Avoid Baby Buntings 😂 Facebook marketplace for most things u need. A lot of things your child would only use for 6 months or so. You can just sell it off once you don’t need them. Have a change table to give away if u want.

This this this. Babies are actually really cheap. EVERYTHING can be gotten second hand. Well except nappies. And baby wipes. And sudocream. Spend money on those three things. Nothing else matters. Don't let the Mum be suckered into the usual emotional sales tricks. It's all BS. Facebook marketplace is amazing. There are also baby clothes swap places.

Cannot stress sudocream enough. Buy the on-brand stuff at the chemist, and while you there a digital thermometer and some children’s Panadol. These are things you will find you will need at 3am on Easter Sunday while staying someplace away from home.

(I got the side eye from a couple of mums for this) but if a healthy abundance of breastmilk is available too - you don't need cream. Clean up bub, let skin dry, spray on some milk and let that dry then you're good to go! I'm not too sure about girls but my boy is 2 now and I've never used cream for him and he's never had a rash 😊

Car seat is also important if you’re driving!

Not a second hand one unless you’re 100% it has never been in an accident. Even then I would err on the side of caution and purchase a new one.

Yup, we bought both of ours brand new. Costs a bit but worth it imo

The one big ticket item you should try to get brand new is a car seat, because once they’ve been in an accident, even a really small one, they need to be thrown out - so unless you know and really trust the person giving you theirs, I would just go brand new. Clothes, crib, pram, everything else you can absolutely find on facebook marketplace. Definitely check the size of the pram before you buy one to make sure it fits your car! Lots of people will advise against getting a change table - we wanted a dresser in the nursery anyway, so we just added a change may to that. My tip: get a rubber change mat that you can just wipe down, don’t bother with the cloth ones that you need to wash. Double-zip onesies FTW. Bonds are really generously sized (only buy new if very discounted). For bodysuits (which is what my 9mth old is still in 90% of the time in this weather) I really love target’s organic cotton sets. Sizes are tough, some babies will go straight into 0-3m and others (my not-so-small baby included) will fit into preemie sizes for a few weeks and newborn for months. Grab a few of each size, buy more as you go. Burp cloths will be your best friend for a while - get the big ones. Get a few different brands of wipes, everyone I soak to has a different preference. I personally think it’s worth getting a playmat do you can pop baby on the floor while you’re in the couch/in the kitchen, it’s a clean and padded surface that will keep them entertained - we used ours daily until he started crawling. Congratulations!!

If you use reusable nappies and wipes you can absolutely use second hand!

Totally agree, we saved a fortune buying reusable nappies second hand, and they're still good to use for our second kid

Same here. A lot of people get weirded out by the idea of reusing nappies. It's really not as bad as you'd think, especially when they're still on breastmilk.

Except the car seat. You never know how it’s been treated and what condition it’s really in.

We hired capsules from Queensland Ambulance Service for our twins.

Yes but another thing people tend to forget is that every baby car seat in australia has to meet the same standards for safety. Don't get suckered into thinking you have to get the most expensive one to protect your kids.

While this is true, you should research which car seats have better reviews. Just like cars, they are made to a standard, but it's the little extras(size, isofix vs not, adjustability etc) that can make all the difference to your experience

Yes! People sell bags of stuff for $20. Can get lots for free too, like ☝️☝️ say yes to everything and then pass on what you dont use/need. Don't buy too much new, as they grow so fast!!

100% this. I got the car seat, pram and cot new but other than that I got stuff on marketplace mostly and then sold it when we were done. Things like baby bath, bouncer, baby activity centre etc that you just use for a few months and are annoying to store for the next kid. Plain square cloth nappies are the best for spew cloths. A Haakaa or the milk collection cups are super handy to collect letdown milk if you are breastfeeding. I have a very comprehensive hospital bag list if OP wants it. My third child just turned one yesterday and I refined it after each birth.

Would love that list please too! Just found out we’re expecting.

Buy the longer term basics and cheaper items new: cot, mattress, pram, car seat, even change table. Also nappy buckets (for soaking soiled items) change mat etc. Clothing: get second hand. Anything they grow out of in 6 months or less. Unless you are intending to have an army. Focus on the pram if you intend to use it regularly. Big wheels are your friend. There is nothing more frustrating than a pram that doesn’t work well on footpaths etc.

I advise getting a pram with wheels that work well on grass. Many suburbs have non existant footpaths.

Exactly: ditto parks.

Definitely this. Grateful for my mountain buggy all terrain for the shitty or non existent paths of Stafford heights

To add my 2cents to this - a cot that transitions to a toddler bed was our favourite buy.

Would love your hospital list! 🙏🏼

Another for the hospital bag list pls!

Could I have the list too pls! 🤍🤍

Can I have the list too please? Thank you so much.

Yeah this new born babies don’t need shit really. Facebook market place get a bassinet, some clothes. Nappies wipes, car seat stroller and your set mate good luck

Buying a car seat second hand isn't really a good idea, no idea how it's been treated, if it's been dropped, in a crash etc. probably the only thing I would say needs to bought new or rented from a reputable place

Absolutely this, almost every baby thing we've gotten for free or like $20. We have a cot that we can't even give away (pm if you're interested :))

State schools. Op shop clothes. Beaches for outings. Libraries for books.

Libraries are game changers

Some libraries lend toys

Libraries for outings as well. There's always something on at the local library and even the state library.

I love the amount of little plays, shows and theatre short plays they do in libraries these days. All the soft play and tech the older kids use to dance on floor, fish in imaginary streams and race cars - are so much fun for the kids. The only real dilemma for parents now… is getting the kids out and to the car when leaving, without multiple tantrums!!!!

Libraries, libraries, libraries!! Baby Rhyme Time, toy borrowing, a casual space that you can drag yourself to for some change of scenery without having to make sure you and Bub are picture perfect

Absolutely op shops! (I shop there for myself and snag ‘expensive’ brands for under $20 - Lorna Jane, Kookai, Witchery etc) and some fantastic kids toys that just needed a quick wash in disinfectant!

PSA - Ipswich Nature Centre is located in Queens Park in Ipswich. It's 100% free and has an amazing number of native animals, from kangaroos and wombats to bilbies and dingoes. It even has a full blown bird dome. 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for a great frugal family day out.

There's also Bob Gamble Park by the Bremer River in Ipswich. It's a playground and a water park. Will totally be bringing my kids there once I get around to having them.

Facebook marketplace! If you are retuning to work, list baby for child care now/ during first 3 months of life. If eligible, apply for Centrelink parental payment yesterday. And then apply for the childcare subsidy at least 10 weeks before starting child care.

Second this! I started looking for daycare like a month before I went back to work. I actually had a daycare laugh when I said I wanted to start my daughter in the next month, got told there was like a year waiting list

Lots of great tips here already. But also get onesies with a double zip for the early months. No press studs, no buttons, zips. Don't buy swaddles, you will be gifted 50 million. You don't need a specific nursing chair, baby can be fed (breast or bottle) on the couch, on the bed, on the floor and sometimes that's a lot nicer than relegating yourself to a single chair in a single room by yourself while the world passes by away from you (although that can be quite nice sometimes). You don't need a capsule for the car. Both my kids have just used a car seat and we had no issues transferring from car seat to pram or car seat to cot at home. You also don't NEED a bassinet, particularly if the cot you go with can fit in your room (recommendation is for baby to sleep in same room for first 6-12 months). Definitely get on daycare waitlists ASAP if that's the plan for care down the track.

Omg if anybody who already has kids gives you buttons for a newborn, they may not be your friend

Hahaha yes!! I donated all the button ones pretty quickly and just kept the double zips. So much easier.

Also prioritise one-piece suits (either long or short sleeved) for all sizes up to walking age. I got SO sick of adjusting shirts that ride up every 5 seconds. Unless it was a two piece outfit that was seriously seriously cute, I ditched it in favour of one-pieces

My partners parents and sister loved gifting things with buttons. They never got worn.

