Budgeting for a baby

Buying second-hand can cut the cost

Waiting for the birth of your child is an emotionally tense time - but it can also be a strain on your wallet.

For most parents-to-be an important part of the preparation process is buying the necessary equipment. It can be fun but expensive the first time around.

Preparation

Pamela Reid is over 8 months pregnant and in that time she and her husband Gordon, have done a lot of shopping:

"We've probably spent about £1500 but I don't think we'll spend much more. Probably one of the main expenses has been maternity wear."

Pamela: £1500

The items you need mount up: pram, pushchair, baby car seat, cot, bathing equipment, clothes, toys, nappies. The list is endless.

Diane Tudor and her partner David Whitely are expecting their first baby within the next month. They've spent between £800 and £1000 in preparation but they've also benefited from generous friends and family:

"We've been given a lot of things," says Diane. "We've got presents from work and a lot of presents from family."

David thinks these are probably worth a further £600.

After the event

With the excitement of a new addition to the family it's easy to spend too much.

"We bought everything before my son was born but I realise now that there are things we could have bought later and it wouldn't have mattered," says mother Sallie Jones.

Isabel Micallef had her daughter Amelia two years ago:

"If I had another child, he or she would have second-hand things."

Sales

Hand-me-downs are a great way to save money but you can also buy second-hand.

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) has regional offices who usually hold two nearly-new sales a year.

Buying things which belonged to a child you don't know can seem a bit strange but to make it easier the National Childbirth Trust filters out the kind of products that you need to know the history of:

Helen: pram restrictions

"You can't buy a second-hand cot mattress," says Helen Hannah of Camberley & Yateley NCT. "Neither can you buy second-hand car seats or crash helmets because they could have been involved in an accident."

"We also have a restriction on the prams we're allowed to sell. We know they're safe because they have to conform to a kite mark and we check for the permanent label that says the safety points on the pram."

For more information have a look at the National Childbirth Trust website: www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com.

These sales can also be a way of recouping some of that money you probably wasted the first time round as you can sell as well as buy.

Everyone who goes to a sale to sell has to register and is given a seller's number.

They're also given instructions on what they can and cannot sell, and how to label their goods.

The National Childbirth Trust takes 20% commission on what you sell.