted. Just a thought :whistle:

Pelican

i would say that terry nappies are fantastic - and they arent too much trouble at all .... i used them with the twins!!

i used soemthing similar to this ...

http://www.uk250.co.uk/frame/2962/babyworld-ltd.html

-go down to the product test bit and click on the tot bots bamboozle nappy

but it was a plastic outer designed the same as the fabric one in that pic, and you folded the terry nappy with a liner and put it in the plastic nappy. make sure you use flushable liners or use liners you can chuck the poo down the loo from and bin safely. I t really wasnt much of a hassle, as the washing machine was on daily anyway, id just chuck the poo down the loo, bin the liner, rinse the terry out and bung it in the washing machine - end of the day put the baby clothes in and wash the lot.
you will save a fair bit of money ...

i'll have a look on the net and see if i can find the aus versions. i found the conventional pull up plastic pants far too big, but if you can find those shaped ones you will be smiling :D
I also didnt buy special terry nappies - a bundle of towels chopped up to the right size were more than sufficient!

other than that, i have a cot you can have ... but im in sheffield so i dunno how id get it over to you :D

other ways of saving money? well, when my lot started on pureed food, id do steamed veg, whizz it in the blender and then freeze it in ice cube trays - when they were onto our food, anything left over would be whizzed and frozen for a later date - even home made lasagne/ricepud/meatn2veg :D I also asked relis who lived close by to save me anything left over .... saves a fortune :yes:

teatowels are perfectly good for mopping up sick (instead of thsoe muslim squares) :barf:

dont use baby wipes - a bottle of cheap baby lotion/oil(decanted into a small pot) and some hankies are the same thing ... and take a couple of flannels in plastic bags for wiping milky/sicky faces with instead of using babywipes.

use plenty of bibs - dont change an entire outfit if its got sick on it ... you are making hard work for yourself - if you make sure your baby has a bib on most of th time, any posetting will be caught on the bib. it used to make me chuckle to see parents changing an entire outfit just cos of a bit of sick!

lol ... you can imagine the size of my changing bag :D :lol: :yes:

Thank you everyone for your suggestions :flowers:

Pelican: ooooh, glad I can use sorbolene as I already have a load I bought on special, I tend to use it on dry skin and sunburn!!

TWT: must have taken you ages to type that so an extra thank you :flowers:

Instead of buying baby sheets for the cot cut up and normal single sheet into 4 as that tends to be the right size.

Oooh Sasha, that's given me an idea cos my friend gave me loads of fleecy baby sheets and I didnt know what to do with them all, but I could cut them up and use as cloths instead of using baby wipes!! :thumbsup:

Try this website

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/freecyclemandurah/

It's used for recycling everything but has to be free - you can give away anything and request anything. That one is for Mandurah but there is one in Bunbury too.

Last week I swaped a packet of kitten food for two baby stair gates (for the puppy when we get one) !!