How to Save Money on Baby Gear
Gear · Mom Issues · Parenting
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When you’re pregnant, it can be overwhelming just thinking about all the stuff you’ll have to buy and get ready — but thankfully, parents can find plenty of ways to save money on baby gear. Before you run out to start your registry at a baby gear superstore like Babies “R” Us or Buy Buy Baby — or before you click over to Amazon — do your research and think about what you’ll really need. If there’s something that you won’t use right away (i.e., something for an older baby, not a newborn), consider putting off the purchase until you know whether it’s really necessary.
To complement our baby registry series, we thought we’d gather some money-saving tips for new parents and parents-to-be. Please add your own in the comments! What are your favorite ways to save money on baby gear? Did you (or will you) set a budget for pre-baby purchases or just play it by ear?
Check out baby-related deals and freebies
Visit these sites for tips on how to save money on baby gear, including one-time deals:- Check out lists of free stuff for new moms (with some overlap) from Brad’s Deals, The Penny Hoarder, and The Krazy Coupon Lady.
- Find savings tips and deals at sites like The Savvy Bump, BabyCheapskate, BabySteals (which sells one discounted baby/maternity product each day), and Brad’s Deals.
- To pay less for diapers, try these tips from Parents and Momtricks.
Know when to buy new and when to buy used
Of course, it’s great to save money on baby gear by going to garage sales, using Craigslist, and accepting hand-me-downs, but be careful: Some things can be dangerous if you or your baby aren’t the first ones to use them. If you buy used clothing, toys, or other baby items, check past recalls and be aware of recent safety regulations regarding drop-side cribs and pre-2013 play yards, for example. Here are some general guidelines:- Things that are fine to buy used: baby clothes, books, toys, changing table, high chair, baby gym, furniture (gliders, dressers, etc.), baby bathtub
- Things that may be OK to buy used: crib, playpen, stroller, baby carrier, bouncer/rocker
- Things that are best to buy brand-new: car seat, breast pump, crib mattress, bottles and other feeding items, bath toys (prone to mold)
Don’t assume that you’ll need everything
Sure, it’s exciting to buy stuff for your baby’s nursery and start collecting cute outfits, but try not to splurge on a particular item just because your mom friend just got it, or the baby store has it, or a parenting magazine raves about it. A great way to determine whether an item is necessary or simply a nice extra is to check out Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields (a book we’ve recommended before). To save money on baby gear, start with these suggestions to help you determine what’s essential and what’s optional — or just a waste of money. (This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good starting point!)- Must-haves, or at least very useful: diapers and wipes, car seat, crib/mattress/sheet, dresser, feeding supplies (e.g., breastmlk bags, bottles, formula), nursing bras, electric breast pump (your health insurance must pay for a pump), breastfeeding pillow, stroller, high chair, bag/backpack for baby supplies, baby carrier, babyproofing items, burp cloths, baby bath items, baby bathtub, swing, pacifiers, thermometer and first aid supplies
- Nice to have, but not essential: glider chair, baby monitor, fancy diaper bag, special diaper pail (e.g., Diaper Genie), changing table (you can use the floor, or a changing pad on a dresser), hands-free pumping bra (5,000+ good reviews on Amazon!), wedge pillow if you are having a C-section, co-sleeper, stand-alone high chair, wearable blanket (e.g., Halo SleepSack), humidifer, nursing tops, play yard, mobile
- May not need at all: wipe warmer (room temperature is fine!), Bumbo seat (baby may not benefit anyway), bottle warmer (YMMV), baby food processor, special “baby” detergent (just buy a fragrance- and dye-free brand), bassinet, baby socks (will probably just come off; buy footed sleepers), baby shoes, Pee-pee teepees (they don’t work), pacifier wipes, shopping cart cover (though, as a bit of a germaphobe, I saw it as a must), bottle sterilizer (no need), bath thermometer; Boogie Wipes; diaper stacker
- Safety issues: complete baby bedding sets and pillows (for safety, use only a tightly-fitted sheet), crib bumper (unsafe; try a breathable bumper), baby sleep positioner (doesn’t prevent SIDS), baby movement monitor (not proven to prevent SIDS), baby walker (unsafe), car mirror (not a good idea), jumper (not ideal)
What to do with the money you’ve saved
Consider setting up a 529 Plan for college tuition right away (and also consider mentioning it to grandparents!) and at least put a little money in it regularly. You should also start a dependent care FSA with your employer so that you can pay for childcare costs with pre-tax dollars. Moms-to-be and new moms: What did you skip and what did you splurge on when preparing for baby? What advice did you get from mom friends about which baby gear items aren’t necessary? Did you buy anything that you later realized you didn’t really need? Did you not buy something that you later missed? Further Reading:- Baby Shopping Guide [Parents]
- Baby Items You Can Live Without [Parents]
- The Absolutely Most Useless Baby Products Ever [Alpha Mom]
- Registry Rejects: 12 Baby Products You Don’t Need [Red Tricycle]
- 19 Things Your Baby Doesn’t Actually Need [BuzzFeed]
- Safety Tips for Buying Used Baby Clothes and Gear [SheKnows]
How to save money- buy or borrow. I wish I had more mom friends when pregnant. I was one of the first in my circle to have kids, though, so I got a ton of (new) stuff.
