14-8-2009 - Baby bits on a budget - what I have bought and things still outstanding

My mood while writing this blog: cautious

Thanks to an unprincipled use of DD2's now defunct mobile phone contract, I am £600 lighter for buying baby bits for little Zachary. I thought I was use today's blog as a guide for some of the first time mummies, a reminder for those doing it again, and a prompter for anyone who has ideas for me for stuff I have missed!

Over the last couple of months, I have been cautiously collecting necessary baby bits second hand either for free from website such as freecycle.co.uk (people give stuff away to stop it going to landfill) or for next to nothing from Ebay so I could justify having my 4D scan pictures, while DD2 pays back her phone bill at £15 per week.

I have been keeping a spreadsheet religiously with where I have got my "bargains" from including how much it has cost me in petrol to collect them, bids and postage.

My Urea Offset idea for compensating the natural world for my intent on using disposables is slowly taking shape. I have 3 x 60 cell seed trays ready to put into larger pots (well recycled 2 litre lemonade bottles!) early next week containing carrots, cabbage, broccoli and parsnips. I have 3 plastic poultry/meat trays on the kitchen windowsill with lettuce, spinach and radish which I will need to re-pot today or tomorrow.

I have conceded to buy some re-usable nappies after doing some number crunching. Provided I religiously set them off in the machine after midnight (cheap Economy 7 Electric), and DONT use the tumble drier I should be able to launder the nappies for about £1.00 week. The disposables will be for night-time, out and about and when the other family members change him, so I should get away with spending about £4 a week on disposables.

My treasure trove of bargains so far includes

Baby Prenatal Heart Monitor

Graco pushchair/travel system including car seat

a second car seat for DH's car

a baby bouncer

a baby walker

two stair gates

a baby sling sewing pattern with rings to make 2 slings (material recycled from hideous bedlinen at back of airing cupboard)

a baby "rucksack" type carrier for 6+months

a 3 tier baby changing station with bath

Microwave Steam Steriliser

Fisher Price baby monitor

Pram Cat Net

Baby Beaker

Baby Weaning Bowl

Medela Electric Breast Pump

Box of 40 disposable Breast Pads

20 brand new x 4oz Medela baby bottles (5 of which I have passed onto to a new breastfeeding mummy!)

Moses Basket Stand (my Mum and Dad have bought me a brand new Moses Basket)

Nappy Bucket

14 all in one Rainbow coloured Pocket Nappies

48 various sized Cloth Nappies and wraps

The total cost to me so far is £263 ($433 approx). According to best buys I have researched, brand new this stuff so far would have cost me £1353 ($2232)!!! So allowing for my 4D scan, my thrifty ways have saved DH over £1000.

I am now going to concentrate on getting best bargains for all the essential hospital stuff for those early weeks so I can siphon a bit each week out of the housekeeping so over the next 15 weeks everything is done. Also I few "niceties" too with a bit of luck

4 breast feeding bras

10 pairs of disposable knickers for time in hospital ( experience reminds me that 2 pairs + 1 spare per day is a good rule of thumb)

100 Maternity Sanitary Towels (cos DH wont buy ordinary Sanitary Towels or tampons at the best of times just in case he spontaneously combusts from embarrassment!)

200 Supermarket own Ordinary Sanitary Towels

50 newborn disposable nappies

2 Nappy Bucket Mesh Liners

200 Disposable Nappy Liners

Terry Towelling Re-usable Baby Wipes

Nappy changing Bag

100 Nappy sacks for wrapping disposables

A big tub of Sudocrem (my absolute favourite nappy rash cream!)

A bottle of cradle cap shampoo

A bottle of gripe water (a good cupboard standby when you dont want to drive to the 24 hr supermarket)

6 sets of Washable Breast Pads (I can save my disposables above for when I am out and about)

2 sets of Breast Shells with spouts for collecting milk ( I found it handy to "shell" one breast while feeding from the other, saves a lot of extra mess!)

Material from Haberdashery to make my own Hooter Hider (the only one salivating over baby's lunch is going to be my Zachary!)

2 orthodontic soothers (pacifier to my US friends) as he has my mouth already "cherry style" will definately make any bracework 15 years down the line a lot worse!

6 teats for baby bottles

1 baby bottle brush

Baby nail clipper/scissor/hairbrush set

3 x Hooded Bath Towels/Cuddle Robes

7 x newborn vests

7 x newborn sleepsuits

14 x 3-6 months vests

14 x 3-6 months sleepsuits

3 hats, scratch mitts and booties sets

4 extra sets of booties ( must be identical as my babies have been such kickers I envariably ended up loosing them!)

1 x 3-6 month snow suit (although he will born in December he's likely to be 9 - 10lb so no point in buying Newborn!)

Pram Blanket

Sheets and Bedding for Moses Basket

Wooden cot ( I have this on a promise as freebie from a friend!)

Sheets and Bedding for Wooden Cot

Cot Mobile

Baby Gym

Wow....thats sure a lot of stuff still to get....time to put my splints on...all that typing aggrevated the ol' Carpel Tunnel!

Any other suggestions welcome!