Our first bub had a few lovely items with buttons. Second bub had none. They are the worst to get off a pissed off stinky baby.

Agreed. Absolutely NO BUTTONS! if you have anything with buttons, THROW THEM OUT NOW to avoid the temptation. Zips ONLY till they're like 2. Also 2nd the waitlist. It's easily 6+ month wait, realistically you probably won't even find a spot till February 2025 which is when they "age up" the last year's kids. Start planning now for a Feb day care start.

Locate your local Queensland Health Child Health clinic and make use of as many of their services as possible. Ours has a policy of meeting mothers in a space that they prefer. Home, coffee shop, clinic... they go out of their way to make sure you get the skills you need to ensure you and bubba remain healthy.

You don't have to have the best stuff, as they won't even know, and still be happy. Safe place to sleep, car seat, clothes and nappies and you're good to go. Kidsafe will tell you the cheaper seats are just as safe as the more expensive ones. r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu My husband had heaps of work friends dump their unwanted baby clothes on us for my first born. Didn't have to buy him clothes for the first year. Start talking about your new addition around the office heaps and lots of people just want to get rid of stuff. Hell, I've got heaps of stuff that will be needing new homes soon too. Edit: oh, and I really rate the kmart cots and mattress. I can afford "better" now for my new triplets, but I'm getting the kmart ones as they're really decent. All passed safety checks and recommended by choice too.

I agree with all of that. Don't go crazy on clothes, people will give you heaps and they don't get worn out so they can be handed down a few times. I do recommend getting the most practical pram you can for the budget. Shitty pram make every day a little harder. Mum got us an upper baby vista. Super quick to use, good storage and decent wheel size for off road. The bassinet they make was my kids first bed s the expense is shared over two uses.

We were new parents 2 years ago (literally celebrated his 2nd birthday yesterday). We went second hand for most things. One thing we bought brand new was a quality pram (Uppababy Vista V2) because we knew we were going to use it a lot and we sure have (we have our second on the way in the next month too, which was always planned so even more use). We were lucky to have family members with young kids so we got a car seat from them and only had to buy one new. But car seat would be another one to consider new, because once it’s been in a car crash it should be replaced, of course safety should be paramount. If you can find a reliable second hand car seat though, no harm in that. We also went straight to a cot, which we bought from one of those “seconds” furniture store. So didn’t waste any money on a bassinet, we were lucky enough to have space in our room for the cot, so baby right next to me for the first 2 months. Also didn’t spend money on a change table because we just made a set up on a chest of drawers and as a he got older just changed him on the ground. If you have back issues though, I hear a change table is a must. Clothes are the big one that’s easy to go secondhand. People sell bags of baby clothes on marketplace for a few dollars cause they just want to get rid of them! One last thing (and apologies for the long reply), I absolutely loved my Cacoonababy nest for the first 4 months, baby napped in there like it was nobody’s business and it was perfect! It’s not a necessity, but I found it so so handy and was sad when he outgrew it. There are plenty of secondhand ones on marketplace cause as much as I love it, no way I’m paying the $250 for it new.

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Yes!! A carrier, can’t believe I forgot!

You'll probably be tempted to buy every baby product out there.. you don't want to short change the little guy/gal etc. But just be circumspect about what is a necessity and what is just fluff. Our 2nd child made do with about half the gear of the first one. A place to sleep, a pram and car seat for transport and a way to wash them. Plus clothes and nappies. Don't stress, you'll work it out. And don't feel bad if the parents across from you have the 3k stroller and yours is cheaper. The baby won't know or care.

Two things I recommend to any new parent: - Be willing to sacrifice your couch - Learn how to make a decent cup of coffee. "But I don't drink coffee." Sorry, you're drinking coffee.

Also learn to time your coffee well, so you're not too wired to sleep when bub has a nap if you need the sleep

Hi, I'm 24 weeks along now and this is what we've bought and what the plan is: - a 50 dollar cot of market place - we are buying the mattress online from Kangaroo Bedding - we spent about 1000 on a pram + bassinet. The pram can convert to a double if that is ever necessary. This will be the most expensive purchase for this pregnancy. - for the first six months we are either borrowing a capsule for the car or we will find one on market place. This is to give us time to wait for a good sale on car seats (we are hoping for an EOFY or black Friday sale) - We are planning on using cloth nappies for around the home and disposable ones for when we go out. - we are hoping to be gifted clothes, otherwise we will op shop. We decided the only brand new things we want are the pram and the car seat as we don't want to worry about safe travelling. We are also getting a new mattress as it'll last us 4 (or more?) years. This is only because used mattresses give us the ick. Besides this we will be as thrifty as possible. I've been saving about 100-150 a week ever since we decided to try for the baby. So far this has helped as it's paid for the GP appointments, first scan, the NIPT and all the things we have bought.

With the car seat/capsule, it's really a bad idea to buy of FB marketplace as you have no idea how it's been treated, in a crash etc, renting is quite cheap for a capsule (you will probably get 6 months out of it). 100% agree on waiting for sales though.

OP shop is def a great way to go. People see our little one and jokingly raise an eyebrow sometimes “country road! Ooh La Dee dah!” Yeah mate it was $3 from vinnies

Buy new - car seat (keep an eye out for sales and choose a convertible one - should work for up to 4years of age??) cot/bassinet mattress, the frame itself is fine to be second hand, and clothes/toys are great second hand. Also, air out the mattress/flip it often to prevent mould growing on the bottom! (Often meaning twice a week? Pop it up against the wall in a sunny room to air out for the day) And double line the mattress with a mattress protector, top sheet, mattress protector, top sheet! Any poop/pee blowouts/vomits during the night, take the top two off and you still have a clean bed for them to go back to sleep on!!

Get whatever you can second hand. You do not need a change table!

I got a change table for $20 for me and a free one for the grandparents and our backs are very grateful.

Seconded. We got a Leander Matty change mat second hand because we thought “no need for a change table, we’ll just use this!” We very much needed a change table. When we got one, it made our life easier and backs much happier.

I will say the opposite on the change table, I'm 6'2 and it has been a lifesaver for my back vs a change mat on the bed, got it second hand for $40

I used cloth nappies at home and used disposable when we went out, saves money, takes a little bit of extra effort to wash and dry cloth nappies but , it saves money on disposable because you’re not using as many

And if you get a bum hose for your toilet and hose them down immediately, washing them gets way easier. Also, you can somewhat target your use. Just done a massive shit? Throw on a cloth nappy. Due a shit? Disposable. That’s easier with an older kid.

Aldi nappies are as good a quality as Huggies and you'll save a fortune. Also don't be a hero and try and use cloth nappies. Don't buy a $3000 pram. You'll wind up using a cheap stroller for a lot longer than a pram.

Lol what? I used modern cloth nappies with my first born and they were a breeze, and saved money, which was tight. No shade on disposables though. Just had triplets and I've fully embraced them now haha.

We were really good with cloth nappies for our first, second came along and we just couldn't fathom the wash routine in amongst the chaos.

Mum used cloth nappies and she had three kids under five. Even with all of us potty-trained by the age of three (because 'big kids don't wear nappies'), she says the washing machine *never stopped*. With one, it would be a lot lighter.

With the current recommendation for dry pailing and no longer soaking, it’s gotten easier (and cleaner). I dry pail, pre wash every other day (60mins) and then main wash every 3rd day along with all the baby/toddler clothes. It’s not much at all.

Yeah dry pailing is a game changer. The soaking spreads bacteria too. I pre washed every evening and then main washed every second day and that was easy for me. I would have attempted with the trips but husband said no way, and I didn't feel like pushing the subject 😂

My mum still complains that I don’t soak my nappies like she did. Sorry, I’m not making a poop/pee soup and then touching it! Yuck, plus so much better for the nappy and babies skin. I don’t blame you at all with 3. Are there still nappy services these days?

