Cut the cost of having a baby

How to find the best baby bargains and save money on the top 10 essential items every new parent needs to buy.

Just found out you're pregnant? Congratulations! Now, how can you start saving money?

If you've watched our video guide with Ed Bowsher, you'll find out that a new-born baby costs its parents a terrifying average of £8,853 in the first year.

As the video makes clear, your best tip is to start saving now - and avoid shopping sprees. It might be tempting to splash out on silver rattles, but new-born babies don't really need that much stuff.

The video lists the top 10 essential items to buy before the birth of your child. With that in mind, I want to show you how to save money on these 10 essential items.

But first, here are a few general hints for finding the best baby bargains.

Get chatting

Web forums are a massive online meeting place for mums - they're a great place to meet other mums (and dads) who've done it all before, and know the best place to find a bargain, as well as how to deal with a crying baby at 4am.

Netmums and Mumsnet both have good money-saving forums. Particularly revealing is this discussion on Netmums about the best and worst baby buys! Also great are BabyAndBump's forums on shopping and freebies.

Buying new...

If you're buying baby stuff new (which in most cases, isn't necessary) always use a product comparison site to shop around.

And good old Which? magazine has loads of tips and reviews on buying new baby products.

You could also do a search for voucher codes on sites like hotukdeals.com and vouchercodes.co.uk which you can use to get money off.

...second-hand...

Ebay has a massive specialist baby section, chockablock with outgrown items from mums around the country. This can really be your first port of call for almost anything, except a car seat (see below).

Also, the National Childbirth Trust runs 'nearly new' sales around the country. Find your local sale here.

...and completely free!

Friends and family are obviously a fabulous resource for outgrown baby things. Don't be afraid to make use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter when appealing for baby stuff, too!

Freecycle groups can be excellent for freebie baby stuff. Remember that you can post wanted notices if you're after something specific. There's now an alternative called Freegle, too.

Finally, if you're a mum on a low income, the (anti-abortion) CareConfidential charity can provide essential baby items and clothes completely free.

The top 10 essential baby items

With those tips in mind, here's the lovemoney.com guide to saving on the top ten items you'll need in the first year. From the top...

1. Pushchair

This is probably going to be the most expensive single item you buy, so it's important to get it right. Luckily, there are lots of great guides and reviews online - again, check out Which? and Mumsnet.

Once you know what you want, Ebay could be your next port of call. Alternatively, if you're buying new, it might be worth going through a cashback website, since pushchairs are a big-ticket item. Here's the lovemoney.com guide to the best cashback websites.

Just to illustrate why cashback site are worth the hassle, the TopCashBack site (rated highly here by my fellow lovemoney.com writer, Szu Ping Chan) is currently offering up to 6% off at Mothercare. Click on the 'discount code' tab on this page for a code that'll offer you a further 10% off anything over £120 - the two together should give you 16% off the cost of your new pushchair!

2. Car seat

This is one item where you probably don't want to go second-hand, unless you're buying from someone you know and trust. See the reasons why not here.

For buying new, Which? has a great list of sites for buying car seats, with tips on how to get the best deals.

3. Moses basket

Moses baskets are a good early alternative to cots, but can't really be used after the first three months. With that in mind, it's not worth spending a lot of money.

Check out this guide, and then Ebay is your friend.

4. Bedding

The best way to save on baby bedding is not to go for a complete, matching set of everything. If you're happy to pick'n'mix from Ebay and second-hand stores, it'll be a lot cheaper.

An even cheaper method is to ask relatives who say 'if there's anything I can do' if they wouldn't mind making you some!

5. Feeding equipment

Loads of mums comment that they wasted money on bottle-feeding equipment beforehand, but then found that breast-feeding worked for them.

There's a Which? guide to the complicated options, but your best bet here is probably to talk to advisers and other mums.

6. Monitor

Check out this range of prices for a 'BT Baby Monitor 150' - from £34.99 at a well-rated online shop to £79.99 at Tesco.com. As with all electronic equipment, it's well worth shopping around for a baby monitor, as you can make significant savings.

7. Babygros

Two things about babygros. Firstly, your baby will outgrow them faster than you think. Secondly, they're going to get covered in milk and other things.

Hence it's probably best to avoid the Armani designer babygro at £65.95. Ebay, second-hand stores, friends - it doesn't matter where you go, it's just not worth spending a lot.

8. Nappies

Disposable nappies are said to cost around £900 over two and a half years, while reusable nappies cost only about £400 or so.

With that in mind, it's worth checking out Babykind's trial offer for washable nappies, and investigating whether your local council offers any kind of incentive scheme for reusable nappies.

9. Change bag

Change bags - ah, one of those things you didn't know existed until you became a parent. Join the Boots Parenting Club to get a free change bag (which they say is worth £29.95) when you buy Pampers nappies.

Even better, get your partner to join too (there's nothing in the small print to say you can't) and get two bags!

10. Change mat

Apparently, the average baby will have his or her nappies changed around 4,500 times before potty training starts.

With that in mind, it's not really an area to skimp - although some mums comment that you won't know which system works best for you until you've been changing nappies for a few weeks. There are some tips here.

And finally...

Just a couple more things. Make sure you read lovemoney.com's other tips on cutting the cost of having a baby, and claim the benefits you're entitled to. Also, be sure to check out the video on how to cut the cost of having a baby.

And secondly, this isn't usual lovemoney.com advice, but it's well-deserved here. Use some of the money you've saved on baby products to give yourself a treat - you deserve it!