My advice is to stay out of the baby shops. Buy the main things at Target, Kmart & Big W when you are pregnant. They have big baby sales every 6 weeks or so so there's always something on sale at one of them. I bought my bassinette, cot & pram in these stores & got them all for 50% off. I also got my son's convertible car seat for under $100 at Big W. Once you are pregnant you have months to look for things & you will find the bargains if you look for them.

I'd say all up we would've spent under $1000 for the nursery stuff, first clothes, wraps, bibs, blankets & car seat & pram. Most of it was new, but we did get a second hand high chair and a free set of drawers that had a baby bath in it & a change table on top.

Once you are pregnant you will find people offer you all sorts of second hand stuff & my motto is to accept whatever is offered (except toys - I check them out first). If you choose not to use it (say bouncers, or rockers, high chairs etc) you can keep it stashed at your mums house or your IL's house so you don't have to cart everything everywhere with you.