Frugal Baby Tips – Diapering
Diapering: Newborn Cloth Diapers –
Here’s a great suggestion to fit your newborn, or skinny baby! Consider getting smaller wraps, and using night liners (or diaper doublers) inside to ensure a good fit around your baby’s legs to prevent leakage.
Then you can buy larger diapers that will give your baby longer wear, skipping the size small and use the night liners again to double diaper when your baby wettings get heavier!
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Diapering: Free Diapers –
Too many receiving blankets? Make a couple dozen of them into great prefold diapers. Even with a high-needs baby, I was able to make at least one of these diapers per day.
Here’s how: Cut one receiving blanket down to about 20″ x 36″ to 40″. This should give you a second strip about 7″-10″ wide. Fold this narrow strip in half or thirds to about 20″ long. Place this down the centre of the large piece, as shown: [ [] ] Fold in the sides of the larger piece about 2/3 of the way across. Overlap them on top of the folded strip down the centre, leaving the diaper about 15″ across: [] = [[]]
Sewing: Zigzag stitch across the top and bottom raw edges of the folded diaper, making sure to catch in all layers. Stitch down the centre pad about 1/2″ in from the edge of the centre pad.
(All measurements depend on original size of the blanket. Don’t be afraid to experiment!)
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Diapering_: Free Diaper Covers –
Do you have any old, shrunk and matted wool sweaters?
Then you can make two excellent diaper covers per sweater. The more matted the sweater – the more waterproof the covers!
To Make: Cut an equal-sized triangle out of the sweater, using the sweater waist-band as your diaper cover’s waist band. Zigzag stitch along raw edges to prevent unravelling. Fold the points in to meet in the centre (diaper-style) and stitch half-way down sides, to form leg holes. Crochet a woollen chain out of some of the remaining wool, about double the width of the waist-band, and thread this through the waist-band.
To use: Multi-layered or double diapers work best with these covers. Pull-on over diaper and tie in front.
Catherine Mcdiarmid-watt
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/frugal-baby-tips-diapering-57516.html
Ways to save $ with a new baby- frugal baby tips, please!?
Looking for ways to cut down the expense of a new baby. I am due in July, quit my job a few months ago, bought a house, then hubby got a paycut… ouch! SO, I’m trying to think of all the ways, however small, we can save $ with this baby. We also have a 5 yr old son.
I was thinking things along the line of- homemade baby wipes, I am cloth diapering, breastfeeding, we got all our baby items (crib, swing, high chair, car seat, stroller) at our baby shower, so we don’t need to worry about that stuff. tons of clothes for the first 4 or 5 months, so we’re good there. I would like to make some of my own baby clothes, if it is cheaper than buying them new (we live rural, an hour drive to any clothing stores & gas is crazy $$!) so if you have patterns for baby girl clothes, that would be great.
Any other ideas on how to save $ with a baby and a 5 yr old, pass on the idea! I’d love to hear your suggestions! I am trying to make simple living a part of our lifestyle, as well as save $. thanks
Try buying second hand clothes, as the baby gets bigger. You could look on ebay.
As your baby grows, make your own baby food. Buy your veg from the markets, etc.
Invite friends around, rather than joining toddler groups if you have to pay for them. Join the library for books, cd’s, videos. Some areas swap baby toys, too.
References :
YOu don’t need to do the cloth diaper thing. Just register at luvs.com, pampers.com, huggies.com, babycenter.com, and you’ll start getting coupons. register other family members too. You’ll get lots of them.
Change your credit cards too. Get a card that gives you cash back – American express gives like 5% on gas and groceries if you use the right card. Get baby bucks from the supermarket too. You’ll be fine.
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one thing you can do is if you know of other mothers to be or freinds that have had babies, you can do clothing swaps and toy swaps. This can help with expenses because we know all kids get bored with toys and kids grow so fast that you can give clothes that dont fit for ones that do.
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I would suggest shopping at Costco. Diapers and wipes cheep. I would shop at thrift stores for cloths.
