I have enjoyed reading from Crystal at Money Saving Mom in the past about how to have a baby without breaking the bank. Now is it possible to have multiple children and still maintain a budget with the cost of clothing, diapers, and other supplies? Children are such a blessing from the Lord and should not cause us to fret over making ends meet. God will supply all our needs. But how can we be wise in preparing and caring for multiples? When a boy and a girl join the family we are bombarded with all the blue and pink colors for every item imaginable! Do I really need all this? Aren’t they just too cute? I can’t help but post pictures of them!
The key: Choose gender neutral items!
That pink bouncer is cute but will the hubby want his little guy sitting in it with the next one? That would certainly not fly with my hubby! By purchasing a pink and blue version of everything you double your expenses. Save hundreds of dollars by doing a little advanced preparation. By following this idea, we only purchased a double stroller (craigslist wins once again!) beyond clothing for our little man. Side note: the buggy board is another frugal alternative to a double stroller that you need to check out if your single stroller is compatible.
Here is a list of all the different products that you can choose gender neutral colors for:
Onzies - choose the simple white gerber or carter onzies that can be used for both.
Socks
Bibs
Newborn clothing – since we like to enjoy the surprise of the gender of our babies, we only purchased gender neutral newborn clothing for the first few months of life. Green, yellow and duckies are very cute! This saves from having a whole pink newborn collection and a whole blue newborn collection. Although gender neutral clothing is harder to find these days, Carter does have a decent selection of items.
Washclothes & towels – Honestly, baby towels and washclothes are completely unnecessary in my opinion. The little ones can use adult towels and washclothes just fine.
Blankets – we have a few fuzzy and warm white blankets that have worked splendidly for both!
Diapers – If you use cloth diapers, stick to the green, yellows and white colors. We have done this with our BumGenius diaper collection. Titus is now wearing the same diapers we purchased originally for Karis. Woo hoo! That is significant savings right there!
Crib Bedding/Nursery Decor – we found the Alphabet Soup crib bedding to be adorable and fully functional for our kids. We love this set! There are many similar sets available as well, or skip it all together.
Sling/Baby Carrier - we purchased a black moby wrap to work equally for both! Our ergo baby carrier likewise.
Car Seat & stroller
Bouncer
Swing – we found the boppy travel swing to be cute and gender neutral. It works wonders in small places and easily moves around the house as needed.
Toys – Books, blocks, legos, puzzles, and stuffed animals all work well for both girls and boys. A little doll is pretty much the only girly thing Karis has. We will probably be adding a few miniature cars for the little guy in the future…but then again, Karis likes cars too!
I think that pretty much covers everything you could possibly need!
And of course, shop craigslist! You can get amazing deals on baby items for half their retail price. I think the only baby item I have purchased new was our crib set…
What tips and tricks do you have to share about how to have multiple children while maintaining a budget? I am all ears!
i read a lot just about this topic in the last few month and i imagine it might be true. Eventhough i believe everyone is responsible for himself. Just my opinion…
I know this is a super old post but I just HAD to comment! That bedding you pictured is what we have for our girls’ nursery and we LOVE it! We knew ahead of time that we were having girls, but we bought a lot of gender neutral stuff in the mindset that reselling the items later would be easier. We aren’t planning to have more kids, but who knows!
We found out we were having a girl, but chose not to tell anyone so we wouldn’t be inundated with pink! As far as the nursery goes, I decided to deocrate it for myself. I like red, yellow, and green and needed it to be calm for me. I bought some alphabet cards from eeboo, but otherwise it is my style and taste. In the years to come, my little one will have her own voice how her room is decorated.
We had our sixth baby just a few months ago. I have two boys and four girls. I do not really need to buy a thing anymore for babies! In my case somethings just get worn out! But I have found sharing with friends to be very useful, since babies use things in such short stages. I keep all my clothes labeled in bins and I lend them out to close friends and family members. It helps everyone with the cost. Everytime I go anywhere with all my kids (the are 10 and under!) I get such an overwhelming response as to how I can afford it and how brave I am in this economy ect. I do not want to get into my convictions with everyone at every store. But there are ways to live simply, to cut out. I’ve just dropped my grocery bill huge by deciding to make things from scratch and to not buy processed foods anymore! Your website has been a big help to me as well as the friend who told me about it! I know we aren’t done having babies. Here is to huge families and little budgets!! God does supply all of our needs.
