New Parents Survival Guide: Saving Time and Money

I am sure you have already found out babies are an expensive proposition.

Walk into any baby store and you will find multiple aisles of endless gadgets that the retail market is sure you and your baby cannot live without. But don’t worry, I will prioritize things you really need, make sug- gestions how to buy less expensive items, and generally make preparing for a baby far less painful. The cheaper alternative truly would have been to have a midlife crisis, buy a red convertible, and travel around the world; however, you have chosen parenthood. With that in mind, we will try and make the best of this decision.

Do not start off buying tons of formula before your baby arrives. Many parents want to stockpile large amounts because they know they will need formula and that it would be nice to have a “paid” stash of this expensive stuff before the tike comes. The kicker is that a baby’s formula can get changed multiple times during the first two weeks of life for various med- ical reasons and many stores will not let you return it for safety reasons. Therefore, you could be stuck with expensive formula you won’t be able to use. The hospital will start your baby on a formula in the hospital and they will usually send you home with a couple of day’s worth. Buy just a few days worth at a time for the first week or two. After you get through the first two weeks, the chances that your baby’s formula will change becomes less likely and then it makes sense to buy more at a time. When you go to your doctor’s visit, ask if they have formula samples or coupons. Most medical offices receive these for free from the formula representatives and usually have no problem giving them to you. The pediatricians will not always think to give you samples; however you should not hesitate to ask for it. The formula company’s website will also have substantial money saving coupons. Over a year these coupons can add up to a significant amount of money.

Do not make large investments in diapers before the baby arrives nor should you ask for diapers at showers. You won’t know your baby’s skin sen- sitivity prior to delivery. In the diaper business, the most expensive brand is not always the best. I have had more diaper rashes and allergies from brand name diapers than generic brands. Diapers are not a fashion statement and are only there to catch pee and poop so spend as little money on them as possible.

Cloth diapers are also an option. Cloth diapers can save you about $900-1600 per baby after you recover from the initial investment and even with the associated laundry costs. It cannot be argued cloth diapers are better for the environment and they do cause less diaper rashes. If you choose to use them, I am sure Mother Nature will be very happy and you are not doing any harm to your baby. Cloth diapers could be an exception to the baby shower rule, so ask for lots of these at your shower.

Do not spend a small fortune on diaper creams. The active ingredient in most diaper rash cream is zinc oxide so just buy the cheapest one you can find. The real secret to treating a diaper rash is never let the rash develop in the first place. Most rashes are caused by not changing the baby’s diaper often enough, so check their diaper frequently. If you use diaper rash cream every time, it should prevent the diaper rash from ever starting.

There are many products for cleaning your baby. What do they do and why do you need them? There is baby shampoo, which is to clean your baby’s hair. You will find the most important selling point is whether it causes tears or not. In all honesty though, water in their eyes causes tears. Just be careful to protect their eyes when you are washing their hair as whatever type used can make them cry. Any baby shampoo is fine, so save some money. Baby lotions are more about making your baby smell like a baby and not dirty diapers and spit-up milk. Find one you like the smell of and pay what you can afford. If your baby has any skin rashes, your doctor won’t rec- ommend baby lotions. Baby powder is also just for smell and serves no other function. Many pediatricians no longer recommend using it due to the risk of getting the powder into the baby’s lungs. If you do use baby powder, dust it into the diaper away from the baby before putting it on the baby.

Many people never use changing tables and just change the diaper wherever the diaper and baby happen to be. This may be on the floor, couch, lap, counter, bed…any place except a changing table. If you get the baby home and think it would be easier to change them with a changing table, then by all means go and buy one.

Now, I am sure there are at least a hundred different varieties of baby bottles out there! All of these bottles have some slight variation and are marketed with the premise that your baby would be better off “using this bottle” over another one. The advertised difference between different types of bottles is usually “a bunch of hooey”. Start off with the cheapest bottle you can find and it will likely be the one you use at least 90 percent of the time. If your baby has a hard time drinking from it, then at least you haven’t invested a lot of money in something you have to change. Some bottles cost as much as $8-$12 each and don’t work any better than the cheaper versions. Some expensive models also require an engineering degree to take apart to wash and get back together. Nipples for bottles are the same. Use the cheapest nipple in the slow to medium flow and it will work for almost all the babies. If you have problems, then start looking for something different and more expensive. Here is one of those time-saving tidbits: You do NOT ever need to boil your bottles or nipples, even if your mom says you are supposed to. You need to wash them in hot soapy water. Your dishwasher can more than adequately clean your baby’s bottles. Your doctor may have you boil pacifiers or nipples if your baby gets thrush, but only while the thrush is being treated.

