Budgetting for Baby

[SunnyRain]

I'm feeling the tightening of the budget as I sit down to calculate how much I have to save up to buy baby stuff and I have a few questions:

1. Can anyone recommend a good stroller that can be used from newborn age on up through the years?
- Smaller and lighter that that folds up nice and small in the boot.
- Narrow wheel base, so 4 wheels is probably best.
- With a bit of a basket underneath for carrying nappy bags etc.
- Not expensive (please tell me how much I should expect to pay)

2. Where do you buy a smallish nappy change pad? I haven't seen any. How much do they cost?

3. How many milk bottles / teats should I buy ready for a newborn baby (even though I am planning on breast feeding)?

Does anyone have any advice for things they had to suddenly buy that they hadn't thought of?

Thanks for your help

[~kellie~]

Hi kuraiza
1. sorry, cant really help with this one
2. I just bought a fold up change mat that you can take with you when you go out on ebay, for a bargain price of $1.50. Its quite good cause it has pockets in it to put nappies, wipes etc in... so check out ebay!
3. If you are planning on breast feeding I probably wouldnt buy any just yet... I too planned on breast feeding my DD but still went out and bought a steriliser, bottles, teats etc, and I have barely used them. If you do want to buy some bottles, I have had the most success with the Pidgeon brand as they are very close to the nipple

HTH!

[Visitor7]

1. Before buying my Phil & Teds, I had 2 Steelcraft prams, which I found to be fantastic. One was a pram, the other a stroller. Both were compact and lighweight. They were $110 & $70.

2. Some nappy bags have change mats in them which are handy. They're usually around $30-$50

3. If you're planning on b/f, I wouldn't buy any bottles just yet. See how you go with b/f first.

[JordieC]

IT's hard to know isn't it? You could spend thousands of dollars if you bought EVERYTHING you wanted! My suggestion would be to go to the baby shops and get some advice - see what you like and how much it costs. Then go on Ebay or Internet and see what bargains you can find. Or if you buy a few things from the one place they may give you a discount.

I thought our pram was quite a bargain - it's a Beema Q (3 wheeler) and it was a bit under $400. There are cheaper oones though but I'm not sure of the standards. Good luck!

[Jas]

Hi,

As far as buying prams etc I would recommend having a good look around knowing what you want and wait for a sale. Often places like Big W, Kmart and Target have baby things a lot cheaper then baby shops. Also if you have a Toys r us near you I would really recommend checking them out - they have some amazing sales on baby products cots etc which some people don't realise they sell. You can see their actalogue on line but when things so on sale be quick because they sell out fast!!

Also maybe consider things you can wait to buy until you get the baby bonus if money is going to be a stress. For example where is your baby going to sleep initially? Noah slept in his pram (it had a basinette kind of thing) in our room for about 6weeks before going in his cot. Some people use actual basinettes for months before they put their babies in cots. So maybe you could look at buy a cot and change table after you bub is born.

My mum just bought a cot and change table off ebay for about $250 and they are absolutely beautiful wood with some great details on them, so you could look at that as well as local papers for 2nd hand items

As far as bottles go I agreee hold off on those too. If you plan on expressing for partner etc to help feed this isn't really good to do until breastfeeding is well established and by then you'll have your baby bonus to help out with that.

[SunnyRain]

1. Before buying my Phil & Teds, I had 2 Steelcraft prams, which I found to be fantastic. One was a pram, the other a stroller. Both were compact and lighweight. They were $110 & $70.

The steelcraft strollers look alright, but I've seen them a bit more expensive than that. Probably inflation, but where did you buy yours?


I was thinking about one of those change pads that are abut 10-15cm thick with raised sides. Just a plastic-covered one is fine, but I can't find them. I used to work in childcare and we used them, just sat them on top of a bench to change the babies. I thought they'd be easier to find.

[Pandora]

Everyone else's advice pretty much covers what I was going to say.

You can get fold up change mats at department stores, and sometimes even well stocked supermarkets.

