Affordable Baby Gifts that Frugal Moms Will Appreciate

I have a loved one currently pregnant with her 4th baby. But while this is not her first, there is a big break between this one and her previous kids, which means that she probably needs nearly as many things as a new mom would. But I don't have unlimited resources to spend on gifting.

 Yes, monogrammed baby gifts are really cute and can become a precious keepsake if you make sure it doesn't get stained... but gifts don't have to be pricey to be very appreciated.

With frugal gifts for frugal parents, it is very important that you actually talk to the recipient and see what types of things they want or need, if they are open to second hand items, what they plan on doing once the baby is born, etc... Because giving a gift that someone doesn't want, no matter how cheap, isn't frugal if it just goes to waste.

Frugal Baby Gifts for the Frugal Parent

Physical Gifts

Entire Wardrobes

...In fact, the most appreciated baby gifts I got were hand me downs. Give me tote bags full of used clothing for my baby and I'll appreciate them much more than an individual brand new outfit or two. Babies have so many diaper blow outs and spit ups and food smeared on their clothes that you end up needing many more outfits than you'd think, so this is one area where quantity is absolutely more important than quality. You have to know your recipient though and if they'd appreciate this. If you don't have any specific hand me downs to give, either because your kids are older and you already gave yours away, or because you don't have kids of your own, you can go to thrift stores or garage sales, etc... and buy a bunch of baby outfits and gift an entire wardrobe for not more than the cost of a few new outfits.

Diapers

Since I cloth diapered for money saving reasons, I had a friend who sewed me homemade cloth diapers that were really helpful and appreciated. If you know a friend wants to cloth diaper and you are good at sewing, you can sew some and gift them, or you can ask them what type they want and gift them cloth diapers. Is it the cheapest gift? Not necessarily, since the cost is a lot up front, especially if you aren't just using prefolds and covers, but it is something that will certainly help the parent save money, not to mention the environment. Additionally, if you know the mother is frugal minded and would be ok with second hand, you can buy sets of second hand cloth diapers, which is a big savings.

Of course, cloth diapering is, by far, not for everyone. (I gave up on it by my third kid.) But the price of diapers can be expensive, not to mention it being a pain to need to go out and buy diapers all the time. Many people find it cheapest to buy diapers in bulk, and there are many diaper subscription services that mail them to your door. If you have Amazon Prime, there are many affordable diaper options that you can get sent to them with free delivery. Check with mom first, though, because she might want a specific diaper brand only.

Baby Equipment and Accessories

Have you noticed a trend here? Second hand for the win! Scour online sites and stores for used equipment and toys. The cost of these add up a lot if you buy them new, but they are life savers for moms. You often can get ones that are very lightly used and in terrific condition. Avoid second hand car seats, though, because those can have safety concerns.

Accessories and equipment you might want to look for, that mom needs or will find helpful:

• Stroller
• Swing
• Baby gym/playmat
• Bouncer
• Baby monitor
• High chair

Nursing Help

Nursing can save a ton of money. If you know that mom plans on nursing, especially if she works out of the house, a breast pump can be extremely useful, allowing mom to provide milk for her baby instead of buying formula, even when she isn't there to nurse the kiddo. There are many breast pumps on the market these days, some with pretty decent costs. If you search google for suggestions of best pumps for the money, you'll get some good ideas for suggestions. You can also buy used breast pumps, but you will need new tubing, valves, and phyllanges. 

A spare freezer can be extremely useful for a pumping mom, and you can find some for sale very affordably. If mom would appreciate and has room for a spare freezer, this is a terrific and affordable useful gift for the new mom. And once the baby gets older and she no longer pumps, she can keep using it for other ways to save money, like meal prep and stocking up on sales.

Nursing pillows and rocking chairs can also be terrific tools that aid in nursing, and they also can be purchased second hand for low prices.

Gifts of Time

Yes, actual physical things you can hold make great gifts, but you know what else makes a great gift? Things that save the new parent time and energy.

Food. 

One of the hardest things post birth is finding the energy to shop, figure out what to make, meal prep, and cook. To help this out, arrange a meal train so they get fresh food for the first little bit home from the hospital, and then as a gift, fill their freezer with a bunch of pop in the oven meals for when they don't have the energy to cook. 

Babysitting.

If the new mom actually has other children, offer to take those children out, so that mom can sleep when the baby sleeps instead of being kept up by her other children. If the baby takes bottles, either of formula or pumped milk, you can take the baby even for a few hours, so mom can get some rest, do some non mommy things so she can feel like a human, etc... My kids refused bottles, even of pumped milk, so an actual babysitter wouldn't have been helpful. But just someone to come over and hold and entertain the baby so I could take a shower without having to worry about needing to run out for a screaming baby would have been greatly appreciated.

Photography

Ok, this isn't cheap, unless you're a photographer... but getting baby pictures so that mom has a record of what the baby looked like when they were very young is a wonderful and appreciated gift. But some parents take good enough pictures on their own... but many don't get around to actually printing the pictures. So taking nice pictures of the baby and getting them printed and framed is a great way to do that frugally.

Alternatively, they sell milestone blankets and cards to photograph the baby with on a monthly basis so you can see how they grow. These blankets and cards are a relatively inexpensive gift. But if you're crafty, you can even make these on your own.

Massage

A touched out mama might not want to be massaged, but other mothers might be craving some pampering. Book mama a massage once she is able to leave the baby for a bit, and let her just relax. Massage students often need someone to practice on before they get their certification, so that is a more frugal alternative.

Gifting is a really nice way to show your love to someone. But it doesn't need to break the bank. With the right gifting, you can even help the family save money over time. Happy gifting and congrats!