Tips for couponing for a baby..

[lindsbeth112984]

Me & my guy are talking about trying to have a baby in the near future. And I started to think about deals & couponing.. for a baby.

I plan on breastfeeding, so I hope to not have a formula fed baby. So that cuts those costs.

I've also thought quite a bit about doing cloth diapering. But I am still unsure.

Some questions..

Diapers.. what is a good deal? I am absolutely clueless as to what a good deal on diapers is. $0.30 a diaper, $0.20 a diaper? How does someone spot deals, what brands are the best? Where does one get coupons for diapers?

Thanks in advance.

[MeganMidd]

Breast feeding is best for babies, but if it turns out you can't theres some great formulas too. Also, if you do breast feed make sure you have some ready to feed formula on hand if you do not pump extra breast milk to freeze (for use if you are sick or away from your baby, or if you plan on drinking alcohol). Also, there may be an odd thing where you "dry up" and can no longer breast feed because there is nothing there and your body will not produce more( this happened to me when my little one was 2 weeks old). Once you are pregnant you can sign up for various samples and freebie things. There's Huggies, Pampers, the Nestle back pack program, the J&J new parent pack, some walmarts sell baby sample packs for $10 that are worth it(!),the VIB at Shoppers drugmart, theres one at Sobeys as well. Toys R Us and Sears also give samples when you create a baby registry. Formula companies like Enfamil, Similac and Nestle also offer sample packs of formula and coupons. I don't know anything about cloth diapers or re-usable wipes as I use the disposable kinds so i can't help you there. Another way to save on baby stuff is to ask people with kids for old baby stuff (these people are the best ever!).Thrift shops are also great because you can find things for under $1.00 each. Some stores have "Baby Days" where all baby items are on sale. Garage sales are great for clothes and toys. Although do not buy used stuffed toys as these can not be cleaned properly. They are also a breeding ground for bacteria, so always buy them new. You could always message me if you want to know more too. Best of luck.

[Chantel]

I would coupon for both diapers and a little formula as well, regardless of what your plans are for the long term.

I've heard of many new moms trying to breastfeed and their doctors just tell them they NEED to give themselves a little break and formula feed for a meal or two so that their body can have a break.

As well, I've heard of many moms who prefer to cloth diaper but still have disposables on-hand, they're never a bad idea to have, or to send along for an evening if you and your husband want to go out and leave your baby with relatives who might not love the idea of washing poop out of a diaper, or on road trips when it's either disposables or try to wash adequately on the go.

I'm unsure about what is the best unit price for a diaper, but you can call manufacturers, get on mailing lists, join clubs, find them in inserts and mailout coupon sites.

As for other baby products, J&J brands have lots of coupons available from call-ins, and the ever popular liveclean is coming out with more and more coupons lately.

[Pinkflowergirl86]

For me, I do not pay more than $0.18 a diaper through couponing and watching sales (I use Pampers). Ironically, one of the places that has some of the most expensive regular priced diapers also has the best sale diapers - Shoppers Drug Mart.

I planned on breast feeding too. I didn't even really consider formula feeding. Until I was forced to. 3 days after my son was born, I developed mastitis on my left side, then on my right. My doctor gave me antibiotics that were safe for BF'ing but my supply dropped to almost nothing. After a week of trying to work through the pain (and I mean pain, I did a natural birth and to me this seemed worse), being sicker than a dog and having to feed 90% formula; I went back to the doctor. He had to put me on antibiotics that were not safe for BF as my infection had worsened, and that was the end of that. I struggled with that for a long time.

My son will be turning 6 months on Jan 23. He is a BIG, healthy and happy little boy. I recovered fully about 2 weeks afterwards. My friend mentioned the Costco Kirkland formula and my SO went and got a can. Although you can't coupon for it, it is way cheaper than going the Nestle, Enfamil and Similac routes. A 1.75 kg can is $21.99 ($18.99 when it goes on sale) - a little less than half price of the 'name brands'.

