Don't Buy, Try

Here's some news, babies are expensive. One way you can save money is to purchase some of the pricier baby items from secondhand retailers, especially if it is an item your baby will only use for a few months. Some suggestions are swings, strollers and nursing gliders. If you take good care of your baby gear, then chances are you can resell it for close to the same price at which you purchased the item.

I am a big fan of Craigslist. I have been buying and selling on Craigslist for the past 5 years and have never had a bad experience. The people I have encountered through Craigslist have always been pleasant and helpful. The best part of Craigslist is that it is local. If you find something you like you can generally pick it up from the seller within a day. There is no need to pay for shipping and wait for the UPS man to arrive.

Ebay is a good option for smaller or hard to find baby gear. The waiting period is a bit longer as you have to wait for the auction to close and then again for the seller to ship the item. However it is great for buying used clothes is lots. Think of how quickly your child outgrew their newborn outfits and how many of them you had received as gifts. Newborn and infant clothing on ebay is as good as new.

JJ Cole Bundle Me

I tried to make it through the winter without investing in car seat blanket/cover for my daughter. I had read somewhere that they were not necessary as snowsuit or jacket works just as well. That made sense to me until I realized how time consuming it could be to get a squirming infant into a snowsuit and then try to get the puffy bundle strapped into the car seat. So I broke down and purchased a used Bundle Me on eBay.

I am so glad I did as now getting ready for an excursion outside of the house is not as much of a process as it was before. We just pop our daughter into the car seat and zip the Bundle Me up around her. Even on the coldest days she stays warm and toasty but without overheating. I also washed it recently and found out that it is washer and dryer safe, no issues with shrinking.

Luxury Stroller

It is easy to fall into the luxury stroller trap and decide that your offspring requires a $500 set of wheels. After all it seems like every new mom I see on the street is pushing a Bugaboo or some other elaborate contraption. But I am here to tell you that putting $500 into your child’s 529 plan is a much better decision given that a basic Graco frame stroller works perfectly fine especially during the first 6 months.

Getting a newborn in and out of a car seat is a delicate procedure, and generally it is not something the baby is thrilled about. Why would you then want a stroller that required you to take your child out of his car seat everytime you use it? Instead get the frame stroller so you just have to snap the car seat out of the base and then onto the stroller. Now that is smart.

We love our Graco frame stroller. OK so people don’t take notice when we are pushing it down a fancy shopping street but that’s alright as I can fold it with one hand and throw it into the back of my car in less than 30 seconds. All without having to wake up my child and remove her from her comfortable car seat.