How to Save Money on Baby Stuff (I Saved $2,077)

If you’re wondering how to save money on baby stuff, chances are you’re expecting. Congrats!

I’m a mom of three kids under 5, a certified doula, and someone who HATES spending more money than I need. So I’ve tested products, surveyed other moms, and coupon-ed my way to the formula (pun) for a really inexpensive babyhood.

Why is Baby Stuff So Expensive?

Because companies know you’re feeling insecure and have a deep desire to give this little one a good start in life. They also know you’re a complete newbie when it comes to parenthood, and that can make you an easy mark. Pregnancy is a perfect marketing storm:

You want to buy stuff
You have no idea what’s essential
You’re at least a little bit hormonal and insecure (I know I was! Every time!)

There is a very real time crunch– your due date

Because of all this, the companies who sell baby products can get away with charging crazy prices and creating products to solve problems virtually no one has. If you want to save money when buying baby stuff, you need to outsmart the Pampers, Gracos, and Baby Einsteins of the world.

How to Have a Baby on a Budget

You’ve probably heard how babies are the most expensive creatures ever, and how you’ll never have any money again. And that’s partially true.

Unfortunately, I can’t help with finding “deals” on medical expenses (though I’ve written about home birth costs previously), and as far as I know, there’s no couponing site for daycare. But you can save money on baby stuff, and you can actually save a ton.

So if you need to get the most bang for your buck, start with these tricks.

Set Up Your Registry

Firstly, I have an ENTIRE article on baby registries and the freebies you can get from them you’ll want to go check out.

But speaking holistically (and not just referencing freebies), if I could go back in time and set up my first baby’s registry again, I’d do it on Babylist. Here’s why.

Firstly, because I’m a frugal mom, and I care about registering for things besides brand new products. I encourage new mom friends to register for pre-loved books and secondhand clothes. But new parents might need services like dogsitting help, doula support, and plenty of freezer meals. (I’ve written about good freezer meals for new moms before, and they make EXCELLENT registry coupon gifts).

With Babylist’s registry, you can register for any kind of gift you want: new or used, services and help, and even cash funds or gift cards. You can’t do that on Amazon, Target, or Walmart’s registries.

The other reason I like Babylist is their “Hello Baby Box.” This is their promotional box, full of coupons and complimentary samples of baby essentials. They switch up the contents regularly, but you can expect things like diapers, bottles, pacifiers, bibs, wipes, etc.

You can sign up for a Babylist registry for free here and you’ll be eligible for a Hello Baby Box if you:

Spend $10 at the Babylist shop or have someone give you a gift worth at least $10 from their shop. (Honestly, I didn’t see a single one of their products which I’d consider a fantastic deal, so I’d go for something like silicone scoop bibs, which are one of their lowest-price items and in my top 5 baby products ever.)
Pay for shipping.

Insurance Pregnancy Wellness Programs

Some insurance companies offer wellness rewards when you go to prenatal appointments, talk to a nurse about healthy habits, watch educational videos, or do other preventative care while pregnant. The rewards can be anything from decreased deductibles, “baby boxes” full of samples and supplies, pregnancy books, or even cash. All for doing things you’d probably do anyways!

I personally earned $500 in Visa gift cards over the course of my first two pregnancies just from going to appointments and spending 45 mins each trimester on the phone with a nurse.

Here are a few of the biggest US health insurance companies and their pregnancy wellness reward programs:

Anthem insurance: “Future Moms” program.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Federal Employee Program)- Pregnancy Incentive Program
UnitedHealthcare- Healthy First Steps
Wellcare- Healthy Rewards Pregnancy Program

Amerigroup- Pregnancy & Women’s Health Rewards

Obviously, these are only a few, and many insurance companies don’t advertise their reward programs well, especially to non-members. Plus, I noticed rewards differed even within the same insurance based on your employer. Check with your provider and see if you might be leaving money on the table.

Buy Baby Stuff With Your FSA/HSA

There are many, many baby items that you can purchase with a Health Saving Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). The things you can buy, called Qualified Medical Expenses (QMEs), are designated by the IRS for your plan. Your HSA or FSA can only be used on these QMEs and not on baby things that simply make your life more fun or comfortable.