If I thought splurging on the name brands would be better for my son, I would do so in a heartbeat. Canadian regulations for baby formulas are high - off brands have the same standards as name ones. Kirkland has served us well and my son thrives on it and his pediatrician recommends the brand as well.

[sweetproserpina]

I breastfeed and cloth diaper my little one. I did go in with the intent to breastfeed, but I knew sometimes it doesn't always work, so I did have a couple of free cans of formula that they sent out for backup. I never needed them, so I ended up donating

I really wanted to cloth diaper for environmental reasons, and I looked into lots of options (really, there are tons! out there) We ended up using a diaper service (our cost of water is high! So washing diapers was too expensive), but we did buy the covers. Best bet is to buy them second-hand, and buy ones that grow with baby. I had newborn wraps and then switched to the one-size ones after that. I've probably spent around 100$ on diaper covers in the past 2 years.

We do use 'sposies when we go on vacation and can't take cloth with us. And it's always good to have a few extra diapers around, just in case!

[safielstar]

If you sign up on the mailing lists for diaper coupons from Huggies and Pampers (via their websites) and save the diaper coupons from the inserts if you get them, you'll have some on hand when diapers go on sale like at SDM. I don't recommend stockpiling too much in advance because you don't yet know what brand your baby will tolerate (my DD can't wear Huggies) or how quickly they'll go through sizes (my DD was in newborn size for a month and we're already on our third box of size 1s, versus our friends babies went through sizes super quickly 'cause their babies were big and gained weight quickly).

You might want to have formula samples (and bottles) and coupons on hand as well even though you want to breastfeed. I had every intention of breastfeeding DD, but she was born small and I simply wasn't producing enough, even after buying an expensive pump and several sessions at the breastfeeding clinic. So faced with a tiny baby who was screaming because she wasn't getting enough to eat and couldn't afford to lose any more weight, she became a formula baby. She's two months old now and the doctors are very impressed with how she's growing (she's probably always going to be petite, but she's gaining weight at a good pace so doctors aren't concerned). We have DD on Similac Advance because that's what we supplemented with at the hospital and between trading for Similac cheques and coupons and watching for sales and 2 for 1 offers, we haven't really paid out the nose for formula. Generic brand formula, as another poster mentioned, is also just as good because they still have to comply with the Canadian standards for infant formula, plus it's cheaper and babies do just as well on it.

There's a post under the Baby/Toddler freebie board that has a list of all the baby-related coupons and freebies you can sign up for:

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/248829-...g-mums-canada/

Sign up for everything (I did), and that way you'll have a variety to choose from when baby arrives, plus in case baby ends up being finicky about something, you can try the samples to see what works best for you and baby

[Minou]

I agree with MeganMidd about taking whatever good-quality used baby equipment you can get. A lot of people think they have to have "new" for their babies, and only realize how much money they wasted when the new stuff is so quickly outgrown. $60 Bumbo? $200 swing? $50 bouncy chair? $50 Infant Rocker? $300 crib? $150+ change table $300+ stroller? $200 playpen? $60 Jolly Jumper? $120 Exersaucer? $60 baby gym? $150 highchair? Frightening. Many parents who are finished having kids are only too happy to pass off the baby equipment that they no longer need and gain some space in their homes! My (crazy!) brother actually packed up all of the baby equipment and clothes that his 3-year old twins had outgrown and dropped it off at Value Village a few months ago. It was all expensive stuff that had been bought new, and he had two of each! He just couldn't be bothered to sell it. If you can be given or borrow things, it will save you money, and if it's something you need to return, it means you'll save space! Much of the 0-6 month clothing could be used by several babies before getting worn out, so it's great to buy secondhand for infants. Clothing gets more worn out by the time a child reaches sizes 3 or 4, as they're more active and wear the clothing much longer. Stick primarily with sleepers for the first three months. Anything fancier is uncomfortable and hard to put on. Sleepers with large feet that are wider in the body fit longer. We were given some slim-looking sleepers from Gymboree and the Disney store, and they fit like scuba suits! Not good for long!

Some people sell lots of baby equipment on Kijiji, and it's often possible to get pretty much everything you need for $200-$300.

