sorry girl i can't help you on this one, we didn't plan on having a baby so soon, and we both have good jobs, and sorry to say i'm up to my eye balls in dept. im about to buy a fish bowl and throw my bills in them and see which ones get paid and which ones have to wait till next pay,, i already borrowed money off family members which i hate and im still not caught up, credit cards are maxed out... i just want to cry everytime i get the mail.. but i would never take back having my child, he's the only thing that i have good in my life right now, he's a blessing from God..... i just keep on saying next year will be better..... the first year is very expensive,,, with all the extra's you have to buy.... i know once im out of this hole, we'll be ok.... if God leads you to it - he'll get you thru it... wise words from my Grandmother.... i have a good budget plan now, and i try and stick to it... i only buy what we need.. but you always have unexpected bills that pop up... and you'll find a way to work it out...... just remember baby comes first, the rest can wait.....

yes GREAT POST! other than only having one and it was 9 years ago I agree 100%

Shana All will be ok girl :)

I wouldn't freak out. You may get a lot of the things your worrying about at your baby showers. Even if you don't, things have a way of working themselves out.

OK I'm not really qualified to answer because I don't have any kids, but I feel like everyone around me is pregnant so I have observed a lot.

You will not believe how much you will get for the baby shower. Wedding showers don't compare because it is so much more fun to pick out baby stuff than boring wine glasses. My cousin listed "Target gift cards" and EVERYONE got her a gift AND a gift card. People will go in on the stroller and car seats and you will get more clothes than you know what to do with. Leave the tags on in case your baby is big or small. People might buy you summer outfits in 6-9 months but your baby might need 12 month at that time of year. Some people try to wash everything to get ready for the baby, but all you really need are some onesies - you can wash a lot of baby clothes in one load!

Also, for diapers and bottles and pacifiers... there are so many brands and shapes and sizes you will not know what you need or what will work. Some people swear by those Pampers Swadlers, other people are fine with the Target brand. You just don't know. Plus, you'll get tons of diapers at your baby shower. I've heard that you can return diaper packages for store credit if you need to! A friend told me that she bought 5 different kids of bottles and her baby will only use 1 kind. Of course she washed all of them before she had the baby...

Send in for coupons! There are whole websites devoted to new moms that list free stuff you can get from companies. Buy a Sunday paper every week and start clipping diaper coupons. Free stuff is good! A co-worker's baby had to be on an expensive soy formula and the doctor gave him a whole case of it. Don't be afraid to ask for samples!

You are doing the right thing - you have the crib and the bassinet. Paint the walls. Wash the crib sheets. Do the sort of stuff that you can't do later. You can shop for cute clothes and diapers and bottles later :D

Finally - get a boppy pillow. I don't know what it is, or what it is for, but apparently they are awesome.

And buy special dog treats so the dogs don't feel left out. Oh and the baby sounds CD they sell especially for dogs!

I'm not sure about where you are, but here in Kansas we always have lots of garage sales and they always have lots of baby stuff. You could check those out. The little girls stuff almost always looks brand new and they always have strollers, cribs everything for new babies. I understand wanting new stuff, especially for the first one, but to save money you could buy things like onesies and sleepers. Those are so expensive and they're only in them a short time. Just a suggestion.

Like everyone else has said, this will work out and everything will be fine.

Shana, don't fret. You will amaze yourself how you will know exactally
what to do when your daughter is placed in your arms. Your maturnal instincts will just take over. Really. Someone said in a past post,
that none of us would have children if we waited for the right time.
How true that comment was.:D You will make a wonderful mother
and I'm sure Daddy will be the perfect daddy. You will see, in time,
things just work out. Somehow they do. Nothing to worry about
except getting some sleep at night;) It sounds like you have full
control over getting things ready. Your a natural.

Oh Shana, i think you will be a great Mom :) It will come naturaly as soon as you hold your precious bundle in your arms;) I think you allready got alot of good advise ! Take it from a Baby that had a Baby @ 16 and we all did just fine, and so will you ! :D Hugs

I don't have kids, so the only advice I could offer would be from observation of my family and friends' babies, but I think anything I would say has already been said here. Really...you will do fine, and I wish you luck! And don't worry about money!!! Tinkerbell's Closet gets plenty of my money, so we'll keep you afloat :D :D :D !!! It's a good excuse to tell my hubby to rationalize why Sukoshi NEEDS more clothes! I'll just tell him your baby NEEDS to eat :rolleyes: :p ;) !!!!

Main thing is unless you are totally against it...find some consignment stores nearby (not goodwill or those types), they have gently used baby items and clothes for good prices. I have found tons of items with the tags still attached!! Also, ebay is a great place to get huge lots of clothes for reasonable prices. Just make sure to check the feedback score of the seller first to make sure they are true to their word about their clothes. Also, if you have a local flea market check there often too. Sometimes you can find great stuff there. We manage 2 children and dogs on a very tight budget, but you would never know by looking at them. They have everything they need and want and we still have money to pay the bills. There is no sense in buying everything brand new since they are going to outgrow it pretty quick anyway. Also, you can check your newspaper for things like cribs, highchairs, etc. if you cannot find anything you like in the consignment stores.

I agree not to buy anything till after the shower. Register for anything you think you'll need/want and then re-evaluate afterwards and return. I know lots of people want like 10 crib sheets - but relialistically 2 is all you need. Think practically and you'll be okay.

The essentials for when the baby comes home are: a crib, a carseat, diapers (LOTS of them), sleepers, a handful of receiving or other blankets, undershirts, booties and bathing stuff. The Boppy pillow , bouncy chair, swing and stroller are nice in the beginning, but not essentials. Other stuff can wait a little while if need be.

Don't worry about the finances. Like said before, if we all waited "till we could afford (whatever it is)" we'd never do anything!!!! With love, everything will work out just fine!!!!!!