When the hubby and I first found out that I was pregnant, we were of course, very ecstatic. But after the initial joy of the news, we realized we had so many things to prepare for. It was overwhelming just thinking about the things we will be needing, especially since we are shuttling between two countries. We had to have two of most things. But, I can say that I am luckier than most people, since we did not have to spend so much on the baby's things because of family and friends who gave us a lot of the things we will be needing.
So, what did we do to make the buying not so painful?
1. Decide on the things you need to buy. We decided on the things we felt needed to be brand new for the baby and then we started to be on the lookout for Baby Expos and baby store deals happening.
Among the things that have to be brand new are the following:
a. Stroller
b. Infant Car Seat
c. Breast pump
d. Mattress
Safety experts do not recommend buying second-hand strollers and car seats unless you trust the owner, because these items may have been damaged in an accident, putting into question the safety of your car seat or stroller.
Breast pumps are also not meant to be shared for health reasons (since breast milk after all, is body fluid). In fact, the warranty of breast pumps become void if it is found out that there were multiple users for it.
2. Buy early and in batches. We decided to buy baby stuff early and in small quantities so we would not feel the pinch when the bills came. Other people do not want to stock up on things early because it takes up a considerable space at home. But for us, we decided to stock up on those things as we felt the good deals may not be around anymore when I am close to my delivery date.
3. Set aside money every month for the hospital bill as well as other expenses. Another thing we did was to start setting aside money every month for the hospital expenses of my delivery. We started doing this from the time we found out I was pregnant. We jacked up the estimated cost also so that we are prepared should the expenses go up unexpectedly.
4. Do not go overboard by buying too many baby clothes. When we were buying stuff for the baby, we just made sure the baby would have something to wear in the first few days of life. We knew our relatives and friends would most likely be giving us clothes as gifts, so we decided to just use the money for something else.
5. Order online. I would frequently check Amazon for items I would be using when the baby came. A lot of the items I bought were significantly cheaper than those you would find in the store.
6. Check the latest guidelines on newborn safety before buying anything. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been a major concern over the last few years, hence, many things have changed in terms of caring for our newborn baby. Read up on things that may potentially be harmful for the newborn and check the recommended clothing, beddings, etc to prevent such incident from happening.
By doing all of these, we were pretty much ready 2 months before my due date. It helped that many people actually gave us a lot of gifts for the baby. But by starting early, it also did not hit our monthly budget drastically. We barely felt the stress of the preparation.
Preparing for the arrival of our little one is a very exciting period not only for you as a couple, but also for your extended family, so you shouldn't remember this as a period of stress, instead you should enjoy the journey. After all, you were given 9 months to prepare for this.
So, what did we do to make the buying not so painful?
1. Decide on the things you need to buy. We decided on the things we felt needed to be brand new for the baby and then we started to be on the lookout for Baby Expos and baby store deals happening.
Among the things that have to be brand new are the following:
a. Stroller
b. Infant Car Seat
c. Breast pump
d. Mattress
Safety experts do not recommend buying second-hand strollers and car seats unless you trust the owner, because these items may have been damaged in an accident, putting into question the safety of your car seat or stroller.
Breast pumps are also not meant to be shared for health reasons (since breast milk after all, is body fluid). In fact, the warranty of breast pumps become void if it is found out that there were multiple users for it.
2. Buy early and in batches. We decided to buy baby stuff early and in small quantities so we would not feel the pinch when the bills came. Other people do not want to stock up on things early because it takes up a considerable space at home. But for us, we decided to stock up on those things as we felt the good deals may not be around anymore when I am close to my delivery date.
3. Set aside money every month for the hospital bill as well as other expenses. Another thing we did was to start setting aside money every month for the hospital expenses of my delivery. We started doing this from the time we found out I was pregnant. We jacked up the estimated cost also so that we are prepared should the expenses go up unexpectedly.
4. Do not go overboard by buying too many baby clothes. When we were buying stuff for the baby, we just made sure the baby would have something to wear in the first few days of life. We knew our relatives and friends would most likely be giving us clothes as gifts, so we decided to just use the money for something else.
5. Order online. I would frequently check Amazon for items I would be using when the baby came. A lot of the items I bought were significantly cheaper than those you would find in the store.
6. Check the latest guidelines on newborn safety before buying anything. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been a major concern over the last few years, hence, many things have changed in terms of caring for our newborn baby. Read up on things that may potentially be harmful for the newborn and check the recommended clothing, beddings, etc to prevent such incident from happening.
By doing all of these, we were pretty much ready 2 months before my due date. It helped that many people actually gave us a lot of gifts for the baby. But by starting early, it also did not hit our monthly budget drastically. We barely felt the stress of the preparation.
Preparing for the arrival of our little one is a very exciting period not only for you as a couple, but also for your extended family, so you shouldn't remember this as a period of stress, instead you should enjoy the journey. After all, you were given 9 months to prepare for this.
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