Natalie writes…

I normally wouldn’t look twice at something like this because ‘Honey Tree Pooh’ motifed gear normally makes me nervous. But…as moses baskets go, this is not only pretty great value but the circular pattern combined with the ’subtle’ motif keeps it in safe modern territory.

The Zorbit : Honey Tree Pooh Moses Basket is actually made by Cosatto which are pretty well known for their very modern nursery gear and it comes with an adjustable canopy and embroidered apron.

It was £74.49 and it’s now a rather cool £30.44 from our Bambino Goodies Amazon Store

As we’ve decided to become a budget conscious family, I shopped in Morrisons on Friday for the first time in ages and spotted that they have a third off several of the Pampers range. For example you can get a 80 pack of Pampers Baby Dry Jumbo Pack Maxi+ for £7.99 instead of £11.99. I picked up some Pampers Baby Dry Junior Size 5 in a 50 pack for £5.98 instead of £8.98.

If you’re Huggies fan, you can get 25% extra free on Huggies SuperDry .

Pop into your nearest Morrisons or check out their offers online where you can look but not buy.

I recently featured the Leebruss Take Off over at Bambino Goodies as it’s a well priced pushchair that’s great for busy mums on the move who don’t want something too light, but who also like the idea of something that folds up really small. It folds down so compactly into a handy bag that can fit in the overhead locker of a plane - impressive!

Kiddicare currently have it reduced from £199 down to £99.99 which includes the travel bag and raincover and it’s suitable from 6 months.

Natalie writes…

I’ve just posted about this over at Bambino Goodies and if you’re looking to buy organic goodies for your baby, pay a visit to Monkey and Mike who offer a range of organic baby clothes and toys for babies from birth to a year old. It’s a fabulous little haven of goodies suitable for your own baby or for thoughtful gifts with brands like Picalilly, Green Eyed Monster, Skoon, Nappy Head, Organics for Kids, and Bamboo Baby amongst many.

Monkey and Mike are offering our readers a 10% discount, valid until 31st October 2008.

The discount code id BAMBINO10 and it needs to be entered at checkout. The code is valid on all products and can be used numerous times until the expiry date. They offer free delivery on orders over £25 and this is calculated on the pre-discount amount.

The dress featured is by Bambino Bamboo and is made from bamboo which is 100% biodegradable. It also comes in sky blue, features a cute ribbon detail, and is quite a well priced buy considering that it’s organic and ethical, and a great party dress. Mix and match with cardigans, tights, or with a long sleeved fitted vest underneath or shirt to get multiple uses out of it. 6-12 months only and £16.99.

Natalie writes…

Boots have a fantastic clearance section which we’ll be featuring more of and in particular, they have this fantastic bargain - l’coo Plasma iPod Pushchair at half price - Now £134.99 instead of £269.99. Bargain central!

It’s a forward and rear facing pushchair that has a more traditional look yet is undoubtedly stylish with wheels that look like speakers. It’s got a lightweight, 3Kg aluminium frame, with a central suspension unit, and softfix brake. It’s got multi reclining seat positions, an adjustable footrest and handle height, and the typical 5-point harness.

The removable fold back hood has got an iPod docking station suitable for standard size or nano’s which is hooked up to speakers inside the hood. Keep yourself or your baby amused with music and stories although naturally, the iPod is not included.

Folded dimensions: H90 x W50 x D48cm
Total Weight: 13 kg

It’s car seat compatible with the Lifesaver car seat which is sold separately.

Natalie writes…

Nappy wipes are something that you always need and I’ve taken to buying in bulk online, to reduce my costs, especially as my wipes of choice are Jackson Reece Herbal Wipes, definitely the best wipes I’ve ever tried!

I reviewed them a few months ago over on Bambino Goodies and at the moment, Little Green Earthlets, one of our favourite stores is doing a BOGOF offer until the 30th September. They are £2.79 a pack which makes this a brilliant deal! That makes them about £1.34 a pack - bargain-o-rama! Delivery is £3.95 and I recommend buying the pack of 12 so you end up with 24, which brings the cost per pack of 72 wipes to a very reasonable £1.56 when you take into account that these are no ordinary wipes.

Alcohol free, Jackson Reece Herbal Wipes are aimed at both skin and environmentally conscious mums. They’re made from renewable natural plant resources with ingredients that include organic lavender oil, aloe vera, and tea tree oil plus high purity water AND a vegetable based preservative system approved by the Vegan Society. They’re suitable for most skin types including eczema sufferers and are 100% biodegradable. The packaging is degradable and they’re made in the UK so their carbon footprint is reduced. I have been using them for about 6 months after I got some free samples to review, and they are fantastic.

These are a great buy and I suggest you hotfoot it there pronto and stock up whilst you can!