Start neutral, and for as long as possible, stay that way. Even with my 2 year old, I tend to buy things in solid colors as much as possible, and more neutral styles. When you are looking at something, think about how it could be used for either gender down the road. He’s had a couple of sweater vests that I could see looking just as cute on a girl with say, a navy skirt instead of navy pants. A priceless lesson some friends just learned: Until you are holding that babe in your arms, don’t believe anything you hear about it’s gender. If you prepare for a BABY instead of a gender, you’re set for anything, including whatever the future brings, should you be so blessed. Graciously accept hand-me-downs.
We set up with a cloth diapering system (prefolds in 2 sizes, inexpensive washcloths in bundles as wipes, covers in 2 sizes, snappis and diaper pail) for about $250-$275. The newborn diapers make great doublers for the bigger ones, and the bigger ones made great burp cloths for him when he was small. We own our washer/dryer, so the cost to launder is minimal, and the cost-savings to me is immeasurable in terms of our planet.
We bought the carseat (convertible). We ended up getting a changing table that is ALSO a low dresser. It wasn’t our original plan, but I have arthritis in my lower body. Sometimes it’s hard for new mamas to comfortably get down on the floor because of C-sections, or other tenderness too. I also learned that our son didn’t try to “escape” during changes on the table, but he does if we are on the floor.
We got a sidecar sleeper instead of a crib, and when he outgrew that, he just moved in with us, but I wouldn’t trade that. I felt like he was close and safe, but that I wouldn’t squish him.
Baby needs to eat, be clothed, have a clean bottom, be held, a place to sleep, and travel safely in the car. If you have ‘stuff’ to do that, and a plan for what you’d like to try if you NEED to, then you’re set. Example: We didn’t want a baby bathtub, but our son SCREAMED while in the sink. In the baby bathtub, he smiled and cooed and splashed. I wanted to see what we could get away without first.
I love reading your blogs! I noticed we have a few things in common, we just had our second baby (two boys) and named him Titus as well. I also have the alphabet soup bedding from my first son that we will use again. Once we found out we were expecting a second time we bought BumGenius diapers to save money. We are still using disposables for our newborn because we recieved them as gifts, hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with the laundry once both kids are using them.
Thanks for your entries, they are always encouraging.
If you do find out the gender of your baby, consider not telling people because you will not get anything gender neutral!!!
We did without a bulky single stroller and just used the wrap/sling, umbrella stroller, and the jogging stroller that was given to us for free.
What we did is we use everything that people bought us and if we needed anything, we looked for it used (okay, minus a breast pump
). I got a double stroller for $20 off of craigslist, also a $30 bassinet and a $30 toddler bed.
Most carseats “expire” after six years. There are a few that have a longer life than that… the Radian I think is one. Anyway, most new-looking carseats with recent dates of manufacture really are nearly new carseats! Think of all the “travel systems” given to new moms (the stroller and carseat combo) that aren’t used for many lifestyles! These things go up on craigslist often!
I personally like having an infant carseat for the first six months. For $20 or less on craigslist, it is worth the money to be able to get in and out of the car while running errands while letting baby sleep. It’s also nice for going out to eat… if you find time and money to do that sort of thing.
For rear-facing carseats, they are a bit more of a pain to buckle in, so having multiple bases is convenient if you switch cars with hubby very often.
Anyway, I use my convertibles (have a Britax and a Cosco Scenera and like them both!) and both them and my infant seat are gender neutral so I’m a happy camper.
I love this blog! I am just so in love with the idea of living simply to give generously! For some reason reading this post made me want to have another baby! Maybe because I already have a boy and a girl so I am all set! Feel free to not answer this question… but how many children are you all hoping to have?
I want to invite you to the Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower that I am hosting May 15 to June 8. This is an international even and there are prizes! Stop by my blog for all the details.
comfortjoydesigns.blogspot.com
I agree for the most part with the whole gender neutral idea. I’d add, though, that most boy clothing is fine on a girl, especially if you are just home and no one is going to see. For some reason, pink seems weird on a boy, but, really, if you aren’t going out, what does it matter? And, the swing, I’d advise not buying until after the baby arrives. Our first child hated it, and never used it for more than five minutes at a time. Total waste of money. Luckily, I had a friend who used it for two of her kids later, and our second little guy liked it a bit better. Borrowing is always good; that swing my friend and I passed back and forth between kids, and I just gave it away to another friend to use as we are most likely done with kids for awhile.
