Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,502
Baby things... (Last one I promise)
We have been aquiring baby things from friends, but they are all for a girl. If we have a boy we are in deep trouble as we have NOTHING and there is no huge financial relief between now and baby. Speaking specifically, we arn't getting a tax return before this baby is born so large purchases will be difficult.
What we have decided we need:
Baby clothes (if we have a girl we are covered here for the most part)
Nursing bras and pads etc
$200 for midwife copay (this is total for the entire 9 mos and birth)
As much as we can for our wonderful Doula
Diapers
Car seat
Cradle or crib bed thingy for beside ours
Stroller
Sling
What am I fogeting? We need to get all of this between now and Christmas, on top of Christmas crap etc, and I would really like to do it with minimal credit usage if I can... so starting now buying one thing a month or finding places to get things is going to be important. What do you think? Have you done this on such a shoestring budget (ie a budget that doesn't leave room for extras without credit)?
Val
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Val; Living the dream we have been working towards for over 5 years.
Mama to Alex, Cyan, and Logan. Wife to my very best friend.
one idea is freecycle - it can be a pain,but occasionally you might get lucky...
another idea - will you be getting any gifts from family/friends? What are the chances they will ask you what you need?
Stroller wont be needed for a while after baby is born (I'm guessing - I cant foresee using ours anytime soon, our babe is 3 weeks now) - so maybe you could wait on that? for things that can wait I would - you might get a surprise gift of $ (we did!)
ask friends to borrow cradle/co-sleeper if they have one they aren't using right now
trading for sewing & such?
make your own sling?
Can you set aside a certain amount each paycheck to buy baby things? Even $10 - hit thrifts & garage sales looking for what you need. If you dont find what you need save that money in a baby supply fund & just keep looking! I know i could get everything I needed for baby for very,very cheap (except for a stroller & car seat) just by hitting thrifts,etc...
what kind of dipes are you planning to use? if prefolds I know where you can get them cheap....
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,502
I am not as worried as I am just thinking and planning ahead. I have 20 more wks... you know? But with school starting and summer ending the chance of running into this stuff via garage sales etc, is getting really slim. I just have to think about it. I am going today to put lists at the two resale childrens stores for a cradle.
What is amazing is that when you look at it as a list, it seems HUGE... but when you look at it as 5 months of $100 a month and some good planning, it doesn't seem that daunting. So that is what I am going to try to focus on... just $100 a month (or less if I can find things for less) and two months of that is a brand new carseat stroller combo... another month is a good used cradle from a used furniture store in Seattle... another month of that and thrifting and that is ALL of the rest of it. You know? I think I just had to write it down to make sure I knew what we needed before I could plan how to get it.
Thanks for the encouragment. We do cloth dipe... please pass on that link.
Ok, we are shameless, but with our first, we were so poor. We really didn't buy anything. I think we bought a couple of outfits and some cloth diapers. We were in college and lived near a lot of extended family. It would make them crazy to know that we didn't have anything yet. Before long, they started giving us stuff. Some new, but a lot was gently used. Of course we had a couple of baby showers, too. But really, people just gave us so much.
If we had just gone out and started buying like crazy, I don't think that people would have been so generous. They would ask what we had, and when they heard that we had nothing, they started giving us stuff.
It wasn't really what we intended (you know, to mooch off of everyone), but it worked, lol.
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Laurie, wife to Sean, Mom to 2 boys and 2girls!
My dh, on his way up
Mount Washington in New Hampshire (summer vacation), and my kitty, up in a tree.
Yeah, I don't think I've ever bought one new thing for any of my kids! Put out the word you're looking for cheap or free stuff for your baby and you won't be able to believe how much stuff you'll get. That's always been our experience anyway! LOL.
Kerri
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Mama to Cole (9), Naomi (8), Adam (7), and Noah (4)
All adopted - All breastfed
Wife to David for 12 years!
Breastfeeding Counsellor and Doula
Accepted into midwifery school for February 2009!
We are moving to New Zealand on January 29th
Yikes, there is TONS to do before then. Gulp.
Location: firmly planted in the postmodern pastoral economy
Posts: 12,984
Definitely put the word out. I think I have some boy stuff for you (clothes) though most is bigger sizes...I will have to check. A lot is Florida/warm stuff too. I didn't save much from either kid but my friend is sending me some things I sent her, which I'd be happy to pass on until I might need them again.
