OMG.................

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
OMG.................
8
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 3:53pm

ummmmmmmmmm......the home pregnancy test said I'm preggers....a gazillion dollars in debt, and now expecting baby number FOUR. LOL--I'm sharing this with you before I tell my parents, et al!!

My two toddlers, DD(almost 4) and DS (just 2) have worn out all my stuff, like the porta-crib, all the infant clothes had to go after DS, so though I am up to my ears in blankets, not a lot for infant (except the car seat--still have that!). 15 yo DD will NOT be happy about this AT ALL!!

I know I might be WAY ahead of myself here, but do any of you have suggestions on getting baby items on the cheap?? Besides breastfeeding, any suggestions on keeping this within our means??

PS--I will be stressed OUT until past first trimester. And imagine what it was like peeing on a stick while my toddlers are fighting some stomach bug--joy!

Thanks,

Kathy

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Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 4:08pm

I know you are stressed out at the moment about it but I'm going to say Congratulations anyway!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2005
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 4:12pm

Kathy,


Consignment shops, Goodwill and other thrift stores have some really nice, really cheap stuff (that doesn't look cheap or used). Honestly, they grow out of it so quickly-why spend a lot of money on something that won't fit in a month?


Also, meantion it to a few friends and I'm sure you'll be bombarded with stuff. A lot of people hold onto baby stuff for a while. They'd probably love to give it to someone they know will appreciate it.


Lynne

Lynne 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 4:21pm

I think I've gotten all of my friends stuff when I was expecting the last two! It was a big help then...but since I was the last one to have it, and my two were kids number four and five to get the stuff, I just had to get rid of it all!! I know its insane to spend oodles of $$ on stuff that they outgrow SO quickly! I've even got DS wearing DDs pjs--yes, they are pink but who cares?!

My SIL mentioned in the past that there is a consignment shop in her area, about 75 min. drive...and after I had my DS I lost like 50 lbs, so all of the maternity items I had from prev two pregnancies way too big. I'll have to try the thrift stores!

Thanks you guys! DH and I are really excited. AND THIS IS IT!! NO MORE!!

Kathy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-20-2004
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 4:59pm

Wow!! Congratulations :)

Hope your kids get over their stomach bug soon!! (If there's any puking going on in my house, i tend to join in...blech!!)

As far as getting baby items cheap, if you can look around once a month or so, Wal-mart usually has stuff marked down very cheap (the big stuff) once a season, anyhow when the new lines come out. i remember a $125 crib going for #30 two years ago, and I was going to buy it for our future baby number three. (Even though i think it is still a year or two off!!)

Congratulations again!!!

heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-10-2005
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 5:36pm

wow!!!! I know you are shocked, but CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Check out my blog! A Hesitant Housewife
Avatar for sohappilyme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 5:50pm
Congratulations from a fellow expecting (#4!)
Sarah
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 6:33pm

Congratulations!

I second the recommendations for yard sales and garage sales. Unfortunately, we're entering the worst season for yard saling, but if you're in a reasonably mild climate you should still be able to find what you need. I see TONS of baby stuff go for very cheap at yard sales, and most of it is nice quality stuff (the cheap quality stuff doesn't last long enough to end up at a yard sale).

I also have two additional recommendations for ongoing expenses:

Cloth diapers
Homemade baby food (or not)

I used cloth diapers for both of mine, and I loved it. Sure, it's a bit of extra work, but it's nothing like it was when our parents were young mommies. Nowadays, they have cloth diapers that work the same way disposables do, with velcro or snaps and elastic, except of course that you wash them. And with today's powerful washing machines, you don't really have to scrub them in the toilet either. I always just dumped solid waste in the toilet (which you should do with disposables anyway, because landfills are not designed to handle human feces and it can contaminate water supplies), and then dropped the diapers in the pail. When it was time to wash, I dumped the diapers in the washer, ran them through two cycles (cold and then hot), then dried them. They were stained, sure, but I never had diaper rash problems, and it was CHEAP. Depending on the system you choose, your outlay will range from under $100 to over $300, and that's for the life of the baby. Plus, if you only use them for one baby, you're likely to be able to sell the used diapers on ebay for about half what you paid for them, and thereby reduce your ultimate cost by half. Or you can just buy them on ebay to begin with. The only danger is that cloth diapering actually gets addictive--I know it sounds crazy, but everyone I know who has cloth diapered for any length of time has spent at least a small amount of time drooling over the vast array of super, super cute diapers available. It's hard to resist. If you need help wading through the overwhelming amount of information out there, I'll be happy to help. Just let me know. I also have some diapers that I could pass on to you for the cost of shipping, if you just wanted to try it out. I'm looking for people to give my old diapers to (people who will really use them or at least try them and then pass them on to someone else if they don't use them), so they won't go to waste. I'd rather give them to someone who can use them than sell them.

The other suggestion has to do with baby food. To be honest, we not only never bought baby food, we never even made baby food. We simply waited until our children started trying to eat our food, and then we would give them smashed up versions of whatever we were eating (testing for allergies before feeding too wide a variety, of course). I think our first started with avacado, which is easy to smash with a spoon. Then we tried baked potato, rice, banana, and many other things. As he grew teeth and began gnawing on things, we gradually began giving him more challenging things to eat. We did basically the same with our second, although we were even MORE laid-back with him (because he's the second). Both our children are good eaters who eat what we fix (not picky), and both of them began eating actually fairly early (five months). I also know others who have done the same thing whose children began eating solids much later--eight and nine months, for instance. It varies by child.

But if you really feel you must feed baby food, it's quite easy to make. Simply choose the ingredients you want to feed them, cook as you normally would but without additives (salt, sugar, butter, etc.--leave them out). Then run it through a food processor or blender (available at yard sales for cheap). You can put the processed food in ice cube trays, freeze, and then move into baggies for serving-size portions you can thaw in the fridge. Or simply make small batches and store in the fridge. However you do it, it will be way cheaper than buying those ridiculously tiny portions of over-processed food they sell as baby food, and it will almost certainly be more nutritious too. And don't let the large number of "homemade baby food" books fool you into thinking this is rocket science. Sure, if you want to serve gourmet baby food you can try one of those books, but otherwise, just cook, puree, and serve.

Again, congratulations! It's scary, I know, but exciting too! You were meant to have this baby, you know.

Blessings,

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-28-2005 - 9:33pm

Thanks again...you'd think with this being #4 that I'd be okay! But #1 and #2 were 12 years apart, so I had a shower with #2, since I had "loaned out" all of stuff from #1 over the years. #3 used all of #2's stuff, plus all the stuff from my friends with boys (which was everyone--I was the only one with girls) arrived. So, I've never really had to stock up on any of these things myself...I do now!

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR IDEAS!! This is why I love this group so much...oh no, I'm getting all hormonal!!!

Kathy

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