Not Financially Ready for a Baby, but Pregnant? Here’s What You Need to Know.

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If you feel you’re not financially ready for a baby, but pregnant, what do you do? How do you prepare yourself for a huge life shift like having a baby? You’ll be surprised to know that, financially, it might be easier than you thought to prepare for your new addition.

Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
Woman holding pregnant stomach

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Having a baby is an INCREDIBLY exciting time!

Babies can bring a lot of joy to your life. But, if you don’t feel prepared, it can feel pretty stressful to bring in a new family member to take care of.

Especially if you don’t feel financially stable.

But there’s a reason even financial experts say to not put starting a family on hold (Dave Ramsey is one of them!).

The truth is, you’ll never feel 100% ready to have a baby.

That could be because:

  • You don’t feel financially ready (could be debt, not making enough, or that you don’t have enough saved up)
  • You haven’t accomplished as much as you’ve wanted at work
  • You’re nervous about shifting your life’s focus

Whatever your reasons are for feeling nervous about having a baby, just know you’re not alone!

But one of the most common reasons why people don’t feel ready to have a baby is because of finances.

Are you feeling the same, not financially ready for a baby but pregnant?

You might be surprised to learn that you’re ready for a baby right where you’re at.

Table of Contents

Why it’s going to be okay

1. You have months to save and prepare

If you are like most expecting mothers, you will likely find out that you’re expecting within the first few months of your pregnancy. If that’s the case, you have at least 6 months to get ready.

But what if my finances are already strapped?

If finances are tight, here are a few action items to implement ASAP:

  • pause any debt payoff, pay only minimums on your debt, and save that extra money
  • if you haven’t started a budget, make that a priority
  • start selling things around the house, if possible
  • do small things to earn extra cash

In reality, you shouldn’t need much when your baby first gets here. And that leads to my second point!

Related reading:

2. Newborns and infants do not need much

In today’s world, you’re made to believe you not only need a lot for a new baby, but you have to pay top dollar for all of it.

But I’m here to tell you that’s just not true.

As long as you have some onesies, a safe sleeping space, your diapering method of choice, and a safe and reliable car seat, you have your basic needs met.

Now, if you’re not able to breastfeed or pump, you’ll have to add formula into the mix. Here’s a great post about how to save the most money possible on baby formula.

Related reading:

3. You might be able to receive most of what you need from a baby shower

A baby shower isn’t always a guarantee. It’s something that someone will throw for you, not something you throw for yourself. So you’ll have to have someone close to you that is willing to throw you a baby shower here.

In a lot of cases, a close friend or relative will throw the shower for you.

If you are able to have someone put together the baby shower, be sure to create a baby registry so everyone knows exactly what you need.

I am a HUGE fan of using Amazon to create your baby registry (that’s what we did for both babies!).

You can easily mark how important an item is, so people looking through your registry know where to start.

And, if there are any items not purchased, you can buy them yourself with your completion discount! That’s 10% for non-Prime members and 15% for Prime members. SCORE!

How to save money for a new baby

1. Take advantage of free gifts when creating a baby registry

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Gift box
  • Amazon’s welcome box – we received a onesie, some diapers, and lots of samples. One of the best welcome boxes, in my opinion!
  • Buy Buy Baby – full of samples and a coupon
  • Target – lots of samples, including a couple of bottles, diapers, and wipes
  • Walmart – a sample of a couple of brands of diapers, bottle, and other samples
  • Babylist – like Amazon, their box is a little more beefed up than the others. Might include a toy, pacifiers, clothing, and other top notch items

2. Join your local Buy/Sell Nothing group on Facebook

If you’re not already in your local Buy/Sell Nothing group, you’re missing out! I’ve seen baby items, home decor, appliances, vintage items, and so much more.

Of course, you’ll want to buy new on certain items that can be a safety hazard, like a car seat, toys that are meant to be chewed, and a crib mattress.

And when all else fails, send out a request to the group and see if you get any responses! I’ve learned that the people in Buy/Sell Nothing groups are generally good people and want to help.

3. Get a free breast pump

Typing on computer
Photo by Luke Southern on Unsplash

Did you know you can get a FREE breast pump through your insurance?

When I was pregnant with my first, I used Aeroflow to get my free pump.

It’s super simple: fill out your information, they’ll check with your insurance company about coverage, send you a list of pre-approved pumps, and it’s shipped to you.

Some insurance companies dictate when in your pregnancy it can be sent, so be sure to check on that.

I was able to get a Spectra S2 completely FREE with my insurance! I used it to stock our freezer with milk in case it was needed (date night, anyone?).

4. Only get the essentials

If you’re not careful, you can get caught up on things your baby “needs”.

Remember, back at an earlier point in this post: your baby doesn’t really need much at the beginning.

So all the specialty docking stations, bottle warmers, toys, and other potential money hogs should be at the bottom of your list of needs.

In the famous words of Sookie from Gilmore Girls: “all they do is eat, sleep, poop. Eat, sleep, poop.”

As long as you have a method of feeding them, somewhere for them to sleep, and diapers, you’ve got most of the essentials covered. Add in a car seat, and you should be all set.

So, not financially ready for a baby, but pregnant?

You’ll never feel financially ready for big changes in your life. But the beauty of pregnancy is you have some time to truly prepare.

Have you been down this road before? Found yourself not financially ready for a baby but pregnant?

What did you do to feel ready?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments!