5 Ways to Save on Baby Items in the First Year

Save on baby items by joining a subscription service, such as Amazon Family. This service allows you to order diapers, formula, laundry detergent, healthy snacks and other items your family uses on a regular basis. Their prices often beat grocery or discount stores and buying in bulk equates to even bigger savings. Busy parents often dread loading up the diaper bag and baby for a trip to the store. This service offers a free two-day delivery. Knowing the items you need are on their way helps take a burden off your shoulders.

You may think consignment stores only carry items that are faded, stained or on their last leg, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most consignment shops have strict policies and won’t accept anything except very gently used merchandise. You can find designer baby clothes, shoes, equipment and toys at a greatly reduced price. This is a fantastic place to stock up on the staples you’ll need for your infant, such as receiving blankets, onesies, sleepers and the “always disappearing” baby socks.

Once you discover your favorite brands of baby products, read the fine print on the packaging. There will often be money-saving coupons that add extra cash in your pockets. Many brands have point systems, where the points can be spent on other children’s products.

If you know someone who is selling baby furniture that would look glorious in your nursery, but the price exceeds your budget, consider a barter system. You could draw up a simple contract where you agree to babysit the individual’s child once a week over the next few months. Be their personal shopper, make simple home repairs, do yard work, offer to drive the person’s elderly parent to their doctor’s appointments, etc. Creativity helps you strike a bargain that is a win-win scenario for all involved.

Don’t forget that friends and relatives are a great source for finding inexpensive baby items, and they will often give them to you free just to get rid of the clutter in their own homes. If the friends don’t want the items returned, you may find that you have so much you are able to share your bounty with other new parents.