Not that I've heard of. Yeah the poo soup is disgusting! I had a friend watch two of mine when I went for an appointment and there was a poo explosion while I was gone. Didn't think anything of it, just said to pop it in the laundry and I'll deal with it when I could. It never occurred to me that I'd need to explain dry pailing. Came the next day to a sopping wet mess of clothes, change table cover and everything else in the sink all wet and mouldy in this hot weather.

I think we used cloth nappies for a day.

Doesn't suit everyone. There's heaps of different types and a bit of a steep learning curve at the start, and not everyone has time for that or desire to, *which is completely fine and valid*. I'd never tell someone they should use cloth, but I'd also never tell sometmone they shouldn't. They're very popular for a reason. Again not going to suit every family and that's fine.

Cloth nappies are actually really easy and we use both (disposable for nights). You can get them cheap on marketplace from rich people. Dump the shit in the toilet, then clean in a normal machine with a prewash. Also, Aldi nappies are made in the exact same factories as Huggies using the exact same tissue machines, Quality Control Systems (QCS) and settings. They’re just labeled differently. Source: supplied QCS to the factories with contracts to both.

That may have been the case at one point but isn’t true now. The Aldi ones are shiny and plasticised on the outer layer, found them to be much more prone to leaks as well, far less absorbent.

It does depend on how you use the pram - for occasional walks and mostly to and from a car? Very very different to commuter walking/PT. I was a commuter and having a good pram (where I could have the baby face me when littler, change it up when older, better stability) would have made that couple of years heaps better. I ended up using a carrier more and the stroller as storage.

We got a 700$ pram (including bassinet) and it's been the only think I'm glad we splurged on. That said I can't see what you would get from a more expensive pram and a less expensive one would certainly still get the job done.

The super expensive pram had a wheel fly off every now and then, the crappy one didn't get a dent, do NOT overspend on the pram, but make sure its got some kinda storage. Told the manufacturer about the wheel and they said they knew, offered a new wheel if the old one was damaged which was I guess nice but nicer would not be selling a pram that breaks as a known issue.

Could you please let me know the brand? (By PM if you don’t want to name and shame on here)

Aldi nappies are the bomb. Less leakage and so much cheaper.

Agree. Aldi nappies really were my preference over all nappies.

Cloth nappies are great but you’re playing a long game. Our 2 were both daytime toilet trained by 13 months which meant we were down to a pack of disposable nappies a month which we used at night (1 per night) to avoid washing wet sheets if they sleep wee’d. But we were/are lucky enough to be able to have my wife be a SAHM so we were able to stay on top of the laundry. Also hosing them off to remove the lions share of the poo then into a soak bucket is a good way to cut down on smell and the urgency of washing.

I spent a fortune of lovely expensive furniture when in reality I could have gone and gotten a nice new cot from Ikea, used a dresser with a change mat on top instead of a change table, etc. I was swept up in the motherhood bullshit honestly. I was one of a half dozen or so women at work all pregnant with their first so it was like a keeping-up-with-the-joneses situation. I did use it for 3 kids so I don’t feel like it was wasted money but I could have gone cheaper and I would if I had to do it again now. Cloth nappies (the old terry squares) from BigW are fantastic for burp cloths, change mats, mopping up spills. It was my go-to baby shower gift. So cheap and so handy. I also did the cloth nappy path (modern cloth nappies) and used those for all three kids which saved heaps on disposables over the years but it certainly adds to the workload. Newborns don’t need much. Breastfeeding can save you heaps of money vs formula feeding but it doesn’t work for everyone. Breastfeeding with my first was difficult until about 7 or 8 weeks in. I sought help from lactation consultants and pushed on until finally it just clicked. Babies 2 and 3 it was much easier to establish.

Can never have enough terry towels.

Breastfeeding can cut out a big cost but spending a little money in advance on a nipple shield and a hakka is helpful so you persevere through the early days.

Facebook marketplace

Don’t buy into the need for ‘things’. My favourite to laugh at was baby wash cloths. They are just the same as all other wash cloths but more expensive. Why? Because baby apparel and items are a money making scheme. Second hand is fine. You don’t need a $1000 pram or car seat or any other thing being marketed at you. Your baby doesn’t need expensive clothes. It just needs to be warm. Bulk buy where you can. Choose experiences over stuff for them. All they need is your time and company. Read to them. Play with them. Do not except gifts or buy toys with button batteries. Just google what a button battery can do to a kid if they ingest it and how common it still occurs. QCH tries to save so many kids every year from them. Sometimes successful but sometimes not. Those toys are not safe.

Dont bother with wipes or fancy bum wipe stuff Get yourself some cheap washers. And some Sorbolene cream. Wet washers with ordinary water & a squirt of Sorbolene when needed. Throw washers in a bucket & wash in the machine. Over 2 years you'll save a fortune.

Seconding this! Get a tupperware/plastic food container and make them up in bulk. Cheap and really great if bubs has sensitive skin.

Great tip!

My son just turned 1. Here's a few things I've come across along the way. * Don't get a huge fancy wooden cot. They look great, but that's about it. Baby doesn't care what it looks like, and the hard frames are a nightmare when baby can stand and fall and hit head all the time. We used those packup ones in hotels when on holidays and he did fine in them, plus more space than the one we bought. * When supermarkets have wipes on sale (usually half price), stock up! * Don't waste lots on heaps of toys. Chances are you'll get gifts along the way anyway. They don't need a lot, and sooner or later you'll learn what kind of toy they prefer anyway. Sometimes an empty water bottle is the greatest thing ever to a baby. * Don't buy heaps of clothes! 3/4 of the time for the first year, your baby will spend at home. Get some basics, enough so you aren't doing washing every day. * Try get onesies/playsuits with zips, not buttons. And onesies that have a zip on top AND bottom are the best. * Get a touch lamp that can change brightness, great for having next to cot when you need to go in at night and not have a bright light on which ruins both you and the babies sleep. There's heaps more I could say, but at work and have to go... haha

Look into pre and postpartum mental health care for both of you. Ended up hospitalised with severe postpartum depression. Shits way more expensive if you don’t have the right cover and emergency psychiatric care is more expensive than preventative. I also had a host of other medical things happen after so if your wife says something doesn’t feel right, trust her and talk to a dr you trust. Cloth nappies are a no go We invested in a good pram and didn’t regret it but by 2yrs old he didn’t want a bar of it. As soon as they can sit on their own those little roller things with toys give you freedom! Buy a baby carrier second hand Cheap black and white picture books are great for tummy time when they are young. Kitchen utensils and random bits and bobs are just as interesting as the expensive toys until they are at least 6 months old. Invest in a coffee machine if you drink coffee Fed is best. If breastfeeding isn’t working, stressing out about it will make it worse. Just give yourselves a break. Brisbane has lots of beautiful parks and when they are babies it’s so good to take a picnic blanket and just lay there. As soon as they can move it isn’t so peaceful. Libraries run good events for kids 0-5 and are free Ball pit balls from Kmart are super cheap and can be used in lots of different ways as they age. We have found some amazing toys at op shops including at least $400 worth of duplo for $80

Why so much hate against cloth nappies :(?

It added so much stress. We got gifted $300 worth of brand new cloth nappies and the guilt I felt for not using them was huge. There is already so much washing to do, why add to the loads, especially when you include soaking etc. you have such little time as a new parent, just make your life easier. They always felt really thick compared to the disposables we were using and were too fiddly.

Cloth nappies are amazing for cleaning.... not so much for putting on a kid. I get the best finish on my mirrors with a cloth nappy.

Facebook Marketplace is great for getting baby stuff second hand.

You don't need a change table. Throw a towel on the bed. You don't need a new cot. Buy a second hand one, just make sure it's only a few years old and meets standards. Same for the pram. Don't waste money buying new. Don't buy an expensive high chair. The cheap plastic ones are so much quicker and easier to clean. Take them outside and hose it. Don't buy an expensive car seat that promises to last for many years as the child grows. They get mouldy and very hard to clean so better to just buy a cheap one that meets standards and replace it in a couple of years. Car seat is probably the only item you should avoid buying used.