I have had 2 kids and while we are TBD on #3, I’d be happy to let anyone borrow any of our gear. Right now it’s in the attic for either of my siblings’ potential kids, or until we make a final call on #3. But seriously…kids use stuff like exersaucer and swings and bouncers and playmates and jumperoos and bumbos for a matter of months and then they collect dust.
Even our baby carrier which was indispensable for a few months retired after the baby was like, 7 months.
I’d say a good stroller and high chair are where to invest, whether you buy new or used. Get one that really works for your situation.
Also–go ahead and register for the big stuff! People will go in together on big gifts, especially for office showers. My husband came home from his office shower with our Britax car seat and our swing. His parents gave us the baby monitor off our registry for Christmas. In my office we usually go in together on the stroller for showers.
I’m not sure how I managed to have a baby before Amazon Prime was around. I can’t even get my act together enough to buy baby shower gifts from anywhere but amazon prime now!
Would definitely be a huge game changer if I ever have another
I think this really varies person to person so the best approach is to start out with less and add as needed. Really you just need a mode of transportation to get baby home, some diapers and wipes (but even that’s dodgy because your baby could be tiny or a chunker), and a place for baby to sleep (crib, co-sleeper, pack n play). The hospital will give you a lot of stuff to start and then it’s just a matter of adding on as you have a need. Lots of Amazon Prime and Target/Babies R Us trips in the beginning. I was working on my dissertation right up until my first arrived (a month early) so I was caught off-guard. It worked out, though.
Piggybacking on this — what type of carseat to preschoolers graduate to after convertible carseats? My 3.5 year old is in a Chicco NextFit and #2 is due in the summer. I’m debating just getting the next carseat up for #1 and having #2 use the NextFit. Would that make sense, or is a 4 year old too small to move to a booster/whatever?
I would move the swing in the “nice to have” category and add a bouncy seat to the “must-have” category. You can start out without a crib, bassinet, or co-sleeper if you have a pack-n-play with the bassinet insert. We put ours about a foot away from the bed and were fine without a co-sleeper.
I would classify nursing tank tops, disposable nursing pads, a nursing cover, velcro swaddlers, sleep sacks, and socks to use as mittens (they stay on better) as essentials. I would put the humidifier in the “safety issue” category unless you plan to clean it on a daily basis. If you really want a humidifier, check out the Sweethome reviews–their top pick looks incredibly easy to clean.
We tried to save money by buying a simple changing table instead of a real dresser with a removable changing top. It ended up being a waste because we eventually found that we couldn’t get by without a dresser and bought the changing top to go with it because the dresser and the changing table wouldn’t both fit in the nursery.
I did not use the glider much and we ended up getting rid of it soon after the baby became mobile because we were afraid she’d get her fingers caught. I did most of my nursing in a big armchair with a cheap blanket draped over it to protect the upholstery.
I would avoid purchasing a carrier until you’ve had the opportunity to try various styles and find out which works best for you and your baby. If possible, I’d borrow a bunch from friends for a short period to try them out before purchasing. Your carrier preference may also evolve over time.
With regard to strollers, I’d hold off on purchasing anything other than a snap-n-go or a cheap umbrella-style stroller that is compatible with your infant car seat (we had one from Britax, and I think Chicco used to make them too) until your baby is old enough to sit up without the car seat.
Agree with so much of this. Also consider not actually buying a diaper bag. We had an excess of bags that could be wiped down. Ended up sharing a nice Patagonia tote we already owned.
I bought most stuff, even big ticket items (crib, glider, dresser), brand new because I was really particular and wanted eco-friendly brands. In hindsight, this was a little ridiculous, but I figure that the crib and glider will be used for a future baby, and we’ll get an Ikea dresser for baby #2.
I know that a lot of people here recommend this, but I found Baby Bargains to be really helpful for figuring out what we could get for what we were willing to spend. For example, crib sheets. I didn’t want to pay $30 per crib sheet, so I used the book to figure out brands that were good quality but less expensive. Another area where we saved – we bought Gerber cloth diapers as burp cloths. Way less expensive than “nice” burp cloths.
I got a handful of used items from friends and family: pack and play, umbrella stroller, a jumper, random toys, bumbo, bottles (we sterilized them), clothes, and a bucket car seat (from my BFF who I would absolutely trust with my daughter’s life – it was unexpired and had never been in an accident). If we drove more frequently, I probably would have purchased a brand new car seat, but really we only needed a car seat maybe 10 times in her first year of life.
