Planning for a new arrival in your family can be expensive, especially if your pregnancy was unplanned and your budget is tight. Before you run out and starting buying things you need to make a plan. There are several items that are absolutely essential.

Car Seat
You can't take your new baby home from the hospital without a car seat. This is one of those items that you will want to purchase new and not second hand. There are several styles of car seats available. There is the rear facing carrier type which is designed to hold infants age twenty pounds or less. This type of car seat is convenient. You must realize that you will have to purchase another car seat when the child turns age one or reaches twenty pounds if you purchase this style of car seat. For this reason you may want to purchase one of the larger car seats.

If you can't afford a car seat, check with your local social services offices or WIC office. They often have programs that provide car seats to low income recipients.

Crib
Bassinettes are lovely but not practical for long term use. Once your child is able to turn over they will not be able to sleep in the bassinette anymore. All children start to turn over at different ages. While my oldest was 3 month old before he turned over, my youngest turned over at 2 weeks of age. A crib is the most practical choice. This is another item that you will want to purchase new.

Used cribs are hard to purchase. When you see them at yard sales or resale shops they are usually unassembled. When assembling the crib you may find that some pieces are missing. It's nearly impossible to purchase replacement parts. It's easier to purchase a new crib.

Cribs can be very expensive ranging from $150 to over a thousand dollars. Wal-mart, Baby Depot and K-Mart often have reasonable cribs.

Diapers
You are going to need diapers for your new baby. Many educators suggest clothe diapers but I have found them to be not very practical in 2006. There are less and less cleaning services and washing diapers on your own can be one more chore for a tired new mom. I also suggest start buying diapers toward the end of your second trimester. Some people feel like this is too soon, so if you are superstitious feel free to wait.

If you purchase one or two bags of diapers starting around your sixth month, when the baby arrives you should have a decent supply of diapers. I did this with my first child and we didn't have to make any late night run for diapers until he was three months old.

Realize that babies grow very fast, so don't purchase too many newborn size diapers.

Clothes, blankets, bottles, wipes are other essentials. For more information about shopping for a new baby check out the chapter Baby Gear-What To Buy Now and What Can Wait in the book The Unplanned Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students (which has really helpful info for all expecting moms, especially ones on a budget).

Order Now