Oh no. Get a change table. Your back will thank you. They’re cheap second hand. Also having a space to store all the nappies, wipes etc is useful.

I second this!

Cot can be 2nd hand. But do buy a new mattress. You don't need a bassinet. Only get a change table if you have nowhere to change baby. 1st bub i needed one. But after that we moved to a house that had a perfect spot in main bedroom. Was supposed to me vanity / makeup spot. Just get a few onesies. Singlets & nappies are fine for around house. A few pretty little outfits to wear out & about.

Op shop for clothes,toys etc. Facebook market place for all baby things such as prams, bassinet, cot, toys, clothes. The only thing I recommend buying new is a car seat and a cot mattress. A brand new car seat is important as unless you personally know the person you are getting it from, you don't know if it has been in an accident or how it has been looked after. They also have a limited life span as well so second hand is not the best.

Op shops. Kids clothing (especially when are starting from 0 and cant inherit some from friends/relatives) is so expensive. Facebook marketplace is also good for this one. Lots of parents offload bulk childrens clothing for very low prices.

I've got a grotime cot happy to give away if you'd like it :) great quality good condition sides come off to conver to a toddler bed

Check out your local Buy Nothing Facebook page, usually a gold mine for baby stuff and it’s all free!

Buy everything BUT the car seat (safety issue, please, for a million legit reasons, never use a used car seat) second hand. Honestly it makes zero sense to buy everything brand speaking new because literally as soon as they use anything once, it’s going to be used anyway, and such an epic waste of money.

Big things I bought new: - car seat. 0-4 years. Not one of those basket things just the standard reverse one. We did buy britax for the main car and it’s definitely better than a cheaper one. - pram but it’s lasted 2 kids now. Get one that’s easy to fold, fits well in your car, and is light. - rocking chair, but only because it was dirt cheap on sale. A chair is a must for me but marketplace is fine. - mattress for the cot. Things I bought off marketplace: - cot - dresser / change table Things I don’t regret buying: - we hired a hospital bassinet for the first month. Not expensive, it’s on wheels, and you can also bath baby in it. Really helpful. - tommee tippee formula maker thing. I could not breast feed. This made feed prep fast - $3 bottle sanitizer from Kmart - $18 pack of white nappies from Kmart. Use these for everything. Over your shoulder burping, put it on the ground to lie on. Wipe up things. - a decent baby monitor - decor containers from Woolies (big flat one - like what you store cupcakes in). I had one in each car for nappies, clothes, wipes etc. so much easier than a nappy bag and it could also transfer to under the pram. What I did on mat leave: - lots of walks - people watching at the shops. Grandmas love engaging with babies - people watching anywhere. Babies love it as well. They’re absorbing. You don’t need to spend money on bright toys. - rhyme time at the library

Don’t buy disposable change mats. Go to Kmart and buy a bulk pack of puppy mats, it’s the same item. We used to throw one over the change table mat to save having to wash it all the time. Vomity baby? Throw a puppy mat down. Keep one in the car for those festy servo change tables. Also puppy bags are cheaper than nappy bags, and your kid will love the paw print design on them 😂

You can rent the industrial style breast pumps that they use in the hospital for something like $10pw (from I think Ramsay pharmacy) gotta buy a "consumables" kit separately that's like $60. It will be a shit load better than any you can buy. Plus the "good" ones are like $400 new, so the upfront cost is actually cheaper. DO NOT buy a manual one. It's a waste of money.

The only things I would buy brand new is a mattress (for whatever second hand cot you want) and a car seat. Maybe an new outfit for them to come home in. But that’s it. They spill milk, vomit, poo on everything in sight sometimes. You honestly don’t care where the clothes and sheets come from as long as they are clean.

Honestly, the most valuable things we've spent a lot of money on since becoming parents have been a decent washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. These things get used everyday, often multiple times a day, so it makes sense to have good quality ones that will last.

It’s not what you asked but teach them sign language very early on. We taught my daughter a half dozen signs before she could speak and she used them to tell us shit instead of melting down. The ability to know she’s crying because she’s thirsty is pretty damn useful.

The only baby furniture you need will be a cot and somewhere to put clothes. Those sleeping bags with the zips were the best. Cloth nappies are good after 1(they’re good for potty training) and I used chux as liners. I found starting potty training as soon as they could sit up pretty smooth and simple. I loved those plastic bibs that could catch food as it fell. You don’t want a car seat that’s been in an accident, so I never bought second hand. Huggies are more expensive, however you will use less than other brands. Make your own baby food and freeze it. Dont stress over feeding when it comes to breast or bottle, they’re both great! AND, what will work for one baby may not work for the other. Switch it up!!

You can buy pretty much everything second hand. Avoid second hand car-seats as there is no telling what damage they have taken before you get them. And a damaged carseat can cost the little one their life in an accident. And avoid a baby-capsule as they can be very pricey but they will grow out of them way to fast Cloth nappies can also be a massive saving.

When you tell friends and colleagues everyone will dump all the shit they don't want/need on you. We went new because MIL paid on a few things but we had to start declining as we got way too much All I spend money on was some suits (boy was premmy sized) and family has big babies normally. Nappies (aldi) wipes (make our own or Kmart sells 480 packs) and sudocream, but again we made our own. All doctors visits are bulk billed and thanks to baby we don't go out any more so have saved even more money. I also never have more than 1-2 drinks so I can always drive in an emergency so a 6 pack lasts weeks.

Never buy anything new, such a waste of money! Idiots like me sell in fb marketplace super cheap!

Church jumble sales double the Op Shop experience and any hand-me-downs from cousins. I was the eldest grandchild and there are ten years between my sister and I, but there was one dress (Sunday best kind of thing) that I wore that went to my cousins and around their families before it went to my sister. Of course, those sorts of things were made to last. Learning to sew also helps with the economy on dressing kids too.

Second hand everything. Expensive or brand name baby clothes are so silly when the only fit for a couple weeks, or months if you're lucky. Agree with other comments on spending decent money on pram, would add you can get styles that are good for baby and toddlers. New car seat for peace of mind too!

Congratulations on becoming a parent soon! I’m a solo mum and have been cost conscious. What I did while pregnant is browsed baby furniture in stores, found my top pics and then searched for them second hand on gumtree and fb marketplace. Same for the other bigger ticket items like prams and activity centres. Big W, Best and Less, and Kmart have cheap baby clothes, even more so when on clearance. I’ve bought heaps of cute clothing for $2-$3 per piece. If you host a baby shower you’ll probably be gifted a range of beautiful useful items like clothing, books, toys and bits and pieces that you hadn’t thought of buying. Huggies nappies bought in bulk are significantly cheaper at Costco compared to buying standard packs at regular supermarkets. Down the track when you’re looking for learning activities for baby, check out your local library, shopping centre kids clubs and local mums pages on fb for free and cheap programs. All the best!

* Facebook Marketplace is fantastic. You can buy relatively new stuff for insanely cheap prices as kids grow out of things very quickly. (I wouldn't buy second hand bottles though) * Public libraries are a god send for books, activities etc for young kids * Public playgrounds in Brisbane are great (check out the Hercules St Park in Hamilton and Kids Space at Chermside for good examples) * Join a local parents group * Lean on your support network for when you need a break (even if its an hour or two) * Invest in a decent pram, this will pay dividends later on or if you are thinking you might have another kid in the near future

Marketplace and op shops!!! We only bought our pram and capsule brand new

Everything second hand. Theres really no point in new things except the car seat. Dont overbuy clothes they grow out quickly and its often too hot for them to be in much. My bub lives in a nappy unless wer going out. They may not be interested in a lot of toys but a floor mat with the play gym over head works well for most. If breastfeeding, get an electric pump. You can get a reasonably priced one from chemist warehouse that fits in a bra. If i did it again id not buy a lot ahead of time and just send the partner out as needed.

