Five Philosophies That Can Save You Money On Baby

Lets face it, kids are expensive. But here's a little secret the marketing department at Fisher Price don't want you to know; most baby stuff is completly unnecessary. Even those things that are so imbedded into our collective subconcious that just the word baby make you think of them. 

There are however a few parenting philosophies that can save you an awful lot of money, as well as being just generally awesome. 

attachment parenting

What it it?


Attachment Parenting (AP) is a parenting philosophy based in the research on attacment theory. The term, created by DR Sear's in the 1960s, generally refers to a set of 8 guidleinesfor parenting, and "the belief that a child’s attachment to their caregiver(s) will have a lifelong impact."


"The practical application varies greatly but it often looks something like this:
1. Birth: Prepare for birth and become educated about natural birth options and their benefits for baby and mother.
2. Breastfeeding/breast milk: A human mother’s milk is the optimal food for human babies, and bottle feeding should mimic as many aspects of breastfeeding as possible.
3. Be sensitive: Respond sensitively to your children.
4. Bonding through touch: Use physical contact such as baby wearing, breastfeeding, and massage to convey tenderness, love, and affection.
5. Bedding: Parent your children at night as well as in the day, looking to safe co‑sleeping as an option.
6. Be there: Ensure consistent parenting by a primary caregiver or a trained and sensitive substitute.
7. Be gentle: Use positive discipline, forgoing corporal punishment.
8. Balance: Balance your needs with those of your child.

It should be noted that no one does all eight perfectly, nor do you have to subscribe to all of them to benefit from these principles. These are simply guidelines that can serve as a jumping-off place for your decision-making. - Mayim Bialik

​How can it save me money?

Attachment Parenting can save you money in two areas of baby care that marketers have been making a killing off for the last century: Feeding, and Sleeping

Feeding: Breastfeeding is often promoted as being free. This isn't entirely true, certinly not for those who struggle with breastfeeding. But for mother/baby dyads who find breastfeeding easy, exclusive breastfeeding is a huge money saver. 

No bottles, steralisers, bottle brushes, teats, draining boards, caps that you put in the top of the bottle, and most costly of all - formula. 

Sleeping: Two words - NO Nusery. I know, decorating a nursery is the fun part of pregnancy. But lets look at this wearing our practical hats for a minute. No nursery means you can stay living in a smaller house or apartment - saving rent/morgatge increases and moving costs. Even if you already have the space, no nursery still means no new paint/walpaper and curtains.

Many parents have bought 4 different sized beds (and the accompaning mattresses and linen) by the time thier child starts school. Bassinette, cot, toddler bed, full sized single. Bed-sharing from birth means, No bassinette, no cot,  no mattresses, no crib bumpers (which are a SIDS risk anyway), sheets and blankets, rugs, and matching decor. It also means no toddler bed (as does Montessori), meaning that your child can go straight into a single when they are ready for their own bed. 

Even if you don't bed-share, having baby in the same room IKEA style (cause it's actually the norm in Sweden) - otherwise known as co-sleeping,  forces you to be minimalist in your purchases. The only nusery item I would say is worth investing in (if you don't have one already in your lounge room) is a rocking recliner. Your sanity will thank you. 

Warning: There is one area of attachment parenting, that can easily and quickly blow the whole money saving aspect out of the water. Baby Carriers. See "Why are all the baby carriers so expensive?" for why they have such high prices, but mostly it's expensive because they tend to be a bit addictive!!!

Being in contact with your baby for naps, baby-wearing, napping with them, or using nap time as your chance to read or check facebook, means that you also have no need for swaddles. (Though if you live in a cold climate and don't have heating, baby sleeping bags will be necessary for night time to bed share safely.) A good baby-carrier also eliminates bouncers, Bumbos, exer-saucers, Jolly Jumpers and other items designed to either contain baby whilts you get things done, or to "develop" their core strength or allow them to see the world. 

baby lead weaning (solid food introduction)

What it it?


Baby Lead weaning (BLW) is a method of solid food introduction that bypasses the puree stage. 


How can it save me money?


This is all the kit you need to feed your child: High chair, small sized spoons/forks (like salad forks and teaspoons), some plastic bowls, a splat mat, and some long sleveved bibs for winter. 

No puree, no jars or pouches, no rice cereal (which you should avoid anyway!!!), no special containers and trays for freezing and transporting puree in, no special blenders or Thermomix, no rusks and num-nums (well, you can give these....but you don't need to) 
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Green Living

What it it?

Seeking to eliminate waste, chemicals and landfill creating objects from your life. 

