Expanding your family certainly has a way of shifting your perspective on finances. Whether you’re hitting up your local big box store for baby gear, diapers or mapping out a budget for child care costs, you’ll want to pinpoint the spending and saving strategies that work best in your household. Here, real parents share the top money-saving tips they think all first-time moms and dads would do well to consider.
1. “Make an arrangement with a friend whose kid is only a little older than yours. Every time their child grows out of one size of clothes, they can pass it on to you!” — Megan, mom of two, Allentown, Pennsylvania
2. “Resist the urge to buy clothes in newborn sizes. Buy clothes in sizes 9-12 months and beyond. Everyone and their literal mother will gift [you] newborn clothes and — except for the odd event-specific cardigan or newsboy cap to really round out the wardrobe. But as the months go by and the little one grows and the gifts grow fewer and further between, you’ll be pleased that you already stocked up on clothes in larger sizes.” — Josh, dad of one, Chicago, Illinois
3. “Sign up for Amazon Subscribe & Save, which offers 20 percent off diapers/wipes/baby goods. It’s such a saver, and everything is delivered to your door so you don’t have to worry about running to the shops when you’re running low on goods.” — Jeff, dad of two, Boston, Massachusetts
4. “I’m part of a Facebook group called Buy Nothing. It links you with your neighbors to exchange and ‘gift’ items you no longer need. I get all the clothes I need and then gift them to another mom when I’m done.” — Billie, mom of one, Los Angeles, California
5. “As a mom of two children in day care concurrently, we feel a strain financially, so we look for any savings we can get. I always tell new parents to inquire about sibling discounts, as well as competitor pricing/discounts. A lot of the time, day cares will not be upfront about these savings, but if you ask they will certainly honor them. Another thing to consider is reasonable negotiations; many day cares are open to negotiating tuition costs even though it may not always seem that way. Moral of the story: If you aren’t afraid to ask, you could save yourself a decent amount on a high-ticket day care bill!” — Monica, mom of two, East Brunswick, New Jersey
6. “Keep all of the tags on/keep items in their packaging after your baby shower, and open things as you need them once baby arrives. You’ll determine pretty quickly what works for you, what you love, and what you can easily live without, so this way you can return your unused items and buy diapers, wipes or other items you decide you need.” — Katie, mom of two, Richmond, Virginia
7. “If you plan on having more than one kid close in age, buy a double stroller to begin with, then you won’t have to buy a second down the road. Also, toy rotation is key. No need to buy new toys all the time, if you rotate toys once every couple months everything seems like new to them. Eventually they will age out of items, but it works for a surprisingly long time.” — Margot, mom of two, Boston, Massachusetts
8. “You don’t need baby wipes in the beginning. Get super soft gauze pads and use the perineum irrigation bottle they give you at the hospital. Fill it with water. Wet gauze pads. Voila…baby wipes. Diaper pail? Don’t waste your money. Get doggie poop bags and throw each dirty poop diaper in there. Tie and discard in trash.” — Zlata, mom of one, New York, New York
9. “This wasn’t available to me — or at least that I know of — when my boys were born, but now the Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover the cost of breastfeeding support and equipment for nursing moms. This is a big deal, because these items are so pricey. Definitely something to take advantage of!” — Kelly, mom of two, Los Angeles, California
10. “I wasted money with my first baby on ‘nursing tank tops and shirts.’ Having to clip both a nursing bra and tank top back up was annoying and I found nursing shirts were more expensive and I didn’t like the look of them as much as my normal shirts. I preferred stretchy tank tops and my regular shirt over top. Pull up the shirt, pull down the front of the tank top. No need to buy special clothes..” — Aubrey, mom of two, Springfield, Illinois
11. “If your baby is on formula, check with the pediatrician’s office to see if they have samples for you. They often do and this can be a huge savings — especially if your baby is on a special type.” — Megan, mom of two, New Haven, Connecticut
12. “Make your own baby food. It’s a huge money-saver — and it’s healthier, too! I steamed and pureed first foods, like sweet potatoes and squash, and fruits like pears and apples, poured them into silicone ice cube trays, froze them, popped them out, and had them ready to go at a moment’s notice. I also used them as mix-ins with oatmeal. I received a baby food steamer as a shower gift and was grateful for it — the steaming and the pureeing was all-in-one — but it’s pretty easy to do with a stove-top steamer and a food processor, too. For baby food on-the-go, I used reusable, recyclable pouches, and small glass jars.” — Alyssa, mom of two, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
13. “Don’t feel like you need a two-bedroom apartment. We started off in a one bed and Jack got a baby nook in the bedroom. Saved lots of money. Upgraded to a two-bed when he was 2.” — Christine, mom of one, Riverdale, New Jersey
14. “When registering for the first child, it is best to go with gender neutral things in case future kids are a different gender. You end up saving a lot in the long-run.” — Kathy, mom of two, Chicago, Illinois