Frugal Baby: how to raise baby on the cheap

The key to frugal baby care is to identify what babies truly need. The advertisers would have you believe that baby needs fancy expensive “stuff” that will keep you in debt until baby’s in college. Not true.

Frugal Baby: How to raise baby on the cheap

 

Babies need very little in order to be happy and healthy. And those things are:

1. Parents to love them
2. Nutritious food
3. To be kept warm
4. Something to cover their bottoms

Pretty simple eh?

Frugal baby food

“The newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three.” – Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, author of Childbirth Without Fear.

You can’t get much more frugal than free can you?

Not only does breastfeeding save you money that you would have spent on formula, bottles and such, but you will save money on Doctor bills.

Formula feeding carries risks: increased ear infections, respiratory illness, increased incidence of certain cancers in mom, long term implications for obesity, diabetes, and I could go on.

(Note: I’m a former breastfeeding counselor and realize that for various reasons, some women cannot breastfeed. However, in those cases, using an at-breast supplementer like the Lact-Aid will usually make it possible to reduce the amount of formula baby receives, as well as providing some of the benefits of nursing that go beyond just the milk.)

Once baby is ready for solids, a breastfed infant can go directly to fork-mashed table foods. It’s simply not necessary to purchase jarred baby food, as it’s a manufactured need created by marketers of such products.

Avocado, banana, sweet potato and squash and other foods can easily be pureed or fork-mashed when baby is around 6 months of age. Egg yolk, well-cooked and pureed meat and broth provide important nutrients as well.

See: weird diet for a 10 month old for suggestions
Also: bebe gourmet and French Kids Eat Everything for a peek into how French moms teach their babies to be gourmands

Frugal Baby Clothes

My best tip for obtaining baby clothes frugally is to make it known that you welcome hand-me-downs. Most Moms hate throwing away perfectly good baby stuff. Babies rarely wear things out before they outgrow them.

If someone gives you things, accept it gratefully and thank them. Even if the stuff isn’t as good as you would like and you end up donating it to charity, you still send a message that you aren’t too proud for used things.

And truly, it has nothing to do with charity. Obtaining used things is better for the environment. You can put the money you save to better use. Why not start a savings account for your little one and add to it when you use creative frugality to save money? Your child will thank you later!

Ebay, thrift stores and consignment shops are also good places to find baby clothes frugally. ThredUp and Schoola are two online sources of good quality used baby clothing. Of course, it goes without saying that once baby has outgrown their clothes, you’ll pass them along to a frugal friend or resell them for a bit of cash for more clothes.

Experts agree that babies don’t really need shoes when they’re learning to walk because it’s best for their toes to grip the floor. If it’s cold and baby’s tootsies are frozen, use soft, flexible leather baby shoes. They’re flexible and the healthiest, safest choice.

Frugal Diapers

The most frugal way of dealing with this issue is to forgo diapers altogether the way some moms around the world do. “Elimination communication” means watching for baby’s elimination cues (and they do exist, even in newborns). Then holding her over the potty so she can take care of business. Even doing EC part-time will result in tremendous diaper savings and early potty training.

The next frugal diapering solution is cloth diapering. Cloth diapers require an initial investment, but when you calculate payback time, you’ll probably find that reusable diapers will pay for themselves in a few months. And, you can sell them once your child is trained. Used but good cloth diapers sell well on eBay and Craigslist.

Ask people to give you cloth diapers at your baby shower instead of those cute but impractical outfits. A lot of the cloth diaper companies that sell online have baby registries. Buy the high quality cloth diapers if you plan on using them for more than one child. They will likely last you for years. Here are a few more frugal tips for obtaining diapers: how to afford cloth diapers.

I like Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers, but I’ve also used cotton prefold diapers with snap diaper covers (snaps are better than velcro because they don’t get filled with lint in the wash, and some snap diaper covers are adjustable so they can fit a baby from 8-35 pounds).  Prefolds with diaper covers is a more frugal diapering choice than the pocket diapers.

You can forego baby wipes and use small washcloths instead. I’ve found that washcloths, with their nubby texture, clean baby far better than wipes. Since you’re washing diapers, it’s no extra work to throw in cloth wipes either. Warm water works fine for cleaning baby’s bum, but you can also make your own homemade baby wipe solution.

More Frugal Baby Ideas

Frugality is mostly about what you don’t buy than what you do, so I suggest thinking about what you can do without. Do you really need a crib or bassinet? Why not let baby sleep with you? It works for most of the world’s population. Baby can then graduate to a toddler bed, skipping a bassinet and crib altogether.

Do you need a baby swing? Why not wear baby on your body in a sling? Babywearing promotes bonding. It keeps baby happy, burns extra calories and make it easier to get things done too! Everybody wins. A changing table is nice, but a folded towel on a bathroom counter works fine too. So does a blanket on the floor or your bed.

Consider borrowing big-ticket baby items first before purchasing. You may find, for example, that your colicky baby loves a swing and that it saves your evenings. I didn’t have a baby swing until my fifth child, and it was a lifesaver!

Once you decide what you will actually use, obtain it frugally from yard sales, Craigslist, consignment shops and thrift stores (or, put the word out among friends).

One baby item you can’t live without is an infant car seat. This is an item I would recommend buying new, as a safety seat that’s been in a crash should be discarded, and it’s not worth the risk buying this important item used.

Does baby really need those educational toys and gadgets? Einstein didn’t have flash cards. Don’t fall into the Mommy Guilt trap by thinking that your baby must learn sign language or to read by 18 months.

All the stimulation your baby needs is you! Talk to baby, read to baby, sing to baby, let baby watch your daily activities from his spot in the baby sling, and breastfeed your baby. Check out books from the library to read together. Play lullabies for free on Pandora.com.

The best baby toys are things you have around the house. (Have you ever noticed how babies and toddlers would rather play with your keys, phone or wallet than a storebought toy?)

Babies love to bang on pots and pans with wooden spoons. Save empty plastic food containers. Toss them into an empty cabinet low in your kitchen for easy access when you’re cooking or cleaning up. This will provide hours of frugal fun for baby!

Baby’s needs are truly few, and the best things you can give your baby are free.