12 Tips To Save Money When You Have A Baby Or Toddler

It’s hardly news that having a baby is not cheap. As soon as you spot that second little blue line on the pregnancy test, you’re mentally frittering away your hard-earned cash on dinky baby grows, nursery furniture and that all-important travel system. And that doesn’t stop when they reach toddlerhood – in fact the older they get, the more 'stuff' they seem to need.

However, there are ways you can cut back on costs without, well, going without.

Here are my top tips to save money when you’ve got a baby or toddler.

1. Scour the online marketplaces

Local buy and sell websites and groups – Facebook is full of them – are brilliant for picking up bargain baby wear or toys. Baby and toddler items have a short life so you will often find many items in nearly-new condition, in particular clothes for pre-mobile babies, I mean, apart from the v.unfortunate poonami victims, the majority of Albie’s newborn clothes stayed immaculate.

2. Also try charity shops
Charity shops are equally great for toys and baby furniture and by buying from them you are helping out a great cause. Win win.

3. Make your own baby food

If you're heading down the traditional weaning route, or plan on giving a bit of puree alongside finger food, consider making your own. In the early stages of weaning it is best to give your baby simple tastes anyway, so it makes sense to blend or mash whatever fruit or veg you have in the fridge and serve that up instead of expensive pouches and/or jars. If you’re short on time, batch cook a load and freeze in individual portions. These handy pots from Morrisons are great for making sure you only defrost what you need. 

4. Don’t assume branded is best

Don’t be fooled by clever marketing and fancy-ass packaging. In my experience, supermarket own brand baby products often match or exceed the quality of branded products (Aldi Mamia nappies are a prime example). They are all required to meet the same super strict regulations after all.

5. Buy normal food

You don’t need to buy specific pasta, cous cous, rice cakes or porridge for babies when normal, much cheaper varieties do the same job. Same goes for snacks, for example, instead of buying individual cheese portions marketed for kids, cut up some chunks from a block of cheddar.

6. Stick to sleepsuits

When your baby is teeny-tiny, it's a right old faff trying to dress them in proper outfits, not to mention completely pointless. Save yourself some ££ by just buying sleepsuits/rompers and vests for those early months, it really is all they need. Besides, no doubt some generous relatives or friends will buy actual clothes which you can dress your baby in if an occasion arises.

7. Buy in bulk
You'll save a fair bit of money by picking up those humongous packs of nappies or wipes, it's not like they won't get used after all.

8. Hit up the baby events
Supermarkets and drugstores are always holding events for babies and toddlers, slashing prices on all sorts of things from bottles to clothing. Keep an eye out and you are sure to save on things you would need to buy anyway.

9. Only buy what you need
Beware of the countless 'miracle' and 'must-have' baby products which promise to make your life as a parent as easy as possible - they can be costly and well, unnecessary.

I'm going to use the rather pricey Sleepyhead as an example here. I'm not slating it as a product, (I know a couple of mums who absolutely swear by theirs) but in the past I've seen many influencers advertise it as an essential if you want your baby to have a hope in hell in sleeping through the night.

Well, here's where I call bullshit. Albie has been sleeping through since he was a few months old (Yes, we are lucky and yes I am a total cow bag) and he has only had his sleeping bag in a cot.

So yeah, my advice is to start off by only purchasing the basics and then go from there once your baby is born. Every baby is different and what one can't live without, another won't get on with.

10. Find out what they like
This tip is one for when you're looking for toys to buy. I've previously made the mistake in buying a hyped-up toy based on glowing reviews and well, Albie didn't want to play with it. Great.

Now I look to see what he gravitates towards when we are at play groups or at other peoples houses. If I notice that he seems to be particularly enjoying a toy that he doesn't have at home, I'll make a mental note for later.

11. Look for church play groups or ones held in the local library
They normally cost no more than £1, often 50p and this usually includes a hot drink and a biscuit.

It's worth noting that some baby and toddler groups are better than others (I found some a bit cliquey and unfriendly) so it may take a bit of looking around to find one that you enjoy and feel comfortable going to. It is worth persevering though.

12. Don't go mad on birthdays or Christmas
Your baby will not know nor care what you have bought them to celebrate these special occasions. Obviously buy them something but don't go mad - it won't be too long before they're claiming that they NEED every toy that they see.

Do you have any tips that I've missed? I'd love to hear them.

Until next time,

Albie's Mum

'Enjoy Your Day Off'

"Enjoy your day off" they chortled as they waved me out the office.

'Day off' I laughed to myself.

There is no such thing as a day off when you're looking after a toddler. In fact, a day caring for any small child is very much a 'day on'. But of course outsiders don't often see it that way, especially those without kids. 

A day where you've got the control over what you do is a leisure day - except no, it's not really, because if your toddler doesn't want to do what you want to do then you're not doing it, not peacefully anyway. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my non-working days with Albs, but it grates on me when people view it as 'time off', that it's somehow easier than going to work. Yes, it is a privilege to have one-on-one time to bond with my child but that time isn't just spent playing, watching Hey Duggee (new fave in our household, not just with Albie) or meeting up with other 'lucky' not-at-work folk and their offspring for coffee and a catch up. 

