“I have learned that raising children is the single most difficult thing in the world to do. It takes hard work, love, luck, and a lot of energy, and it is the most rewarding experience that you can ever have.” Janet Reno
Let’ s face it friends! Kids are very expensive. Whether you are a new mother or not, you want to find ways to save money and raise a child on a budget.
Being a mother of 3 toddlers, I have learned from experience a lot of ideas on how to afford the costs of raising children.
Before the twins were born, I did nothing but research online and read books on how to raise kids and how to save on baby stuff. Then their baby brother was born, the more research I did.
As I mentioned in my ABOUT ME page, I want to share my experiences as a mother and my goal is to help other people by giving helpful tips that I know might benefit a lot of families out there.
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Let’s Start Saving:
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Save on Diapers.
Do you agree that aside from baby milk formula, diapers are one of the most expensive baby stuff that you need to spend on? Some mothers suggest the use of cloth diapers. My mom used cloth diapers on me when I was a baby. Just because I was raised in a small rural town in the Philippines and diapers are the least priority back then. That’ s a great idea and it is possible if you are a stay- at- home mom.
What if you are a working mother?
Buy diapers in Target. You can take advantage of the free 2- day shipping offered by Target plus the additional benefits of the gift cards that comes with your order. With Target, be sure to look for the promotions they offer like $15 gift card with $75 purchase or $10 gift card with purchase of 2 diapers etc.
Another great option is subscribing to Amazon Prime Family with 20% off on diapers plus the added convenience of free 2- day shipping which delivers your items right to your door. With Prime membership you will get exclusive Coupons and Deals from Amazon Family , exclusive Baby Registry benefits , FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items.
2. Register and sign up for free baby stuff.
There are thousands of websites and companies offering free baby stuff. When you sign up for baby registry in Amazon, you will get a free welcome box loaded with free baby essentials.
Target has also one of the best Baby Registries. When you sign up for baby registry, you will get a Free welcome kit at Guest Services for over $100 worth of coupons & handpicked samples plus 15% discounts on everything left on your baby registry.
You will also benefit from signing up with Enfamil and Similac for baby formula. I was so worried about spending too much with formula when I was pregnant with the twins. With my further investigation, I found out that you can get free checks and vouchers for baby formula directly from the manufacturer.
I signed up with both Enfamil Family Beginnings and Similac Strong Moms because of course I wasn’t sure which one my babies would end up taking. With both brands, you won’ t only get free formula samples but free vouchers too. We are talking about $5-$20 vouchers not only once a year but for several months and years.
I am not getting paid to endorse Enfamil or Similac but as a mother, I know how much it means to save even a dollar or two.
I strongly recommend that you sign up even before your little one is born.
There are so many ways to get free baby items and I will share it with you on my future posts.
3. Accept hand me downs and shop for second-hand items.
There is nothing shameful with using already used baby items for as long as you clean and sanitize them. Believe me, you will save tons of money! I am a nurse and I understand about communicable diseases and infection prevention. I can assure you, there is nothing wrong with using second-hand items.
Kids grow fast and it’ s too expensive to buy new gears, toys and clothing now a days. I had 4 different baby cribs. Two I bought from Facebook Marketplace and 2 hand-me downs. We have a 2- story home so I placed 2 cribs for the twins downstairs and 2 upstairs. Now that they don’t use it, I sold all 3 and left 1 for their youngest brother.
Join a Facebook community in your area. You will be surprised how much support you will get from other parents, from free baby stuff, to parenting advice and encouragements.
Craigslist is also a popular marketplace to buy and like I said, just be sure to disinfect/ sanitize your items and you’re good to go.
4. Consider Breastfeeding
Doctors always say, breast milk is still the best for your child. Aside from saving lots of money, breastfeeding offers a lot of benefits. According to the National Institute of Health, breast-feeding offers nutritionally balanced meals, some protection against common childhood infections. It also ensures better survival during a baby’s first year, including a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
When I was breastfeeding, I had a hard time producing my own milk supply especially I had limited time to pump milk while I was working. While you are at home, nurse frequently for as long as your baby is actively nursing. It send signal to our mammary gland to produce more milk.
Herbal Tea supplements also helps produce milk supply. I used Mother’s Milk organic herbal tea and I it helped me with my milk production.
5. Get the most out of your baby shower.
I know you are super excited with having the perfect baby nursery for your child but don’t forget the essential every day things that your child needs like an Eco- friendly Diaper Caddy and different sizes of diapers and clothes, baby wipes, diaper creams and bathing supplies.
Be creative with your baby shower and let your friends and family know what you really need.
I ended up returning a lot of stuff because I was not able to perfect my Baby Registry plus I think it’ s also because I had too many baby showers. I had 3 baby showers with the twins. Yes! Is it normal? lol! Just because I have too many friends and too many family members everywhere. Well that was for the twins. When I had their little brother, I felt like a pro!
6. Use cash back sites.
This is my favorite saving tip so far. Get paid while you shop for baby items online. It takes a lot of time and energy going to the grocery store so I usually shop online. Ebates is very popular when it comes to cash back. Take advantage of $10 gift when you sign up using my link.
Related Article: Quick and Easy Homemade Lara Balls Recipe
Do you have any suggestions on how to help others save on baby stuff? Please let me know so I can add it here to help mommies like us.x-o-x-o