Archive for the ‘Budget Baby’ Category

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Baby stuff you don’t need

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Some bottle sterilizers like this Philips deluxe model retail for more than $60.

For as little as around $20, you can buy a bottle sterilizer or put it on your baby registry for someone to snap up. But it’s $20 (or a lot more, depending on how techy you want to get) that could go toward someone really essential, like diapers and more diapers. Hot, soapy water or your dishwasher will do the job of cleaning bottles just fine, lactation experts tell me. In fact, one lactation consultant mentioned this potenial downside to bottle sterilizing. That is, if a plastic baby bottle (BPA-free, of course) has any milk residue in it and it’s sterilized (heated to a high, bacteria-killing temp), the protein in the milk could bake against the sides, leaving little, microscopic ridges for bacteria to grow and hide in later, when you use the bottle again. That’s a nerdy take on what could go wrong with bottle sterilizing but it’s worth noting.

I know some people will swear by their bottle sterilizer. Feel free to weigh in on this blog if that’s you. But if you’re looking to downsize your stuff list, I say that it’s safe to omit this item. What else do you think could go? What baby products did you buy or receive that you ultimately didn’t need or use?

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Love those designer diapers!

Monday, July 12th, 2010

I personally love the look of new Huggies Little Movers jean diapers. Why haven’t they made disposable diapers so stylish before? Still, I wondered how the diapers compared, pricewise, to plain old white disposables so I did a little research at my local Wal-Mart.

On average, disposable diapers cost 25 cents each. With Huggies Little Movers, you’ll pay about 27 to 28 cents per diaper. So they do cost a little more. It’s just 2-3 cents per diaper, though. At a max of eight diaper changes per day let’s say, you’ll spend an extra 24 cents per day–that’s $1.68 per week, which translates to $6.72 more per month or $80.64 per year. That’s not much at all, but still, if you’re watching your pennies, you will be paying more for “the look.” 

The Poop on Diaper Savings

Want to save the most on diapers you possibly can? In general, here my tips for buying disposable diapers for much less:

–If you love the look of denim diapers–and I have a feeling Huggies Little Movers Denim are just the beginning of a disposable diaper fashion trend–save them for special occasions and use plain old white diapers for every day. 
–Buy big. In general, buy the largest count diaper box you can find and buy the smallest size diaper your baby can comfortable wear. In other words, don’t be too quick to trade up to the next-size diaper. Larger diapers cost more than smaller-size diapers do.
–Use coupons and load up at sale time.
–Try store-brand disposables.

All told, if you use all these tips, you can save as much as 17 cents per diaper. Based on my estimates, that’s $1.36 per day or $9.52 cents per week or $38.08 per month or $456.96 per year in your bank account. Yowza!

What do you do to save $$ on disposables?

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New thinking on used cribs

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

I’m constantly being asked the question: “What baby products should I not buy used because they’re unsafe?” This sort of question often comes from parents who are savvy with navigating Craig’s List. The site is a popular way to buy used baby products from local fellow parents and, in fact, I’ve bought and sold my kids’ products on Craig’s List myself.

As it turns out, there are lots of baby products you shouldn’t buy used. I’m finding, though, that my list of “what not to buy used” is constantly changing, as safety standards get updated. Toys, for example, used to be on my ”okay to buy used” list. But since toy safety standards were revised as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, I’m generally not recommending buying used toys unless they’re new or look like new since they might have been made before 2009, when the new toy safety standards got implemented. The new standards ban three types of phthalates, a chemical in plastic, and lower the bar on the permissible lead limit in paint applied to children’s products.   

On the other hand, cribs used to be on my “don’t buy used list.” But if you buy a stationary crib (no-drop sides), as we now recommend in Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, a stationary crib now seems okay to buy used, provided that all the slats are sturdy.

A stationary crib has no potentially dangerous drop sides.

 A stationary crib is a solid piece of furniture; the danger with drop sides, which can malfunction over time or be installed incorrectly, is eliminated. But here’s the catch: If you decide to buy a used stationary crib, know the date it was manufactured. The safest stationary cribs were made after August 2009, which coinsides with the new lead paint standards.

Feel free to chime in!

What baby products have you bought used? What tips can you offer other parents who may be considering going this route?

