Having a baby is expensive, here is a list of a few things we've bought secondhand or borrowed.
A while back during my pregnancy, I received a message after all my packages came at once saying I should probably mention that Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree etc are good options for buying things for the baby to save money and help the environment – especially if not used for that long!
Firstly, let’s get things straight, the delivery was TENA pants, maternity pads, a thermometer, breast pump and Bepanthen… Not really stuff you can buy second hand!
Yes, they were quite right that these are good places, but if they had been following me for a while they’d know that my new baby list blog post says about things worth buying second hand.
Plus, I don’t really talk about where I’ve got things from unless I’ve bought something.
Reality is, we’ve actually bought a lot of it second hand or been loaned stuff from friends!
Having a baby is expensive and a lot of the stuff is quite plasticky so it’s good to recycle and be frugal where possible. Especially after a year like 2020 and only being on maternity allowance (and no, this isn’t a woe is me).
After chatting about things you can buy second hand with a few people, I thought it might be handy to share what we’ve not bought new or have borrowed so far!
Borrowed or Bought
- Cotbed – Bought off Gumtree and upcycled with a lick of paint (apparently worth buying a new mattress)
- Changing Table/Chest of Drawers – we’ve upcycled some old IKEA drawers we’ve had for about 20 years with Chalk Paint
- Moses Basket & Stand – Bought off Gumtree
- Snuzpod – Bought off a client
- Sleepyhead (now known as Dockatot) – Bought off Facebook Marketplace (TIP: join local mum Facebook groups as there are always things looking for new homes!)
- Jumperoo – Bought off a client
- IKEA High Chair – Bought off a client
- Newborn clothes – Borrowed off friends (given that I was expecting to have a large baby that probably wouldn’t fit in newborn, plus they’re often only in newborn for a few weeks. Turns out that wasn’t the case!)
- A tonne of clothes along with milk storage bags and more – sent by a friend who has had her two little ones and was having a clear out
- Hooded Towel – Given to us by a friend as she was given too many
- MAM Newborn Bottles – borrowed from a friend as her baby is now on bigger bottles
- Avent Steriliser – borrowed from a friend who ended up with a spare one
- Raspberry Leaf Tea – given by a friend as she had her baby plus no one drinks that stuff for fun!
- Random things like maternity sheets, pads, lanolin and reusable breast pads – also given to us by friends who had excess left over or didn’t need them
- Baby Bjorn Bouncer – Bought off someone on Instagram
- Tripp Trapp Newborn attachment – Bought off eBay (as you don’t really use these for that long)
- Car Seat – Borrowed off a family member
Like I said, having a baby is expensive. And what’s more, if you’ve had one, you’ll find that you end up with extra bits left over.
Pass these bits on to support other new parents as it is so helpful!
Before I go, there are a few things you should buy new. With the current climate, I’m a big believer in supporting smaller businesses (which there are so many of in the baby world!).
Another top tip is to sign up to Sprout which is like a student discount but for maternity. From maternity & postnatal activewear to baby nail files, from Jojo Maman Bebe to Bloom & Wild, there are a handy load of discounts to help your purse strings.
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