Are you wanting it to have compartments to keep wipes, nappies etc or just to lay bub on? If you just want something to lie him/her on a flannel or terry wrap or nappy will work just as well.

Things I suddenly had to buy but hadnt thought of:

for me, not bub - extra maternity pads. lots and lots.

For bub:

a hammock. We bought one but some places and some hospitals hire them. I had a really unsettled bub who liked to be held or rocked constantly. the hospital had him in a hammock from birth which really helped as he screamed constantly if in the plastic cot thingy. So we went and bought one which we used for 5 months. It was much cheaper than our cot too.

extra singlets. we went through sooo many singlets it wasnt funny.

[~Kim~]

I have one of those change mats you're after. I got mine from babies galore as it had to be ordered to specifically fit my change table.
The stock ones were about $60, but I'm pretty sure I've seen them at big W for much less.

[Muppity]

I saw the change pads you are talking about in Toys R Us recently. I don't remember how much they were sorry.

[fionas]

I got the change mat you're talking about from Kmart - it was somewhere between $20 - 30. Didn't bother buying a change table, just popped it on top of a chest of drawers and was fine.

I saw a really nice Steelcraft stroller the other day in Target - 4-wheel, wheel base looked quite narrow and I think it was called a Travel System. Not sure if that meant it had a capsule too for the car. Was trying not to look too hard as I already have a pram for DD! Wasn't cheap - about $400 but not sure what your budget is.

I'd really recommend getting something with a bassinette (the one I mentioned had one, I'm pretty sure). I found mine really handy when DD was little because I could have her asleep with me in the same room, day and night and push her into the bathroom with me when I wanted a shower.

Actually the change mat was handy for that too when she was really little. I used to put a blankie underneath and on top of her and have her on the couch next to me while she snoozed.

[shorty]

i think i got my change mat from big w for around $10.

[christy]

1. Can anyone recommend a good stroller that can be used from newborn age on up through the years?
*The best thing I have ever got was our Phil & Teds, its dear but on special in November at $450... so we got it after Jovie was born and used the sling before that.

2. Where do you buy a smallish nappy change pad? I haven't seen any. How much do they cost?
* I got ours at Target, pretty cheap during one of those baby sales, it was $15

3. How many milk bottles / teats should I buy ready for a newborn baby (even though I am planning on breast feeding)?
* I bought 1 for the just in case. My lactation consultant suggested getting the cheapest one with the smallest teat. She said not to spend too much money on bottles, especially the ones with wide tops. Don't spend lots of money on it. I would also buy a few dummies which are cheap as well... Apparently the bigger the bulb end the better for avoiding nipple/dummy confusion.


Does anyone have any advice for things they had to suddenly buy that they hadn't thought of?
* Personally I think you can get too much of things and not wind up using them beforehand. I would maybe start saving with a budget of around $800 for when baby comes so you can get things as they are needed, rather than getting things ahead of time & not using them. When I was pregnant we put aside $80 a week for after the baby comes, that way we had money saved & didn't need to depend on the government $$. We didn't get much from the government when Matilda was born, I think $800 but when Jovie was born we got more and used it for the pram, car seat (we hired a capsule for newborn phase), etc.

I didn't buy a nappy bag, just a back pack until I knew what I needed in a bag.

The BEST savings thing I did was buy disposable things NOW. I bought baby wash (I use special stuff & it gets exxy), wipes, wipes, newborn nappies unless you are going cloth and then you can start buying now as well!! (its very fun & addictive), washing powder, body wash for DH & I, deoderant, etc... toilet paper... all that stuff adds up when the baby comes, so if you have a stock pile already that you've been buying over months & months, you gradually work your way into buying for your new family.

[Visitor7]

With prams, I went to the baby shops, sussed out what I wanted, then shopped on Ebay. Got the Steelcraft pram secondhand, but it was in fantastic condition.
But, if you want a fantastic pram, and are thinking of having your first 2 relatively close in age, then it's worth spending the $$ on a Phil & Teds.

