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Baby
Bargains
Article By Ann Douglas
You've no
doubt seen all the scary statistics on
the costs of raising children. Well,
despite what some people would have you
believe, starting a family doesn't have
to lead to financial ruin. While it may
be tempting to wear the numbers off your
credit card as you merrily shop for the
new arrival, there are plenty of
practical steps you can take to minimize
the impact on your family's budget. Here
are some tips!
1. Learn to differentiate between
products that your baby really needs and
those that are merely masquerading as
necessities. Not all baby
products are created equal: some are
absolute lifesavers; others are nothing
more than expensive frills. Your mission
as a first-time parent is to learn to
tell the difference. The best way to get
this type of insider advice is to talk to
other new parents -- parents who've made
their way through the baby store jungle
recently and who are willing to let you
know which products were worth every
penny and which ones your baby could
definitely live without. (Think baby wipe
warmers!)
2. Hold off on shopping for baby
for as long as you can. The
sooner you start hitting the baby stores,
the more money you're going to spend. By
the time you make your 35th trip to the
local baby specialty store, you will have
long since lost track of which items
you've already got stashed away in your
baby's room -- something that will
inevitably cause you to overbuy.
3. Train yourself to check your
emotions at the baby store door.
You'll spend a lot more money if you let
your heart rather than your head guide
your purchasing decisions. If you wake up
one morning and find yourself positively
oozing with maternal sentiment, it's
probably a good day to give your credit
card a rest. Otherwise, you could end up
buying six of everything just because
you're so darned happy to be having a
baby.
4. Beware of overzealous sales
clerks who may not have your best
interests at heart. Don't allow
yourself to fall prey to nauseatingly
attentive sales clerks who fuss and fawn
over you while helping you to stuff as
much baby paraphernalia in your shopping
cart as possible. Keep in mind that
you're a bit of a babe-in-the-woods when
it comes to the business of equipping a
nursery, something that leaves you more
than a little vulnerable to the advice of
well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning
sales clerks.
5. Research each make and model
carefully. Before you zero in on
a particular make and model of baby
equipment, make sure you're researched
the product carefully. Something you
might not think about upfront but that
could prove very important down the road
is the cost and availability of
replacement parts. This is a particularly
important point to research when you're
shopping for a stroller: you might find
that the bargain-basement stroller costs
more money to keep on the road over time
than its higher-priced
counterpart-assuming, of course, that you
can actually manage to get your hands on
replacement parts.
6. Don't be afraid to negotiate
on price. Come up with creative
strategies for negotiating the best
possible price on baby equipment. Form a
purchasing co-op with other parents from
your prenatal class and approach local
retailers to negotiate a special
"bulk rate" on the big-ticket
items of baby gear: car seats, cribs,
strollers and so on. And if you're
planning to purchase most of your baby
gear from a single baby store or
department store, ask them to reward you
for your loyalty by giving you a bit of a
discount. If they won't, chances are
somebody else will.
7. Remind yourself that it isn't
necessary to buy everything new.
You can save yourself a small fortune by
shopping secondhand for baby clothes,
crib linens and other baby-related items.
Just make sure that you're shopping at a
reputable secondhand store -- one that
will only accept products that comply
with current safety standards -- and that
you've done your homework so that you
know which products are and aren't worth
purchasing secondhand. Most safety
experts advise that you avoid purchasing
secondhand car seats because there's no
way to know for sure whether or not
they've been involved in an accident, and
something as simple as a low-speed fender
bender can twist a car seat's frame and
make it unsafe for use.
8. Go
light on the furniture. A
dresser is nice to have, but it certainly
isn't a necessity. You can get away with
using plastic storage containers if
you're trying to keep your costs down.
And as for buying a changing table, this
is yet another item you can definitely
live without. All you really need to
change a baby's bum is a waterproof
changing pad and a flat surface.
9. Think long-term. Look
for items that will grow with your baby
-- clothes with "grow cuffs"
that can be rolled down as your baby's
legs get longer, and change tables that
can be converted into dressers or desks.
The longer your child is able to use a
particular item, the more bang you'll get
for your buck.
10. Don't forget that you're
about to hit the shower circuit.
Chances are you'll receive an
extraordinary number of gifts -- some
from people you barely even know. The
goal of your pre-baby shopping
expeditions therefore should be to ensure
the bare necessities are covered -- not
to fill up your child's dresser and
toybox in one fell swoop.
And if the unthinkable happens and you
don't end up being treated to baby shower
after baby shower, relax: you or your
partner can always pick up any baby items
that you're missing later on. Trust me:
you'll be fighting for the chance to get
out of the house!
About the Author:
 Ann Douglas is one of North
America's leading pregnancy writers. Her
books include The Unofficial
Guide to Having a Baby ,Trying Again : A
Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage
Stillbirth and Infant Loss, and The Mother of All
Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to
Conception, Birth and Everything
In-Between. Ann is frequently quoted
in the media on a range of
parenting-related topics, and has
appeared as a guest on a number of
television and radio shows.
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Copyright
© 2001 Ann Douglas, All Rights Reserved
Reprinted with Permission
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