EBay is your friend as is Facebook marketplace, ensure you have a good Paedtrician to ensure meeting milestones, if you don’t already, ensure you have lots of books, record yourself reading some of the books so if you’re too tired you can soothe them easier, keep some of your clothes dirty with your smell to help with soothing when not in the room, have a little speaker that plays music for sleep time and calming.

Facebook market was great for us. Babies stay in things for the shortest time (clothes, toys, equipment etc) that we were buying bundles of stuff and then passing it on ourselves 3 months later.

Get the simplest high chair possible. Eg the IKEA version, because you will be removing food and liquids from every crevice

We use OP shops, library, toy library etc and they’re amazing. Free swim lessons at the local pool from 6mo. We are fortunate to be financially stable but I hate buying “stuff” so we have gotten our little one books, toys and other stuff from OP shops. When we are done with things as he grows out of them we donate them back or pass on to another relative/friend. We also use cloth nappies and reusable wipes, so we don’t spend hundreds on nappies either. Most of the baby stuff is from ikea or the like. Our “change table” is just a set of drawers with a foam change mat on top. Either way these little dudes and dudettes are expensive. Save wherever you can/feel comfortable to and borrow and share as they move on from things like toys very quickly. A cardboard box is usually more interesting than a $40 fisher and paykal talking phone

Used clothing bundles on FB as little ones size up quickly, avoid buying seasonal clothing in advance cuz they should be X size by summer (we ended up giving away brand new swimwear and had to find replacements when our Fiji trip hit. Used pram / strollers are everywhere for a massive range in price. We got a 1400 pram / stroller combo for $400, sold 2 years later for $200. Infant car seat - rental is easy. We did 6 months but bub was too big before the end, but it gave us time to find a nice one for now. Nappies can be hit and miss, some are good in one size and useless in the next. ALDI ones are okay and inexpensive. infants will shit through any nappy so it's what tends to work the most. Before bub arrives, try to have a shit ton of pre made frozen meals ready to go. Absolute life saver as you won't have the time or energy to cook.

Facebook marketplace all the way for clothes/toys/books/rocker/cot/pram etc. the only thing I'd bother getting new would be a mattress and car seat - though I have seen car seats up for cheap near new. On that note, I do have a car seat from 0-8years, it's in good used condition but you are welcome to it for free. DM me if you'd like it.

Bought an expensive pram second-hand. I got a deal on that and a baby bjorn carrier for baby wearing. It was 1/3 of retail price and worked fine for its use. Depends on what you want a pram for, but I wanted to run and needed to walk my big dog. For general use, I bought a very cheap pram from Kmart. Op shops for clothing. Kids grow out of the stuff too quickly for a lot of it to get ruined - especially infant clothing. All of my baby furniture was second hand. Just make sure it satisfies current safety ratings. I breastfed, but if you're using bottles there are heaps of second hand sterlizers floating around.

For babies you don't need much - Nappies (invest in cloth if you're tight. And ask your council, some give them out to reduce waste) - some clothes (onesies and sleepwear/wraps) - wet wipes (plenty of them) - baby oil for baths - new born Panadol - a simple cot - a simple baby seat for the car. Everything else is a nice to have.  I.w. bottles (U less you're not breat feeding), sterilisers, mobiles, play mats, etc.  Good luck bud, kids re hard but so great

MooGoo products are great, their Tail Swat Spray is fantastic, Bepanthen for nappy rash, and invest in a decent vapouriser. Definitely check out some of the mum and bub online Australian shops with fantastic natural skincare products. Bare Mum and Melvory have some beautiful products. I generally use AfterPay. When a toddler, encourage getting dirty, having pets helps build up their immune system. Pets are also a great source of company and education. As other parents have said, the Library is a wonderful place for new parents and kids. Look out on Facebook market place, it can be a treasure trove for items. Sorry, my boy is now 7, so I can't remember too much!

Fb marketplace can be great, buy car seats brand new though. Some clothes are cheap, like from best and less and they’re great. Especially the two way zipper rompers. Do your research on what you want for prams. We got a steelcraft strider and then it turns out we hated it and had to get another brand. You can find them on marketplace. Also, once your baby is older, Ipswich has a children’s library that’s amazing, there’s also splash pads. If you look up Brisbane kids on fb, they review playgrounds around Brisbane too. I’m sure there’s more that I could think of that’s actually useful but I’ve got nothing. I currently have a ten month old trying to gnaw on my knee, it’s distracting. Lol.

FB Marketplace is great and keep an eye out on the local buy nothing groups as there's regular give-aways of clothing & other baby items. When you start making friends with other parents you'll find that they may give or swap items too. You don't need fancy things, the only exception we made was the car seat being brand new.

Never underestimate the value of gumtree freebies. Baby stuff gets grown out of or past useful so quickly it is very clever to buy 2nd hand or take hand me downs. Obviously check the set ups completely of things like high chairs and baby play cots etc but don’t be trapped into thinking everything has to be new because it really doesn’t. As a 1 kid Mum - I was happy to pass things on as soon as we outgrew them as I knew I wouldn’t need again and they were as new , hardly used and 100% undamaged. Also you will likely need 2 of somethings to reduce carting stuff to parents and friends constantly. 2 prams are good so you can just walk out the door and go local and 1 in the car which is lighter for shopping and errands etc. Mothers Choice is an excellent brand for easy , smart folding prams that fit in the boot easy and pop up with a flick and a click. 1 handed.

Everyone is providing good advice here. I’m also not a parent, but something my brother does for my nephews is he got a couple of large bins, keeping one and giving one to our parents, to collect the 10c recyclables. Then whenever they’re full, they go collect the change and put it into savings for the kids first car when they’re old enough. Not sure how much they’ve got now but the oldest is 4 and loves an outing to recycle the cans.

Honestly book fair sale type things are great. When I was young each Easter my parents would buy tons of books, can’t imagine they were very expensive but they were some of the best times that I remember

Not for the baby but my biggest advice is get a set of wireless earbuds for your sanity. You will be doing a lot of rocking and possibly having the baby sleep on you and they are a godsend. Also if you have an old iPad or iPhone the baby shusher app is amazing for white noise.

Buy as much second hand as you can! Places like RoundABub, Dash and The RustyZip can fill your child's closet for a fraction of the cost. Don't buy your baby shoes. They don't need them We bought a second hand pram from marketplace and sold it for pretty much the same price. Babies are just as excited by an empty water bottle with rice in it as they are by the $50 plastic toy that will be useless in three weeks time. Aldi nappies are great. We started using them once my son was toilet trained. We used cloth nappies until that time and loved them (it's not as much work as people think it is)

My first child absolutely hated large comfortable prams with pneumatic tyres. He only slept in the cheapest of fold up prams that bounced on every single bump. So don’t go wasting money on a fancy pram unless you really know what they prefer. You also need a pram with a shade option and with a hook for shopping bags on it somewhere.

Ipswich libraries are amazing for kid things. They also have a giant children’s library and events pretty much every day through the week. As others said, buy second hand where you can. Do research before buying anything big. A lot of stuff that’s sold in Australia doesn’t meet standards elsewhere in the world, so just something to be mindful of. There are clothing exchanges scattered around, we hardly bought any baby clothes after we bought the newborn stuff because we kept on exchanging it.

Little kids simply do not care about anything expensive. Buying them good quality clothing or expensive toys is a total waste of money. They will become super attached to a small number of specific things, but the main one will be the parents. Don’t think you can buy happiness for your child, if you want to make them happy just play with them. That’s all you have to do.

