Money Saving Amy: Calling all parents! How you can save money while caring for your baby

We all know that having a baby is expensive, and adds extra strain onto our budgets, but there are plenty of ways to save, and some fab freebies along the way too!

Here are just a few tips that will help you ensure your baby is provided for while saving you a few pounds along the way from Wolverhampton mum of two Amy Grayland.

Emma’s diary free packs

When you sign up to be an Emma’s Diary member, which is free to do, you can grab two free packs of baby goodies during pregnancy and the newborn days. You can sign up via their website or app, and this is how you will access your vouchers for these fab freebie packs. When you’re ready to collect your pack, simply head to your local Boots or Argos and show them your voucher. There are two packs to grab, the first one is the “Mum to be” pack and the second is the “Bump to baby” pack, they contain free samples for items such as creams, washes, sanitary products and vitamins and they often contain full size packs of nappies and wipes, plus discount vouchers!

Boots parenting club

If you’re a Boots advantage card holder you can sign up to the Boots parenting club, giving you eight points per pound, plus fab free gifts! You’ll get a welcome gift of bubble bath, or body wash. Plus an anti colic bottle and soother which can be claimed during pregnancy or up until your baby is two months old.

Additionally, you can also use the “recycle at Boots” app to make money from your nappy and wipe packets, for every 5 you recycle at a Boots recycling box, you’ll get 500 bonus points on a £10+ spend, plus your 8 points per pound bonus from the parenting club if you’re buying baby items.

Pampers app

While this brand of nappies and wipes may not be the cheapest, if you find yourself needing or wanting to spend a little extra on these branded items, be sure to download the Pampers app to make the most of your money. Their app and loyalty programme are free to join and you can earn points to put towards money off vouchers, or even free packs of nappies or wipes.

Marks and Spencer baby club

Marks and Spencer have launched a new baby club, with lots of fab benefits such as 10% off babygrows for a whole year. They’re also doing weekly parent and baby mornings at their cafes, where you can enjoy a free slice of cake, pastry or a fruit pot when you buy a hot drink. This is hosted every Tuesday morning. The baby club is for expectant parents and parents with children up to two years old. You can find a full list of Marks and Spencer cafes hosting the baby mornings online.

Second hand clothing

Buying your baby second hand clothing is not only better for your purse strings, but for the planet too. Children grow so fast and babies especially tend to get limited wear out of their clothing items, so you may find nearly new clothing for a fraction of the price of the high street. Vinted is a brilliant app to search for your second hand baby wear, with people often offering bundle discounts too. You can also search Facebook market place, where you may find local people selling, or even gifting baby clothing and other essential items such as baby baths.

Get cash back

My number one tip when it comes to shopping for just about anything, and baby purchases are no exception. With brands such as Argos and Boots offering cash back. You can even get cash back on a “little starts” gift card, that offers a wide range of baby activities such as music and sensory classes, or swimming lessons, and much more. My favourite apps for cash back are; Everup, Jam Doughnut, TopCashback and Voucher codes.

I hope you all enjoy this weeks money saving tips and tricks! Moneysavingamy.