It can be unbelievably expensive to have a baby in this day and age;
particularly with the economy doing so poorly. In addition to the
hospital stay and doctors, you've got to have baby clothes and blankets,
a crib, changing table, and other baby furniture, diapers, formula,
baby bottles, high chair, and a car-seat among other things. These
expenses can be a significant source of worry for expectant mom's,
especially if your family has experienced a cut in income due to the bad
economy. Let's be honest, your financial situation is the last thing
that you want to be thinking about if you have a new baby on the way.
But to ease your mind, there are many places to get free infant
supplies, so, don't worry.
When we had our first baby, we were
awfully Poor ( with a capital P ). And to make matters worse, we had no
insurance. Putting cash away for the birth and delivery used up all of
our savings. We were so poor that... oh, never mind, it wasn't a
terribly good joke. Any way, we needed any sort of free infant supplies
that we could find. We had no extra money at all. Fortunately, one of
the baby formula companies was introducing a new formula and baby bottle
and was looking for people to test the system. They supplied us with
two dozen bottles, 400 bags ( to fit into the bottles ), and enough
formula to last for six months. It was a much needed and much
appreciated gift.
We learned about the program from our
gynecologist. So if you are having some financial difficulties, talk to
your gynecologist and ask if they know of any offers for free infant
supplies or some free samples. Often, your OB/GYN doctor will have at
least a few free infant supplies that they can provide. If your doctor
doesn't offer them to you, ask them about it.
In addition, many
hospitals give new parents a bag of baby products to take home. These
bags are financed by baby formula companies like the people that make
Similac and Enfamil. These goody bags contain free infant supplies like
formula, diapers, diaper rash creams, baby bath soap, rattles and
coupons for other free items.
Fill out forms in mags as well as on
the internet. Parenting and pregnancy magazines are filled with offers
for free baby stuff. Take full advantage of those free offers; the
companies are happy to provide them. Around your baby's due date, you
will get a package from the formula company containing your free
samples. Even though baby formula lasts a particularly long time, check
the expiration dates, just to be safe. Even if you breastfeed your baby,
you may use the formula as a supplement and to make baby cereal when
the baby gets a little older.
In addition, make sure the diaper
companies know your due date so they can try to convince you to use
their product. Many diaper companies will send you free samples. And, if
you have checked on diaper prices, they are not cheap, so take
advantage of it.
You can get free subscriptions to a number of
baby magazines. Most companies will send out a year's worth of
subscriptions for free. And make sure you check your mailbox for
additional freebies . After having a baby, you will probably get a
number of free offers from portrait studios. Then, you can use these
free pictures as great gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles.
In
addition to the techniques described above, visit web sites of
baby-product companies. There is very intense competition among these
manufacturers and they always have great promotional programs for
newborns. Visit as many sites as you can and sign up to their free
infant supplies