Here are a few of the baby items you CAN buy with your FSA or HSA:

Baby rash creams
Baby sunscreen SPF 15+

Breast milk storage bags
Breast pads (disposable or reusable)
Breast pumps, including hand pumps like the Haakaa

Fertility monitors, test strips, and treatments
First Aid Kits
Infant Tylenol

Nipple shields
Nipple cream (maybe- check your provider)
Prenatal vitamins

Thermometer

Walmart already has a section of their website showing all their baby products which count as eligible HSA/FSA purchases if you want to check it out.

Buy Used Baby Items

Even if you’ve never bought secondhand stuff in your life, baby items are a great place to get your feet wet. Because babies grow and develop so quickly, they often leave many hardly-used products in their wake.

We bought mostly used for our baby, and only insisted on buying the car seat new. (I talk about why over at the US News and World Report.) Here’s a list of some of the baby stuff we bought used (or were given secondhand for free):

Bassinet
Jumperoos, bouncers, and swings

Clothes
Strollers
Cribs

Baby carriers and wraps

You also want to buy used because babies are picky. They’ll hate certain bouncers, cry in particular carriers, and fuss without their favorite stroller. And you don’t want to pay full price for your little one to not even like it. Just look at Facebook Marketplace’s baby section filled with “used only once” items, and you’ll see what I mean.

Stockpile Gift Cards

If you’re given gift cards as baby shower gifts (or from anyone, really), avoid spending them right away if you can. My husband and I received a number of gift cards from friends and family when our daughter was born, and it was hard to resist the allure of buying, well, everything. Baby stuff is cute, ok?

But instead of immediately spending those gift cards on flashy nursery decorations, we saved them and used them as true needs arose after the kids were born. Baby swing for our colicky girl? YUP. Diapers for months and months? Also yup. Our baby shower money lasted a full year because we spent on our needs, not our wants.

It’s specifically important to have that stash of cash available after your baby is born, because you won’t know what’s a real need until then.

Ways to Save on Specific Baby Items

When making your pre-baby shopping list, you’ll need to focus on the absolute necessities first. When writing out your normal budget, you start by focusing on the four walls: food, shelter, transportation, utilities. Buying baby gear follows the same guidelines. Start by buying some breastfeeding/formula feeding supplies, clothes, a car seat, and diapers. Let’s take a look at some strategies to save on the basics.

Save Money on Diapers

You’re in luck! I’ve already written multiple articles comparing diaper prices for all the major diaper types. Plus, I mention some of the major coupons and discounts you can get. You can read all about the cheapest diapers there.

I will mention here though, that you shouldn’t stockpile diapers before your baby arrives. Some kids grow faster or slower (and therefore might outgrow diapers before you use everything you bought in that size). Other kids are sensitive to certain kinds of disposable or cloth diapers, and will get rashes unless you switch brands.

Save Money on Breastfeeding Supplies

The good news is this: milk is free! The bad news is, there are still a few purchases you’ll need to make.

Like I mentioned above, you can use your FSA or HSA to buy many necessary breastfeeding supplies like pads, storage bags, and pumps. I’ve also grabbed free, disposable supplies still in their packaging from my local Buy Nothing group and on Facebook Marketplace.

You can also get a free breast pump through your insurance company. I used the Aeroflow Breastpumps website since they take care of all the insurance paperwork for you and let you pick out whichever pump you want. I used my Lansinoh pump every day when I was still teaching and pumping for my daughter, and it worked great.

Save Money on Formula

There are a lot of options when it comes to buying baby formula, and not all of them are based on price. What formula will your baby’s tiny belly tolerate best? Which one has the most ingredients and essential nutrients? Which one is sold in your area?

I can’t answer any of those questions for your family, but I can tell you what the cheapest formula is.

The cheapest baby formula will always be your grocery store’s generic brand (at about half the price of name brand formula, in my area). However, Enfamil is the cheapest name brand formula, thanks to their discount programs and coupons. Even so, you’ll likely spend around $1,500 on baby formula for their first year of life.

You can sign up for Enfamil’s Family Beginnings program to regularly get coupons and cash-back offers in your email, plus free samples of formula if you qualify. (They claim to offer up to $400 worth of samples and coupons for joining. I did not get that much when I signed up, but I have been impressed by the consistency and value of coupons I get– usually 20% coupons or rebate offers every month.)

