As a first time parent, I’ve been interviewing moms and dads left right and centre for advice and what I need to prepare and buy. Here are some money-saving tips:
When buying a stroller, considering having one that has a bassinet plug-in. That way, you can get out of buying a crib for a few months. This is especially helpful for us since we’ve been trying to find a house in this hot Toronto housing market, and still haven’t found a place to call our own to set up a proper nursery. The bassinet will allow us to move easily and get a crib later when we want.
Don’t go crazy, wait for the baby to arrive to select certain items. Some items some babies will love and others will hate and never use. Some babies hate pacifiers, and just don’t want to be swaddled. Oh, and they grow out of 0-3 months clothes fast. Some babies come out already pass that clothing size!
Some things you simply won’t need: Hooded towels sometimes are too thin or not absorbent enough. A regular large but thin towel will do, you want something thin enough to make it easy to manoeuvre.
Toys. Newborns don’t need a lot of toys, so keep it simple in the beginning. At this stage, they are fascinated by your voice, your face, and when they can grasp, a box can be a thing of wonder. Enjoy the time when simple items can fascinate your kids for hours.
Consider playing natural white-noise on your laptop or via a CD player, instead of a sleep-sheep toy. Bonus, you don’t need to buy extra batteries because those things run on plug-in electricity.
Consider buying items second hand! Kijiji is a great place to go for second hand maternity clothes, baby toys, and the likes.
