19 Cheap Baby Products That Are Total Game Changers
It’s no secret that having a baby is expensive. Like, really expensive. You have medical bills, co-pays, hospital bills, stuff you have to buy for yourself to get through your pregnancy. And that’s all before the baby even comes! Once you bring that baby home, get ready to watch your money just fly out of your bank account. It’s not even that you will overspend on stuff you don’t need. Even stuff you need and can’t live without starts to add up very quickly. Diapers may not seem that expensive initially, but given how many you use on a daily basis, they might as well be made of gold based on how much they’re going to cost. And don’t even get us started on formula! We may all start out wanting all the bells and whistles for our babies. But pretty soon, we are all about the cheap baby products.
Now, when we say cheap baby products, we don’t mean CHEAP cheap. Like, they’re not going to fall apart or last only a few uses. We mean inexpensive. Affordable. Not going to break the bank. All good things when you’re trying to save some money! But also keep in mind, cheap is sort of relative when it comes to baby products. You’re not going to spend less than $100 for a good quality car seat. But you certainly don’t need to blow $1000 on a stroller, you know what we mean? These cheap baby products are game changers, and will definitely save you some pennies.
One of the best cheap baby products you can score is this Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier.
It’s nearly impossible to do parenthood without a baby carrier. If you ever want to use both of your hands at the same time again, you need one. Sure, you can lug that ginormous stroller everywhere you go. Or carry that heavy car seat around on the crook of your arm. You’ll do that approximately three times before you realize it’s dumb. You need a baby carrier! But have you seen the price tag on some of those things?! Luckily, you can score an amazing carrier for less than $30. The Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier will get you from newborn to toddler, and gives you a lot of options for carrying positions. The best part? It’s only $29.69 on Amazon.
You’ll probably use pacifiers. And lose pacifiers (cha-ching!). Get these inexpensive pacifier clips to keep track of them.
You will pull your hair out trying to keep from losing all the pacifiers. They go to the same place socks and Tupperware lids go, apparently. Plus, when your baby realizes it has arms that can throw stuff, they will chuck that binky all over creation. Then you have to find it, clean it, blah blah blah. Keep that pacifier clipped tight to your kid at all times with these Upsimples pacifier clips. It’s only $7.99 for a pack of six, which is a steal! So you can either spend that eight bucks up front, or spend another $20 down the line replacing all those losts pacis. Your choice.
Cheap baby products can save you money and time!
Once your kid starts feeding themselves, you’ll vacillate between two emotions. Pride over their accomplishments, and abject horror and disgust over how incredibly gross and messy meal times have suddenly become. It’s so cute to watch an infant or toddler feed themselves! It’s less cute when you see all the food all over the floor, chair, and kid. Then they get into that phase where they think it’s funny to throw their bowls and plates off the tray. Put a stop to all of this madness with the Kirecoo Silicone Placemat Feeding Set. The cute owl plate sticks tight to the tray, so even the nimblest baby fingers can get it off. The set comes with one tray and a fork and spoon and sells for $12.99 on Amazon.
Not all cheap baby products are necessary, per se. But they can make life a little less gross.
There’s not a whole lot you can do to make the diaper changing process NOT suck. It’s gross. It’s stressful once they start wiggling around. It happens so much! Like, SO MUCH. Pee diapers are fine, a couple of wipes and you’re done. But poop diapers? Or worse, poop diapers on a rashy bum? The worst. That diaper rash cream may work wonders on your baby’s butt, but it is a pain to clean up off your hands. Not to mention, it’s hard to hold a wiggling baby in one hand and unscrew a tube in the other. This diaper cream brush from BabyBum is the cheap answer to your prayers! It’s like a butt spatula. You can get a full size and travel mini for $14.99, or one full size for $6.99.
Some cheap baby products on this list are here because of how they compare to their significantly more expensive competition.
You know what’s expensive? Baby cribs. You know what’s annoying to spend so much money on because they use it for like a year, tops? BABY CRIBS. Your baby needs a crib … in theory. But most parents will agree that their babies spend more time sleeping in other places than they do in their actual crib. So there’s no reason to break the bank on some fancy-ass crib. The SNIGLAR from IKEA is safe, it’s a great size for small spaces, and it’s cute! You guys, this crib is only $79.99. Cheap? When compared to other cribs that run into the hundreds, absolutely.
