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When you think of babies do you think of all the stuff they might need. Cribs, blankets, a car seat; oh my! It’s overwhelming!
If you are considering parenting, you may be overwhelmed at all the baby things you think you might need in order to care for your baby, but don’t let it overwhelm you! A lot of the things on the market today are “luxury” items. Come on, does a baby really need the wipes warmed?
Some birthmothers may have made adoption plans because they worried about financially raising a baby. Finances can improve and there are ways to make do if that is one of the big reasons you are considering adoption.
Some of the basic necessities that you will need if you parent are listed below.
- A crib or bassinette for baby to sleep in, play pens will even work too.
- Car seat (Most hospitals will not let you leave until they see your car seat.)
- Clothes for the baby
- Bottles and formula (Consider breastfeeding though as it will save money on formula. If you breastfeed and need a pump, many health departments or hospitals have lactation consultants who can help you find a pump at little or no cost to you.)
- Blankets
- Diapers, baby wipes, etc. (Cloth diapers may be cheaper than disposable diapers but then you have to deal with washing, so if you did not have a washer or dryer at home, you’d have to take that into consideration.)
There are a few ways to get baby items at discounted prices.
- Check out local garage sales. Look in the weekly newspaper and look for garage sales. Check out the descriptions to see if any have baby items listed.
- Ebay is a great way to get baby items cheaply. You can also buy “lots” on ebay which may give you multiple items for a good deal.
- Freecycle is another great way to get baby items cheaply. Check out the free cycyle website to see if there is a mailing list in your area and then sign up. Post that baby items are needed. The only catch with Free Cycle is that you have to either go pick up the items from the person’s home or you have to meet them somewhere.
- Crisis Pregnancy Centers sometimes have loan closets where you can borrow baby items such as cribs or car seats.
- Let friends know what baby items you are in need of. Perhaps they have friends who have recently had babies and are already looking to get rid of some of the things their baby has outgrown already.
Again, don’t think you have to go out and acquire the fanciest baby items in the land, your baby will never know the difference!
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Related Posts:
Young Mom Sisterhood
Parenting Resources
And, if you attend a church, members of the church will more than likely be glad to provide you with the basics. Don’t be afraid to lean on people a bit!
Oh, I forgot about church! Our church throws a baby shower yearly for young Moms where they get diapers and wipes and stuff that you ALWAYS need with a baby!
Great blog, Coley.
When we were pregnant with our first child, both my husband and I were concerned about the cost involved in just bringing a baby home. Finally we determined to “just have faith” that all we needed would come to us (and we aren’t terribly religious people).
As it turned out, a friend of mine had a one-year-old and gave me all of his outgrown clothes. A friend of a friend had a two-year-old and did the same. A woman in the neighborhood that I didn’t even know gave me a baby monitor and a huge box of blankets because her kids didn’t need them any more.
Family pitched in for furniture, stroller and car seat and we were set for the first year without having to buy anything!
When nursing didn’t work for us, I bought formula in bulk at Sam’s Club at a fraction of the cost that grocery stores charge.
Finances CAN improve and there are ALWAYS ways to make do. Don’t ever let money be your only reason for making an adoption plan.
Thanks for the comment Lisa!
When nursing didn’t work for us, I bought formula in bulk at Sam’s Club at a fraction of the cost that grocery stores charge.
There is also WIC which many single mothers or low income couples may qualify that will pay for most of the forumla you need monthly. I will be addressing WIC in an upcoming post!