25 Things First-Time Parents Can Do to Find Cheap Baby Stuff Online

First-time parents can spend close to $13,000 only in their baby’s first year of life, according to a Capital One article in Forbes. That’s a lot of money, enough to convince most parents-to-be to start searching for free and cheap baby stuff online.

Where should you start your search and what can you do to lower the pressure on your budget?

A great starting place to find out where you stand from a financial point of view would be to use a free budget planning tool.

Check out this first-year baby costs calculator from BabyCenter to make sure you know what to expect!

25 Things You Can Do to Find Cheap Baby Stuff Online

No matter if you’re in budget or not, you need to approach your shopping for baby stuff carefully.

There could be quite a few unexpected expenses, and the last thing you need is to be caught off-guard.

You won’t believe how many options first-time parents have to buy cheap baby stuff online and even get some things for free.

We’ve only listed 25 of them, but they can bring you valuable freebies and savings. Check them out below, try them, and tell us how it went!

1. Sign Up for Diaper Rewards Programs

Pampers Rewards and Huggies Rewards offer all kinds of incentives to parents who create accounts on their platform.

They also include single-use codes in their diapers and wipes packages that you can redeem online for reward points you can then cash.

2. Join the Websites of Baby Formula Producers

Enfamil and Similac, for example, offer free formula samples, savings coupons, belly badges, baby care printed guides, and more.

By creating accounts on their websites, you can receive notifications whenever they and their partners have cheap newborn stuff on sale.

3. Create Baby Registries

If you register for gifts with certain retailers, you will receive valuable freebies and discounts for the products on your newborn baby shopping list.

Target offers a free welcome kit and coupons, as well as a $15 discount on any pending items in your registry two months before your baby’s due date.

Amazon Prime members who create a registry receive a free welcome box, 15% discount for completing their registry, 20% discount on their diaper subscription, and access to limited-time Maternity and Baby stores offers.

Click here to start your own Amazon baby registry and get the free welcome box now!

4. Sign Up for Free Trials

Many producers offer free trials to attract new customers.

However, some of them only do it to get your credit card information and enroll you into costly subscriptions.

To know exactly what you’re getting into, read their terms and conditions carefully, check out third-party reviews, and remember to cancel in due time to avoid charges.

Some trial offers worth checking out are those of The Honest Company, Public Goods, and Abby & Finn.

5. Join Parent Communities

These communities let you connect with parents and service providers from across the country and get access to all kinds of useful guides, tools, and resources.

Your EverydayFamily membership will also give you access to various freebies and cheap baby stuff from major producers and online retailers.

6. Use Nextdoor to Find Free and Cheap Baby Stuff in Your Neighborhood

Nextdoor is a mobile app that connects neighbors and helps them stay up to date with everything going on in their community. It even has a Baby & Kids category.

You can use it to find offers for baby stuff and let your neighbors know what items you need, in case they are willing to sell them cheap or even offer them to you for free.

7. Join Facebook Groups

There are many Facebook groups where moms give away or sell cheap newborn baby stuff. You can join them and lookup offers or ask about the stuff you need.

You can also negotiate prices and get tips on promotions and sales that could help you get the products you need at the lowest price possible.

8. Sign Up for Kids Casting

Kids Casting can help you identify any stores and companies in your area holding castings and auditions for babies, children, and teenagers.

Winners almost always receive money, free products, and discount coupons.

Check out our in-depth review of Kids Casting here!

Perhaps the most important thing you need to know is that the membership is free, so you have nothing to lose. You may see your beautiful baby in a commercial or catalog.

Click here to sign up for Kids Casting and find offers suitable for your child!

9. Join Honey

Honey is a free browser extension that searches the web for coupon codes and lets you test them until you get the best deal.

It offers Honey Gold rewards that you can redeem for cash, and it lets you create a droplist and wait for better offers on the items you need but cannot afford.

10. Start Using Rakuten to Get the Best Deals Possible

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a cash back app that offers you up to 20% off purchases you make online.

With thousands of retailers to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect deal for you.

11. Download Shopkick and start getting paid to simply walk into stores.

Have you heard of the new app Shopkick?

It literally pays you to walk into stores!  You don’t even have to buy anything — you will get paid simply for entering stores!

Of course, you will earn more points for actually making a purchase, but even if you’re just window shopping, you can still earn points.

12. Browse Valpack for Coupons to Foot Locker and Other Retailers

Valpak is a great place to find coupons for Buy Buy Baby, Sleeping Baby, Bazzle Baby, Baby Leggings, Bambi Baby, and more.

You can get anything from free shipping to 40% off and freebies on certain purchases.

13. Shop through Cashback Websites

The idea is simple: you create an account on the cashback website, login to it every time you need to buy something, and look for the retailer you want to buy from or for the product you need.

You will earn cashback that you can use to pay for future items or transfer to your PayPal or bank account.

According to our research, the following websites offer the highest cashback and support the most retailers:

• • Rakuten – It offers cashback of up to 40% and supports even The Disney Store.
  • Affinityy – You only need to provide your name and email address to get started. If you sign up through this link, you’ll get a $20 bonus.
  • Swagbucks – Besides cashback, it also offers coupons to the over 1,500 retailers it supports. Use this link to sign up and you’ll receive $10-worth of SB for the first $25 you spend.

