Budgetting for Baby

[~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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[shorty]

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

[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.

[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.

[yummymummy]

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

I would suggest to think of your car. I've got just under 9 weeks to go and we've just realised that our hatchback isn't going to be very practical for getting a newborn in and out of the car!! Now we're madly searching around for a new car!!

And with the comment about stocking up on baby products, yes I can see that would mean less expense later but maybe buy Woolworths gift vouchers or something instead because up until recently I was working in child care and IMO, I wouldn't suggest buying in bulk baby bath/lotion type products including wipes until you know how sensitive your child's skin is going to be.