Babies on a Budget: Simple Nurseries

Instead of buying expensive air fresheners, a few drops of lavender oil on your baby’s mobile will do the same job - if not better, because the lavender not only freshens the room; it also helps them sleep.

Make your own baby powder! Here’s how... Place 6-10 drops of lavender essential oil onto an absorbent pad. Place the pad with oil into a container with 1 cup of cornflower and shake well. Leave for 24 hours, shake again, leave for another 24 hours and then remove the absorbent pad before using the powder.

Keep a potty next to the change table and use it in between each nappy change. Well... let the baby use it! Just pop them over, count to 10 or sing a song. I started my youngest at 2 weeks with this trick and it’s saved a lot of nappy changes! It’s doubly exciting when you ‘catch’ a poo in the potty - much more pleasant than cleaning it off a bottom.

Disposable liners are lovely in theory, but a luxury for many of us. Fleece is a great alternative. And there’s no need to buy dedicated fleece liners. Just grab a metre of polarfleece from Spotlight and cut into 30 x 5 cm rectangles. You don’t even need to hem. Fleece is a lot better at stain prevention than the disposable liners. With newborn poo, I always threw straight in the machine. The solid poo just rolls off into the toilet.

Invest in washable wipes! Warm water is by far the best solution for cleaning your baby’s bottom (and fingers and face). Choosing reusable wipes instead of disposable, can save you well over $500 during your child’s time in nappies and divert over 10,000 wipes from landfill! Two dozen is a good number if you plan to use them full time as bottom washers. Grab a mini wet bag and dampen a couple before you leave the house. You could place them in a container, but don’t leave them overnight or you might get mould. Just dampen them before you go out and take them out of the container when you return. Best bit is they can be washed with your nappies so there’s no extra work.

Reusable nappies help you to tend to your baby’s nappy needs independently of the grocery store. Once you have a stash for your baby, you’re set. Reusable nappies pay for themselves over and over and over again.

Although more expensive upfront than disposable trainers, reusable training pants will save you a pretty penny in the long run.

Instead of buying specific-use products, look into alternatives that are multi-use, such as our Home+Go Mat, which can be used as a change mat, picnic mat, mattress protector, car pillow and more.