Just save money itself. If you buy anything in advance - clothes, toys, diapers, etc - you’ll likely buy too much and waste money.

Get on your local buy mothing group. And get all the baby gear except diapers and a couple special outfits from there. Saves so much $. When i was done having my second i gave everything in good condition away. It was great snd got used by other families. And i know some items traveled on to a 3rd place etc.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. If you need to save money that badly you can’t afford a kid. It’s about saving time, not money.

Nobody can afford kids by your standards
It is always good to be frugal, kids are expensive and small savings add up

Really?
I bought a ton of stuff

Nothing. Spend the time lining up good childcare. Even if you are a sahm, line up good sitters or emergency care.

Best advice I can give is to, DO NOT stockpile anything, (except the money).
You don't know what your preference will be. It will be trial and error for first time parents. Just buy items the baby will need first couple of weeks.

I agree that it’s just not the best savings plan to start buying diapers and wipes and formula now because all of those things may or may not work for a specific baby. Size, body type, skin conditions or body chemistry can make any given brand of diapers or wipes a bad choice, and you never know which formula a baby may have an allergy to.

What I would do instead is simply set a side a little cash each month now. If you are putting aside 50 bucks a month for diapers and wipes now, then the cost won’t hit you as hard once the baby comes.

And I definitely agree that starting to look for deals on baby care and a baby clothes is totally worth it. You can find a lot of that stuff gently used for very cheap or free. Join your local buy nothing group on Facebook and try to find local moms groups, especially ones with a Buy/sell/trade component. And look at Big consignment sales in your area. A lot of parents at multiples groups have them biannually as fundraisers. Usually one in the fall and one in the spring.

Don’t overdo it on clothes because you may or may not need any given size for more than a month or so or you may find that certain brands don’t fit your kid properly if your baby is very thin or very fat or very tall or very short they just may not work in some clothing brands, so stocking up on every outfit they could possibly need in a given size might result in a waste of money on your part. but if you let it be known that you would like hand me down baby clothes you’ll usually get a deluge of free clothes from various places, because people love to give them away instead of donate. It’s such an emotional time of life and people feel sentimental about them.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't stock up on diapers or wipes because sometimes you have to experiment to see what will fit best or not irritate your child's skin.

+1 My kid doesn’t care about diapers but the one time I tried different wipes she ended up with a horrible rash. You never know what will fit/suit your baby ahead of time. Highly recommend joining a buy nothing group — someone just passed on a bouncer for me to try out on my gassy newborn. Turns out it isn’t working so far so I’m very grateful I didn’t have to drop $200 on something that may not be helpful and will only be used a few months anyway.

Don’t buy too much of any one brand of formula. You can ask for some at the hospital, and you might have to figure out what agrees with your baby.
I would also get some clothes in 0-3 months size. We got several pretty newborn outfits but DD barely fit in them right after birth.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. If you need to save money that badly you can’t afford a kid. It’s about saving time, not money.

You’re too dumb to be posting here.

You can watch for sales or fb marketplace plenty of things, like play yards and clothes. You can get bottles. We decided to go with cloth diapers and wipes for home use.

I like things related to food prep-stasher bags, jars, etc, so we are less likely to get take-out. I built up a stash and put them into rotation well before baby though.

I wouldn't stock up on diapers or wipes because sometimes you have to experiment to see what will fit best or not irritate your child's skin.

Huggies Natural Care wipes come out one wipe at a time - only brand that does this consistently. Our wipes dispenser went unused and I don't think it is a necessary purchase.

Wipes yes, diapers no. My DD has really sensitive skin and every diaper brand we tried except one gave her rashes. And she was out of newborn diapers really quickly.

Don't stockpile much. Just buy what you will need for the first two weeks. That said, it would be good to have the following on hand before your baby is born:

Size 1 diapers and one small pack of wipes (don't buy a whole box of these - just a pack. Your baby may have skin allergies and need to use more sensitive diapers and wipes so don't buy too much in bulk. They grow very fast in the first week or two so unless you have a preemie, you will not need the newborn ones)
Formula - maybe a pack of ready-to-feed bottles but don't buy the tubs yet. It is expensive and your baby might not like the taste or be allergic, especially if you are planning to BF.
Thermometer
Bulb to suck boogers out
A few receiving blankets
Small nail scissors and baby nail file
If you plan to BF, I would have on hand the following:
Lanolin - or if you are allergic, some other nipple cream
Nipple shields
Pump and pump parts
1 or 2 day supply of bottles (if you are going to BF, you just need 4 little bottles. If not, maybe 10 small bottles)
Diaper rash cream