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Grow a garden to make your own baby food when baby get old evough for baby food. Have you tried getting wic from health department??That would help a ton you probably would be able to get it now and all.Yard sales. You could even still save money with your own garden because of the 5 year old and you and your husband can eat that stuff. Invest in a deep freezer so when you have extra money you can stock up on frozen foods and even freeze you garden peas and beans and also freeze corn on cob especially for this winter. You also can take a swing at canning some pickles,tomatoes,okra, and so on for the winter. Also if you have wild blackberries you could make a jam out of that to eat on instead of buying jelly all the time. You can even freeze breast milk.I don’t really see how it is any cheaper to make your own baby clothes though by the time you buy the thread,pattern, and fabric of course unless you allready have these items.Any extra money you do have if you have a checking account write put back and subtract it out so that way it will still be in the bank and in your check book but be hidden until you need it especially around w-2 time this is helpful if you want to put back a little.just keep it all added together and when you need it just put on there add in so and so and subtract it from your saving pile.Stalk up on cleaning items at one time so that way you don’t have to buy them as often just maybe once a month, you can do this all at once or on the cheaper items like dish liquid you could buy one wether you need it or not, everytime you go to the store and that will help stalk up also.That is about all I’ve got hope this helped some.
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Make sure you go online and register at every known baby item site (Formula, wipes, babies r us, even wal mart and k-mart) Not only do they send you coupons, you get emails from K-mart about the big baby sale. Making wipes is a great idea, I have found plenty of web sites with recipes,just do a search for "homemade wipes" Start saving the good condition clothes your son grows out of incase you have another boy. Be organized, put them in boxes and label them by size. Be sure to check (and check often) sites for your baby items (eBay, craigslist) There is also a site freecycle, it allows you to post items you have and items you need, and it all has to be free. I have given away a swing set, and even went to the site when I needed a vaccum. With the second child, you kind of learn what you really need and what you don’t (Example…The Diaper Genie…waste of time) Save you plastic grocery bags for the stinky diapers. If you choose to formula feed, know that all formula is regulated by the FDA, so even store brand is just as good as the higher priced brand names, just check the labels. If money allows,start "off season"shopping. I got my kids school clothes last month at Kohl’s, 2 wardrobes for under $100.00. Learn when stores put out their new clearance, our Target does it every Thursday. Learn to love your dollar store. I get all my birthday cards, wrapping paper,and such there. When the kids have a birthday to go to, they like to make the birthday card, save 3-4 dollars. Instead of a 3 dollar bow, I buy a 60 cent pack of sugarfree gum to use. When grocery shopping, go with a list (Make a planner of what you will have for the week, plan a big meal so the next night can be left-overs) Before I go to my big supermarket, I go to a grocery store called Aldi’, it’s a low budget grocery store with names of products you might not know of, the prices are super cheap, but the quality of the food and such is just a good as high priced name brands. When we found out we were pregnant with number 3,we started saving our change in a jug (Easier for the change to add up for us as hubby bartends on the weekends) after just 3 months we had over 400 dollars. I just painted the babies room, paint from wal mart. They do color match there, and it was 11.00 for a gallon. This was our suprise baby, and money can be tight, but be sure to give yourself a treat, even if it’s a nice dinner. I sold some things on eBay to treat myself to a nice Kate Spade diaper bag, however, it’s too nice. I wont let anyone touch it, and have instructed hubby he can’t use it. LOL eBay is a great way to get rid of things you don’t want and make some extra money, not only was I able to sell to get a diaper bag, but we had enough left over to sod our front yard. It adds up. Good luck!
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I have been using http://www.craigslist.org for years and it has sections to most cities in america. The website is basically a open forum for classified ads. I have recently stumbled upon this woman who makes her own baby detergent and it is $3 a gal, which is a total deal compared to $10 for a little one at the store. It works great. I would also recommend to sign up for every baby website and get great coupons that can be mailed to you or you can print out. I recieve coupons for both formulas Similac and Effamil and on craigslist.org you can trade for what ever brand you like to use. Also at pampers.com you can sign up for a newsletter and they send some great coupons, you also can sign up for pampers points which gives you opportunities to get some great items for the baby and great coupons. I would also sign up for WIC in whatever state you are in. It provides the baby’s formula and once the baby eats solids they provide that. They also provide food for you since you need to eat healthy once the baby arrives. I really hope everything works out for your family. I had a similar problem, my hubby was laid off and I had to go back to work 5 weeks after my son was born. My son was born 12-30-06 and he just went back to work this week. It was tough but as women we get through the tough times so its not as bad as you may think. GOOD LUCK & HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
References :
babiesionline.com
craigslist.org
babycenter.com
pampers.com
huggies.com
When the time comes you can make your own baby food. I used to make it in bulk and freeze in icecube trays. I saved TONS of money that way.