Natalie writes…

We’re big fans of this pushchair over at Bambino Goodies and this is a pushchair that packs a lot of style bang into its stylish buck, and will have you looking like trendy, urban mum, without you spending several hundred pounds.

The Silver Cross Dazzle combines clean lines and concealed fittings, with snuggley upholstery, with a look that has been inspired by noodles after being researched in the world’s fashion capitals.

It’s certainly at the lighter end at 6.8kg, compact when folded, 4 reclining positions, 5 point harness, suspension, shopping basket and all of the usual all weather fanfare.

Like any lightweight stroller, it’s not great on rough terrain and I certainly wouldn’t do any offroad stuff with it, but if you’re on the go, nipping on public transport etc, the Sliver Cross Dazzle is a great buy.

You can buy a clip in soft carrcyot which turns it into a pram or can be used as a daybed and comes in 5 colours from funky through to the more traditional expected colours.

Suitable from birth

The RRP is £175 and it’s currently cheapest at Bambino Direct for £146.95. The carrycot RRP is £75 and they’re £67.95 at Bambino Direct, plus you can also get an accessories pack which includes a footmuff, parasol and a changing bag, although most are on pre-order and if you’re on a tight budget, these aren’t a necessity.

Celebrities who have been spotted with the Silver Cross Dazzle: Jennifer Lopez ahd Heidi Klum.

Natalie writes…

For a start, it’s a good idea to set an overall realistic budget in mind. Whilst having a baby can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be, the only way you know how to set a budget is to:

1) Understand what your buying motivations are. I like style and function and break out around too much neutral, baby pink and baby blue, and dodgy plastic. Some people don’t give a monkey’s about trendy and will probably save a fortune. You need to work out who your are.
2) Get an idea of pricing. My friends husband said (without any evidence to back it up) that he expected that she could get everything, new, for under a grand. Now that is actually possible, but when you’re planning to buy a Bugaboo or a Stokke Xplory, you’ll need to rethink this unless you’re planning for your baby to be naked and sleeping in with you.

Just so you know…

A decent, lightweight pushchair with weather accessories is around £60. You can buy for less, but make sure you get a decent quality one because lightweight pushchairs take a knocking. I own the Mamas and Papas Nipi which is highly rated by Which?. Maclarens are around £65 to close to £200. Travel systems tend to be upwards of £200, more like £300, and last week I featured the Micralite Fastfold. The Mothercare Trenton, whilst not may tastes, is also highly rated by Which? and is a bit of a steal at £230 instead of it’s RRP of £280 and includes the car seat and soft carry cot. Following trends and lusting after the likes of Bugaboos, Quinny’s or Stokkes will be around £500-£800. Breathe in and out with me.

Cots (not cot beds) can be really cheap, especially if you go down the Ikea route. I am a huge fan of the Ikea Gulliver Cot and the Ikea Hermelin which are £69 and £75 respectively. A cot bed though will last and you’re probably looking at a minimum of £150 although quality makes a difference to price. I would steer clear of kitsch, commercial cots with cartoon figures or whatever on them, and go plain. Trust me, you’ll thank me when you’ve got sick of Winnie the Pooh, especially if you have it on a cot bed.

Car seats - the only one I recommend is the Maxi-Cosi 0+ Cabriofix which is circa £90 with a RRP of around £110 and also highly rated by the likes of Which? and many others. If you’re having a girl, we featured a recent Maxi-Cosi bargain for £59.99. You can purchase Maxi-Cosi widely on and offline. Shop around.

They are the biggies and these are the prices for them when you buy brand new. You obviously can buy second hand, which is something I will be covering over various posts, but the one thing I would steer clear of buying second hand is a car seat as you just don’t know its history. Better to buy new, and pass it down to future babies…should you go down that road again.

Remember: If you buy well now, not only do you save money on future babies, but if you don’t even want to hand down and want to get new again, if you buy well and treat well, you can sell them on again.

Natalie writes…

Gas and electric are high, property prices are doom and gloom, everywhere you look there’s someone bleating about the credit crunch, and now you’re pregnant, looking forward to your new arrival, but wondering if you’re going to end up bankrupting yourselves. Whilst I won’t lie and tell you that it’s cheap as chips to have a baby, it actually can be as expensive or as budget conscious as you want it to be. Being a blog about budget baby products, it’s only fair that we show you as many ways as possible to help you budget and to save, from the joys of ebay, to Freecycle, to NCT sales, to knowing how to track bargains, to compromising (try not to shudder), to understanding where you can make quick dents into your budget. And remember, the more you save, the more you can spread the money elsewhere…

The first thing I did when it came to working out what to buy was to do some research into baby essentials list, whittle it down, and put it into a spreadsheet. Don’t laugh!

