With a pregnancy often times comes the realization that babies are expensive. But is that really true? Does having a baby automatically mean you have to kiss your money goodbye? In my opinion the answer is NO. Green moms are way ahead of the curve when it comes to raising baby on the cheap. The old saying applies equally to “stuff” we accumulate when raising children… “Use it Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without”. There is no reason we need to fall victim to the marketing hype that declares we NEED all the latest baby gadgets, equipment, and toys. Here are some ways to raise baby green… and cheap.
Extended Breastfeeding – Why buy expensive formula when you have milk on tap. Its the healthiest food you could ever give your child and it is FREE! And while you are at it, don’t rush solids. There is no reason to start your 4 month old baby on solid baby food, in fact most conventional doctors recommend to wait until at least six months. Many natural parenting advocates recommend starting even later than that, perhaps around the 9 month mark. Waiting to introduce solids can help prevent food allergies.
Co-sleep – You most likely already have a bed so why buy another? Co-sleeping is very safe and it is very convenient for breastfeeding moms as well. In our family, we didn’t have to worry about buying beds until our kids were about 4-5 years old. An added bonus for co-sleeping parents is the deep bond you form with your kiddos.
Wear Your Baby – Investing in a good baby sling or wrap can save money in the long run. When you choose to wear your baby you can often forgo a stroller, bouncy seat, rocking swing, or other device meant to entertain your baby so you can be hands free. You would be surprised how much you can get done while wearing a baby in a sling and once again it helps you to bond with your child. Modern interventions do nothing to help you and your child form a deep attachment.
Buy Used – Check out yards sales, thrift stores, and online classifieds sites to buy baby items like clothing. Organic clothing is certainly worth it but used clothing has been sufficiently washed so that pesticide residue is no longer an issue and buying used saves energy resources used to make new clothing. Babies don’t need expensive little outfits either; they can’t read the tag to know whether the outfit came from Gymboree or whether it was purchased at Baby GAP.
Used maternity clothing is another smart purchase. If you only need those clothes for 5-6 months why buy new?
Cloth Diaper – Using cloth can mean a hefty initial investment in diapers but it also means a large cost savings in the long run. To keep costs low use prefold diapers and diaper covers. You can even dye the prefolds groovy colors if feel the need to jazz them up. If you knit you can also make homemade wool diaper covers and longies for baby. Another option is to buy used. There is a huge market for used diapers on eBay and cloth diaper forums. Doing it this way enables you to try dozens of different diaper types to see what ones you like best. And of course you can always make your own for only a couple dollars per diaper. They really are one of the easiest things you can sew.
Make Your Own – Thrifty moms can save a lot by avoiding commercial versions of the products they need. If you need baby food why buy the little jars for $1 a piece when you can puree your own in a food processor or blender. Just set aside some of the food that the big people are eating and blend it for baby. There are also numerous baby food cookbooks on the market. Get some from the library and and write them down your baby’s favorites on recipe cards for easy reference.
You can also make your own natural baby products like natural lotions, bath oils, creams, diaper creams, talc-free powders, and shampoos. You will save money AND prevent exposure to dubious chemicals and synthetic products.
Forgo The Gadgets – Do you really need that exersaucer or the wipes warmer? Probably not. Get creative and come up with alternatives. Instead of a wipes warmer why not use cloth wipes sprayed with a bit of warm water? Then you won’t need to buy store brand wipes either.
What is your favorite way to go green and save green while raising baby?
I am definitely with you on the cloth diapers. I actually used FuzziBunz with my kids and because they are 18 months apart I was able to get double use out of them. I read on a cloth diaper service site (tinytots.com) that it takes one cup of petroleum to make a standard disposable diaper. And the amount of feces accumulating in landfills is an issue.
I would also add to your list to forgo fancy toys. Their interests change so fast that they might already be done with something you bought last week. My kids favorite “toys” are our kitchen measuring cups. Good for stacking, sorting, scooping, water play, etc.
We also joined a toy library (for a small fee) where we can check out toys for a month at a time. When they get tired of them we take them back and get different toys.
Love the idea of renting toys!
My favorite is getting all the handmedown clothes from relatives. I’ve rarely had to buy clothes for my kids, as there are older cousins. That’s especially true for my youngest, who gets more handmedowns than I can handle sometimes. We have to sort through and figure out what’s worth using.
The clothes next get stored for when my sister’s stepson and wife start their family, which may be soon.