Bottled water is expensive and is no better to mix your formula with than tap water. Most of the bottled water actually comes from PWS, which stands for public water supply. Most bottled water filters out fluoride, which is needed for strong teeth and to prevent dental caries I recommend you use city water that has been fluoridated. If you do not have a safe water source, make sure you buy nursery water, which is fluoridated bottled water. Lastly, contrary to what your mom or grandmother says, you do not have to boil the water from the tap to mix your formula. The only exception would be if you knew your water source was contaminated due to flooding or something else. It will not do any harm to boil the water, but it is sure going to waste a lot of your time.

Babies grow extremely fast and if you do not have a lot of extra money lying around you may want to skip the extra expense of a bassinet. These are nice to have those first couple of months when the baby is waking up frequently during the night for feedings and other things. It allows you to keep the baby close but the baby will outgrow it very quickly and it would be cheaper to just put the baby bed in your room for the first couple of months and then move it to the nursery later. Similarly, those little, soft, bumper pads are very cute in the baby bed, but that is all they are—cute. When a baby actually starts to move around your pediatrician will recommend removing them because they can become a safety hazard—more money better spent somewhere else.

The following is a list of commonly purchased items that are usually never used or are retired very quickly:

Diaper pails: a place to put used diapers is a must, but fancy pails with special insert type bags are a pain (hard to change the bags and smell awful when you do).

Bottle warmers: These take too long and did you know you do not really need to warm milk? You condition a baby to the temperature of milk. They will like the temperature you get them used to over time. I recommend room temperature. I trained my little guy to drink his formula straight out of the fridge. When I started taking him to daycare he would throw up all day long. One day I walked in early and saw them warming his bottle. The warm milk was why he was throwing up. He was used to having his formula cold and the warm temperature upset his belly.

Diaper wipe warmer: The idea of using these is nice and sounds comfortable, but the warmer never seems to be where you are. If you are going to only change diapers at a designated changing table, this might be a product you would use on a regular basis.

Fancy thermometers: You could spend a large sum of money on fancy thermometers and gadgets to take temperatures, which are usually pieces of junk. We recommend you buy a digital axillary thermometer. If you spent more than $8-$10 on it, you were robbed. Some doctors still want rectal temperatures. Ask your pediatrician which they prefer. If you spend enough money on one of the temporal thermometers, these are amazing and reliable. But cheap forehead scanners, pacifier thermometers, and most tympanic thermometers (ear thermometers) are a waste of your money.

Some things are worth their weight in gold:

Changing pad kits: These are little kits that will have a little container of wipes, a changing pad, and enough room to store a diaper or two.

Baby sacks: These are little gown things that cinch at the bottom around the baby’s feet. They are great for newborns and allow easy access to your baby for frequent diaper changing.

Baby monitors: These allow you to leave your little angel while they are sleeping and get something done somewhere else in the house…or get a little nap yourself. 10 second thermometers: The time it takes to take a baby’s temperature with a normal thermometer is about the same time it takes for a pregnancy test to run and both feel like forever. Make it as short as possible.

Tylenol: Your little bundle of joy is going to give you a headache or two. Take two and call someone in the morning.

Self-closing pacifier: Your little baby will spit out his/her pacifier accidentally or on purpose. To prevent washing it a hundred times a day use these instead—an amazing invention.

Hand-me-downs: If you know someone who will give you things you need to take care of your little person consider him or her a Godsend. Just be careful to look on the Internet as toys and strollers may have had a recall for being unsafe. Car seats should not be used second hand as they may have expired or been in a wreck that makes them unsafe for your baby.

**While writing this book and editing it my wife Kristi and I found we are expecting a little baby boy. We have bought all the things I highly recommend. She has also bought the wipe warmer, changing table, diaper pail and bumper pad that I wrote were a waste of money. This shows that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, even in the same house.