Enfamil also partners with the cash-back app Ibotta and regularly offers pretty great coupons there. I’ve seen up to $12 off Enfamil through Ibotta, which you can stack on top of coupons. (Disclaimer: I don’t regularly recommend using Ibotta for daily shopping, but formula is crazy expensive and every dollar counts.)

Save Money on Baby Clothes

One of the most shocking things from my new parent days was how QUICKLY babies grew, and therefore how many clothes they went through. My third child went through five different sizes in his first five months of life. Not only that, but they need a lot of clothes to keep up with diaper blowouts, spitting up, and bottle dribbles. It can feel overwhelming.

So to save money (and have one less thing to worry about), don’t think about matching much or creating outfits. Babies basically live in onesies or zip up sleepers the first six months anyways since they’re asleep most of the time. And don’t bother buying shoes either, since they’re hard to get on little feet and almost always unnecessary.

Instead of buying everything new, really consider clothes shopping in this order:

Facebook Marketplace. You can also use NextDoor, OfferUp, Craigslist, or whatever else is popular in your area for giving away items. I got so many bags of free clothes (and continue to find clothes this way for my toddlers) because people just want it out of their house. Marketplace
Consignment stores bulk sales. Sign up for the email lists of Once Upon A Child, Children’s Orchard, or any other kid’s consignment store near you. You should also like them on Facebook. Why? Because many of them have seasonal (or even monthly) bulk sales like “Fill a bag for $5” when they’re trying to make room for new merchandise. You’ll really want to prioritize taking advantage of these, but you won’t know about them unless you follow the store somehow.

Thrift Stores. These places often sell baby clothes for $0.50-$1.00 each, which beats even the cheapest of brand new clothes. You can check out my article on thrifting if you need tips here.
Carter’s. When you’ve exhausted all other opportunities and still have holes in your baby’s wardrobe, Carter’s is where I look. It also seems to be the preferred retailer of Grandma’s everywhere, if my mom friends and I are a representative sample. When their stuff goes on sale, you can regularly get pieces for $1-5.

And if you REALLY want to save money on baby clothes, I’ve written a guide to getting free baby clothes you can check out.

Save Money on Infant Car Seats, High Chairs, and Baby Furniture

Target has a wonderful program once (or twice) a year in September and/or April called the Car Seat Trade-In Event. To participate, you simply donate an old car seat in-store and receive a 20% off coupon, good for any of their big-ticket baby gear.

Here’s the kicker: you don’t have to recycle your own car seat. If you get online and search your local Buy Nothing group, NextDoor, or OfferUp, etc, you’ll likely find dozens of people willing to give you their old car seats for free. I got an old toddler car seat from a neighbor and donated it to Target to get the coupon myself.

If you go this route, be sure to make this your one, big shopping trip. Get your car seat, crib mattress, or whatever else you want to buy new, because you can only use the 20% coupon for one shopping trip.

My Personal Savings Breakdown

I get it, we’re all a little nosy. Here’s your peek into my house and how exactly we used the above strategies to save money on baby stuff. I’m not even going to include the value of any gifts we received at our baby shower, since I know those savings weren’t totally in my control. I want to show you what’s possible for you to save all by yourself. I’m also only going to look at the numbers for my first baby, since that’s when we needed to buy the most.

Here’s all the money we saved, rounded up to the nearest dollar. (All numbers are the difference between the item’s full, normal price and what we paid.)

Free, secondhand crib, bassinets, and sheets: Saved $480

Breast pump through insurance: Saved $128
Used baby carrier (Craigslist): Saved $90
Free, secondhand clothes: Saved ~$375 (I’m not going to go into the basement and count every single onesie and bootie, but this is a very conservative estimate for at least 75 items at $5 each.)

Insurance pregnancy wellness program: $300
20% off coupon for car seat: $38
Free, used baby bouncer seats: $100

Diapers (generic, in bulk as opposed to packs of Pampers): $566

So the total amount I saved using all my strategies is– drumroll please– $2,077!

If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom, I’m guessing you could use some ideas for saving money in other ways. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter below and get my next money-saving article directly in your inbox.