Love our cloth diapers too. I’ve converted a few moms who hadn’t realized that they aren’t all that much extra work these days.
Another advantage of optimal breastfeeding (or extended BFing, if you insist on calling it that) is that you can just skip the baby food all together. Baby’s getting good nutrition from Mama so “Food’s for fun ’till baby’s past 1.” They can play with and nibble at whatever the big people are eating at: single ingrediant foods first when they start to show interest around 6 months, and by the time they’re a year old, they’ve got teeth for big people food. Added bonus: they know what “real food” tastes like, so you’ve got less trouble with (expensive and obnoxious) picky eating.
I bought a couple of yards of unbleached flannel, cut them into squares and surged the edges. I use those with natural castile soap & water to make baby wipes. They work so much better than disposable wipes and they’re great for between baths. Plus its a bonus with the cloth diapers. You toss everything into one pail. 1 yard made enough wipes to last 2.5 days. I wash every 2 days but I plan on making at least 2 more yards worth to have on hand for our next little one. It was super easy to do and you don’t even need a serger. A friend of mine used her sewing machine to edge stich her wipes.
We also opted out of toys other than a wooden teether. There are so many other safe things around the house for him to play with.
You can get used diapers on eBay again? I thought they banned them a few years ago. Craigslist is also good for buying and selling used diapers.
My favorite trick for saving on clothes (especially fancy or holiday outfits that are only worn once or twice) is to get them used at the Goodwill or online and then resell them when they’re outgrown. I got my daughter a Hanna Andersson playdress for $11, she wore it for a YEAR, and I resold it for $7. And, I might add, the person who bought it from me was quite happy with the purchase!
Saw some used diapers on ebay just today. They weren’t marked clearly as used in the title but you could tell.
I just sold used prefolds and covers a couple weeks ago on EBAY, they are definitely on there
Good to know! Thanks!
Hi. You caught my eye as you are NatureMom and I am NatureGirl. Thought I would say hi. Love the blog. Wish blogging had been around when my kids were little so I would not have felt like such a weirdy with my cloth diapers and homemade food…keep it up. Now I blog about natural mommaing with teens and tweens!
I love this post. I agree with everything in it. It was simple, straight forward and exactly right on all points. Some of this may seem obvious to some of us, but we’d be surprised to find how many would never even consider ahhhhhh forgoing the wipes warmer!!!!!! LOL.
Get an immersion blender. Mine cost $18 and I make a vast variety of pureed foods with it. So when you whip up your dinner you can just throw some into a bowl and puree. So much easier than the blender/food processor I used with my first. And fresher too!
Yes, that is a very good suggestion. My husband uses our immersion blender constantly… it is very useful for whipping things up in a jiff without messing dishes.
I absolutely agree! We did all of these things and it’s amazing how little babies have to cost. Of course, once they get big, it’s another story…. ;)
Thank you for this post, I love it, I am due now anyday with my second child and you have helped me on my path of being as eco friendly as I can and for that I couldn’t thank you enough!
You are so sweet! Thanks for the smile!
I use the saying “If I only knew then what I know now” I would have saved a bundle. My kids were both born in the early 90’s which was about aboundance and everything new…in my family. We absolutely spend way to much on baby and toddler stuff. Fast forward to today….both boys are in college and I would love to have that money safely tucked away for those expenses.
I still love your blog and turn other younger mothers on to it regularly so hopefully…they will be smarter than I was at their age.
Thanks
I’ve done just about everything “green” like this article suggests. For me, what’s so expensive is the loss of salary/day care. Can’t green that one.
Think how much gas you’re NOT using (and buying!) by cutting out a daily commute to work! And how many I’m-too-tired-to-cook-after-working-all-day trips to the drive-thru have been avoided!
I’ve found that while staying home meant cutting out more than half of our income, it also freed up my time to do things the cheap and green way. I have the time to garden and can (Free food!), hang laundry on the line (Lower gas bill! Less wear on clothing!), walk to the supermarket (Free transportation!), wash diapers and cleaning rags and cloth napkins (Never buy paper towels again!), and thrift store/yard sale shop for everything that we need.
Plus, your kids get to be raised by a parent and not daycare workers. (Priceless!)
Great easy to implement tips. Now having three kids, we wish we knew these things with our first so that we could have made the most of what we had. Thanks!
Thanks so much for this information! My mom grew me up in a natural way without troubles, why i shouldn’t do it with my future babies? No commercial needed!