Also, babies go through clothes and shoes so fast. I bought used things on Ebay for really cheap. Get books at the library, don’t buy them.
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You already mentioned a lot of great ideas, but I have a few more to add. One big one is to take the cloth diapering one step further and practice "Elimination Communication" or "EC". This greatly reduces or eliminates diapers all together because your baby uses a potty or toilet instead. It really isn’t as hard as you might think. If you know when your baby wants to nurse then you can also learn to recognize when your baby needs to pee or poo too.
Another thing is not using babyfood. You can start solid foods when your baby is a little older and then offer appropriate table foods.
Accepting hand-me-down clothing is very helpful too. If you don’t have friends or relatives with the right size clothes then maybe there is a church or charity close by that would donate to you.
If you are thinking about simple lifestyle then I would question the need for most of the baby items you listed too. Instead of a crib you can co-sleep. Instead of a swing and stroller you could get a baby sling carrier. Instead of a high chair your baby could sit on your lap.
Do you do other things to cut down in general too? You could grow vegetables, bake your own bread, look into one of those "cook for a day eat for a month" programs, good old fashioned coupon cutting, look into fuel assistance programs, etc.
Here is a "Frugal Living" resource:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/frugalliving101/tp/Start_Frugal.htm
Congratulations and good luck!
References :
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org
http://members.aol.com/oamcloop/
Kudos for cloth diapering and breastfeeding! Those things are very rewarding! I want to absolutely second minime’s answer. EC sounds great! If you start learning about it now, you can do it!
I subscribe to Everyday Cheapskate. It’s an email newsletter, and it’s free. I also subscribe to the Ideal Bite newsletter, and many of their green living tips also help you save money, like hanging your laundry to dry instead of using the dryer. I love the smell of diapers dried outside! I forget the websites, and my 3 yo is bugging me, but you can google them.
Edit: Making your own wipes is awesome. I just cut up old receiving blankets with pinking shears and don’t even finish the edges. I rinse them off before a change and toss them into the diaper pail. They fray, but they’re just for wiping up poo.
Best wishes!
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Well, you’re already off to a great start! Props to you fellow breastfeeding/cloth diapering mama.
I would suggest buying used clothes on ebay.
I buy all of my son’s clothes on ebay, I have even got 24 pieces for $.99 plus like 5 bucks shipping. I know you could find patterns there too. Also check out your local library in the arts and crafts section. There’s usually a good selection of books showing how to make clothes, blankets, playmats, shopping cart seat things, even car seat covers. One pattern in particular shows how to make onesies and sleepers out of t-shirts – VERY simple, and I’ve made about a dozen for around two bucks (garage sales and rummage stores have TONS of t-shirts for CHEAP). There is also *ebay* for "t-shirt lots" and stuff like that. Also, you probably know how to save on food by buying staples like beans, potatoes, pasta, rice, etc. And then flavor them with boullions or even salt, Italian salad dressings… Slow cookers are AWESOME, you can make a stew that will last for a week, be Delicious, Healthy and inexpensive.
PS.
And don’t ever shop at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is for people who don’t have the options to do it themselves, or who don’t want to take the time, or who simply have that kind of extra money to just throw around for inflation and price-gouging.
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Vegan punk, do-it-myself-ing, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, ebay-shopping, frugal penny-pinching low-income mom of a 6 month old.
I would add that if you have a local FreeCycle group it’s definitely worth joining. Ours is very active. People list items they no longer want but are too good to throw out so give them away to those who want them rather than end up in landfill. The only rule is that no charge can be made.
Baby things are listed all the time. We have used it to get toys and pass on things we’ve finished with, like toys, a high chair, baby bath, and so on.
References :
http://www.freecycle.org/
Wow, lots of good answers! You are already on the right track with breastfeeding and cloth diapering! That right there is saving you big bucks!
~Making your own wipes is very easy. Buy some flannel fabric (or buy some flannel receiving blankets at a garage sale), cut into 8×8" squares, serge the edges (if you have a serger or know someone who could lend you time on theirs) and use plain water or water with a little baby shampoo on them. Keep them in a tupperware container.
~Buy in-season produce. Shop at Farmer’s Markets. Grow some stuff.