Things on the must have list I bought and never used:
– stroller ( I bought a fancy shmancy one and used it maybe twice, we babywear everywhere)
– baby bathtub (just used the shower)
– pacifier (I am the pacifier)
Things on the nice to have list that I think are essential:
– baby monitor
– hands free pumping bra(if you are going to pump, trust me, cough up $25 and buy one)
Things I wish I hadn’t wasted money on:
– a gigantic diaper bag (Yes it’s pretty, but it’s way too big and cumbersome. I wish I had gotten a smaller backpack version)
– a bucket car seat (if I could do it again, I would have gone straight to a convertible. The buckets are heavy and unwieldy and your kid grows out of them so quickly it’s not worth the extra money).
– the aforementioned stroller and baby bath
– cloth diapers (I know a lot of people who love them though, personally I couldn’t make it work)
– the Arms Reach cosleeper (useful, but I could have just used the crib as a side-car and saved the cash)
In the end people will tell you you absolute need something, and you may not. My ring sling to me is an absolute necessity, even after 2 years. But I know plenty of people who don’t even know what it is. Buy the bare minimum and buy things as you need them.
Lots of tips:
– For things of limited useful life I asked for them outright on facebook. As in “does anyone have a bumbo they want to get rid of for free or cheap?” And then I happily pass them on in the same way when I am done.
– With people whose older children’s clothes I like, I occasionally ask if they consign once the clothes are outgrown. Sometimes they say “I cant be bothered, you can have them for free”. And that is awesome. Otherwise, I pay a much lower price than what I would.
– I’m totally okay with the peasanty cultural cache of having a graco stroller rather than a stokke or whatever fancy people have.
– I got a $200 DaVinci crib on amazon.
– That antilop high chair from Ikea is great and I would get it rather than a fiddly, hard to clean wooden chair if I had to do it over.
– My diaper bag was the $30 skip hop forma, and it was great and fully machine washable.
– We attached a changing table tray to the top of a dresser we already had, so we didn’t have to buy a whole new piece of furniture.
The only thing I would say I splurged on was the nursery chair, which was worth every penny to me. It’s a big fluffy rocker recliner that I bought in the overpriced baby stuff boutique for $650.
Sorry for the threadjack but our baby is close to crawling and SO and I have realized that we need to babyproof FAST. Our current coffee table is giant and has sharp corners so we are thinking about getting rid of it entirely but my husband insists that he will never enjoy dinner again if he can’t rest his plate on the coffee table while watching dinner. What do people do for coffee tables with young kids?? TIA!
I’m hoping for some hand me downs but sadly don’t know very many people with babies. I went for a wander through babies r us and was totally overwhelmed, one of the cribs would take up half the nursery! So ikea for us.
We were talking about what the baby needs over the Christmas holiday and I am weirdly insistent on picking out their clothes myself. I know it is silly and baby will probably only wear things a few times before growing out of them but I’m only having one kid, am fussy about designs and fabrics, minimalist by nature, and my kid is going to wear mini Boden, baby gap, and Hanna Anderson rather than Next or Primark. Hoping that not finding out the gender will help prevent people from buying too many clothes?
All our baby stuff was used except crib, car seat, bottles, and diaper bag. I still buy mostly used clothes and toys, at consignment stores/sales.
This is very timely as I’m in the “buying all the baby things” part of my third trimester. We’ve saved money by being careful about what we need/nice to have, and we realize that we can buy anything later on and have it delivered within a day or two from Amazon (heck — even 2 hours for some stuff in our area!). I’ve also hit up kid consignment stores and only bought clothes on major clearance/sale, but this is easier since I’m in the DC area. I stalk sales for any nice to have items (like my glider chair) and used credit card points to get gift cards to babies r us and amazon.
I’m a jerk and a cheapskate, but I am really having trouble taking seriously the idea that you shouldn’t get used bath toys because they might have mold. Because (a) mold is easily removed with bleach; (b) your baby is probably going to be 6 months old before it shows interest in bath toys, at which point he/she will be close to crawling around on the ground and putting everything in sight in his/her mouth, so what is a little mold to worry about (as my mother would say, penicillin is mold); (c) bath toys are so cheap why are we even talking about this; (d) as soon as you buy bath toys and store them in your bathroom they will get moldy anyway; and (e) you will be cleaning them with bleach yourself regularly when your child poops in the tub, at which point mold will seem really harmless in comparison. Ditto with bottles and feeding supplies – why isn’t washing used supplies adequate???
Seriously though, we were on a very tight budget when I was pregnant and got lots of stuff for free or nearly free from neighborhood parenting email listservs and Freecycle. If you live in a densely populated urban area, this is much more feasible. This is especially true for large bulky things with a short lifespan, like swings and bouncers.