I never dreamed that baby items were so expensive. When I had my first son it was a real wake up call when we started shopping for clothes and other essential baby stuff.

Here are a few tips for new parents on how you can save lots of money and still give your new baby everything your baby needs.

The first thing to decide is if you can buy it used or new. We bought a beautiful used Graco stroller with the car seat for under a hundred dollars. We saw the same Graco stroller new for for over two hundred dollars.

I truly believe that most things like high chairs, cribs, baby seats and other high ticket items can be found used. Think about it.  Most baby stuff is only used for a short period of time and are usually in good shape. We usually only need baby items for a very short time and can easily find quality used stuff cheap.

Check out craigslist and other online classified sites  for private sellers and check and see if there are any local used baby stores in your area. We have found some fantastic deals at a local used baby store less than a mile from our house. In fact we bought a great first bed for under a hundred bucks there.

When we had our second child we needed a double stroller and found another great Graco with the car seats and saved over $150.

Baby clothes are easy to find if you have friends and family with older kids. Many people put baby clothes in boxes and store them. Just ask.

Always look for sales on baby clothes. They are everywhere. {Remember, it really does not make sense to spend lots of money on clothes that may only get used for a few months and will be outgrown before they wear out.

The one place that really gets you in the pocketbook is the baby shoe store. It is hard to believe that a tiny pair of sneakers cost almost as much as my adult size ones. And to make things worse their feet grow so darn fast it seems like you are there every month.

Buying a crib because it is cheap is not a good idea. A really good crib should have a quality mattress and be sturdy. This is where looking for a top brand used crib is the best way to go. If you are on a budget and want to buy something new you will end up putting your baby in a piece of junk with a inferior mattress.

There are always people selling cheap cribs. Do a Google search for the best rated cribs and baby mattresses and start looking for used ones for sale.

And finally baby toys. If you have a lot of friends and family around you will never run out of toys. We havw so many toys in our garage that I had to tell my family members to stop buying them.

Always look for safe toys and be careful when buying used toys to make sure there are no loose parts or sharp edges.

Good luck with your little bundle of joy and remember you can raise a great baby without going broke if you just look around before you buy.

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