Anal retentive as it may sound, I quite enjoyed doing up a list in Excel of what I needed, what my budget was, what the RRP (recommended retail price) and what my cheapest find was. Not only is it a great way to keep track of everything you need and have purchased, but you can pat yourself on the back each time you make a saving. Trust me, they all add up! RRP’s are all available online. If you want to get a good idea of what pushchairs are available, a visit to both Mothercare and John Lewis should give you a pretty good view of everything, and I also find local speciality baby stores can be really good.

If you already have a fairly good knowledge of Excel (all you need to do is know how to add up, subtract, and multiply) then you’ll be able to get cracking straight away. You can get fancier by linking your formulas and all that jazz but I won’t bore you. If there are enough of you interested in learning, I could also do a post. Failing that, ask someone to set up the basics for you (it’ll take them a few minutes) or I found that there is a free ebook which you may want to download if you’re actually quite keen to do budgeting in Excel. If you don’t have Excel or are fairly techy and want to share with say, your partner, get a Google account and use Google Docs. It’s brilliant, everything is stored safely and privately online, and you can discuss changes on it with your ‘collaborator’.

Mothercare have a handy checklists section online and it’s also on the back of their catalogues. Mamas and Papas also do a checklist in their catalogue, as do Toys r Us - but be prepared, no two lists say the same thing! You’re going to have to use either your own judgement or ask others who have already been through the same process.

Look out for our checklist coming super soon!

Natalie writes…

When you’re having a baby and have specific tastes or just want to get only the best, it is difficult to utter the c-word, ‘compromise’, but if you are looking to make some savings during your credit crunch pregnancy, it’s time to sit down and think about what needs to be super stylish or the hot brand, and what actually just needs to be basic and does what it says on the tin. You’d be surprised; that covers a lot of things!

I’ll be damned if I don’t have a stylish pushchair or cot, but really, for things like baby baths, sterilisers etc, buy stuff that does exactly what you need, and cheaply. They don’t do them in black or stainless steel (trust me I’ve checked) and really, they all do the same thing…

You don’t need bells and whistles where the steriliser practically speaks to you when it’s done. You need something quick, efficient, and effective. Microwave sterilisers were surprisingly popular with many of my friends and about half the price of a typical steriliser. Kiddicare have the Phillips Avent Microwave Steriliser for £21.27 instead of the RRP of £43.98 and it also includes a fab thermometer set which will actually knock another item off your essentials list. If don’t own a microwave or just prefer the normal steriliser route (some people don’t like idea of the steriliser taking up residence in something they use really frequently), you can try Tommee Tippee’s Closer to Nature Electric Steam Steriliser (pictured), which is £32.99 instead of £47.98 also at Kiddicare or Blue Fish have the Avent Express Steam Steriliser for £34.95 instead of £49.95.

Other compromising suggestions, don’t buy a baby bath and just bathe your baby in your normal bath or get the fab blue one from Ikea which is £4.49.

Even though you may want everything stylish, vibrant, and even loud, if you’re genuinely on a budget, you’ll have to inject some white in there, although I don’t blame you for skipping over the baby blues and pinks…

Buy basics that no-one else is going to see (or you just don’t care about) in plain white because they are cheaper. However, make sure you buy decent quality because if they don’t wash well, you’ll be buying more, which will actually cancel out the savings you made. I highly recommend John Lewis baby basics, where for instance you get a pack of 7 high quality body suits for £8, but H&M also do some handy bits, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly considering they have their finger in every pie, you can get some really good baby basics with a cute print on them (ours were a gift and they had dinosaurs), from every little helps, Tesco. I have never seen them at my local Tesco and I live near the biggest one in England so this is a bargain you need to dig for. And no, they don’t sell them online. John Lewis are also very well priced for sheets and cellular blankets, as long as you’re heading into neutral territory.

I also purchased muslins from John Lewis, £6.99 for 6, because again, they’re excellent quality and still look like new 15 months later, but if you want some that you don’t give a monkey’s about, Ebay is the place to go. I used my ones from there for soaking up big brown accidents and mopping up stuff like jam, and save the nice ones for sweet breast feeding moments and baby burping. Trust me, there is a difference in quality. Best4Baby seems to be the one where I and my mates have all ended up on ebay, where you can get as many as 12 for £6.99 plus P&P. Note though, you have to decide how essential these are. When I first heard about them, I didn’t ‘get’ them, but on the advice of others I brought some and they were brilliant. Impromptu cover for the changing mat, spreading over surfaces you’re not sure about when you’re out, oversized bib, mop up duty, vomit barrier…

A big area where you can make compromises on is on the big stuff - pushchair/pram and cot. Even if you want stylish, on trend, and functional, you don’t need to go all Bugaboo or Stokke. Difference to your budget? Depending on what you ‘downgraded’ to, around £200 to £400 on a pushchair alone. Or buy amazing pushchair, cheap, but nice looking cot. You could save a few hundred there too.

Ultimately, only you can decide where you want to compromise, but if you’re on a budget, I’d start with the easy choices first.