Having a baby can be quite an expensive adventure. According to a
study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture in 2008, it is
estimated that having a baby will cost a middle class family $291,570
through the age of 17. During your baby's first two years of life, the
majority of these expenses will be for baby formula, clothing, health
care, diapers, wipes, and other supplies.
There are ways for you
to reduce your costs during the first few years of your baby's life.
Baby companies, especially formula and diaper companies, are highly
competitive. They want you to buy their products and to keep buying
them. To them, the best way to get you to be their loyal customer, is to
offer you free stuff like samples, coupons, and free parenting
information and advice. Here are a few ways to get free baby stuff:
Ask Your Doctor
Baby
companies will send doctors and hospitals samples of their products to
give away to their patients. Ask your obstetrician or pediatrician if
they have any samples they can give you. Sometimes the items are
packaged up nicely into a cute diaper bag, or some other container you
can use. These items sometimes include free diapers samples, baby wipes,
formula samples, free parenting magazines, and more. If you need
samples of over-the-counter baby health products, they most likely have
those too!
Contact Baby Product Companies Directly
You
can also get free baby samples by contacting the company directly and
simply asking them. Tell them that you would like to try and see if
their product is better than the product you are currently using. Many
times, these companies will offer promotions, printable coupons on their
website. Search for the company by name, and visit their website to see
what promotions they are currently running. If they offer a printable
coupon, you can usually download as many as you like.
Sign Up at Free Baby Stuff Websites
Several
parenting websites offer free baby stuff when you sign up to become a
member. The good thing about these websites is you can signup for offers
from multiple companies at the same time. The baby freebies you can get
include diaper samples, sweepstakes to win prizes, coupons, and free
baby magazine subscriptions. These offers are sent to you directly from
the manufacture either by snail mail or by email. Usually, the offers
require you sign up for the company's newsletter, or become a member of
their website, but it is worth it! If you begin receiving too much junk
email, you can unsubscribe at any time, but you will still receive
coupons and samples in your mailbox, which will save you money!
Free Birthday Cake for Baby
Your
baby's first birthday cake is most likely going to be free as well. A
lot of grocery store chains offer a free birthday cake for your baby's
first birthday. All you have to do is go to the bakery section and ask.
For Toddlers - "Kids Eat Free" Days
Restaurants
sometimes have "kids eat free" days, which will give your family an
opportunity to get out of the house, and enjoy a nice meal without
breaking the bank. Call the restaurants in your area to kind out which
ones offer this promotion and which days. Many times, the free day is a
weekday, so don't forget to clear your busy schedule to make time for
family time!
Wait & Shop the Baby Sales
Baby
specialty and department stores usually have special times during the
year when thex have baby sales. Sales typically occur at the end of each
season so that they can clear out their old inventory to make room for
the new inventory. If you are pregnant, and need nursery furniture, this
is the best time to your shopping because your savings will be quite
significant. To get updates about the sales, go to the websites of the
stores you shop at the most and sign up for their email newsletters. You
will be notified in advance of every sale so you can plan accordingly.
