Baby on a budget?

[gaiealiyly]

So this pregnancy is super unplanned. Me and the husband are not rich nor financially ready to buy the fanciest of the fancy products. I am probably getting most of the items pre loved, which is fine, because paying full price for an item that I am only going to use for a short period of time sounds silly. (Lol I say that because I can’t, I can honestly say that if I was able, the items I would purchase would be embarrassing) I’m getting off point here, but my question is do y’all know any “just as good as the fancy stuff” baby items? Like a poor mans snoo? A solid bouncer? A reasonable and effective baby monitor?

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

 

[jagadish]

@gaiealiyly First off, get on FB marketplace and get as much used as possible. If resale shops open near you, shop there. You will find so much good stuff used because people don't use baby stuff long.

If you do need to buy new, I always checked Lucie's list for her budget picks. It was super helpful to read the reviews and find out what worked nearly as well as the fancy stuff but cost a lot less.

 

[mockingbird0]

@jagadish Thanks I’d for the Lucie’s List suggestion. Had t heard of that!

 

[rwg]

@gaiealiyly The biggest thing you absolutely have to buy new (other than obvious disposables) is a carseat, don't ever buy/use a used carseat. Everything else you can do (although I preferred to have a new bassinet, as well)

 

[rovella]

@rwg New carseat and new mattress for the cot/ bassinet. Everything else can be bought second hand

 

[sacredtyras]

@rwg I wouldn’t buy a second hand car seat, but I would take one from a trusted friend.

 

[thesandlapper]

@gaiealiyly A big one for me is cloth diapers. It's a big one time purchase and then you're done. Way cheaper, better for the environment and your baby.

I make a lot of my baby's food in a blender. Steam/roast/mash whatever.

A pack and play is awesome and I got mine on clearance, but second hand stores have a ton of furniture.

A lot of baby stuff, you just don't actually need or you don't need a ton of it. Biggest investments are car seats (I recommend new for the safety of baby) and crib.

 

[jagadish]

@thesandlapper Second cloth diapers. Best decision I made!! Saves us a ton and it's nowhere near as difficult as you may think.

 

[cadie]

@thesandlapper Visit r/clothdiaps !! Super helpful for me!

 

[marjmorris]

@cadie Here's a sneak peek of /r/clothdiaps using the top posts of the year!

#1: Raise your hand if you are grateful for cloth diapering during this time! | 47 comments

#2: Same nappy, same baby, one year apart!! Officially one year in cloth and over 2000 nappies saved from landfill | 13 comments

#3: Found this picture and it shows two of the many reasons my wife and I love cloth diapers - savings and environmental impact! | 68 comments

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[def1968]

@thesandlapper Do you have recommendations for a low hassle/low cost cloth diaper system?

 

[thesandlapper]

@def1968 I bought about 30 diapers and 50 liners, which was too much. I do a load every other day (hottest setting, high soil), switching out the wet bag to clean the dirty one. I have a collapsible rack that I hang dry them on overnight. Unscented soap, no softener. It's actually pretty easy once you get your rhythm.

 

[jymeeb]

@def1968 I prefer covers and flats over pockets or aio.

For covers you'll need 6 minimum but if go for 8/12. Flats about 20/30. If you can spend the money buy the covers new (this way you're sure the elastic bands are fine). Of you are good at sewing you can buy used ones and change up the elastic if needed. Cotton flats you can buy used no problem.

A cheap option for pockets would be the alva brand a lot of people seem to love them. But the inserts are microfiber I think and microfiber will have a short lifespan.

 

[mersea]

@jymeeb I LOVE my Alva's! They were recommended to me by both my midwife and her student midwife. They come with two microfiber inserts per diaper, and at 10 months, I have never had a problem with them. I bought additional bamboo inserts (also Alva) but have never has to use them.

 

[covland]

@jymeeb But right now, it's almost impossible to find elastic.

And Green Mountain Cloth-Eez flats are amazing.

 

[defd2000]

@def1968 We started cloth immediately with our daughter - she's never been in a disposable diaper. At birth, we used Nicki's Imagine newborn covers and Flip inserts.

Then we continued with the Flip hybrid system. I liked that the inserts just lay in the covers, it was simple, the covers could be wiped down and reused if there was no poop on them and no leaks. We still use those covers, but now primarily with prefolds. The prefolds are cheap and super absorbent, and they leak less. We're keeping the Flip inserts for when baby's grandparents can see her again and take her for a short time, but I don't love them.

 

[defd2000]

Thought it might help to give numbers:
- 3 newborn covers. I think we really needed more for exclusive cloth. We made it work.
- 15 newborn inserts. Just the right amount. When she was tiny, we washed pretty much daily, and used these to double get night diapers later.
- 18 one size Flip covers. These last us about 3 days with our 4.5 month old. We wash every other day.
- 30 Flip inserts. We used to use these exclusively, and it was the right number. I don't regret it, because we'll probably give them to grandparents when we both are working not from home again. It's easier than the prefolds.
- 36 prefolds. With our every other day wash routine, we're usually putting about 2 dozen in the machine at once. Any less and we feel anxious about running out before the laundry is done.
- 5 Snappis. These hold the prefolds in place, like modern safety pins, but with Ace bandage like teeth. Worth the couple of bucks if you want to use flats or prefolds.

If you're going to have a shower or similar, we found that people loved giving the diaper covers, but not as many have the inserts. Register for a bunch of cute ones of whatever system you want to use!

 

[gaiealiyly]

@thesandlapper Oh don’t fret, within 24 hours of finding out the news, I told my SO that we are cloth diapering, the company and the type of cloth diapers!! It’s weird how excited I am to CD!

 

[jon32]

@gaiealiyly One thing that really helped my friends (I’m just about to have a baby but am planning to cloth diaper) is a cheap bidet/spray hose we got from Amazon. I’m Canadian, and we got one for $40 and it installs on the water tank of your toilet. That way you can spray the poopy diaper right into the toilet for excellent clean up!

Also my friends recommend several small wet bags instead of one giant one. That way you can do small loads as needed and the diapers don’t get too stinky in between. Best of luck!!

 

[komani]

@thesandlapper Yes to cloth nappies!! Clean cloth nappies website gave me all the info I needed for washing. Once you get into a routine, it’s so easy and bubs looks adorable!!