One of the things most parents think about when considering to have a baby or having more babies is if they will be able to afford it. Kids are so expensive. I have always heard people say that but now that I have three I realize just how expensive having kids can be.
When we were considering having a third baby my husband and I sat down and looked at our finances and realistically evaluated to see if we would be able to afford a third child. We knew we were going to have to change some things within our budget but it was something we wanted and something we were going to make happen.
It’s possible to have a baby on a budget. You can do it. Here are some ways to make it happen.
1. BREASTFEED
I know it’s not possible for everyone but if you can do it and stick with it, it will save you loads of money on formula, bottles, pacifiers. We have never used formula except when my first daughter had to supplement a few days after getting out of the hospital. We never had to use bottles or pacifiers because mama met all those needs. If you need a breast pump then try to borrow one. We did this with out first, we had no money to get a new one and our close friend had no use for hers any longer.
2. SEEK OUT FREEBIES
Sign-up for as many freebies and samples as you can get. When you’re having a baby, companies LOOOVE to give you stuff. Here’s a list of companies that will give you freebies today.
Similac StrongMoms – Create a free profile here and you will receive a welcome kit that contains a bunch of free stuff.
Amazon Baby Registry – Start a registry on Amazon and you will be able to claim a free Welcome Box filled full of baby products. Note: You must be a Prime member to get the Welcome Box offer after spending $10 on any one item from your registry.
Target Baby Registry – Start a free registry at Target and get a bag of freebies worth over $70! After creating your registry visit Target and tell them that you just started a registry and they will hand you a bag of freebies.
Gerber Nutrition Kit – Get a free Gerber Nutrition Kit after printing a certificate off their website and presenting it to the hospital when you have your baby.
Enfamil Family Beginnings – Sign-up for this free program and you will receive a box of formula and other free goodies.
Seventh Generation Diapers & Wipes – Sign up for a free trial and just pay shipping of $5.95 and you will receive a bag of free wipes and diapers. You will need to cancel your membership after receiving your freebies otherwise you will be enrolled in a subscription.
Honest Co. Diapers, Shampoo + Baby Wash – Just like Seventh Generation, sign up for a trial at Honest Co. and receive diapers, shampoo and baby wash when you pay just $5.95 shipping. You will also need to cancel this one as well or you will be enrolled in a subscription.
Free Baby Kit at Everyday Happy – Get a free baby kit. Choose between a diaper + wipe kit or a family care kit full of natural shampoos and body washes and just pay shipping. Just as the other trials, you will need to cancel this one as well or you will be enrolled in a subscription.
Thrive Free Coconut Oil – For cradle cap! We use coconut oil for many things in our home and it was our go-to for cradle cap along with moisturizing skin during or after bath time.
3. BUY USED CLOTHING
Almost everything, especially clothes, has been purchased used or has been gifted to us. I find it really hard to spend $10 or more on an outfit that my baby will probably wear once and stain it or grow out of it in a few weeks. I have no qualms about buying used baby clothes because most of the time you can find things with the tags still on it! I just recently sold and donated a bunch of the kids clothes that were never worn because they grew so quickly.
4. SELL BACK CLOTHING
Depending on the condition, you can re-sell the clothes when your baby has grown out of. You can read my post How I Make Extra Money Selling Back My Kids Stuff here.
5. HOMEMADE BABY FOOD
Buy fresh fruits and veggies and make your own baby food. You can make batches at a time and freeze them. Our favorite thing to do was to freeze them in ice cube trays and then thaw each one individually as the baby ate. The size of an ice cube is a perfect portion for a baby.
6. CO-SLEEP
By keeping baby close and with you you won’t need to spend any money on a nursery or a crib. We had a nursery setup for our first and it was decked out. From the crib, custom wall painting to wall decals and hangings….it was gorgeous and being a new parent I thought it was just something you did. But, it was unnecessary. The kid didn’t even use it and that was money that could have gone to buy diapers.
7. MAKE YOUR OWN RING SLING
This will require some sewing skills but The Un-Coordinated Mommy has a really great tutorial on a DIY Baby Sling.
8. TRANSITIONAL PRODUCTS
Look for items that you can continue to use as your baby grows. One example of this is the Keekaroo Height Right High Chair that we are still using today four years later. There are also many transitional car seats that will transition from baby carriers to child sizes.
9. FREE MOM & ME PROGRAMS
I took both my daughters to a free local program where we would meet weekly at a library. One of the rooms was reserved for our group and inside was full of toys and play mats for the little ones and activities and crafts for the older kids. It was an educational program and we received a bag of free books to take home after each session. It was amazing for all the things it included that it was a completely free program. I was shocked to learn that most of my friends with kids had no idea it even existed. Sometimes free programs are not widely advertised but if you do a little research you will find them.
10. SKIP ITEMS YOU WON’T NEED
Here is a list of items you don’t necessarily need. This is based off of my four years of experience as a mom to three. Most of these items just sat and were never used, or we had alternative work-arounds and wished we hadn’t spent money on them.
Changing table – had it with my first, never used and sold after the first year after I was finally convinced that I was never going to use it.
Wipe warmer – same as the changing table, had it with my first and I always forgot to use it. The babies never seemed to be bothered much by the wipes not being warm.
Diaper disposal system – also had one of these the first year and never used it because I was always somewhere else with the baby other than the room it was in. Ours was also small and the diapers would sometimes get caught as we were throwing it in which resulted in me having to clean it frequently and it just turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. A cheaper alternative is to put dirty diapers in a plastic grocery bag and tie it up and as long as you empty out the trash daily you should be fine. Another alternative is to get these Sassy Baby Disposable Diaper Sacks that will keep the odors at bay.
Having a baby on a budget is definitely possible. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of research and creativity.
Anything that’s not on the list you’d suggest?