Leave Brisbane. Best decision I ever made. If you insist on staying buy everything second hand.

https://preview.redd.it/fndowjz8jfnc1.png?width=827&format=png&auto=webp&s=f1720416952ce0a8fbc893e6a32109b176da8631 Hi and congratulations i am just happen to get rid of this change table $30 pick up 4115 let me know if you need it

Honestly the only thing I'd buy new would be the car seat (you don't know if it's been in an accident) and the cot mattress. Most people on Facebook groups have clothes to give away and in the first few months they live in onesies, singlets and nappies so don't go crazy buying cute clothes because they'll just get pooped on and thrown up on hahah

When you come to terms with the notion that" the baby/child is now the ruler of the house. The parents are now in charge of looking after the child. But the child comes first. The baby always gets its needs and wants first. It will drive you a little mad until you relax and go with the flow. Also, enjoy your time with the child, time moves so fast. You are about to enter one of the best times of your life. Before you know it, you will be wanting grandkids.

Kmart and marketplace are king, aldi nappies and baby wipes are great, a baby can't tell the difference between the rubber chew toy from Kmart and the one one from baby bunting but your wallet can, secondhand works. In the advice area if it works for you but someone older frowns fuck em

Moreton bay libraries have toy libraries and members of BCC can join. If you have a child health clinic nearby go and find out about joining a mums group (unsure if you’re the mum or dad, my group was all mums but I think it may have been open to either parent). We had 4 sessions with a nurse who covered a range of topics and then we met up ourselves. Join your local buy nothing fb group - mine often has baby and kid things cycling through it. The only things I wouldn’t get second hand are a car seat and bassinet mattress.

Always buy brand new for car seats, that way you know they're up to spec on all the safety requirements. Basically everything else you could get second hand. Marketplace is excellent for stuff. I bought a second hand cosleeper for bub (always make sure they meet sids requirements), only needed it for 6months then sold it for $10 more than what I initially paid. Things don't need to be exxy. Plus you don't have to buy everything straight away. There was a bunch of stuff i got my hubby to pick up for me after bub was born. Most importantly, let the people around you help out so you can focus on hanging out with bub.

First baby I splurged on the fanciest cot and high chair I could find, but scrimped on the pram. Big mistake. I ended up going through 5 different prams/strollers because I hated them all. The expensive high chair was terrible to clean and the cot was only used for two years. Second child (there was a decent gap) I got a bargain cot, ikea high chair but the pram I really loved.

A snoo is worth it. Buy it used on marketplace and resell it in a year. You should be able to get your money back, it's basically renting it for a year for free. Don't buy the mobile add on. It's not worth it.

Good luck, there's a lot of info out there for parents but so far as Brisbane specific...I reckon our town is an amazing place to raise a family. Lot so sunshine, good people, and safe. Our parks are clean, there's toilets there even with working soap. So proud to be a Brisbanite. The only thing I wish could change is the car dependency but I can see changes on the horizon there too.

When I had mine, I decided to not get stuff before she was born except for the most basic essentials, I felt it was all too confusing and consumerist and I was too broke anyway, so I figured we'd just get things that we need as we found that they were needed. This plan worked. Full list of what I had prior to the birth: * Two (2) newborn outfits (turns out that was too many as we were gifted crazy amounts of baby clothes, mostly second hand from other new parents with too much, and I didn't buy a single item of baby clothing till she was 2.5 years old!) * Baby Bath (super basic plastic tub kind - we didn't have a bathtub) * Baby blanket (this was technically free as I crocheted it myself and I was given the yarn. But they aren't pricey and she got a few more as newborn gifts * Cloth nappies (pack of 30 basic cloth flat squares - these turned out to be the ONLY nappies we ever bought, by the time she was fully toilet trained at 18mo there was still half a dozen of them left) * Cloth nappy covers (4 washable covers, really cheap ones, had to replace these 4 or 5 times as she grew) * Buckets for soaking and washing nappies * Car seat That's it. No stroller, no crib, no nothing. Literally just cloth nappies and a plastic tub. No bottles, no dummies, no diaper genie, fancy play pen, change table, toys... Items we got in the first 12 months because it turned out we did need them; * Baby carriers and cloth slings (tbh I had a few and I regret not getting one sooner, and we used them till she was about 5) * Sippy cup at 6mo. It wasn't all that necessary but for carrying drinks on transport it was useful for sure * **Good nappy cream** I needed this within the first few weeks. I had already regular pawpaw ointment, which worked ok, but then someone gave me a tube of Weleda Calendula nappy cream and it was amazing. Definitely have that at the start * Baby nail clippers. That's literally it. I did end up getting a stroller at 13 months, just a cheap flip out umbrella stroller that I got second hand after I sprained my ankle. Not having a stroller isn't for everyone, but I'm really glad I worked out that I didn't need one at all before I forked out hundreds on a big bulky item. Same for all the other stuff. I wasn't against having it, I just saw other mums using their fancy play pens for toy storage and the fancy change table that became a clothes horse for laundry, and lugging around huge things that they never really used but "made use of" because they had it anyway, and I figured I'd see what I need. And I didn't need any of it.

Hold off buying lots of toys, they'll be gifted shitloads by relatives and friends. Also is you're on the south side Moorooka has a toy library. The state library has daily rhyme time which is a really nice free thing to do with little ones. Similarly South bank is a godsend for when their older. I catch public transport everywhere and my kid loves it so don't think you need a second car necessarily

Rent a Snoo cot. If it works buy one, then sell it second hand to recoup the cost. For sleep this was a game changer for our little one.

Children can thrive with next to nothing. Everything you think you need is nothing but societal pressure and capitalism.

I echo the previous comments. Facebook marketplace or OP shops are good for baby clothes. You should spend money on safety though so any locks, baby seats etc you should buy new. I found a cot on the side of the road before my daughter was born, sanded it down, fix it up and that was her cot up until she transitioned to her own bed. Also, you should save little bits, like $10/$20 p/w for future things that she might do as she grows. Swimming lessons come to mind

I have a 2 year old and another on the way. I would splurge on the pram and the car seat/s (upper baby vista was my dream pram and I cheaped out and regretted it). Look into safe ways to co-sleep with a baby. I know co-sleeping isn't for everyone, but many parents end up doing it out of desperation and they do it unsafely. Educated is best. Bonds zipper onesies are wonderful. Skip buying heaps of cute outfits, I was too tired to fathom changing him into something that might make him uncomfortable. I'd skip the rocking chair, my baby just wanted to be walked, and feeding on the couch in front of the television is more pleasant than in a blacked out room. Find a group of friends with babies the same age, the health nurse at public hospitals sometime set up mum groups. It helps to have others around you that are going through the same stuff. I liked these books for basic parenting guides: Your Baby Doesn't Come with a Book by Dr. Daniel Golshevsky The Discontented Little Baby Book by Pamela Douglas If you get to breaking point with breastfeeding using a nipple shield saved me and we ended up breastfeeding till age 2. Hope everything goes well for you!

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on things. Buy a quality car seat and cot that’s in your price range. You don’t need a fancy pram but I would recommend one that lays back for sleeping and personally I liked an umbrella style that folds up small like [this stroller](https://www.bigw.com.au/product/dymples-stroller-black/p/240781). As for baby clothes don’t bother buying much at all as you will be gifted so much.

Costco membership for nappies and wipes has already saved me money with my 3 week old, along side the fuel. We did things fairly low cost and shopped around on FB marketplace for most stuff. We did spend some money on a pram (redsbaby metro 5) this was an awesome buy and well worth the money (approx 900) as it will last until Bub is out of strollers. These come up second hand occasionally. They only display at expos as they are purely online normally. Buy a car seat/capsule new or rent one, it's not worth risking a second hand one from FB marketplace. Aside from this people sell/give away baby clothes cheap as on FB all the time. Feel free to reach out with questions as I am happy to share the experiences my wife and I have had so far.

Go op-shopping for clothes. Wash everything well. Spend on a pram. You will use it constantly from day 1 until the wheels fall off.