[SunnyRain]

Thanks for all the advice! Unluckily for me my job has not being going so great lately and so that's why I'm tightening the budget drawstrings. Also, we never intended to break the bank on baby stuff in the first place since we're not very materialistic people. I'm doing the budget so my husband doesn't have to stress, then at least one of us can concentrate on work.

Luckily I scored a bunch of hand-me-downs from my sister to help for the first 6 months, including a beautiful cradle. I've been running an excel spreadsheet to calculate our budget and weekly savings, and we're aiming to be able to buy some things in 10 - 12 weeks before the baby is due, and in case it's a little premmie.

Would I be right in assuming you don't need a highchair for a few months?

I am going the cloth nappy route. I have some terry flats from my mum and I am saving to invest in bumgenius and happy heinys plus some pul covers and inserts.

I must be mad or something because I can never find the baby range in Target. That place is like a big out-of-control barn! I'll look into Big W and Toys R Us, as well.

[Olive]

get the ikea hight chair there only around $50 and fantastic!
if you need a bottle sterlizer instead of buying a proper one jsut buy a microwave vegie steamer, the ones with the basket in them, i got one for around $5 from go-low or soimething similar, microwave for 3 minutes and your done, otherwise just boil on the stove top!

[Cassius2]

Hi Kuraiza! and congrats on the pg!

I dont have any major recommendations, but what i really truly believe in is that you get a pram/stroller that you are really really happy with. we have had to use ours everyday, banging it in and out of the car, on airplanes, on trains and trams, across the countryside, on the beach...it was our biggest expense by far, but soooo worth it. quite a few of the mums in our parent group have had to buy 2 or 3 other strollers/prams since having their bubs as the first ones didnt cut the mustard. the brands that we have all agreed on for bub and mum comfort and durability are the steelcraft strider, mountain buggy, the phil and teds and the bugaboo. all these guys are lightweight, narrow and grow with the child. they do cost more, but will last.
Check out ebay as there are some pretty good bargains (esp for the mountain buggy)!

for the bottles, i had 2 (2 different brands), the tommee tippee breast pump (that came with a microwave sterliser). I BF, but sometimes DH gave DD some EBM or formula and it really helped out. but yeah, like the other ladies have said, that can probably wait until you guys are back home.
we bought a couple of dummies. to no avail, DD didnt like them, but i tried nonetheless and i will buy again when we have another!

good luck with everything! it's so awesome you are so prepared!

p.s. just read that you are getting 'bumgenius' nappies: they are AWESOME!!!!! we have used them everyday since leila hit the 5kg mark (took awhile though as she was born 2.7kilos. - so i would recommend buying a box of sposies just in case bubba is a wee-un!

[BeautifulMadness]

Stroller....no idea, i have a pram($300) and stroller($50) soo lol

do u want the change mat or the actually nappy bag? u could always us a lil backpack and get a change mat sperately.

As for bottles make up 6 bottles and leave them in the fridge....its much better.

[sweetpea678]

Hi,

In answer to your questions.

1. I would look at a stroller that can go form newbourn up rather than a bulky pram. I had a pram for dd1 and when she was 12 months brought a stroller. And when had dd2 used stroller more than pram. With my last on the way I wore my old stroller out so have brought the stellcraft profile, $170 have not used it yet but is a great stroller similar to what i had before but has a front bumper, cover and pocket on the back so a bit posher.

2. Nappy change pad, i actualy brought a second hand fold up change table from the salvos for like $15.....my sisters just put a few folded towels ontop of the chest of draws she had for her bub and used that. My mum then sewed a few towels togther to make the change pad.

3. I would only by some cheap ones if at all untill you have had bub as I was given some when people came to see me and I only used them as I expressed milk as I went back to studying when dd1 was 6 weeks old. but dd2 never had a bottle.

Hope this helps. Only thing I had to run out and buy was a breast pump as I had so much milk I was expressing milk when dd1 was 6 days old and storing in freezer. Other than that there was nothing I desperatly needed.

As someone else said buy a few things here and there before bub comes like nappies, baby wipes, what you want to wash bub in etc.

Cheers