Whether you have one child, or twenty, everyone likes to save money on kid related goodies.  Kid stuff is expensive, clothes, diapers, cups, toys, car seats, strollers, bags, books, I could literally go on for days.  If you’re cheap frugal you’ll want to save every penny you can.  How else will you pay for college? 

First, on baby gear.  Check out the book Baby Bargains.  This book does all the nitty gritty work on checking out safety ratings and recalls, combines that information with cost and parent reviews then rates them for you.  It is invaluable for a first time parent.  Baby Bargains clearly defines what you do need, and what you do not.  Their list is much shorter than Babies R Us too. 

When shopping for clothes, consider shopping consignment shops.  Most kids, especially in the first few years, grow so fast that they can’t do too much damage to the clothes.  Sometimes you can even find great brand clothes with the tags still on.  I know with my daughter that people bought us so much for our baby shower that she wasn’t able to wear them all.  So I consigned what she didn’t.  The benefit, you get some cash for your gently used clothes, and someone else saves a bundle on high quality clothes. 

Ironically, I am more picky about toys.  I don’t like buying used toys much, they tend to be more grimy and dirty than I would allow.  I know you can clean them but, you can never really tell if they work right, or if pieces are missing.  But you could consider doing a toy swap with some mom friends.  It’s nice to see where the toys came from, and you know how clean their house is.  Okay, maybe that’s not that important to you. 

-Stephanie Wright