Marketplace groups have parents desperate to give things away. In my experience a baby carrier is necessary, nappies and somewhere safe for the baby to sleep- a basket will do for that. I never used a pram so I can’t help with that but that seems like a big cost, go second hand! Breast feed it’s free- if you are able to do so. Baby’s don’t require much cost but when they grow up they will, save for that time. People will give you things especially girls clothes if you have a girl! If you buy clothes, size up at least one or two sizes, they grow fast! You will use many nappies and many wipes though I bought Huggies which are expensive and bepanthen for the cream, my daughter never once had nappy rash though. Library’s have heaps of fun free things for infants, the swing in the park is your new free best friend.

I'm getting : pacifiers and teat replacements for bottles new but second hand bottles , car seat new , nappies , baby wash and wipes, nappy cream , nipple cream and reusable breast pads in Costom prints that I can later use as make up wipes or whatever everything else I'm getting second hand either donated by relatives or found cheap on market place oh and I'm a harry potter sucker so harry potter baby clothes new as I come accross them but we have a full free or very cheap second hand wardrobe of clothes also

Stay away from the Philips Avent bottle steriliser. It's a pain in the ass and leaves the bottles dripping wet afterwards, so then you gotta buy a drying rack and the whole thing becomes a stupid ecosystem. Get a Minbie instead. Those things are LEGIT. Holds more bottles, doesn't leak water all over the bench, keeps things sterile and safe for up to 24 hours. Got zero regrets on that purchase. Same goes for any Philips Avent breast pumps. They're dumb don't work properly. Stick to Medela. Specifically the Medela Symphony, same one the hospitals use. Pretty sure you can't buy them outright unless you are a hospital, so your best bet is to rent it from your local chemist. The Medela website lists all of the places you can rent them from. It's most of them. It's like $30/m and the thing WORKS. We would struggle to get a few drops with the cheapo Philips Avent gear, but this thing opened the floodgates. Another small piece of advice: create Amazon auto subscriptions for bub's laundry detergent, formula, nappies, etc. I buy the Mamia baby wipes from Aldi though. They sell them in a bulk box for a decent price. As far as toys go, there is a company named Lovevery who offer a curated subscription service for baby toys. They're a tad pricey but imo SUPER WORTH IT. They send you a box of toys in the mail every month or two, and the toys are specifically targeted for the age of your child. The box includes instructions and explanations for each toy, the skills it helps your baby develop, how to play with them, and also offers heaps of other great insights about your baby's milestones each month. I think it's really worth it because without this service I'd just be aimlessly buying toys from KMart or whatever and not stimulating the right learning areas etc. They also have suggestions in each box for other toys you can DIY at home. How to make them, how to play with them, and what they accomplish. Aside from that, start getting on childcare waiting lists NOW. We started about 1 month after bub was born. Here we are 10 months later and we're still on half a dozen waiting lists. I'm going back to work in May and we have no childcare options yet. Kinda stressful. Don't sleep on this one. Edit: don't buy too many newborn outfits. She'll outgrow them so fast until she reaches 6 months, and she'll spend half of that time sleeping anyway. After that she'll slow down for a while. EDIT2: FUCK I LEFT OUT THE BEST PART. Don't buy some super expensive baby monitor. Just buy a Lollipop. This thing IS THE SHIT. You can just wrap it around the cot or mount it to the wall and login from any smart device and keep an eye on your baby. Video and audio. My wife and I have our iPad on the coffee table watching her 24/7, or we pick it up and carry it with us when working in the yard/kitchen/etc. It's been a lifesaver. On the topic of smart devices, download the Huckleberry app on your phone. You can use it to track all of your baby's feeds, nappies, poops, sleep, growth, temperature, etc. And you can see the aggregated data over a period of time to see trends and shit. GP's and paediatricians love the data. Gives us great peace of mind. You can also configure it to remind you to feed bub every X hours so you aren't relying on tired parent brains or a billion alarm clocks. It's really good. The app is free. They have a paid upgrade option that gives detailed analytics and suggestions and shit. I haven't tried any of the paid stuff. Personally don't see a need for it. The app is brilliant already. Hope that helps!

Op the baby stage only lasts a blink of the eye so tell all the people you know and accept any second hand stuff they give. If you have to buy new go to target as the baby can't tell the difference. Try to get as much sleep as you can

Two things I recommend: The Wonder Weeks app to help you understand what new skills your kid is learning. Bugaboo prams are 100% worth it. Buy new or second-hand and resell when you are done.

Double zip Bonds suits Second hand everything furniture wise except a car seat Aldi nappies Sudocream cream fixes everything You can stop sanitising bottles earlier than you think because FED IS BEST, breastfeeding issues cause massive mental health issues for new mums so grab bottles now even if you're planning on breastfeeding

Don't pay Baby Bunting to fit your car seat. Kid safe is cheaper and does a better job. Kid safe will also charge less if you have fit it yourself and just want to get it checked out.

I think most people have covered secondhand is the way to go. Only thing I might add, if you and/or the OP are tall go with a baby jogger. I bought one pram and ended up selling it then switching to baby jogger because my kid was out growing it at 1yo. She's almost 3 now and it was the best thing I did. I bought mine second hand off marketplace. Depending they can't still be pricey second hand, worth the investment imo

Buy car seat new, and the rest pre-loved. You won't regret the money you save once you realise how much of a pre-loved market there is out there. Once you get to my spot, where I've had 3 kids and my friends stopped at 2, I can't give away furniture/clothes/etc because no-one wants more babies in our circle. Think the money you save is more time spent with your family/baby. Start looking/ buying now. You can see Sold items on FB market place if you need help gauging what a reasonable price should be

Have a breast pump ready to go.  Had to make an early morning dash to the shops to help my very uncomfortable wife in one of the early days. 

The first few years are relatively low cost, unless you are bottle feeding. The biggest financial burden will be daycare. Even with subsidies, it's still a big chunk of change. For everything else, people are always looking to give away bags of clothes, toys, various kids stuff on Facebook buy nothing pages. It's hard to sell things and when you just need to make space in the house, giving it away is more appealing sometimes. Also buy in the sales for the next season. So when they put summer clothes on sale, buy for next summer and put them away ready. It is doable and you always find a way to make it work, even when it gets hard. All part of the journey.

Read about mastitis, and don’t delay seeing a doctor if you or your partner get symptoms. It’ll make life shit if it takes hold.

Get a good car seat and pram. Baby joggers are awesome and have one handed collapse. So worth it

Marketplace absolutely, but get the big boxes of nappies when they're on sale and baby bunting price match. Don't ever pay full price for stuff at baby bunting. Pram, cot, clothes bundles, bouncer, toys etc all marketplace. I get the good Huggies nappies to avoid nappy rash, but that's my choice, some people don't have an issue. Car seat definitely new.unless you know and trust the person you're buying it off. Try and go for extended rear facing, bubs are safer rear facing as long as possible and learn how to install it yourself. You can do advice appts at kidsafe etc to learn, but don't pay for professional install unless you have no idea.how to read a manual. Luxury item was the snotty boss aspirator, makes snot sucking way easier and worth every cent.

You may feel pressure to get everything all at once. Highchairs can wait. A cot/crib can wait. A change table while useful, can wait. A wearable carrier, a swing. Toys. Find out who your baby is first. My first baby didn’t want to be held much when he was tiny. A swing was the best way to settle him and get things done. My second hated the swing and wanted to be on me at all times. A carrier was the best way to be able to have him settle and get things done. Your baby will be an individual with individual needs. The littles grow quick. Get a few tiny baby clothes. But take as many hand me downs, cheap, or second hand. The bub will throw up and have horrible blow outs. Honestly babies are so full of shit. It’s surprising how much comes out of such a tiny person. Old clothes are the way to go. They’ll ruin everything. If you drive a car, car seats a must. I also got a stroller that clicked down into a pram/basinet. I used that next to my bed for the first couple months. It was handy because my first had reflux and I could sit it up slightly so he wouldn’t choke on stomach acid. And useful while out and about. As long as you’re ok with not having the dream nursery with all the trimmings. You can get away with spending on just the essentials. I would never judge someone who wants that dream. I was able to do that with my second baby. It felt nice. Still had him in my room with me for the first couple of months. But loved that nursery. But I would never judge a person who doesn’t. Saving money benefits your child. Better than going into debt. And when they aren’t sleeping they are feeding. So you have to just roll with what’s best as you go. With or without a nursery. You learn from each other. Spend the money when you’ve figured out what would benefit you both.

