Babies really don’t NEED much. Clothing, Diapers, a safe place to sleep, love, attention, and breastmilk. That’s it! Babies don’t have to be as expensive as most people say they are! That’s their choice to buy things that aren’t absolute necessities. To help you save money when having a baby, these are my top 8 tips for having a baby on a budget.
I know how it is to have no money when preparing for a baby, so this is coming from first-hand experience. Keep reading to find out how to easily provide everything your baby needs on a tight budget.
This post contains affiliate links which means that I will make a small commission if you purchase a product after clicking on any of them, at no extra cost to you.
Compare Prices
When shopping online, compare prices on each website. For example: If you start by searching Amazon for budget baby necessities, in the search bar type “Gerber bodysuits”, then open another tab and go to the Gerber Childrenswear website to see if they are selling a pack of onesies for less money (they most likely are!!) You could check other sites like Walmart and Target.
Also, compare brands. Some brands, you can get 4 footed onesies for $30, whereas other brands you can get one footed onesie for $30. Though the $30 footed onesie might have a cuter pattern or possibly higher quality, you can save the money and get a multi-pack.
Buying Second Hand
Local thrift stores typically have a lot of baby clothing. Places like Goodwill, you might have to spend the time looking in a bin full of baby clothing of all different sizes, but you will only pay about $2 per piece (compared to $4 or $5+ per piece) if that! I was able to find a lot of good quality baby clothes at Goodwill for the whole first year of my baby’s life!
You can also search around to see if there are any consignment sales for baby items in your community or closest city. In my town, a group of people put on a kids consignment sale twice a year! There are always good things to find there for about $1-$3 per piece.
Cloth Diapering On A Budget
On average, a baby can go through about 3,000 diapers in their first year according to Healthline. The newborn stage, they can use about 700 diapers in their first 3 months of life! When buying diapers in bulk boxes, which have a little under 200 diapers in them, you could easily spend $750+ on diapers alone in the first year of your baby’s life!
Cloth diapers are a great alternative if you need to save money. Most cloth diapers extend, holding as small as a 7-pound baby, all the way up to a 35-pound toddler.
When buying cloth diapers, the initial cost may seem high, especially depending on the brand you choose, but when thinking about how much you will save in the 3 years your child will be in diapers, it is a no-brainer. The magic number for how many cloth diapers you will want on hand is about 30, just so you aren’t having to wash them every day. You can wash them every 2-3 days.
I use Wegreeco brand cloth diapers for my baby and toddler. They come in packs of 6, so you will need about 5 packs. They cost around $30 – $40 per pack. This adds up to approximately $150 – $200 for all the cloth diapers you will need until your child is potty trained! That is an incredible difference in price and a great way to save money when needing to have a baby on a budget.
Want to learn more about cloth diapering? There are lots of mamas teaching about it on Youtube, simply youtube search “cloth diapers” to learn more! That’s how I learned before I decided to give it a go.
Make Your Own Baby Food
Starting from birth, you have a free source of food for your baby in the form of breastmilk! I exclusively breastfeed, but it’s always good to have a breast pump on hand if you need to be away from your baby for any reason. If you haven’t gotten a breast pump yet, you can get a FREE BREAST PUMP through your insurance using AEROFLOW! I went through Aeroflow to get a Medela breast pump and the experience was very easy. All I had to do was enter the info it asked for, choose my breast pump and other pumping supplies and wait for them to send it to me (which didn’t take long at all)! Breast pumps can run you hundreds of dollars. Why spend that on your own when you don’t have to!? Let your insurance cover that!
Once baby is old enough to try table food (6 months), you can clean vegetables and fruits, blend them into a puree, and put them in freezer friendly containers to save for when baby is ready to eat! For grains or oatmeal, instead of buying Gerber baby cereal (oatmeal), make your own by putting your regular oats in a food grinder, creating a finer consistency. (One small 8oz container of baby oats costs the same as a 48oz container of regular oats).
Making your own baby food can save a substantial amount of money. The cost of little containers of baby food made by big baby companies add up quickly!
Multiple-Use Baby Items
Baby gear that has multiple uses will last longer and be more cost-effective as your baby grows. Helpful multi-use items include a pack n play bassinet, muslin baby blankets, and convertible carseats. These itemscan save a lot of money in the long run.
I use a pack n play bassinet at my bedside when my babies are born. The bassinet insert supports baby until 3 months of age (which is the average maximum age OTHER bedside bassinets hold. Meaning they are useless after 3 months and cost the same amount as the multi-use one). After the baby grows out of the bassinet insert, you take that insert out and use it as a regular playard! Of which can be used for another year or so!
As for muslin blankets, they can be used not only as a blanket, but also a swaddle, burp cloth, a clean place to change baby’s diaper, a breastfeeding cover, a light breathable car seat cover, a soft clean place to lay baby for tummy time, and shielding baby from the sun.
Convertible car seats will usually hold babies from 4 pounds up until they grow out of a car seat completely! Therefore only needing to spend the money once, instead of getting a newborn car seat, then toddler size, then one for a small child, and a booster after that. This is a great way to save money when having a baby on a budget.
Only Buy Necessities for Baby
To find budget friendly baby essentials, I’ve made a list of Products To Prepare For A Baby On A Budget.
Just click that link and learn the essential items you must have before bringing baby home. Anything else is just luxury, your baby really doesn’t need a lot. Try not to stress if you can’t afford the baby swings and fancy nursery furniture. It’s truly unnecessary. My child is 3 years old and has yet to spend the night in her nursery…
Now, I know, a lot of parents don’t want their child in the bedroom with them, but you would be surprised how many children room with their parents throughout childhood. Most young parents I know in my personal life let their kids sleep with them in their bed or room. For my family, it feels natural.
Make A Baby Registry
If you create a baby registry with Amazon, they offer a “completion discount” of 15% off anything you need from your registry starting 60 days before your due date, lasting until 60 days after your due date.
Even if you choose not to have a baby shower, you can still make a baby registry and let people know you have one! You can have your parents or family members help spread the word to people they know and if anyone wants to help out, they will know what you want or need! Often when I’m pregnant, I get asked “is there anything you need for the baby?” and I let them know I have a baby registry, along with a link to it so they can easily know what I still need.
I have a baby registry checklist here to help give you ideas as to what you might want on your baby registry.
Have A Baby Shower
You can add all of these items, plus anything else that may be outside of your budget to a baby registry and have a budget-friendly baby shower to hopefully receive most of your baby necessities for free! Also, check out my baby registry checklist to get an idea of other things you may want to add to your registry.
On the baby registry checklist page linked above, you can download a printable version to check off the boxes of what you receive and what you may want to purchase in the future.
Tips For Having A Baby On A Budget – Final Thoughts
Your baby’s first year doesn’t have to be as expensive as people make it seem! Yes, you will need lots of different-sized clothing to accommodate your growing little one, but they don’t have to cost much by looking for sales at various stores and thrift clothing. By getting your baby in cloth diapers, you save $50 – $100 per month in the first year. Those are the biggest expenses in my opinion and the two most needed items for babies.
Don’t let others stress you out saying “you need this, you need that”. All baby truly needs is clothing, diapering, food, a safe sleep space, shelter in a loving home, attention, and care. If you can provide those simple things, everything is taken care of.
Best wishes to you mama!
