I wonder how much we will spend?

sfombom

we are having a baby!!!!!!! yippy!!!!!! This is our first baby can you give us some tips that you did to keep cost down. I am not worried about the money my husband and i both have good jobs but i am a spender and he saves everything and i think is worried. I think i also need a list of everything we will need any ideas on that would be great too

Moonbeam

You need some where for baby to sleep,a car seat, a buggy about 10 vests and 8 baby gros and then when baby is born more clothes.
2 packets of size 2 nappies,some wipes,baby bath and that is about it.
Then you need either breast feeding or bottle feeding stuff .

Congrats!

Neyite

Congratulations!!!

Firstly, you can spend as much or as little as you like when it comes to baby stuff - there are certain things you need new, and loads you can be savvy and shop around for second hand bargains.

New: Car Seat & Cot Matteress, the car seat for safety reasons, and matteress for hygeine.

The rest you can get secondhand -such as cots, or buggys. Friends and family may lend you things like moses baskets and clothes, that they grow out of very quickly.

One thing I would say is do your research on the buggy/pram that you want. I wanted one that I could clip the car seat onto the buggy frame but when I priced them, I thought they were out of our price range, and bought another buggy (which is a great little buggy) but meant lifting baby out of the car seat and strapping him into the buggy. It also is more of a city one, and occasionally we would be visiting the countryside so could get quite bumpy for him.

Then the other day in the baby shop we saw the Quinny buggy frame that suited our carseat reduced from €250 to €99. Its a much smoother ride, sturdier, and baby is more comfortably positioned in it. However, in a few months I will get use out of the other buggy I bought first. I love using the Quinny.

In hindsight on the buggy, I would have got the Quinny secondhand, (car seat new) or a buggy with potential for conversion to a double buggy because its likely that I'm going to need one anyway if I get my wish to have another baby in a year or two. I also would have checked out the terrain I'd be using a bit more.

Feeding: I chose to breastfeed exclusively, but I also got a cheap microwave steriliser , manual breast pump and a few bottles, just in case.
If you are choosing to formula feed then I'd suggest getting a better steriliser and more bottles, but you may find that until baby shows you what bottles he/she prefers or what ones are better for their wind, not to stock on on any particular type.

We were lucky, our Moses basket is borrowed, as is our baby swing, Cot was given to us, along with crates of clothes (plus we got a lot as gifts) and highchair when we eventually need it.

The changing bag was a gift from family, as was the monitor (we got the Angelcare one with the sensor mat - great peace of mind!) A granny stockpiled newborn nappies and wipes for us as soon as she found out we were expecting.

RH149

You'll probably want everything new- first baby, you want to pick everything yourself etc but cost aside all baby equipment takes up a lot of space and you only need most of it for a short time so if you get offers of stuff from friends or family take it and invest in other stuff for baby instead. eg borrow a Moses basket which they only use for 2/3 mths and invest in a good cot or cot bed which the baby will sleep in for years. I kept my buggy, cot, travel cot, bath... all the usual stuff for my sister who was planning a family a few years later. Of course when the time came she was having none of it.....wanted to buy it all herself, was paranoid about using any secondhand stuff so my attic full of baby gear went to waste. Has this massive Bugaboo buggy that is so awkward to get in and out of car and then is hard to fold out and then collapse that I got my McClaren out of the attic and keep it under the stairs for when she visits so she can just leave hers in the car.
Likewise as girls in work started having kids I'd offer bits and pieces but they all want new too. Eventually I gave a lot of it away on Freetrade/ Jumbletown to some very grateful people but now hear my sister asking what is she going to do with all her stuff? ; );)

pwurple

?? Everything new??

Seriously that is flippen bananas.

I had secondhand cot, bibs, clothes, reusable nappies, dummies, steriliser, blankets, sleepsuits. The only things we got new were a cot mattress, a carseat and a buggy. And the buggy was a gift from my family. When I stopped breastfeeding I got secondhand bottles with new teats.

There are other things to be spending money on rather than this stuff. Like their college fees in a few years!

What the heck is up with people who don't consider it. It's barely used for goodness sake. Put every penny you can afford into a savings account for the future and get secondhand gear.

Rosy Posy

Ask around your friends with children- most people are only delighted to pass on their barely used baby stuff. Clothes particularly hardly get worn for this age- they grow so quickly. Also check out free cycle or other free stuff sites.

A lot of the stuff you think you need you really don't. Best get the bare minimum and work out if you need extras after.

One thing I found really handy was a baby sling- I barely used a buggy for the first three months but I was at home mostly or out in the car.