~As many people have mentioned, make your own baby food. I got a stick blender (aka immersion blender), an electric vegetable steamer and icecube trays and that is all I’ve needed for all my baby food in the last 5 months. It’s SO easy and SO good for your baby!
~I have a store by me that buys used kids clothes and furniture. I trade in outgrown clothes and use the $ to buy new ones. I agree with someone who said you probably don’t need all that baby gear! Trade in your swing and stroller and make or buy an inexpensive baby sling or wrap!
~Don’t buy into American culture that says you NEED all this STUFF for your baby and child!! I think that’s one of the most important elements in living the simple, frugal lifestyle. You sound like you’re well on your way. Good for you!
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I always make my own baby wipes, because I am allergic to the store bought kind, and it doesn’t seem to matter which brand. They are super easy to make, super fast, and super cheap.
Buy an 8-pack of good paper towels. Doesn’t have to be the super expensive ones, but you don’t want the El-Cheapo ones either because they fall apart. I use Bounty, which are around $8 for an 8-pack at WalMart, which makes each roll around $1.
Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil (like you are making spaghetti.) Once it comes to a rolling boil, let it boil for 10 full minutes to be sure it is sterilized. You can also use distilled water, but then you have to pay for it, and I think the mixture gets more homogenous when the water is hot.
While the water is boiling, take a sharp, *STRAIGHT EDGED* knife and cut the rolls of paper towels in half. (You can do just one roll, or all eight, it doesn’t matter. They store fine.) Pull out the cardboard tubes and toss them. Put each "half roll" of paper towels in an empty wipes box, or a tupperware container that opens easily. Now gather a bottle of baby wash, a bottle of baby oil, and a tablespoon, and a large measuring cup.
Once the water has boiled for 10 minutes, turn it off. Take one cup of the hot water and add one tablespoon of baby wash and one tablespoon of baby oil, and stir well. Pour this cup of mixture over one "half roll" of the paper towels while it is standing up in the empty wipes box, then lay it on its side and close the box. Repeat this process for each "half roll" of paper towels.
When you are ready to use the baby wipes, just pull one out of the center of the roll like you would Clorox wipes or Wet Ones. This whole process take me about 15 minutes, including boiling the water, and my 4 year old *loves* to help! I throw one half roll in a large zip lock baggy and put it in the diaper bag as well, so I’m not stuck using commercial baby wipes in public, they kill my hands, they crack open and bleed!! Considering that each roll of paper towels cost you $1, that means each homemade box of wipes cost you 50 cents.
Remember that you can breast feed exclusively for the first six months, baby doesn’t need anything else during that time. No baby food, no formula, no juice, etc, so you won’t have to buy that stuff. I nursed both my daughters well into their second year, and exclusively for the first 6 months both times.
Congratulations on the new baby, I am sure everything will work out fine, so try not to sweat it! Just focus on enjoying the rest of your pregnancy!
References :
http://www.diapercakewalk.com
Well, you seem to have it covered. Hooray for Breastfeeding and cloth diapers and wipes. i make my own wipes from flannel and terry cloth, I just dip them in water I keep in a wipes warmer with a couple drops of lavender and tea-tree oil.
If it were me (and I’ve been there!) I would return the crib and stroller and highchair.
You can co-sleep for free.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000.asp
No need for a stroller unless your baby gets very heavy and you have a bad back, then you can get one of Craigslist or freecycle. Buy a sling or Ergo or MeiTai (or fabric to make one) for a fraction of the cost of most strollers.
http://www.thebabywearer.com
A high chair isn’t necessary. If you delay solids until it is developmentally appropriate, then the baby can sit up anyway and use a simple booster to join the family at meal times.
I agree with skipping "baby foods" here’s why: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2067856.ece
Also check out the frugal living forum (and all the others!-) at http://www.mothering.com/discussions
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I don’t know if anyone has said it, BUT, I cut my baby wipes in half. I also sign up for the coupons for the baby formula. My Dr.’s office also has coupons. Also, if you have a Sams Club, they have the big cans of formula and HUGE boxes of diapers.
I guess the best way to save would be breast feed and cloth diapers.
Also, look on Ebay for baby cloths. Even garage sales. My daughter wore mostly hand me downs and garage sale stuff. Even most of her baby stuff like swing and pack and play were bought at a garage sale. Just wash everything down.
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