And the opposite – a boy can wear many girl items – is true too. My mom had my brother and me in cotton, comfortable, easy to clean separates almost every day. They could be mixed and matched to create tons of outfits. She bought pieces in pretty much every color under the son – blue, red, purple, etc. – and preferred bright colors to pastels.
To those parents who have one child who has outgrown certain items, do you give them away or keep them until you’re done having all your kids?
great post with a lot of great suggestions. I’m delurking to add: skip the babyish diaper bag and buy a good tote or backpack that will last for all the years beyond the diaper and bottle stage.
I found gender nuetral crib bedding set on sale at JC Pennys for $50. I checked out the Alphabet Soup crib bedding, but $170 is more than our budget can handle. It is cute though.
Really, a person can do w/o fancy crib bedding, since a newborn will never care! Most moms naturally want a cute baby room …especially for darling pictures of the little one sleeping or trying to crawl out!
I’m so glad to hear people talking about this! I tell people all the time that having kids isn’t anywhere near as expensive as they think. It makes me sad that the free parenting magazines and stores have promoted the baby registry mentality, giving you huge lists and ads of things that you “need”. Then you go to buy for someone and have to print off twelve pages…
I’ve heard people throw fits over not getting their registered items!
Some people have told me that they can’t believe that I haven’t decorated a special nursery/room for Bethany. Well, until we move we don’t have an extra room anyway…and we wouldn’t even use it as she co-sleeps and we keep her dresser in Bryden’s room.
I think it’s even more sad that so many babies are aborted or prevented just because the mothers are told by the rest of the world that they require more than they can provide. A previous commenter had it right…you need your milk-makers, loving arms, a couple soft blankets, a few sleepers, and diapers. That’s it!
Yeah I refused to do a baby registry for the simple fact I detest shopping from a list!!!! (I did however do a wedding registry, since we have so many out-of-town friends and family. But we did it VERY traditional, nope you didn’t find Twizzlers, M&M’s or soda on my list, yes I saw a registry w/that on one.)
So when I’m invited to a baby shower, I simply buy a pack of size 1 diapers (nope not newborn) and a tub of wipes. I haven’t run into a friend who cloth diapers so this is ALWAYS a good gift!
we have the same bedding!!! i was so torn about what kind to get for my son. my husband wanted to do a football theme, but when we found out we were having a girl (a few months after the purchase) i was so glad we purchased this one. the Lord truly will order our steps!
I have 5 children so far. A 7yo girl, 4yo boy, 3yo girl, 18 month old boy, and about to turn 2 month old boy. We have a series of tubs in our basement that hold clothing by size. We accept any offers of clothing hand me downs from friends and store what we were needing and pass along the rest. We do have some gender specific clothing, but lots that is neutral. We use cloth diapers too and they are wonderful. One of the best way to get brand new clohtes for thrift store prices is to shop a year ahead. We buy winter clothes for the next year in spring during all the rock bottom clearance prices. We usually have to buy clothes for the oldest boy and girl, and then only one or two new pieces for the younger siblings who will move into what their older siblings have worn out. I have also had kids in every season, so keeping newborn clothes for winter and summer babies, as well as every other size, has been a good idea.
In spring and fall we email the families and friends at our church and suggest a clothing swap. Most of our friends who started having children when we did have now completed their families at 3 or 4 children. They always pass along the clothes as the youngest outgrows them because they know we may have 5 already but we hope for more!
Baby furniture: skip the changing table and change diapers on the floor! Keep a crib, but only set it up if you have a non-cosleeper. We have had some children who slept best with us, some who slept best in a crib in our bedroom.
Kid furniture – skip the toddler bed and go right for a twin, preferably a bunk that can separate into two beds. Nobody needs a toddler bed, even if a child moves out of the crib really young, the twin mattress can just go on the floor, no falling dangers. (we have had 3 climbers who made it out of their cribs unassisted between 9 and 11 mos. We’ve had very early walkers too, 8 mos, 9 mos, 10 mos were our earliest – invest in baby gates!)