Diapers seem to go on huge clearances periodically as the diaper companies or individual store chains change the size or packaging of their products. Stock up on sizes 3 and 4 (You're likely to use AT LEAST 10-12 mega-pack-sized bags of each of these sizes), as those are the sizes most babies will spend a long time using. If your baby is big, size 5 will be used for a long time as well. I really haven't found that the "premium" Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers are worth the extra expense. The Baby Dry worked just as well for DS #1. The Teddy's Choice diapers from Superstore are also really good, though their sizing is slightly smaller than the Pampers of the same size. They also go on sale often.

You'll need batteries as well, so buy some on sale. D cell batteries are often used for bouncy chairs and such. I often think that Infants Tylenol and batteries would be excellent baby shower gifts!

Don't bother with a crib set. Bumper pads and quilts aren't really supposed to be used in cribs anyway. Just buy a few sheets for the crib mattress. Sometimes Babies R Us clears out dust ruffles and window valances when they discontinue sets, and they're often very cheap to buy if you're interested in decorating the baby's room. I bought a dust ruffle for $10 and a window valance for $1.50 on clearance.

[shmeelady]

I agree with Minou, look for gently used baby items. I waited for a sale and picked up a convertible 3-1 crib, along with a crib matress for $165 after taxes!! My son isn't even a year and has already chewed the crap out of the bars. A friend of mine bought a $600 because his wife wanted it, the thing is chewed up like crazy! I got my travel system at Sears on sale for $350 after taxes. Everything else was given to us second hand or as a gift, exersaucer, play mat, jumperoo, bouncer. I am happy we didn't have to pay for the extra things. He outgrew the jumperoo, exersaucer and bouncer by 7 months (very very tall little guy)

[aeroangie]

we bought everything for our Leia (who we lost) for 400.00 the crib, change table, crib mattress. also we have diapers till size 5. I think I ended up getting most of them for under .10 a diaper. We also were given two showers - so if you do get pregnant don't go crazy cause if you have even one baby shower you will get more stuff than you need. Also there are LOTS of used baby stores like once upon a child. best of luck to you

[Jnazurk]

Yes, as the others mentioned, you can have the best of intentions when it comes to breastfeeding, but sometimes it just doesn't work out, for many reasons. (I developed HELLP syndrome and it was almost too late by the time they caught it. Both myself and my daughter almost died). After we got home I tried and tried to breastfeed but with everything that happened and the state that I was in, I gave up after a week. So just have an open mind and know that things might not go as planned because it can be pretty disappointing when/if they don't go as planned.
Having said that, I wouldn't go crazy on stocking up on formula. My daughter reacted to two different kinds before we found one that works. I would recommend the platex bottles that don't need the liners (they are a little more up front but worth it to us) and they are supposed to be better for drinking, too (although I'm sure there are other brands like this).
And I agree on the gently used items. I bought a swing for $225 and justified it by saying, "well, we'll have more than one". But in my case, after what happened, we aren't. You only use these things for a couple of months, tops.
And sign up for the websites, as mentioned in previous posts. They send samples and coupons. Also sign up for SDM vib program. You'll get more coupons for points.
Every holiday old navy has good sales and their shipping is free over $50 (I've gotten DD clothes for $1.50-$2!
Good luck

[Darth Penguin]

making your own baby food or even baby led weaning saves loadsamoney.

plus you know exactly what they are eating.

[pristinefury]

I've been making my own baby food with a Baby Bullet, although I'm sure a regular blender would also do the trick. You don't know how long some of that jarred food has been sitting on the shelf for. One small sweet potato makes six servings of food and you end up paying maybe $1 it.

[Candini]

If possible lean on family & friends for second hand things. Two of my cousins had their babies after me so everything is passed down from me (old clothes, diapers that are opened but don`t fit my dd anymore etc)

Watch for sales on diapers as they are probably the most costly if you do decide to breastfeed... shoppers had clearance diapers for a while (and still do in some stores) you could get mega packs as cheap as 4.99, regular 19.99 at walmart.