Is it bad luck to buy baby things before you even get pregnant?

[HappyHelper 10]

Hubby and I are planning to start trying for a baby in the next 6 months.

 

I've been broody for ages and want to start putting some things on one side so as to spread the cost. Things like wipes, cotton wool, Milton...... not big stuff or clothes.

 

I thought I could buy a few things when I do my weekly shop.

 

Is this bad luck or a good idea financially.

 

I appreciate any advice.

 

Thanks

[anniec 10]

i personally think it's a good idea. Babies are soo expensive so any way to help yourself go for it!

[HappyHelper 10]

Thanks @)

 

My mate just text me the very same, she has an 8 week old and she was un planned so she didn't get chance to buy much before she was born. She said you go through so much it helps to buy well in advance.

 

I'm off to shops now to feed my broodiness!!!!! xxx

[savbaby 10]

Hubby and I are planning to start trying for a baby in the next 6 months.

 

I've been broody for ages and want to start putting some things on one side so as to spread the cost. Things like wipes, cotton wool, Milton...... not big stuff or clothes.

 

I thought I could buy a few things when I do my weekly shop.

 

Is this bad luck or a good idea financially.

 

I appreciate any advice.

 

Thanks

 

 

I wouldnt say bad luck, because things like you describe can be used everyday anyway but rather than buying it could you not set up a savings account and even put like £5 a week into it so by the time the baby comes you will have the money and also a bit of interest i find opening a savings account with another bank works best as it seems more hassle to go get the money out rather than just transfer it to my account

[mbunting 10]

Hi there, as savbaby says, try saving rather than buying (just think how to store the stuff you buy). We planned to get a gift card from the supermarket and just keep adding to that then use it to buy the stuff we needed closer to the time.

 

We never did but I wish I had.....

[HappyHelper 10]

That's a good idea actually, some stuff has a 12 month shelf life and as we don't know how long it will take to conceive, it may be easier to save and get interest.

I did pick up a few bits and if I see anything exceptionally priced, I'll get it but a baby fund would be good.

Credit to hubby, he has suggested it and said he would call it a shhhhh fund. Right old softy.

 

Thanks xxx

[cosywolf 10]

Savbaby's is a good idea.

 

If you really want to collect actual stuff bear in mind it takes up a load of space, and you could be trying for a while...I'd also go with the advice of buying only things you too can use for the time being (wipes, cotton wool, etc)

 

As for the luck and bad luck of having baby things in the house, I always thought of it the other way round:

Q: can I guarantee that by NOT bringing things into the house before blah blah weeks/birth, I will have a healthy pregnancy and baby?

A: Of course not

 

So how on earth can you look at it the other way round and have it make sense?

You have to do things when you are comfortable to, really.

[AstroKath 10]

I'd recommend the savings account idea as well. One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, and while you can never predict who'll draw the short straw, you CAN predict that if you're unlucky enough for it to happen to you, you WON'T want reminders of what you've lost staring you in the face all the time.

 

It's not a matter of luck, just pragmatism.

[medusa 16]

I fall into the category (as a non-parent who won't ever have to do the serious planning of having a baby) that I never buy things for the babies of friends and family until they're here and safe.

 

As AstroKath says, buying presents for babies who then are lost to miscarriage is painful emotionally for all concerned and using those presents for future babies is often unthinkable for the parents so the use of those items is usually lost.

 

The first 3 babies I bought presents for were all lost to miscarriage and I found myself hurting for the parents but holding on to a wrapped present that I really didn't feel was appropriate to give to another baby (even though I know that was just my emotional silliness, they were bought for a known child and that child couldn't use them) so now I restrict myself to buying for babies once they're born.

 

Another reason to not buy before falling pregnant is that when you do fall pregnant you find out that lots of parents around you have items that are very nearly new but no longer needed by their original recipient, so there are a number of things that you may not actually need to buy.

 

You may also well find that friends or family want to buy useful items for the baby and so making a checklist of the basics that you're likely to need and asking them for specific items may be the way to go.

 

As someone who desperately wanted a family but for whom it never happened and will never happen (I lost my womb and ovaries to cancer at 32) I also don't think that I'd cope at all well with having any baby things inside my house if I was having trouble conceiving or going through assisted conception- it would just be too painful. I went through a phase where I couldn't even bear going down the nappy aisle in the supermarket. At the moment you don't actually know whether you're going to have any sort of conception problems either.

 

If you put all of this lot together then setting up a savings account which you can use closer to the birth to buy all of the items that haven't been already located or bought by family makes a lot more sense. It also prevents you having storage problems for however long it takes for you to conceive and can you imagine how many times you'll clean everything before the baby is born?

[Birth-Peace 10]

As AstroKath says, buying presents for babies who then are lost to miscarriage is painful emotionally for all concerned and using those presents for future babies is often unthinkable for the parents so the use of those items is usually lost.

 

On the other hand, I find great comfort from the little boots and dress I bought for a baby that I then lost. I now have a gorgeous baby girl and would never use those for her as Medusa says but I am glad that I had something to remember my lost baby.

 

I have had many miscarriages and after the first couple I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant and tried not to get to attached but after five miscarriages I decided that I wanted to celebrate each pregnancy and hence bought little baby items. I found that way much easier as at least we had loved and celebrated the baby before the miscarriage.

 

And now thanks to our eighth pregnancy I have a gorgeous baby girl.

[lola2 10]

Its worthwhile keeping in mind that not all thing suit babies so bulk buying is a bad idea, for example some brands of wipes, nappies and creams gave my babies terrible nappy rash. You also get more wipes and creams in your bounty packs which is a good way of trying out sample sizes to see what suits. If you've got the money i'd say start a saving account. As newborns mine didn't need much as we were given presents of everything but they are expensive little creatures now.

[doodle 10]

I think financial planning is a brilliant idea, as you certainly need a bit of money behind you for all the equipment they need. But probably best to buy things whilst you are pregnant, because tastes change etc. That pram you so desperately want, becomes another pram just 5 months later, as a better and bigger pram has come out.

 

I bought items for my baby during my pregnancy, but I think it all depends on how you think you might feel, should the pregnancy not end as expected.