No matter what you do, kids are expensive! Over the last 50 years we have really gone leaps and bounds with convenience, but most has lead to extreme waste, cost, and extra costs with raising children.
Every family has to make decisions that work best for them! Of course, take your budget into consideration, but if you’re momma (or daddy) instincts are telling you something then definitely do what works best for your family!
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Diapers
Diapers are one of the most wasteful things, EVER. There are some options that claim to be a little more environmentally kind and don’t have the harsh chemicals in them, but with that comes a higher price tag.
We chose to venture into cloth diapering before our first was born. There is definitely an initial cost to invest in the diapers, but many of ours have lasted through both boys. I’ve tried A LOT. Really. So. Many. Diapers.
I would recommend starting off with an inexpensive brand first (Something like Alvas) until you can get into the hang of a wash routine. From there you can invest as much or as little as what works for your family!
Save extra money (and extend the life of the diapers) by letting them hang dry. I love hanging diapers out on the line, but also keep a collapsable drying rack inside for the winter.
Babyfood
If you choose to do purees for your baby, then definitely try making your own! Steam your vegetables on the stove until soft, and puree in a blender of food processor. Infantino makes this neat food press that squeezes the baby’s food into individual pouches for storing – extra bonus, they’re freezable!
We do try to limit our waste, but I found I preferred the single use packets when making extra large batches for freezing. The Infantino Freezer Sleeve helped with organizing everything, too!
A whole butternut squash costs (around here) between $2-3 but can last for an entire week for your little one!
OR! Grow your own! We had an amazing squash harvest last year and had six or seven buckets full of squash to store throughout the winter!
After a few months of doing this with Stirling, we found a reusable silicone option that I would highly recommend. We decided to forgo most purees with Declan and do babyled weaning, but those silicone pouches are still great for snacking on the go!
I still use them to store homemade applesauce or leftover pureed soups when we are on the go during the day.
Accessories
They don’t need as much as we’re led to believe. As long as you’ve got the basics down, you’re good. We bought a lot of our baby supplies second hand and you never would have known otherwise. Look for good quality items from smoke free homes, and put a little elbow grease in while cleaning them.
Definitely don’t buy the carseat second hand, and I would invest in a good baby carrier. I loved our Moby wrap for the first few years to provide comfort and support and a soft structured carrier after about 13 lbs. We LOVE the Lillebaby Complete. Trust me, your back and your baby will thank you for this later!
