Have your Snoo and afford it too!

Before I get started with this post, I want to point out that none of these items or brands are necessary for baby. However, if you’re looking to add some fun splurges to your nursery, follow along for some tips to save money.

First up – Saving on the Snoo

If you’re not familiar with the Snoo, it is a smart bassinet that helps soothe baby back to sleep if they make noise during their sleep. The current pricing for a new snoo is around $1600 (they can also be rented monthly); and can be used from birth until about 6 months.

The resell value in a snoo is pretty good. If you’re looking to save money on one, buying used and reselling after is the way to go. I have seen them on Facebook marketplace and OfferUp for anywhere between $500-$1100. We didn’t have one for Emmett, but when he was still waking up in the middle of the night at the age of two, I wanted to pull out all the stops for Anneliese.

I regularly stalked Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp for our snoo, and found a good price for a used model. Once she’s done with it I will repost and recoup most of our investment.

The risk with buying used is that there is no warranty, and reviews have been mixed on how helpful customer support is for non-original owners if something goes wrong.

If we were buying this for our first kid, I would have considered buying it new since we would have had more usage with it before selling.

Save During Holiday Sales

The biggest sales that I see for baby items happen around Black Friday and Mother’s Day.

One major caveat to this is the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. The past few years I’ve seen sales on the UppaBaby Vista (although it is only on one specific color and sells out super fast), Little Giraffe blankets, and Stokke products.

Following brands on Instagram (especially smaller boutique brands) is a great way to learn about their sales, and sometimes they will have flash sales for followers.

Save on Registry Completion

When I set up registries for Emmett and Anneliese, I made them at both Amazon and buybuy Baby. While most items could be found at both of these stores, the registry completion coupon is a great reason to register at multiple locations.

The registry completion discount is meant to be one final purchase to pick up items that might have not been previously purchased or gifted. The best thing about this coupon is that many brands that are often excluded from discounts (such as the 20% off single item from buybuy Baby) are NOT excluded with the registry completion.

The registry completion discount is sent about a month before the baby’s due date, and is valid for 60 days after. Since there was nothing off the registry that we needed immediately, we opted to save this discount until the end of the window so we could pick up things like replacement bottle nipples (once we knew which bottes she took) and additional parts for my breast pump.

Brands like UppaBaby, Bugaboo, Elvie, and Willow are generally excluded from coupons, so the registry completion discount is a great way to save on these brands.

Save with Second Hand

I love hunting for secondhand deals on baby clothes and gear. When I head to the thrift store, I look for certain brands that I know will withstand multiple washes, and can still be handed down (or resold) again.

In addition to thrift stores, I also look for clothes on Poshmark when there is something specific that I’d like to add to their wardrobe. Emmett has a super tiny waist so finding pants with adjustable elastic waists have been essential. Once I found a few pairs that I liked, I would regularly hunt Poshmark for his next size up.

I have also had good luck with Nordstrom Rack recently (plus you can shop online). I’ve enjoyed the Magnetic Me pajamas for Anneliese, and have regularly found them for half price at the rack.

OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace are awesome spots to find deals on the expensive gear that will only be used for a few months (such as the Babybjorn Bouncer or 4Moms Play yard).

If your local Buy Nothing group is active, it can be an amazing resource. I’ve seen strollers, baby bouncers, Dock-A-Tots, and TONS of clothes get passed around my local group.

Spend on Longevity

Most baby products are used for only a few months before they are outgrown physically or developmentally. Some products have found ways to increase their longevity so they grow with the kid and last for years.

One example of this is the Nomi high chair. This highchair can be used from birth through childhood (with a couple optional attachments). The high chair holds up to 330 pounds, so it could technically last into adulthood. For Emmett we pull him right up to the table; however, there is a tray attachment available.

The infant bouncer accessory allows for the chair to be used from birth; we often put Anneliese in her chair while we eat at the table. (Note: Nomi is *Not* excluded from buybuy Baby coupons!)

When shopping for a crib, many will promote their 3-in-1 attribute showing that it grows with the child (crib/toddler/double or twin). While it sounds like an awesome idea to have this crib also be their childhood bed, consider whether this would actually happen.

When the crib converts to a double or twin a new mattress would be required, and they often still look like a converted crib. I concluded that converting from a crib to toddler bed was important to me, but not beyond that. The Babyletto brand of cribs come WITH the toddler rail included (many are an additional purchase – either a matching piece or universal third party rail).

Use Health Spending Accounts

Many baby and breastfeeding items are considered medical and FSA/HSA funds can be used to purchase the items. Check out this list that includes a variety of FSA eligible items.

We used our FSA to buy Emmett’s Miku baby monitor. I love this monitor because it tracks his breathing and movement without any physical contact. When it came time to buy one for Anneliese, I lucked out and found one that was new in box for half price on OfferUp!

Other great options that track breathing and sleep are the Owlet and Nanit. Both of them do require some additional steps at bedtime (attaching a sock or sleep sack) for the most tracking.

It may take some extra time and thought, but it is possible to save lots of money on the fancy baby products.