14. Join a Freecycling Network

These networks could be a great way to get free baby gear, toys, clothes, and footwear from parents who no longer need them.

Freecycle.org is one of the largest networks and a great solution to get rid of the stuff you no longer need and prevent it from ending up at the landfill.

15. Browse for Closeouts and Clearance Websites

Most major retailers, like Target, Walmart, and Macy’s have clearance sections on their websites.

There are also online stores dedicated to children that sell products at very low prices to make room for new ones.

Check out the clearance sections of BuyBuyBaby, Carter’s, Overstock, PatPat, and The Children’s Place to find cheap baby stuff online offers!

16. Monitor Deals on Flash Sale Websites

These websites offer incredible deals on certain items but only for a limited amount of time.

If you need specific items, you can increase your chances of finding convenient deals by creating an account and setting alerts for those specific product categories.

Check out GroupDealz, Zulily, Beyond the Rack, and Rue La La!

17. Check with Major Retailers for Open-Box Products

Sometimes parents order things for their babies without paying attention to the description, size charts, and other details.

They end up returning them, either with the original package damaged or missing or with light traces of use.

Retailers have no option but to drastically reduce the price of these products, and you should benefit from this state of facts.

Amazon warehouse is one of those retailers, and they have separate Toys and Baby under $25 Sections for their open-box product deals.

18. Join Moms’ Clubs

Not only that you can make friends and exchange ideas, experience, and products, but you can also find cheap newborn stuff and hear about new offers.

One of the best-rated platforms in the country is Moms’ Club.

19. Buy Refurbished

Sometimes, baby products break down during warranty. Because the repairs take too long, the producers prefer to replace them or give the buyer a refund.

When the product is finally repaired and refurbished, they sell it to third parties at much lower prices.

You’ll find some great deals in the refurbished department of major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more.

20. Buy Second-Hand Directly from Sellers

Some products, like strollers, prams, trikes, etc. are able to last through multiple generations.

Instead of spending a fortune on new items, why not buy them cheaper on resale websites like eBay and Craiglist.

21. Buy Used from Consignment Stores

If you are worried that buying directly from sellers would be dangerous and you prefer consignment stores that check and guarantee their merchandise, try Swap, Baby Outfitter, or Kid to Kid.

They are excellent sources for finding cheap baby stuff online.

22. Buy Off-Season

Some purchases are emergencies, but others can wait.

Postpone those that are not urgent until the end of the season.

You could save up to 90% of their price as retailers try to make room for new-season products.

Just be careful when choosing the size, and children grow up really fast, and you would not want to invest money in cheap newborn stuff that your baby won’t be able to use.

23. Buy Multipack

No matter if you need diapers, formula, or clothes, it pays to buy them in bulk or packages of multiple products.

The more you buy, the less you pay per item. You can also save money on shipping since you’ll place fewer orders of higher values.

To convince yourself, look for multipacks on Amazon, Gap, or H&M.

24. Pay with the Right Credit Card

Some credit cards will get you up to 5% cashback for shopping at certain retailers or from specific product categories.

Check out the terms and conditions of your credit cards and pay with the one that will get you the highest rewards.

If you’re thinking of applying for a new credit card, check out the offers of Wells Fargo, Chase, American Express, and Capital One. Citi and Discover have attractive terms as well.

If you’re not sure you qualify for these credit cards, you can check and monitor your credit score with Credit Sesame. You can find out more about it from our review posted here!

25. Sign Up for Baby Subscription Boxes

Many see subscription boxes as a luxury they cannot and should not pay for. Some subscriptions are expensive and do not serve an immediate need.

However, there are also subscriptions for which the boxes are curated by specialists to contain just the products you would need.

These subscriptions are an excellent opportunity to save money and test new products.

They give you access to cheap baby stuff online and they let you have fun discovering the small gifts and surprises they include.

Check out the terms and conditions for subscribing to Bluum, Hoppibox, GrowingRoots, or Kiwi Co.

The Bottom Line about Buying Cheap Baby Stuff Online

Shopping for baby stuff online when you are on a tight budget is not easy, especially these days, when you are assaulted by ads on all websites and all TV channels.

You risk spending a fortune on stuff you don’t really need or that you could get cheaper from another source.

To avoid that, you should create a strict budget, think twice before making any purchases, and only spend money on the things you really need.

Don’t buy too many clothes or footwear, as your baby will outgrow them fast.

Instead of spending a fortune on toys your child throws away after minutes of play, look for moms or families with children and swap toys.

You’ll probably receive many of the items you’d like to buy as gifts, so take your time and only spend money when you have no other alternative.

When you really need to shop, the above ideas will definitely help you save money.

Sure, you will need some time to organize them into a routine, create the accounts, and get used with the interfaces.

However, you can do it from your mobile, as you nurse your baby or put them to sleep, and the results will be worth it!

Click here for more lucrative ideas on how to make money online!

Test our solutions and let us know how it went in a comment! If you know of any other ways to get free or cheap baby stuff online, don’t hesitate to share them with us and our readers!