They say you get what you pay for, and in this case, they are absolutely right.
Because what you pay for is a nasal aspirator. And what you get is one of the best baby products to ever be invented, OF ALL TIME. We cannot overstate how amazing the Nosefrida is. No more of those bulky, hard to use bulb aspirators that barely work. No sirree! The Nosefrida is so easy to use, so effective, and gentle on little noses. Now, it’s a little bit more than a super cheap bulb aspirator, which you can find for about $5. But the Nosefrida is only $15.99, and you are paying for the top-of-the-line booger sucker. You can’t put a price on quality, unless you’re Swedish, in which case you can and it’s cheap.
This is one of those cheap baby products that you might not think you need, until your kid starts walking.
Remember how you used to turn your nose up at parents who used a baby leash? SORRY, not a leash, a “harness”. You’ve seen them. They even make cute little backpacks to attach to, so it doesn’t look like you’re walking your toddler on a leash. But it doesn’t even matter, because they are so necessary it’s not even funny. Balk all you want now, but when your toddler starts really moving, you will want something to keep them close to you. This Blisstime Safety Wrist Link is a great option. Like handcuffs for toddlers and parents! And only $8.99.
Cheap baby products can have more than one use.
Sure, you can buy a bunch of different single-use items. OR, you can shop smart and buy a pack of these Bright Starts Lots of Links. These things are awesome. They can be used as toys (like a little link puzzle!), teething babies can chew on them, and you can use them to keep stuff attached to the car seat, stroller, play mat, whatever. One pack comes with 24 links, and it’s just $4.19 on Amazon! That’s a steal. You can also get a bundle for $10.99, and it comes with 24 links, a spinning rattle toy, and three teething toys. At that price, you won’t even be mad when you lose a couple, and with 24 in one pack, you definitely have some to spare.
Wasting money on disposable snack bags is for people with lots of disposable income, not parents.
You have to travel with snacks when your kids start getting into the snack-eating phase. Puffs, Goldfish, fruit, whatever. The last thing you want to happen is to get stranded somewhere with a hungry kid and no snacks. But because you will carry them around so much, it can get expensive to use Ziploc baggies. So invest in some reusable snack bags. And we use the term “invest” loosely, because these things are cheap. You can get a pack of two reusable snack bags from Bumkins for $6.95 on Amazon. They’re totally safe, long-lasting, easy to clean, and super cute. Plus they’re better for the environment!
You didn’t think you’d see something as high tech as a video monitor on a list of cheap baby products, did you?
Baby monitors are one of those big ticket items that parents just bite the bullet and shell out the big bucks for. Because you’re going to want one, even if you don’t necessarily need one right away. For a lot of parents, it’s not just being able to hear the baby. It’s the peace of mind being able to see the baby brings. And we totally understand. But you don’t need to spend a lot to get it! The HelloBaby Wireless Video Baby Monitor has motion detection, video, sound, night vision, two-way talk audio, temperature monitoring, video recording capability, and long-range transmission. And it’s only $69.99 on Amazon.
Here’s another one of those cheap baby products with multiple uses for more bang for your buck.
Again, you could buy three or four different items to accomplish what ONE Kyapoo Multi-Use Cover does. This lightweight cotton cover can be used as a breastfeeding cover, a car seat cover, a stroller shade and cover, and even a high-chair or shopping cart cover. It’s really versatile, and you’ll get so many uses out of it, we promise. Plus, it’s only $9.99 on Amazon, how awesome is that?! When you’re not using it for something parent-related, you can even wrap it around your own neck as a stylish cowl neck scarf. At that price, buy two just in case.
This Bright Starts bouncer is cute, functional, and under $20.