I agree about the toddler bed a total waste! We didn’t do twin beds though. We just went for the double. Twin beds are too small, IMO, and since mattresses last 10+ yrs I figure it would last until they are teens!
For crib bedding a friend of mine offered to make mine. So I picked out a pattern and a coordinating color for the crib skirt. And it was made for PENNIES! She made two sets, for a girl and a boy. Crib bumpers IMO are not safe, and never used them.
After my babies outgrew clothes they were given away. I never kept them for the next. I’d rather pass them off barely used then REALLY used, and by then not wanted. My family has always been more than generous I don’t think I bought any clothes for the first year of life!
Carseats… I totally agree, skip the infant seat!! Convertible is best, our first was a little girl so we bought a pink convertible. Our next was a little boy so we bought a blue cover for the car seat. Easy fix!
Strollers and such, my sister bought us a stroller, but we rarely used it. We bought one of those cheap $10 fold-up ones you can buy anywhere. Who needs a bulky stroller anyways, that takes up the whole trunk?!
Changing table, yep, waste of money. We bought one changing pad, we just placed it on top of a three-drawer chest. All the supplies in the first drawer. the rest, used for clothing. All my children are past their baby stages, and still have these dressers!
Thanks for a great post! It’s so easy to want to buy my girls things to play with and/or wear. After I read your post I opened my Bible and read these words which seemed so timely:
“Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your way.” Psalm 119:36-37. It seems the Lord wanted me to think about this subject today! =)
I love it when God does that! Well, maybe not right away but I always look back with a grateful smile.
Well, I had given away all of the baby clothes when our third child (son) was about two, not thinking we would be having any more babies. Eight years later, we were blessed to have another boy! Our baby is 13 months old now but I keep his clothing (all hand-me downs and gifts from friends and family)contained in two small drawers and a plastic bin for his blankets and sheets and three jackets, due to our small size condo. I don’t believe baby needs many outfits. Peter is fine with what he has.
Even though we didn’t use cloth diapers (I am sad about that), we do make our own baby food (thanks to your posts on this subject). Simplicity living and going green are the factors for the changed mind.
I love all the great ideas here! We let everyone know that “our colors” were sage, cream, and brown with Baby #1 (who turned out to be a boy!) and those same colors will be great with #2 (who is a girl!). Blue and pink are great as accent colors, and that way everything is way more versatile.
I totally agree with being open to all hand me downs… it takes me only a few minutes to sort through a bag of clothing, but if I graciously accept it all, people become comfortable passing more my way, and if I get pretty much anything I can use, well, that helps!
I would add as well, that you don’t need prepackaged baby food, bassinets (laundry baskets and wicker baskets can both be used instead!), crib bumpers, “nursery decor” (I think anything with this label they charge a premium on!), combo carseat/strollers, etc… you don’t even ‘need’ a baby monitor, and baby won’t mind sleeping in a playpen instead of a crib.
The biggest way we save money is by using cloth diapers…although we don’t use them exclusively, I KNOW we save money this way!
We also have a boy and a girl, and although we find out gender (I actually can’t stand the color yellow!) we “recycle” the boys clothing to fit the girls–by covering up a football with an applique’d flower, etc. We also found gender neutral “stuff” like carseat/stroller/sling/seat. These 4 things are the things I can’t live without. We also use the resources FREECYCLE(.org) or Craigslist a LOT and have had great luck with them!
Another idea is to do a “co-op” with other moms at your church. We all rotate and share clothes/shoes/”stuff” (bouncy seat, swings, etc.) and it has worked great.
Sarah
I accept all handme downs too. Just be sure that if you buy or get a used car seat that there are no recalls AND it has not been in a crash, for the safety of you and the babe!
That’s why I’d never buy a used one. I could never take the chance.
We’ve been so blessed to have friends with kids around the same ages as ours! We’ve borrowed baby gear and clothes, and have gladly lended out our things as our girls outgrew them, gives us more storage space for a short amount of time. I’ve hung onto all my girl’s clothes, ready for either more girl babies or more friends with girl babies! I also love shopping at a kids resale store in town. Most of the time I can find gorgeous almost-new things for just a few dollars!