Stroller you don't need till 6 months at *least* - I know it's personal preference but I never had one for Katie and only got one for Jake when he was 18 months and impossible to keep nearby...it was either a stroller or a leash with that kid, I tell ya!
I think you're all set with that list...hit the thrifts for clothes, and really everything else except car seat. I bought K a new seat (a Britax Roundabout from birth) and J used it two years later and she moved to a Husky. I just got a new cover for him.
And yeah, that was how we did it - just kept my eyes out while pg for things used. Also got a lot from a distant cousin - from bouncy seat to tons of clothes - and a colleague of my mom's (more clothes, toys). When folks asked what I needed, I told them straight up or asked for gift certs to certain places.
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Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,502
See our support is so limited right now. We have friends that are in major termoil, and most others have children that are much older and have already passed down their baby stuff. And this is going to sound bad, but VERY few of my friends take care of their things. I am one of those people who others love to get used stuff from because you can't tell it was ever used most of the time. Not true at all for my friends.
And there is another thing with the "stuff"... we are going to have three children (three TOTALLY seperate ages (4 if you count dh's stuff and I DO)), in a 900 sq ft house. So the things I want are specific... cus if they aren't, they won't fit... does that make me crazy or does that make a lot of sense?
I know my dad will help if we need it, and his girlfriend will def help once it starts getting close and I express the need, but that is about it for support around here. I don't talk to my bio dad or my mother, my brothers (who are here) don't have children, the one friend whom has a baby (13 months) just moved away (although she did go through and give me some of the cutest outfits I have before she left).... I mean part of this is drama from freaking myself out (and just being pg in general) and part of this is reality that I will have to deal with... just intellegently and in time. I like planning and doing it all in one big lump. lol...
Now here is another thought. If ALL else fails, and this baby has clothes, and a good carseat (which if we DON'T get the stroller combo then I could see that being around $75 instead of the $200, and Cyan's is only $35), a viby chair (Don deems this a necessity and I think that is ADORABLE... plus it is only $25) and diapers (sposies will work if I need them to) for the first month, by mid Feb we will get our tax return and THEN we can get the "specific" things we need. Like a cradle that will fit next to our bed, etc.
Gosh... I just need to mull this around. It really became a reality when Cyan felt the baby move yesterday just after we went to pick up the last of her school supplies. I don't know why, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. Thanks for listening ladies.
Val can you make your own nursing pads? I made mine out of flannel scraps and a layer of micro fleece Also what size nursing bra do you need I have one For Sale 36 D, it is a motherhood one,$10.
Also Miracle diapers could help you out , with some prefolds and covers, or again you could make your own.
Good luck, I know how hard it is. We don't have credit to fall back on ,so to speak. It's nice not having credit card debt, but there are some weeks where it is very stressful to get by.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,502
At this point I will use anything, but I always use a ring sling in the begining and then a hip sling or Ergo when the babe gets bigger (which I will get with Tax Return if I don't get it before). When you declutter, if you find one would you pm me pictures? I would love to see whatcha got.
Location: ~Maine...but temporarily living in texas, going to midwifery school
Posts: 1,379
I am just getting ready to take a ton of baby stuff to consignment/yardsale/thrift. I may have some stuff I can pass along for shipping.
vibrating chair, new native pouch M, baby clothes (both genders)... what kind of clothes are you looking for? Gowns, sleepers...? Let me know and I can try to snap some pictures for you.
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heather
soulmate to simon, mama to liam, maeve and wee lad, finnian.
"now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. it is to grow in open air, and to eat and sleep with the earth." - walt whitman
I think most of my diapers have come through trading. How many diapers does one really need? (I want to make sure I have enough)
How often are you willing/able to do laundry? You may be able to get by with less clothes.
If worse comes to worse could your baby sleep in a laundry basket with a blanket or towel in the bottom for padding until you get your tax return and can buy a craddle? I have a moses basket I got off ebay for about $30 that we were going to use for the first few months then someone heard I was looking for a crib and gave us one they were getting rid of.
Even though you don't know anyone still try to put the word out somewhere, somehow and maybe some things will come along.
Tawnya
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Me and my three rays of SONshine
Thanks for listening ladies. 
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