19 Genius Tips for New Moms Who Can’t Afford Baby Stuff

This post may contain affiliate links. All content and opinions are my own.

Hey new mamas? I’ve been really passionate about helping moms who can’t afford baby stuff, but are trying to grow their families.

Why? Because I was once a poor new mom myself pregnant at 20 after just marrying my high school sweetheart.

Since then I’ve had a total of 3 babies and have learned money saving tips and tricks that I want to pass along to other moms who may be struggling.

Read on for 20 genius tips for affording baby stuff!

How can I raise my baby with no money?

First of all I just want to reassure you that you aren’t alone. Their are tons of moms out their raising families with little to no income.

There are help and resources for new and expecting moms with no money. If you haven’t already start by reaching out to local mom support groups in person or on social media (Facebook) to surround yourselves with people who you can talk with and build a network of support with. These are great places to find cheap or free resources for yourself and baby to support you through pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and beyond.

Also please read this post for invaluable resources for raising baby when you can’t afford baby stuff.

Help I can’t afford baby things! What can I do to afford my newborn?

1. Get as much free baby stuff as you can! There are organizations that will send you free baby things in the mail and these things add up. Some of my favorites you can sign up for right now are…
   • Free Breast Pump ===> They even send postpartum recovery gear and breastfeeding supplies!
   • Amazon and BabyList registry baby boxes ==> Tons of full size baby products free!
   • PinchMe ===> Best free sample box that sends household, pet, and sometimes baby stuff.
   • Enfamil===> Get a box of free formula and coupon samples for baby sent to your home.
2. Breastfeed if you are able to. Breastfeeding can save a ton of money if you are able to produce enough milk and get through the difficult beginning stages. I’ve written a post about how expensive formula can be and even if you are supplementing formula those costs can rack up.
   
   If you are breastfeeding take advantage of the free breast pump I mentioned above. For formula supplementing or only formula moms take advantage of the free Enfamil sample box and baby registry sample boxes.
3. Plan for hospital fees. I’ll never forget getting a $10,000 hospital bill for my 2nd baby after delivering him in the hospital. I wrote a whole post about how I dealt with this and how to save on hospital and other unexpected pregnancy health related fees.
4. Start thrifting early! Check out your local thrift shops and find out what days are the best for sales. You can find a lot of cute baby clothes and gear this way.
5. Join motherhood groups on Facebook and Nextdoor. Put in the search bar in Facebook Mom Support “Your City” and you’ll be amazed at the groups you’ll find that are ready and willing to help with free baby stuff, support, and more.
6. Take advantage of free lactation consultants. Of course they will have them at the hospital, but postpartum I love the free courses and support HERE and with the La Leche League.
7. Take hand me downs from family members whenever possible, even if they are a bigger size you can save them for later. Reach out to friends and family who have recently had a baby or who have little ones to see if they have any gently used clothes or baby gear they are willing to part with.
8. Accept a helping hand. It’s hard to accept help, at least for me. But, when grandparents or siblings offer to help you with your newborn or around the house postpartum let them and be grateful. Self care is so important post partum and you will definitely need all the help you can get.
9. Take advantage of local non profits and government programs like WIC if you are low income. You can search low income new mom + your city in Google to see what comes up. In our area we have several non profits that assist new moms with daycare, formula, and other necessities.
10. Pick up a work-from-home job or side hustle to earn money to take care of your baby. I love FlexJobs for finding at home jobs. It is a legitimate work from home job board and yes it is worth it to pay for the account and doesn’t cost much.
    
    When I had my 3rd baby and was determined to stay at home I researched blogging and decided this was the best way I could make an income to stay home with my kids. While it took 3 years of hard work to start making decent money, that dream is finally a reality.
11. Don’t buy ALL the baby things. You’re baby doesn’t need all the high tech gagets out their on the market these days. In fact here are a few things your baby really doesn’t need. Save money buy not buying the fluff and only getting what you really need.
12. Update your taxes during tax time. When you have a baby you have a dependent to add to your taxes and will be saving or getting a larger refund. Don’t forget to claim your new baby.
13. Wake up early and hit the yard sales! Make sure you check your local listings for sales that will have baby or kid stuff that you need. This is another good way to find low cost baby clothes and things like baby furniture.
14. Check food pantries if you are really in need for food for the rest of your family. Sometimes they will even carry baby formula or baby food.
15. Reach out to your church or any other clubs or groups you are already apart of to see if they have resources available to help you through the transition of welcoming a new baby. Churches often have programs to help families in need, especially new mothers.
16. See what hospital programs the hospital you’re delivering at has. Sometimes they offer free childbirth and new mom classes that are invaluable and a great place to meet other moms going through the same thing.
17. Take what you can after delivery from the hospital. You or your insurance paid for this birth and you are entitled to take home pregnancy pads, underwear, squirt bottle, diapers, and formula that is provided to you during your stay. You can even tell the nurses you are struggling financially and ask if they have any samples available. Sometimes the hospital carries formula and diaper sample packs to send with moms and they may even have breast pumps or other equipment for rent.
18. Search free and whatever you need within Craigslist. This is still a good place to find free and cheap items for baby, but as always be cautious for scams and always bring someone with you when picking up an item.
19. Register for things you need most. Leave extras off your baby registry so you don’t get stuck with things you don’t need. Most registries let you add gift cards and diapers. Remember to register for different sizes of clothes and diapers because babies grow quickly. Save gift cards for the hard times or for things baby absolutley needs.
20. Bonus Tip- Save what you can when you can. Even if you only have $40 saved that can help buying formula in a pinch. Start a high yield savings account, these types of accounts can grow your money at a higher percentage, so if you are able to put a large amount away it may be worth it to find one that works for you.

Related Content

You’ve applied for free baby samples, now apply for free samples for moms! There are a lot of samples for household items that you can take advantage of to cut household costs in general.

Check out this list of pregnancy goals to plan before your baby comes. Setting goals is also a great way to save money on baby expenses.

Finally, read through this baby on a budget post. It’s a similar post I wrote years ago, but there are some different tips in there that I think might help on your journey.

Good luck new mamas! Let me know what money saving tips worked best for you in the comments below.