How to Save Money on Monthly Baby Expenses

Are your monthly diaper bills weighing you down? Do you find that trying to make ends meet while having a new addition to the home is getting harder and harder? Here are a few ways to stretch your monthly baby expenses.

Instructions

First Things First

1

Before taking drastic measures, look at your overall spending habits for your baby. Evaluate where the real drains are on the budget and tackle the all areas that you can. Try out the following steps gradually and each month try to do a little better.

2

Avoid purchasing unnecessary items. Simply avoiding that extra cute top or little dress that really is not needed can really make a difference. Also, there are a lot of gadgets out there for it seems every imagined baby "need." Try to consider if the item is really necessary before purchasing it.

3

Keep the concept of saving money on your mind throughout the month as well. Look out for coupons and sales of needed items and be willing to shop for clothing and toys at resale shops or garage sales.

Nursing and Baby Food

4

Consider breastfeeding. One of the common ways that baby expenses can creep up is through the purchase of baby milk formulas. Breastfeeding your baby is certainly an inexpensive way to feed him or her, aside from its healthful merits. Even if you are unable to totally breastfeed, breastfeeding as much as you can may help out the monthly bills.

5

Make your own baby food as much as possible. There are a lot of books and simple recipes for baby foods. It is actually quite easy to make up baby food in large batches or right along with the evening's meal. One way to store baby food in bulk is to freeze the purees in ice trays. Not only do they come out in nice portions, but they are easy to store in plastic freezer bags by simply popping them out of the trays.

6

Be careful to also not waste baby food. Try to give your baby only as much as he or she will eat. A lot of baby food can go to waste by giving too generous portions.

Diapers and Wipes

7

Cut down on the amount of diapers used each day. Particularly in the summer, try to let your baby go without a diaper for a certain period of time. Depending on the child, this can make a difference. However, avoid leaving diapers on the baby for long periods of time as it can cause rashes.

8

Consider using cloth diapers. As hard as the thought might be, using cloth diapers can save a lot of money in the course of a month. If the thought of using them all of the time is a little too much to handle, try using one or two of them a couple of times a day when their stools begin to be more solid and the clean up is not quite so great.

9

Make your own wipes, if possible. There are a lot of baby wipes recipes available online or in self-help books. Usually they involve simply paper towels, some sort of baby shampoo or soap and baby oil. Making wipes is a pretty easy task and they can smell great too.