Comments on: Frugal Pregnancy Tips

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:12:23 +0000

All I have to say is "yard sale"!! I got all my maternity stuff at various yard sales (or given to me by others), and bought all my children's clothes there, and everything else I needed that I didn't have given to me. Also cloth diapers. I never bought one thing of baby food of any sort (figuring that babies survived plenty long before Gerber was on the scene, so our grandmothers and beyond must have been able to manage without it). I was given a few jars of baby food, so tried them on my older son, and he refused to eat more than a bite or two. There are *lots* of ways to be frugal. Kathy´s last blog post..The Devious Side of “One True Love”

By: Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas

Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:50:29 +0000

Great tips (reminders)! I’m going to bookmark this for future reference.

By: Kristy @ Master Your Card

Kristy @ Master Your Card — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:07:19 +0000

Over-the-counter prenatals work for a lot of women. Unless your doctor says otherwise, why pay more for the prescription? I've never had kids, so I can't speak to a lot of the "special" items women buy, but I do take prenatal vitamins because they actually have all the vitamins a non-pregnant woman needs anyway. So, it's already a part of my budget. Of course, always seek the advice of a healthcare professional before taking them. A lot of folks around the blogosphere seem to be having babies and talking about the associated costs. What's always struck me when reading the posts is that a lot of them do spend quite a bit. I don't know if it's just that baby costs have seriously escalated over the years or if some of them are choosing not to be as frugal in this area of their finances. Interesting topic, Kelly! I'd very much like to know from the other parents out there, is there such as thing as being too frugal in this area? I'm sure there is, but not being a parent, I don't know. Kristy @ Master Your Card´s last blog post..I Want To Be A CEO When I Grow Up

By: Emma @ Baby-log.com

Emma @ Baby-log.com — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:01:24 +0000

I liked this post, Kelly - and thanks for the link too! Same here, all I bought for pregnancy was 2 pairs of pants and a couple of large jumpers. I bought some breastfeeding clothes over the Internet because they were cheaper, the prices in shops for the same were impossible. Emma @ Baby-log.com´s last blog post..Before And After the Baby

By: Shevy

Shevy — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:46:37 +0000

The 2 most important things in prenatal vitamins are iron (because your blood volume has to expand a lot during the pregnancy) and folic acid, which helps prevent serious neural tube defects (like spina bifida). I also haven’t done any research on the incidence of anemia or spina bifida in France vs. the US or anywhere else but if there is less of a problem in France despite them not taking prenatal vitamins there could easily be another reason, such as a difference in diet. There’s certainly been a lot written about the deficiencies of the typical North American diet and how much better Europeans eat. It wouldn’t be very frugal to skimp on the vitamins (especially as I believe the folic acid issue is really only critical during the first trimester and immediately prior to conception) and then have to deal with a child who had an exposed spinal cord and might never walk. Surgery, specialists, OT, wheelchairs or other mobility devices would be a lot more expensive than vitamins, never mind the emotional aspects. Sorry, I used to live in the same building as someone whose daughter had spina bifida and she went through a lot.

I saved money by not buying things like baby swings, by using cloth diapers part of the time (not pricey prefolds, just real flannelette diapers), by breastfeeding and not introducing solid foods before 6 months. And by using as few canned baby foods as possible. It’s very easy to just mush up stuff you’re eating for baby.

By: Pippi

Pippi — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:05:35 +0000

I second getting high quality stuff you know you’ll use — especially if you plan on more than one kid. It’s not specifically a pregnancy expense, but I wish I had spent the money on brand new cloth diapers. I got most of mine used and while that was fine for the more sturdy prefolds, my fitted diapers are at the end of their rope and will never make it through a second baby. I’ll have to buy more and I won’t end up saving in the long run.

By: Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book

Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:23:54 +0000

My doctor let me buy over-the-counter prenatal vitamins from Wal-Mart. She was going to prescribe some for me, but all I had to do was ask about the over-the-counter ones and she said they were fine to use. It saved me quite a bit of money because they were a lot less expensive than the prescription ones. Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book´s last blog post..Simple Solutions: Taking Notes

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:59:11 +0000

Frugal pregnancy – what a great topic! My own comment (having had two kids) is that you should avoid, if you want to be frugal, the mindset that pregnancy = “extra” spending in order to “pamper” yourself or recognize the “special” situation you are in.

Yes, pregnancy is a special time and pregnant women deserve to be honoured and pampered. It just doesn’t have to take any money to do it!