More often than not, my two days at home involve trying to catch up on the never-ending housework and life admin whilst simultaneously trying to care for, keep safe and stimulate a fearless child that has the attention span of a flea. It's a real balancing act.

And as with conventional work, there are both good and bad parenting days. There are often successful days, days that go without a single hiccup where I'll be revelling in my 'on point' parenting skills, longing to be at home with my beautiful, smiley boy every day.

But there are also days where I'm practically clawing at the font door, waiting for my husband to get in from work because I'm at my wits end with our angry, defiant toddler who has been determined to turn every simple task into a battle. Days where I'm covered in snot, banana mush and other unidentifiable stains. Days where I feel like an absolute fraud of a mum with no fucking clue what she's doing.

And this is why I think being a parent is often referred to as being the 'hardest job in the world', because it is so damn unpredictable. As soon as you think you've got it sussed, it's all change.

It's this level of unpredictability and uncertainty that stresses the point that having a day off with a young child is not a day off, you cannot simply switch off and relax. It may not be a job in the traditional sense but parenting is an extremely full on role. 

What do you think? is a day off work a day off regardless?

Until next time,

Albie's Mum

To Hate The Term 'Full-Time Mum'

Right, whilst the little man is down for a nap I'm going to get something off my chest and have a bit of a rant. A rant about the labels attached to mums depending on their working status.

I see it all the time, and I'm sure you all do too - women on facebook with the words 'full-time mum' or, much worse, 'full-time yummy mummy' written as their job description.

*Siiiigggghhh*

Now before I go on, I need to make it clear that I've got nothing against mums who don't work, for whatever reason. There are many factors that influence whether a mum goes to work or not; it's a very personal decision, one that doesn't need judgement from others, so there's that.

What I do have an issue with is the terminology 'full-time mum', as it insinuates that those of us with jobs clock off as mum as soon as we mosey off to work. That we are only deemed worthy of the mum title when actually with our kids.

I never stop being Albie's mum.

No matter where I am; whether I'm tapping away at a keyboard in my office or standing directly over him changing his pooey nappy as he tries to kick me in the face. He is always at the forefront of my mind. He is always my responsibility. He is always my beautiful son whom I would shift the earth for.

And yes, I occasionally feel guilty that I can't be with him when I'm working, but I know that ultimately, having a job is part of what makes me a responsible parent. My income is needed to help pay for the food, bills and all of the other things things that are integral to Albie's welfare.

I am a mum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, along with every other mum, working or otherwise - although, let's be honest, isn't every mum a working mum in some respect?

Why does there need to be a label attached? Why can't we all just be mums? After all, I am not labelled a part time wife, daughter or friend. What's the difference?

Until next time,

Albie's 'just' mum

Embracing The Mum Guilt

Argh, mum guilt. The actual bane of my parenthood life thus far. Not a day goes by where the feeling of ‘I could do better’ or ‘I’m not a good enough mum’ doesn’t enter my brain – it’s mentally exhausting. 

I left Albie in his cot for a whole FIFTEEN minutes after he awoke from his afternoon nap so I could finish emptying the dishwasher and pop to the loo, GUILTY. For dinner Albie had fish fingers, wedges and peas instead of organic, flaxseed-infused, quinoa bites, (do these even exist?) GUILTY.

I feel a pang of guilt every time I drop Albie off at nursery so that I can go to work – something that I have to do in order to keep a roof over our heads and aforementioned fish fingers on our plates.

And truth be told, even though I have to work, I want to work too, for my own sanity and self-preservation. I like being able to drink coffee whilst it's still hot and focus on something else that isn't a needy toddler. This too makes me feel guilty. I should long to be a SAHM, no? 

It just seems that as a parent, you're always going to feel that you could be doing something, hell, everything differently and as a result you are consumed by guilt. There's no escaping it.

But should we be trying to escape it?

I don't think we should. Not completely.

Instead, we should learn to embrace the guilt and what it means. Feeling guilty about the way you are parenting your offspring means that you care. Constantly questioning yourself and wondering what you could do differently means that you love your kid/s and want what's best for them. Ultimately, by feeling guilty and wanting to improve you are striving to be the best, most badass parent and role model that you can be.

However, whilst we embark on this mission for superiority, we need to cut ourselves some slack and remember that our wellbeing matters too. We shouldn't have to sacrifice our sanity to try and achieve the impossible that is perfect parenting. Our happiness is reflected in our children and ultimately, a happy mum means a happy home and that is the environment that children thrive in. 

And if that means that after a stressful day at work you serve up a plate of freezer food for dinner so you can have more time to yourself that evening then so be it. It doesn't mean you care any less about your children. In fact, they'll probably see the beige feast served upon them as a massive treat, win-win.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that if your child is loved, safe and secure then you are doing a grand job. Remember that. Sometimes good enough is just that, good enough. Every parent will occasionally cut corners, yes even those 'perfect' earth mummys on Instagram.

Until next time,

Albie's Mum

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