Yes, you read that right. A bouncer chair for under $20! Now THAT is a cheap baby product. But the best part is, even though this bouncer is crazy cheap, it works like a dream. Because really, all you could want or need out of a bouncer chair is a safe place to plop the baby down while you run around the house like a madperson trying to get stuff done. This? Totally makes that possible. The Bright Starts Playful Pinwheels Bouncer has toys attached to keep the baby occupied and even vibrates! And it’s $17.84 on Amazon. Can’t beat with a stick!
Some cheap baby products end up saving you even more money in the long run.
Here’s the thing: car seats are kind of heavy, and they have a bunch of hard plastic on the bottom, so they can do some serious damage to your car seats over time (especially leather seats!). Plus, kids are gross in ways you will never fully be able to understand. You’ll find fossilized snacks in and under their car seats for years. So do yourself a favor and protect your car seats from damage and stains with a Munchkin Auto Seat Protector. At just $10.99, it’s a solid investment in keeping your car looking nice, and it’ll save you from having to pay more to clean and detail your car down the road.
You might have a need for a small stroller to store in your car for emergencies. No sense spending a bunch of money on it!
Strollers can be big and bulky, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to haul it all over the place. But there may be times when a stroller is just what you need. Don’t get caught with your pants down – keep a cheap stroller in your car for emergencies. The Cosco Umbrella Stroller is lightweight, compact, and most importantly, really cheap! Some umbrella strollers can cost upwards of $100, but this bad boy can be yours for the low, low price of just $27.99. Even if you only use it once or twice, you won’t feel like it was a total waste of money!
Cheap baby products are perfect for the things you take on the go.
You will have a whole collection of “travel” equipment for your baby. This is the stuff you take on the go, to the park or grandma’s house or on vacation or to daycare. These items tend to show their wear and tear much sooner, so you don’t necessarily want to use the good stuff for this, you know? Luckily, you can find cheap baby products for pretty much all of your travel needs. The Graco Pack ‘n Play is a favorite among parents for a lot of reasons. It’s easy to set up and take down, it’s light, and it’s durable. Even better? It’s cheap compared to most other playards, at just $39 on Amazon.
Some cheap baby products are thankfully cheap, because you’ll need lots of them.
There’s nothing worse than having a diaper blowout or barf episode or leaky diaper at night and not having a clean crib sheet on hand. Just like regular sheets, you should definitely have three or four to rotate! But who wants to spend $80-100 on stupid crib sheets? Luckily, you don’t have to. The TL Car 100% Cotton Jersey crib sheet is soft, durable, comes in a bunch of colors, and sells for $7-10 a piece. So even if they get stained, lost, ripped, whatever, you’ll always have a spare! Then when you’re done with cribs and toddler beds, you have plenty of crib sheets for fort making.
You need a diaper bag, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money on one.
Babies need a lot of stuff, and they need it at the most inopportune times. So you can’t really leave home without most of it. You need to always have diapers and pacis and bottles and a change of clothes. You need snacks and toys and wipes and just-in-case medicine. All of that is not going to fit in your purse, therefore, you need a diaper bag! But diaper bags can be ugly, and they can be expensive. Unless you go with one of these awesome unisex diaper bags on Amazon! Works for girls and boys and moms and dads, and it’s only (wait for it) FIFTEEN DOLLARS. Get three at that price.
Some things aren’t really important enough to spend a lot of money on.
Who wants to spend $15-20 on a stupid bowl or cup for snacks?! It just seems like a silly thing to spend money on. These Take & Toss Toddler Bowls are perfectly fine. They’re durable, compact, big enough for a good size snack serving, and dishwasher safe. But best of all, six of them will only set you back $2.99 on Amazon. For that price, it’s OK if you lose one or two lids. Also, these things last forever, and one day you can use them for storing all the slime your school-aged kids make. Trust us, they will make so much slime one day.
These lights will save you from breaking all your toes in the dark on the way to the baby’s room.
If you’re after cheap baby products, then you surely aren’t one to be wasting all your extra money on your astronomical power bill because you left all the lights on at night so you wouldn’t trip over the cat on the way to the baby’s room in the middle of the night. So get some of these battery-powered LED nightlights that you can stick in the darkest spots. They stick on pretty much any surface, and they’re motion-activated, so they won’t turn on unless you need them to. You can get three for $12.99 on Amazon.