Making my own baby food and breastfeeding for at least a year has also saved us a ton on baby food and formula. I made all of my 2nd daughter’s own baby food and when offered jarred food by a friend of mine, she wouldn’t even touch it! Guess she just liked the fresh stuff!
Great site! We’re expecting our sixth, and so far we have 3 boys and 2 girls (not all in that order!). I would encourage you to pray about what you need and see what the Lord will see fit to do. We have been blessed to see amazing answers to prayer through the years. Our oldest is 9, and we’ve been blessed to receive free roller blades, bikes, lots of clothing, baby items, etc. We even got started cloth diapering with the last child when a friend was all done having babies! Sure, those diapers were a bit used, but it got us started and it ensured that we actually would stick with the cloth diapering.
All good tips above; I’d concur with the thrift store/hand me down line of thinking. Really, who wouldn’t want to spend $2 (or nothing) instead of $24? I have always found clothing for our children when I needed it, and even for those “special” occasions. Most people buy a fancy outfit for full price and then give it to a thrift store or sell it at a consignment shop.
I would concur, also, above about not needing a changing table. The floor and waterproof pad work great! And, you have the benefit of not worrying about a squirmy baby while you’re working with rash ointment or wanting to rescue your older child from some curiosity they’ve gotten into.
Enjoy and trust our faithful God!
Hi! another lurker here…I love reading your blog–I’m almost caught up on all the old posts I missed!
I had 4 kiddos in 5 years, and honestly didn’t (don’t) find them very expensive at all. The first is always the costliest, since you have to buy the big stuff, but after that it is a breeze. Here are my thoughts and experience:
1) If you know you are going to hand something down, esp. clothing, shop second hand for high quality brands. There is often no difference in price between, say, Lands End shirts and WalMart shirts at thrift stores, but the state of the better made item is practically unchanged after one more kid, and can be reused again and again. Jeans’ quality are especially noticeable to me.
2) Someone already commented about this, but skip the chg table. We have a caddy upstairs and another downstairs with ointment, diapers, a changing pad, and wipes ready to go. I use beds upstairs and the couch downstairs. One less thing to dust, wash, and make room for in our little nursery. Not like I wanted to trek upstairs every time the babies needed changing, anyway!
3) I ask for larger ticket items as a “group gift” at Christmas and at adjacent birthdays. A play kitchen, a tire swing, a Playmobil pirate ship, and Lego sets are some of the things the kids have been given. Less to store, more play time since it is something that engages more than one child, and a higher quality item that will hopefully last through to my grandkids! The givers like to “add on” to those big sets, too, on other years. It is less hassle and expense for the givers, and keeps my kids from having a million little junky things.
Congrats on your beautiful boy!
Kathleen
When buying a car seat, look for convertable ones. Don’t by the infant carriers that you only use for a few months. While it is easy, it isn’t cost efficient. You can buy one that is rated for newborns with a 5 point harness and goes up to 100 lbs. That way they are in the same car seat until they are ready for a booster or go over the 100 lbs weight limit.
Booster seats for the table at home come in great neutrals as well.
Another way to save money is to remember that you don’t “need” everything. You may want them, but you don’t NEED them. For example, you don’t need fancy bedding, diaper genies, wipe warmer, bottle warmer, pacifier sanitizers, a bouncy and a swing (go with one or the other), a jogger and a double….you see my point. Being frugal and getting only the needed~can’t do without~ items will save you TONS!!! Remember that women all over the world (including the great USA) go with out all the frills and accessories and their children turn out just fine~amazing in fact!! They need YOU and your spouse~family and friends, GOD, not things!
I absolutely agree. All the baby equipment (crib, bassinet, changing table, bouncer, travel swing, sling), we have is used, and was either free or very cheap (except for the car seat–that took extensive research and was a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad). I had a whole stash of gender neutral 0-3 month things ready for when our surprise was born (all hand me downs), but once everyone knew it was a girl, we’ve had pink clothes given to us right and left. They’re coming out our ears! I wrote more than 65 thank you notes recently! People REALLY love us! I appreciate it though. It’s nice to have our little girl look like one. And I think I’ll probably buy some pink gingham and do a little bit in her room to make it a little girl’s room. I sure saved enough with everyone’s generosity in every other area!