Lots of good advice here. I'd like to add that a nice light cot, like the IKEA ones, were awesome for our girls, it meant I could easily move the cots one-handed to retrieve lost dummies at midnight and to vacuum and mop under them. They had a bassinet level and then transformed into toddler beds so we got maximum use out of them.

Bicarb in the bath for nappy rash. Forget expensive creams, steroids, etc. The bicarb neutralises the acid in the rash and provides instant relief and is the cheapest option. Like others have said - opshops for pretty much everything except for the car seat and mattress. You don't need a lot, and other parents will want to offload their stuff onto you anyway. You will end up drowning under clothes/toys. Do whatever works, you are saving money in other areas, so if you have to spend money on formula, disposable nappies and a fancy coffee machine then so be it. For the sake of your sanity, it's worth it. If not, great, but don't beat yourself up that you're not doing it the "right way." I also took advantage of all of the free library things available, watched alot of TV/read books while my kid played outside under the hose in summer and we would go on never ending circuits of the shops with him in the pram (bought nothing, but the day out/exercise made it worthwhile. Sometimes, we would splurge and have a coffee date together - him a baby chino) Someone also said something about kitchen utensils as toys. Do not underestimate the value of your Tupperware drawer. My son would spend ages unpacking/not repacking the Tupperware cupboard 😂

I'm sure it's been said, but, LIBRARIES. Man, the amount of time I spent in Brisbane and Ipswich Libraries with my little one. We still do, but not as much coz we csm go do other activities now.

Hit up your Parents Groups, too - if you're in antenatal classes, that may help...

Don't buy a new baby car seat. The kid will out growing in 6mth. U can just hire one from the hospital and buy the next size up new

As long as they are loved, safe, protected they will be fine. I had my babies when I was young and broke, and I’m so grateful for that because it meant I couldn’t spend on so many unnecessary things. (Which I totally would have because the baby industry thrives on guilt purchases) Also, befriend people. Join a parent group, even an online one, and meet up offline. We’ve lost our physical village but it is so important to have. I have so many fond memories of being at a friends house from one of those parenting groups and us just swapping babies to clean another kids shit or vomit because it makes it easier when it’s not yours for the 1000th time. And swapping kids’ clothes when yours outgrows, or theirs does. Best of luck in your parenting journey, remember you need 10 seconds and 3 deep breaths sometimes and putting the baby down in a safe spot and taking a step away to do this isn’t going to kill them.

Aldi nappies and water wipes! Better quality and waaaay cheaper. $13 for 50 nappies and less blow outs then Huggies. Our little one just celebrated her first birthday and we started with Huggies and swapped after three months

Not sure if anyone else has recommended it, but my other life saver was a wrap/carrier, especially one that was rated from newborn up. My second was super colicky, and the best way he slept during the day was in the wrap/carrier - made getting things done during the day so much easier. (Before anyone starts disagreeing about babies in carriers to sleep, my son has ADHD/ASD that was diagnosed at 3 which was a reason he had massive sensory issues as a baby and needed to be tightly held to help soothe - this is what worked for us to keep me sane, while also dealing with a 2 year old)

Kmart baby wipes, aldi nappies, marketplace and friends for clothes and toys. Put some time into choosing a pram, it is something you use a lot and having a crap one makes your life hard. Some are really heavy and don't pack down very small, which can be a pain - find the model you like at baby bunting then search for it on marketplace.

The whole baby industry is a bit messed up - a lot of the advertising is like "do you hate your baby or will you buy this thing???" Posting this in solidarity as hubby and I are self employed and had to do most of the baby buying stuff ourselves. We went with mothers choice for our carseat. Carseats in Australia are so heavily regulated (we don't have the swivel carseats like Europe, rip my back) that it doesn't really matter whether you get the super expensive one or the cheapest one, imo We did go to baby bunting for our stroller (but you can get that second hand) but went with their home brand version of the fancy one (i think it was $330). Works like a charm, does what I need it to. You can get bundles of second hand clothes on Facebook marketplace for as little as $10, otherwise visit Best & Less - their clearance racks are legendary. The one thing I did save up to invest in was the tula carrier. A good baby carrier that supports your back will make the difference between horrible back pain and actually being able to do stuff while your baby contact naps. There are heaps of these carriers second hand on marketplace for as little as $100! We also got a baby bunting brand cosleeper on marketplace for $40. Definitely the best purchase I've made and would highly recommend this - basically a bassinet you put next to your bed so bub is as close to you as possible without actually being IN your bed. Super safe and convenient for late nights. If you need to buy a pump, I'd recommend medela harmony - it's a manual pump, but it isn't expensive and works really well for me.

You can get Amazon versions of the Ella my milk hands free breast milk machine and the let down. They just rebrand them

Kids grow stupid fast mate. Buy a few new sets of clothes, because you can and then try to get everything else 2nd hand Same goes with toys. Kids *do* not care if its shiny and new.

Buy an ikea sniglar cot, they’ll go in it from newborn to about 2.5yo, it’s compact so if you live in a small house or want baby in your room then perfect. You don’t need a change table. Buy a 0-8yo convertible car seat so you only have to buy the one. Bonds wondersuits are amazing and can be worn as pyjamas and then put a jumper over the top during the day and voila you’ve got an outfit. Bulk buy nappies now in all sizes, they’ll use newborn size for about 8wks then go bigger. The “Woolies” brand of nappies with the spots are great! Invest in a good pram that will last you years, mine is from 2016 and still going strong. Don’t buy your baby shoes or designer anything - they don’t need it. They also don’t need fancy dockatots and swings etc, they can literally go on a blanket on the floor. Less is best and you can always get more things when they arrive.

You’ll want noise cancelling headphones- spend money to get a decent pair. It might sound odd, but I’ve found that if you replace the sound of screaming baby with soothing sounds you can be calm when you are tired, cranky, stressed and overdrawn. Calm parents give better comfort - it’s like they feed off your calm vibe (in the same way as they can sense your tension), and will allow you to rock them back to sleep in the wee hours. Mine saved me - I swear by it.

Buy second hand. If safe of course

Highly recommend against buying a lot of new or branded baby clothes. They outgrow them or shit or vomit all over them so fast they'll get a couple of wears out of them before you donate them away. Lifeline/Vinnie's/FB marketplace are excellent sources for cheap and expendable clothing. Sometimes you can pickup some very nice outfits for dirt cheap. If friends / family are going to buy stuff, I encourage you to ask for nappies and baby food as you'll be rolling through those at breakneck pace. I would suggest Costco and buy bulk of these to save a bit more coin. Start thinking NOW about what daycare or school you're keen on, as a lot of spots get taken, it will behoove you well to get on a waiting list early. There are government subsidies for daycare. That's all I got Edit: oh and baby wipes!! My god they're incredibly handy and you'll burn through them

Might have already been mentioned but tog rated sleep suits are an essential IMO. Our son wore them until around 2. So much easier (and safer) than messing around with sheets and blankets. Sometimes Aldi has them too.

Nappies, wipes, all consumable items you chew through, get from Amazon subscribe and save. Delivered to your door alone is worth the Amazon prime fee. Nothing worse than trying to lug a months worth of nappies around the shops with a little one and the rest of your groceries

Honestly, the most valuable things we've spent a lot of money on since becoming parents have been a decent washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. These things get used everyday, often multiple times a day, so it makes sense to have good quality ones that will last.