Having a baby is a hugely exciting time in your life, but it can also be a huge learning curve, especially in budgeting.
Baby equipment is big business and we all want the best for our children, but it is important to remember that much of it will only be used for a few weeks and isn’t worth spending big money on.
Planning a baby on a budget is a challenge, but can be achievable but it is important to start saving as soon as you find out you are pregnant.
My Top Tips on Planning a Baby on a Budget
Baby Show
My first tip is to attend a Baby Show, where you can see what items you need or like.
There are very often some special offers at these shows, but it is important not to get carried away.
Buy Second Hand
You have been to the Baby Show and seen what you want, now look for that item second hand. Most baby equipment is only used for a few weeks at most and will still be in fantastic condition, but make sure you view it first.
The one thing I recommend you invest in, and buy new, is a new car seat as you wouldn’t be able to tell if it had been in an accident.
Borrow
Unless you are the first to have a baby in your friendship group, many friends will have baby equipment tucked away and will be happy to lend it out.
Gifting
When you have a baby, friends, family and work colleagues naturally want to help, so it is worth putting together a gift guide of what you want.
That way they can either club together to buy that big ticket item, or help buy the little things that you really need or want.
Save money whilst you are still working
Although maternity packages have improved over the years, it can still be a huge shock when when SMP (Statutory Maternity Pay) kicks in.
SMP is payable for 39 weeks, so unless there are medical reasons for finishing work early, I recommend you work as late on in your pregnancy as possible.
For the first six weeks it is paid at 90 percent of the average weekly earnings. The following 33 weeks will be paid at the SMP rate (£148.68) or 90 per cent of the average weekly earnings whichever is the lower.
After the 33 weeks has finished, you can still have up to a year off, but at no pay, so having some savings in your bank will help you get through this tricky stage. You can also take holiday immediately before or after your maternity leave if you want to spend more time away from work.
Enter Competitions / Giveaways
Most baby companies have social media pages and often run giveaways and competitions for their products.
There is also a huge online comping community out there which is easy to join and when you start, you will soon find yourself being tagged in giveaway posts.
Also follow blogger accounts like mine as we often run giveaways too. These can be found listed on sites like superlucky, prizefinder and MSE.
How did you budget for your baby?
These sound like some great tips. I don’t have kids but I feel like sometimes even if you can afford a child that first expense of buying everything to set you up must be very daunting as it is so much to afford at once.
These are some great tips. We definitely prepared for Jack on a budget – many of our friends had boys a few months before so we never really had to buy many clothes and I also entered a lot of competitions and got many of the baby club freebies.
Definitely save before maternity pay kicks in! It can help so much. I bought so much second hand for my younger two. I wasted so much money with my first!
Oh I remember going to the Baby Show before my oldest was born … the days when Bugaboos were the MUST HAVE pram (yes, I had one!) The amount of gear I bought was eye-watering. My husband kept quiet as I was hormonal and liable to have a meltdown in the middle of the carpark etc … I rarely used any of the must-buy items. I learned a valuable lesson that day – no more shows!
I think it’s easier than ever having a baby on a budget. When my son was little essential items like prams were so expensive. We had a second hand pram. Now things are cheaper than ever. I used to use charity shops now and again for clothes as kids grow so fast.
Some great tips here! Saving before you on maternity leave definitely helps!
I went to the Baby show both times and saved loads of money!
Sound great advice for new mums to be. Love MsE with the ideas. It’s all about research right?
Great advice. It can be a shock when your salary suddenly changes so drastically so to make savings before is very wise. We also bought a lot of things second hand which really helped with the cost of everything.