Frugal Baby Careby Marily | More from this Blogger 25 Jul 2006 08:13 PM What are some ways that you save money with caring for a little one? Do you use cloth diapers? Would you ever consider using them? Are there any other things that you would never do to save money caring for your little one? Here are some methods for caring for a baby the frugal way. Let us know if you think some of these ideas are smart or if they border on being fanatically frugal: Ditch the Disposables Really frugal parents use cloth diapers. That is all there is to it. Apparently then, I don't know any really frugal parents. If you want to save even more, don't buy baby wipes. Instead, use wet rags to wipe baby's bottom. Clean them thoroughly with bleach and detergent and hang them to dry in between uses. Heal Diaper Rash for Free To heal diaper rash without any cost, expose baby's bottom to fresh air for a half an hour several times throughout the day. One safe way to do this is to lay out a towel or blanket over a waterproof surface and let baby play on that after every diaper change. If you use baby powder to prevent or treat diaper rash, consider switching to cornstarch. Not only is this less expensive, but some would argue that it is much more natural than baby powders which can actually irritate a baby's sensitive skin. Make Your Own Baby Food Buying small jars of food made "especially for baby" is extremely expensive. What is the real difference between the green beans in the small jar and those that you feed the rest of your family? Basically, the main difference is that baby green beans are made with only green beans and water, instead of adding seasonings or butter like you and I are accustomed to. Buy frozen vegetables or low-sodium canned products to make your own baby food and save a fortune. Check out this article for tips on making your own baby food. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  Miriam Caldwell (8030) 25 Jul 2006 08:28 PMSome other tips include breast feeding if possible. It saves a ton of money, plus it really is healthier for you and the baby. You can also save money by buying generic or store brand diapers and wipes. I think Target's brand and Parent Choice are great diapers. Luvs are as well, and are at least two or three dollars cheaper a pack than the other namebrands.  Marily (836) 25 Jul 2006 08:51 PMName brand diapers are extremely expensive! They can cost even $5 more than the generic kind. We buy our generic diapers in bulk from Walmart. We really don't spend too much on diapers at all. mbmommy (10) 05 Oct 2006 03:15 PMI use cloth diapers!! They are kinda costly in the beging but after about four months they pay for themselfs ussually. And I am already doing laundary aways so it is only one more load a week. Marily (836) 09 Oct 2006 08:33 PMI am really impressed with anyone who uses cloth diapers. So few people use them anymore! maryavan (6731) 29 Nov 2006 11:18 PMI can't wait to get my cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and covers out for the lil bug I'm expecting now!! Talk about saving money--I'm basically all set to diaper baby #2 from birth til potty training for under $30 (if covers elastics are okay)!! We will need to buy some dsq prefolds ONLY b/c a recommended detergent changed their formula and damaged the chinese prefolds from first baby. Otherwise, it would've been nearly nothing for diapering #2. Cloth should also greatly reduce diaper rash--even more $$ saved by not needing diaper creams. We used what was supposed to be "disposable" Gerber diaper liners--they were reusable if washed w/ dipes but pulled out before the dryer. 1 1/2 boxes of liners lasted us 3 1/2 years! Another money saving tip for using cloth is to look at online auctions. There are great deals on used dipes and also on factory seconds on covers/wraps. I'm not sure about using bleach on cloth rags or reusing them w/o washing in the machine. If you have lots (20-30) you can just use them once and put them to be laundered. You only need them for poopy dipes usually. Don't use bleach on cloth dipes. If you are using cloth diapers, you just throw the rags w/ the diapers and wash/dry together. The only extra work is folding them. Once I found the washing combination that worked for ds, using cloth was a breeze. DH even liked it. It is simple and saves so much money when it all is added up. Plus the waste won't sit in the ground for centuries. Marily (836) 06 Dec 2006 01:52 PMThank you, maryavan for the tips. Using cloth diapers is kind of a foreign concept to many these days! Community Tags baby, cheap, diapers, frugal, wipes Discuss this article
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