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Save Dollars on Diapers

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

The other day, I chatted with Louise and Garen, radio hosts of The Frugal Yankee. (Love their site, BTW, www.frugalyankee.com.) We were talking diapers, specifically how to save money on them. They wanted to know about the age-old question: How much can you save by going with cloth diapers vs. disposables? The answer: Hundreds if not at least $1,000 by the time your baby is out of diapers by using cloth instead of disposables–if you’re willing to do lots of laundry detail (and not use a diaper service). Forget pins and plastic pants. If I were doing it all over again, I’d definitely try out pocket and/or all-in-one reusable diapers such as Fuzzibunz (www.fuzzibunz.com) or Bummis (www.bummis.com). They take cloth diapers to a new, more convenient and doable level for a fraction of the long-term costs of disposables (which amounts to roughly $2,500 by the time your baby is diaper-free). But cloth/reusable diapers aren’t for everybody. Maybe you hate to do laundry, for example, or your baby is in daycare, in which case, you’ll need to use disposables some of the time, or your baby is prone to diaper rash. As you probably know from previous posts, disposables have done wonders for eliminating irritant diaper rashes.

Stores and Websites often put diapers on sale as "loss leaders" to induce parents to shop there, so take advantage of good deals.

In any event, here are three more ways to save on both types of diapers:

–Shop Wal-Mart and Target. You’ll find rock-bottom prices on disposable and reusable diapers at www.walmart.com and www.target.com. Don’t be afraid to try the store brand and save at least 3 cents per diaper with every change. (It adds up!) 

–Visit www.drugstore.com, www.diapers.com, www.amazon.com, and www.cvs.com for good deals on name-brand and store-brand diapers (and save yourself a trip to the store) and stock up at sale time.

–Save on regular deliveries. Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, which pops up at the checkout, offers the best deal if you sign up for regular deliveries; you can save 15 percent and get free shipping too.

What do you do to save money on diapers? Give us the poop!

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Baby Registry Rules

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Check out my new baby shopping tips in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-shopping-deals/2010/05/10/shopping-for-new-baby/?cxntlid=sldr_hm. The piece covers how to get the most mileage out of your baby registry. In general, be sure to have more than one registry since gift givers tend to like options, and keep in mind that you can register for cash too, which comes in handy down the line, at sites such as www.depositagift.com and www.myregistry.com.

Happy new baby!

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What color should you paint the nursery?

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

When my 8-year-old daughter told me that her gymnastics teacher, who is pregnant with her first child and due in the summer, was thinking of painting the baby’s nursery cherry red, my first thought was hm…cherry red isn’t a very restful color. In fact, it’s stimulating. And since babies need a lot of sleep, something pastel might be better.

Still, babies can snooze through anything. That’s because infants spend 50 percent of their sleep time in slow-wave sleep, which is the deepest stage of sleep, says Judith Owens, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. (That gradually diminishes, dropping to just 15 percent of the night by young adulthood.)

So a cherry red room isn’t apt to keep most babies awake.  And painting your baby’s room red, or some other non-traditional baby color such as lime or Kelly green, navy, yellow, or lavender might even stretch your decorating dollar. Your baby is less apt to outgrow those colors as quickly as say, babyish pastel pink or blue. All you’ll need to do is change the accessories, such as the artwork, as your little one becomes a toddler, then a big boy or girl, rather than re-do the entire room.

So I’ve changed my mind about nursery colors, especially in this econony.  I still like more muted colors in general, but I say go ahead and paint the nursery cherry red, if you want to, and save yourself the time and expense of a room do-over later.

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Baby Toy Tip: Cycle in, Cycle out

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

Toys can be a tripping hazard if you have too many of them, and a chore to keep organized. To contain the chaos, buy fewer toys and set aside some of the bounty from holidays and birthdays to be taken out later. After the first group has lost it luster and you sense that your baby has gotten bored with that batch, bring out the sequestered toys, and so on. Toy cycling helps constantly refresh your baby’s interest so that what’s old seems like new again and can make less seem like more. But remember to play with your baby with the toy. You’re your baby’s favorite toy and the social interaction your baby gets from playing with you bolsters brain development.

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6 Ways to Save Big on Baby Gear

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

2009_Best-Baby-Products-ConBaby products are an $8.9 billion industry in the U.S., with hundreds of new products added to the lineup each year. With an ever increasing range of choices, and seemingly limitless options, shopping for a new baby can be daunting and expensive. Retailers and manufacturers are smart. They realize that new parents want the best for their baby and that they’re willing to shell out for the privilege. It’s no wonder that a typical middle-income family with one child in the U.S. will spend an average of $13,590 on baby’s first year alone!

You can spend less, get better value, and still buy high-quality, safe products. And you don’t necessarily need to spend a bundle to get them.

The following budget cuts won’t compromise your baby’s safety, which should always be your top concern.