How can it save me money?

Re-use, Re-purpose, Recycle - I bought My son's cot for $10 at a garage sale. His Change table, $10, Gumtree. The oversized arm chair for feeding and stories, $20, sidewalk sale. Almost all his toys and books untill his first birthday were from the lifeline shop or the recycle store at the dump. I made toys out of recyclables. Most of his clothes were hand-me-downs. And here's the thing, he had everything!!!!! serioulsy he had enough clothes and toys for a creche! 

Reduce Waste - Cloth Nappies. Not as scary as they sound, and whilst they have a high initial cost, they are so much cheaper!!! Darlings Downunder have a great post comparing the cost for one child and two children of cloth and disposables. Then there are the other savings that you can make: Homemade reuasable, wipes, homemade nappy rash lotion, or just skip it altogether because you dodn't tend to need it. Even if you do use bamboo flushable liners, and eco-disposables or hybrids for night or going out, you still save financially. And then of course there's the impact on the planet. 
Note: Cloth nappies and pads can blow out the budget if you get addicted, just like carriers. 

Once you make the mental leap to cloth nappies, you also tend to make the same leap to cloth breast pads and cloth menstural pads or a menstrual cup. 

Reduce Chemicals - This not only saves you stackloads of money, it also saves your health, and the planets health. Cleaning products and beauty products are expensive! There are so many of them, and they are all advertised to do specific jobs, so you buy more, and guess what - they're unnecessary!!!!


With things like baby bath soap and nappy rash cream, or wipes, the commercial brands have all sorts of tricks that make you use more. Wipes are coated in a substance that just moves the poo around, soap makes bubbles so you use more for the "fun aspect", disposable nappies and wipes are full of chemicals that cause nappy rash so you use more lotion.... Even just buying the eco-friendly off the shelf products ends up no more expensive, but better for your health and the planet, and they often work better so you use less. 

But if you are really looking to save some serious money, start questioning the need for everything. Wipes: a container of warm water and a face washer. Baby Shampoo - completely unnecessary, if you never start using it, you should get all the way to puberty and possibly beyond without needing to use it because you haven't stripped the hair of it's natural oils. I only wash my son's hair on the odd occasion he gets food, paint or mud in it. Soap: young babies don't get dirty, so soap is just a waste of money untill they start crwaling and eating. Anti-bacterial gel: creates superbugs, so isn't really all it's cracked up to be. Household cleaners: pretty much everything can be done with Bi-Carb, Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Salt, Sugar, and a few key Essential Oils. You can make your own single use wipes for cleaning with a roll of paper towels, and really the only times you need single use are for bodily fluids and dead insects, or a case of gastro. Most of your cleaning can be done with reusable cloths. 

Many people swear by soap nuts for laundry, and dishwashing. I haven't found them effective. But I am very happy with Ecostore's Eucalyptus products, which are naturally anti-bacterial and disinfectant, so there's no need for nappy-san. Orange Power have a good pre-wash stain remover too, and most stains can be treated with either a quick approach (i'm terrible at this) or household items like salt, metho, hairspray, or a straight soap. 
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Elimination communication

What it it?

A method of toilet training where you do not use nappies. You can part time- EC, using nappies for outings or overnight. Or Full time EC where you use no nappies at all. Basically, you pay attention to the cues your baby gives signaling that they need to poo or urinate, and then you hold them over a suitable recpticale (like a potty) so they can eliminate without soiling their clothes or you. 

How can it save me money?

No nappies, no wipes, no lotions, no washing costs for cloth nappies. Potentially, less clothes. You can get special EC clothes, Tiny underwear, pants that look scarily like something the Village People's cowboy would wear....but depending on your climate you can just leave bubby naked, or just put them in a top and some baby-legs. 

Montessori

What it it?

A system of education that emphasises real-life expreiences, minimal toys, and an educational purpose to those you do have. 

How can it save me money?

I know, Montessori isn't exactly known for being cheap. But that's Montessori schooling and day care. Not the actual philosophies implemented in the home. For a baby, up to the age of sitting, the only bought items you are likley to find in a Montessori based household are a high-contrast mobile, a few books, and something they can safely chew on. Everything else can be made from found objects. Sensory boxes, instruments, things that roll etc etc. Even up untill 1, when you'll want to start introducing things like puzzels and blocks, there's not much more that you really *need* to buy. You can do so much with recycling, household items,food, and craft supplies. 


A second aspect of Montessori that can save you money, is the floor bed. Beds are expensive. Putting it on the floor, is safer, gives your child more independence and saves you the cost of the frame.