This is great advice! I’m due with my first (a girl) any day now, and luckily for me, I just don’t like pink! I’ve been naturally drawn to more gender-neutral items, because I don’t want to have to look at all the cutesy girlie things!
We’re also living in a pretty cramped space, which has also saved us a lot of money — we don’t have room for a bunch of unnecessary gadgets! I think a minimalistic attitude and a willingness to use used items will serve us well.
I’m still just all excited about the homemade/reusable nursing pads!
I think you covered it all pretty well. I think the only time that cloth diapers are really a cost-saver is if you do use them for multiple children-so buying neutral colors there is pretty much a must IMHO. I have found that toys, etc really make their own way into our house. I surely don’t think I’ve bought all these toys!
Also, don’t forget consignment sales/stores, garage sales and even thrift stores! Most things can be cleaned/disinfected. Just don’t be “cheap” on the carseat…it needs to be new (or only used w/in the dates it’s supposed to if it’s from an older child).
Cloth diapers have definitely been a cost savings for us, compared to disposables- even just with one child. I’ve shopped thrift stores, consignment sales, craigslist (thanks, Lindsay!)
, and ebay for good, used diapers, as well as hand-me-downs and sewing some of my own items. I estimate our total cloth diaper expenses to be about $300.
Compared to when we were using disposable diapers with our first baby, we were paying about $100 a month for disposable diapers. So, cloth diapers have paid for themselves in just a few months!
(And the cost of washing them is certainly small.)
If you’re having trouble getting started with cloth diaper purchases, Miracle Diapers is a great resource to help you get going: http://miraclediapers.org/
Blessings,
Michele
Thanks for this post. We’re pregnant with our first and I’m reassured to know that I’m on the right track with our registry (right down to the Bum Genius color selection!) I love green, so we’re going with a green, brown, and yellow nursery.
Hi Lindsay!
This was a great post! My husband and I are expecting our first child, so this was good information to have for adequate planning. Do you have any suggestions for a changing table? I do not see how it is necessary, but what do you do?
We use a changing mat on top of the baby’s dresser. Works great, especially in small spaces. The top drawer stores all the diapers and changing supplies and the remaining drawers store clothing.
I have had a changing table with all 3 of my children, but won’t with this (4th) baby. One, we already got rid of it. Two, we are OUT OF ROOM. So, I came up with an idea for this this morning…you know those little caddy things you can carry around w/ cleaners and stuff? (Dollar store kind of plastic thing with different compartments in it but very small)…I think I’m going to get one of those and put a changing pad in it at all times! I can even have the older kids bring it to me if I need it!
I’m proud of this idea that will only be a couple of dollars and will go wherever I need it!
Changing tables are overrated! We had one for our first born that we never used!! It’s important to have organization, but where you change your baby’s bottom should not cost you a lot of money!
I keep a small changing “station” in the baby’s room (a little table with a basket of diapers, wipes,ect.). I also had a little basket in the living room and my bedroom in “hidden” places to pull out as needed! Works great for me and when I have company and they need to change their baby, no need to worry about waking anyone, I have a station everywhere!
I’ve gone without changing tables and I’m expecting #5 in 4 weeks. That being said, I’ve kept my eye out for an inexpensive one at flea markets because I’d love to have one. I’ve had 2 c-sections and am looking towards most likely having another one. One of the most difficult things for me was finding a comfortable place to change the baby. Changing tables are the perfect height and would make things so much easier/more comfortable.
Also, a changing mat or a towel just on the bed or floor works too. That’s where I think I’ve changed the most diapers anyways.
These are all great ideas. I would add only that you don’t need a lot of stuff, in any color, for babies! Some outfits (comfortable ones. Not a thousand pieces that look like they are for professional family portraits!)…suitable diapers…a place for the baby to sleep and some good butt cream. That’s all! People will give you things. Josh and I have bought three or four toys for Niko since he was born. The rest of what he has has come from other people, mostly his grandparents. And of *that* stuff, what we’ve deemed safe enough for him to keep.
Hm, well, my technique has been a bit different.
We have 3 daughters! And a ? on the way..