Also I exclusively breastfed and needed no bottles, pump, or the rest of that kit, which brought the cost down. The babies went straight from boobie to drinking from a cup.

You really don't need any of that 'cosmetic' stuff like soaps, powders, oils etc. Plain warm water and a flannel is grand for cleaning them, and a fine substitute for baby wipes. Tbh they don't need much cleaning for the first while anyway- you can take them into the bath or shower with you if they enjoy it but if they don't then top and tailing is grand. You might want maybe one tub of something to put on their bottom if they get nappy rash, but that's it.

Do you know if your friends/family are planning on throwing you a baby shower? If so you might get a bit of kit then so wait to buy any essentials.

Best of luck, OP

Daffodil.d

i spent a small fortune but was 1st in my family to have a baby and it had been a while since last baby in my husbands family. I did however sell a lot of things on donedeal.ie and all in great condition because they were scrubbed! lol I got half my money back and when my kids were moving on to the next stage.. for example car seat i got some money towards the next one. Donedeal is a great place to buy stuff too. you'd have a fair idea from the photos what condition they're in and when you go to buy stuff you're under no obligation to continue the sale if the item is not what you're looking for. Also you're family will all buy presents don't be afraid to ask for certain items if the offer is there.
best of luck.

baz5291

i know where to get top brand prams/stroller/double buggys etc at cost price!pm for info

lashofeye

My sister in law and I were expencting around the same time ( 7 weeks apart) She got everything new and expensive and I was a little bit more realistic!!
For example she spent E3,000 on the nursery furniture alone!!!!!!!!!!!Holy cow!!!
So you can spend alot or a little and as other posters have said borrow or buy second had. They really grow out of everything so quick.My sister in law has her second baby few month ago.....eveything was kept from baby 1 for baby 2.( She left work and his wages were cut so couldnt afford much.

implausible

I must admit I bought everything new when I was expecting my wee man, but as I was planning on having a few more (number 2 is 8 wks old), I figured it was worth the initial outlay.

I got a lot in January sales - a beautiful Mamas & Papas cot, which I love and is still in perfect condition. I bought a Phil and Teds buggy as I live in a rural area (pneumatic wheels) and it turns into a double (got second seat, cover and cocoon included in sale price). I got a maxi-cosi car seat as I knew I would get use out of it - wee man was in it for 14 months and herself is in it now.

They were the big ticket items. I did a lot of research on all of them and even though the cot, buggy and car seat cost the guts of €1000, I got and am getting the maximum use out of them.

Everything else, I got/asked for as presents - TT microwave steriliser, changing table, bouncer, clothing (I still haven't had to buy much for my now 2 year old) and my siblings chipped in for the travel cot (essential piece of kit if your family live at a distance). Now that I have two, my parents bought 'me' another travel cot for leaving down home:rolleyes:

The rest of the expense is day-to-day stuff - nappies, sudocrem, cotton wool, formula etc. Nothing costs as much as the initial new baby stuff.

Daffodil.d

Another thing is baby clothes. Out of Next, Tesco and Dunnes for example, the baby gro~s were the best from Tesco, They are cheaper, wash better, have a decent little collar on them and don't stretch. Nexts are good too but far more expensive unless you buy in sales. I always buy for the following year in Next sales. This was easier on my 1st because she was average size but my son is wearing way bigger for his age.
Don't fall into the trap of buying things you don't need and will never use. I think we should compile a list lol.
Front baby carrier- €40 used once- and I an an out doors girl,thought i would use it more.
Bathing unit- €100 I was glad i got a plastic one because at least it could be put away. As opposed to 1 of those furniture ones.
I am the proud owner of 4 prams/buggys this is why. Originally bought Quinny (close to€900) but because the buggy connection was small(they tell you that a child can last to age 4 in it, they would have to be tiny) So ended up buying a stroller €90, much hander for gettin around plus goin on holidays. Then found out I was pregnant again so needed a double. Bought a copy of Phil and Teds €300, brilliant for the 2 babies and small baby is lying flat and cosy in there. Then the first stroller was not wearing well so bought Mc laren stroller€150. still using those today and kids are 4.5 and 2.5. Anyway moral of the story is.. Buy something that can be made into a double just incase and when you need a stroller get a decent 1 like a Mclaren because they get so much use.
Sorry for being so long winded but my advise is good trust me lol.

NickFury

Wow congratulation on having a baby! You must be real thrilled Well for starters, you should of course get baby clothes. Always make sure that they are made of cotton to avoid giving the baby rashes. Also, if you're planning on taking him/her on trips you should get a small baby carrier to put in your car, or if you'd prefer not to get one make sure that you have comfortable seat covers, for baby's sake