  • Go with store-brand disposable diapers. Although Consumer Reports tests show that the name brands are the top-rated disposable diapers, because overall they tend to be more absorbent and fit better, you may find store brands more than adequate—and a cost cutter. You’ll save about 3 cents per diaper if, for example, you compare the cost of size 1 Par­ent’s Choice, Wal-Mart’s store-brand diapers, with Pampers, also size 1. Saving pennies per diaper may not seem like much, but with 10 changes per day (which is reasonable with an infant), you’d bank about $9 per month and $108 per year using the size 1 store brand diapers.
  • Breast-feed if you can. It’ll save you $2,000 a year, the money you’d spend on infant formula.
  • If you choose or need to use infant formula, buy milk-based formula. It tends to cost less than soy-based formula, so don’t buy soy or another type of special formula unless your pediatrician recommends it. The powdered version is the least expensive. And keep in mind that all infant formula sold in the U.S. must meet the same basic nutrient requirements specified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so if your baby likes store-brand formula, buy it—in the largest-size cans you can find.
  • Don’t buy designer duds. Babies may be able to wear them only once or twice before they outgrow them, which inspires new-parent guilt and the sense that the money could have been better spent on diaper, wipes, or formula. If you can’t resist, watch for sales at your favorite baby stores and scout for designer wear at secondhand shops.
  • Buying a crib mattress? Nix the convertible option. If you’re planning to convert your baby’s crib to a toddler bed, put this added feature in the “not necessary” category. While “dual firmness” convertible mattresses are available with an extra firm side for infants and a cushier, standard or memory foam on the other for toddlers, you don’t need to spend the extra money. Convertible mattresses cost $220 to $400 , compared to $90 to $200 for a non-convertible mattress. Don’t worry. Your baby will still be happy with a firm (non-convertible) mattress when he becomes a toddler.
  • Shopping cart covers—feel free to skip this purchase entirely. It’s not a must-have. In fact, using one may be more trouble than it’s worth. Keep in mind that the covers themselves can harbor harmful germs—from blood as well as mucus and feces—longer than a bare cart handle because the germs can get embedded in the fabric. That’s why it’s important to wash a shopping cart cover in hot water and a bleach-based disinfectant and dry it completely after every time you use it. Another reason I put shopping cart covers in the “optional” category: These days, many supermarkets supply sanitizing wipes for cleaning the cart handle and seat when you walk in, which can do a good job of reducing the germ load there. If wipes aren’t provided, keep a small supply of disinfecting wipes in your purse or diaper bag. Even after wiping, keep your baby from gnawing on the handle by bringing his favorite teething toy.

Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (Tenth Edition) is chock full of money-saving advice. It’s organized in a handy A to Z format and reviews a wide range of essential baby (and parent) gear, with an emphasis quality and safety. It will help you find the best value and give you the information you need to determine when a bigger price tag means better quality and when it doesn’t, which baby products are must-haves and which are a waste of money, and which products might even be unsafe.

What did you do to save money on baby products? Post your own tips here.

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Bed Bath & Beyond coupons

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Since Bed Bath & Beyond (BBB) now owns the chain BuyBuy Baby, you can now use BBB’s 20 percent off coupons there, too. That means that on a BOB Revolution single jogging stroller, which retails for $389.99, for example, you’ll save a whopping $78. As with all things coupons, you’ll maximize your savings–and get tingles at the register–when you use them when products are on sale. Besides big-ticket items like a stroller, you can do the coupon/sale item combo on everyday products such as baby food, infant formula, and diapers. If you shop at a store that doubles coupons, that’s even better, so stock up at sale time and save big. As with many things in life, timing is key.

On a similar note, at my local BBB, I was surprised to learn that their 20 percent off coupons never expire, even though they have a specific expiration date. So don’t throw away your 20 percent-off BBB coupons; stockpile them instead. You can use one coupon per item. So if you have 20 coupons and 20 items, you’ll save 20 percent on each. That may not necessarily apply at your local BBB or at BuyBuy Baby, so ask to be sure.

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Using the same car seat for baby #2

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

FAQ: Is it OK to use my first child’s infant car seat for my second child? It’s still in great shape and was never in an accident.

If your kids are close in age, it’s fine to reuse your car seat, provided that it hasn’t been recalled and there aren’t any visible cracks in the frame. (To check for recalls, see www.cpsc.gov.) But if there’s a significant age gap between your kids, you’re better off buying a new seat. The AAP advises consumers to avoid using seats that are too old. That means looking on the label for the date it was made and checking with the manufacturer (log onto their Website) to find out how long it recommends using the seat. Some manufacturers recommend that their models only be used for five to six years from the date of manufacture. The Britax Chaperone infant car seat and base (www.britaxusa.com), for example, shouldn’t be used when either are older than six years or have been in a severe crash. To make sure your seat hasn’t expired, look on the seat’s label for the date of manufacture and check your owner’s manual for usage recommendations. For guidelines on car seats safety and installation, see Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2009, http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm.

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