Truth be told, most of our bigger items (carseats, strollers) tend to be darker/more masculine anyway. Perhaps the “showing dirt” factor. I’d never be able to buy a cute pink gingham booster seat!
I agree wholeheartedly! Neutral all the way!
My tip is to garage sale/Cragislist/goodwill your tush off. We accept any and all hand-me-downs and whatever we don’t need we pass on. Another thing I’d recommend is to buy quality on things that get used often. When you go cheap on things that are used daily, you may run into a problem of buying it over and over. We had this problem with some cloth diapers (pre-folds) I purchased at Wal-Mart. Bad move.
Adorable picture, Lindsay! Titus is getting big too fast! Great ideas, as always.
Love your blog and this was a great post! We did most gender neutral stuff, a few girly things here and there. We totally skipped the bedding and I have NO problem put my little girl in blue (the new blue BumGenuis are SO pretty) and wearing her brother’s handme downs (she is much smaller than them though born at the same time). All mine entertain themselves very well, especially with a big cardboard box, the best toy ever! We have saved many of our gender neutral clothing and items for the next baby (or babies)!
Wow, Titus looks so much bigger in this picture – he’s growing fast! Excellent advice. When we were pregnant with our first, we also purchased gender neutral colors for our stroller, bouncer, bedding, etc. (the Classic Winnie the Pooh was a good gender-neutral choice for bedding, but I LOVE your alphabet soup!!)
However, since we knew we were having a girl, we were bombarded with PINK! (It turned out great so far, b/c all we’ve had are girls). BUT, I have a close network of girlfriends and we’re all having kids at the same time. We’re constantly passing around clothes that our kids have outgrown. So I know when I finally have my boy, I have SEVERAL friends who will be passing me down some really cute (hardly used) boy clothes. This saves a ton of money!
Also, I’m all about fewer toys – we don’t need multiples of the same toy; we need to learn to share!
Well, at least we’re working on sharing at our house. It’s a hard lesson when you’re nearly 3 years old! 
great suggestions! I’m always amazed when I see parents of first babies registering for EVERYTHING in pink or blue. My frugal nature thinks “That’s hundreds of dollars of stuff! Are they really willing to purchase all the same stuff again if they have a boy next time?!” We did gender neutral for our first (who turned out to be a beautiful baby girl) and I had to laugh when recently pulling out the clothes for our third (also a beautiful little girl)
The tub of 0-3 months stuff was all yellow and green with frogs, ducks and giraffes but the tub of 3-6 months stuff (given as gifts AFTER Maddie was born) was ALL pink…not even a purple thing among them! I learned my lesson…prepare for either a boy or a girl and family and friends will take care of getting all the cute pink or blue things after the baby arrives. 
Hey Lindsay -
I’ve been enjoying your blog. Thanks for the encouragement!
This was a great post. My husband and I always look at each other curiously when people speak of how costly having babies has been for them. Our oldest is only four, so I can’t speak about older children, but we have spent very little on our three babes. We have graciously welcomed hand-me-downs. We will take anything given to us and store it away for the future. If it doesn’t work, we hand it down to someone else who may be able to use it. Between the hand me downs and the clothing gifts for our first son (and the occasional yard sale or thrift shop purchase), I don’t recall ever buying new clothing for any of our little ones. As for all of the baby gear – we either received what we needed in gifts or used from friends. If a bouncy seat or swing didn’t fit in with our particular decorating style, well .. we just tried to remain thankful anyway and kept in mind that it would only be around for a short time. Most of the things on the lists of necessary baby items were not even used in our home. Loving arms, breast milk, a hardy supply of cloth diapers – those are the things that have been used the most around here. When our three are teenagers and eating everything in sight, I may be singing a different tune …
thats a gorgeous picture of your kids
And a fantastic idea for saving 
Hi Lindsay, Congratulations on the birth of your son. I enjoy your blog and this is my chance to de-lurk or is it un-lurk.
Anyway, my husband and I did the same thing with our first child. We bought everything in neutral colors and styles, since we knew that we were going to have more than one child. However, we got lots of blue stuff when our family and friends found out we were having a boy!
As for a tip for multiples, whereas I only have one child now, I have heard from other moms with multiple children, that young siblings entertain each other well. SO perhaps this will save in the entertainment department (i.e getting less toys)