We all know that babies are expensive! All of the baby essentials can add up quickly when you are a new parent. When I became pregnant, we were on a budget so I had to get as much free baby stuff as I could to prepare for my new little one.
I know there are a lot of posts that listbaby freebies but turn out just to be some samples, that is not what this post is about.
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I wanted to share how I was able to get free baby stuff to really help prepare for my baby. I was able to get things like a car seat, crib mattress, diapers, stroller, clothes, and much more without having to spend a dime on those items.
I did have to pay for a dresser, crib, and rocking chair but I will go into more detail below about how I got free gift cards to help pay for those things as well.
Getting a nursery full of free baby items did take some time and effort on my part but it really helped in getting everything that we needed without spending our savings.
How to Stock your Nursery with Free Baby Stuff
Giveaways: My main secret weapon to getting free baby items was to enter giveaways. This did take some time and effort but it was so worth it!
I won a crib mattress, 2 baby carriers, bottles, gift cards to children’s clothing stores, stroller, nursing pillow, and much more just by entering giveaways.
I mostly entered blog giveaways because they have a lot less entries than big national giveaways and sweepstakes so your chances of winning are a lot higher.
To help find these giveaways, I would do a Google search for “baby giveaways” or a more specific search like, “stroller giveaways” and filter the results for posts made in the last 2 weeks since that is how long most blog giveaways run.
I would do as many entries as I could. Some entries would be to leave a comment, follow them on social media, etc.
It may be a good idea to set up social media and email addresses just for entering giveaways so you aren’t bombarded with emails you don’t really want to receive.
Once I got the hang of finding and entering giveaways it would only take me a couple of minutes to enter each one. I would usually enter them for an hour or two a day while watching TV.
On average I would win 2-3 a week just to give you a perspective on just how much you could actually win.
These were some of my favorite sites to find giveaways to enter:
- Online-Sweepstakes.com
- GiveawayMonkey.com
- Bloggiveawaydirectory.com
You can even search the giveaways by category. I would enter all of the baby and gift card giveaways that I could.
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Getting Free Diapers:A great way to save on your baby essentials is to get as many free diapers as you can. You can check out my full list for ways to save money on diapers for some ideas.
One of my favorite ways to get free diapers was learning how to shop at the drugstores to maximize my savings. I was able to get free diapers and wipes about every month by combining coupons, money saving apps, and store rewards.
I go into more detail about how I did this in a post where I got paid $2.17 for buying over $58 worth of products at CVS.
I would do deals like this as much as I could once I found out I was pregnant and had a great stockpile of diapers and wipes before the baby arrived. Just make sure to buy different sizes for when your baby grows.
Also, sign up for Huggies Rewards and Pampers Rewards programs to enter codes or your receipt to get points to put towards even more free diapers.
Free Breast Pump: This is another great way to get free baby stuff,I wish I had known about this when I was pregnant! You may be able to get a free breast pump through your insurance and save $100’s!
I didn’t think that I would need a breast pump because I was going to stay at home with my baby so I would just feed her straight from my breast….boy was I wrong!
We had trouble with getting her to latch and my breasts got so engorged the first night we were home that I made my husband go out and buy a breast pump from any store that was open that late at night. I was in so much pain!
So the moral of the story is to take advantage of the free breast pump even if you don’t think you may need it because that can always change.
You just fill out this form to see if you qualify and they will contact your insurance company to verify your coverage. All of the work is done for you!
Get Even More Free Baby Items
Surveys:Another way I was able to get free baby stuff for my nursery was to do survey sites. This took some time on my part but I looked at it as free money.
Instead of just watching TV, I would do a few surveys each night while watching TV. I was able to cash out for gift cards to stores like Target, Walmart, and Amazon to spend on baby items.
Some of the sites I used were:
- *Vindale Research: Cash out via Paypal or by mailed check.
- *Inbox Dollars: You will receive a check.
- Ipsos I-Say: Earn Visa, Amazon, and Target gift cards as well as Paypal.
- Harris Poll Online: Cash out for Amazon or Walmart gift cards.
- Opinon Outpost: Earn Amazon gift cards or Paypal cash.
- Toluna: Get Target, Amazon, Starbucks gift cards or Paypal.
- Swagbucks: Earn Paypal cash or gift cards to Amazon, Target, and Walmart
I have used every one of these sites and received payment so I feel confident recommending them to you.
Baby Registries: This is a given but make good use of those baby registries. People love helping you out when a new baby is on the way.
Make sure to register for plenty of diapers and wipes as well as any other baby essentials you may need. Don’t be afraid to register for large items, as some people may go in together to purchase it for you.
Also, register for toddler items like booster seats and potty training items to help keep the cost down as they grow.
My favorite registries are Target and Amazon because they have the best perks and are super easy for your friends and family to purchase from.
These were the ways I was able to get a ton of free baby stuff for my daughter’s nursery. It helps so much when you are having a baby on a budget.
We weren’t able to get every single thing for free but we were able to get the majority of what we needed. I hope that this will help you do the same!
