I used to think the wedding industry was a big money-sucker, but babies, oh babies! A wedding is but a day, but a baby is anything but a one time event. There is so much gear, clothes, toys and everything to acquire throughout the way, and a lot of money to be spent. Here’s a list of my budget-friendly, new baby essentials.

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A friend had told me that a glider was the single best item she purchased for her baby. The Dutalier seemed to be the holy grail of all gliders, and I strongly considered it, but couldn’t wrap my head around the $400-800 price tag and to be honest. I had bought an exercise ball for a mere $10 to help with labor positions, and I never in a million years would have anticipated it, but post baby, it is what my husband, my parents, my in laws, and I used to bounce Winter to sleep with every nap and every bedtime. Sometimes we bounced for over an hour, sometimes we had to bounce very high, bringing to mind diagrams of large physics oscillations. Now I wonder if the motion of a glider would have even worked to get my particular baby to sleep and am happy that I don’t have another piece of furniture in the house.

If you’re going to buy a hands-free pumping bra, this Simple Wishes Bra is the way to go. I put one on our registry and it’s been great to use, but a girlfriend told me a lactation nurse had told her of a cheap alternative. Just get two old sports bras, or buy some cheap ones, mark where your nipples sit and cut a small vertical slit and a small horizontal slit at that point. Better to cut it small and cut larger later than cut too large for the flanges on the first cut. Depending on the fabric it might be a good idea to re-enforce the ends of each cut with a satin stitch from a sewing machine. Cost of Simple Wishes Bra: $40-45 – cost of two sports bras: ~$10-15.

Four bamboobies run $25-30, and as far as reusable nursing pads go, I think they are tops. However, I needed at least a dozen pairs if not more to get me through to the next laundry day in those first few months of breastfeeding and that would have been pretty pricey. I ended up making my own from PUL and absorbent bamboo layers, and I have a tutorial for it here on Hellobee. My total cost was $20-30, versus $120-150 I would have paid for the same number of pairs.

Nursing covers run $16-35,but an extra wide infinity scarf does the trick – it may be something you already own, can pick up for cheap at somewhere like Forever 21, or something worth buying since it’s a great fashion accessory that  can be used well after you finish nursing.

What have you been able to adapt into a baby-useful item?