Having a baby is a natural step for every family. A new baby brings a lot of joy to every member of the family and family friend. However, not every new parent is ready for the cost of having a baby. As a parent, you want your kid to have access to the best goods and services, but it often makes a negative impact on your budget. But baby shopping doesn’t have to be too expensive – with our tips you’ll learn how to make shopping for baby products smarter than ever.
1. Ask experienced parents
If this is your first baby, you often feel the need to buy every baby product available in the market, without really knowing if you need it or not. If you’re unsure which products are truly essential, and which are a waste of money, you’ll need an advice from a person who has already had at least one baby. These people know best which product to buy, and which to leave behind. Plus, experienced parents can tell you where to get the cheapest baby products or will give you a discount card for their favourite baby store which you can use to save even more money on your purchases.
2. Plan your purchases ahead
Whenever you’re getting ready to make a list of baby products you need, think about the following: which goods will you be able to use for a long time, and which will become useless within months from birth? For example, there is no need to buy an expensive car seat that will only last your baby until he’s 6 months old – instead you can get a multi-purpose stroller that can be easily transformed into a car seat for small babies or turned into a regular pram for when you plan to take the baby for a walk.
3. Buy used products
Chances are you’ve already experienced the benefits of buying various products second hand: it’s cheap, it’s efficient, and you get to trade with real people instead of just handing your money to a big corporation. On websites like Jiji you can find thousands of new and used baby products from new parents like yourself. Buy clothes, shoes, furniture, toys, maternity goods, and everything you might need to welcome your baby into the world without overpaying for goods but still enjoying the high quality of products sold to you by genuine sellers.
4. Don’t be afraid to borrow
If you’re lucky to have friends and relatives who already had babies, they probably have a lot of leftover baby products that you can easily borrow or get as a gift. We’re not talking about perishable products like clothes or dishes, but if you need things like prams, furniture, car seats, toy gyms, and other major baby products that you will definitely struggle with buying yourself, you can freely ask your friends if they can lend you the needed goods – if you have a good relationship, they will most likely say yes and give you everything you need.
5. Don’t buy too much in bulk
New parents tend to be anxious about buying baby necessities, which is why you’ll often find piles of diapers, sanitary napkins, underwear, sheets, and other baby products that are used very often. However, it may turn out that although you have a dozen packages of diapers from one brand, you really prefer diapers from the other brand, but because you’ve stocked on one brand, you’ll either have to use them till you run out of diapers, or lose money. The same goes for baby food and lots of other goods. Instead you should buy the bare minimum that will last you for a week or two after birth, and then buy as much as you need and the exact products you like.
6. Sell everything you don’t need
If your baby is several months or several years old, it’s very likely that you have a bunch of products that the baby has grown out of but you don’t want to throw out or don’t have any friends with babies to give them to. If you have leftover baby furniture, gear, or even new clothes that your kid has grown out of, make a smart move and sell it all on Jiji. You’ll have the pleasure of doing business with parents like you while making quick money. However, if you plan to have another baby soon, consider saving some of the products you’ll need for your new baby.
Buy and sell comfortably on Jiji
