Twins Coming Soon. Best Way to Save?

FoxJump on 08/04/2019 - 06:57

Gday

My wife is pregnant with identical twin boys. It's our first and hopefully last set of kids. Due October
The buying stuff begins.

Any advice on top tips for prams/car seats/etc?

We have a Mitsubishi Pajero and a Toyota Prius C.

We've been to two baby shops and think the … Expensive iCandy orange is the one for us because both kids can be carried at the same time while still allowing easy access to the storage pouch at the bottom and they're laid out in a row versus side by side, so we will fit though doors. I'm looking to buy it second hand however not many on sale as it's a new model.

Cot wise I'm thinking second hand ones too with a good clean on the mattress or maybe a second hand frame only with a new mattress.

Car baby seats … Grrr! So expensive. Will probably get two to begin while wife of mat leave and then an additional two later. Friends that have kids still need their baby seats. Pajero isofix mounts are stupid as two baby seats allow zero adults on the second row so I'll have to seatbelt them.
I'm thinking no baby capsule seat. Just the reversible front/rear facing 0-4 months ones.

Clothes - I'm hoping from some hand-me-downs from friends and a batch order from AliExpress. Any thoughts on this?

Nappies: shall I go disposable or washable and save the environment?

Any and all advice is welcome.
Cheerio

Nb: I notice the baby stores don't have discounted gift cards or cash back boo.

Toys & Kids Baby Car Seat Stroller

Comments

  • Yorkshire-Man on 10/04/2019 - 18:54

    If you take one thing from all this it’s dont buy new. My wife insisted… when we sold all the baby gear (pram / furniture etc) it was immaculate. Got 20% of what we paid for it. Gumtree it & save a fortune !

    Life advice, first 12 weeks are the best & the hardest. It gets easier, gonna be awesome & exhausting

    • FoxJump on 10/04/2019 - 20:08

      Cheers.
      3 months of fun!

  • luffyex2010 on 11/04/2019 - 09:31
    +1

    Tell your wife Try not to go to crowded places at the moment. There is a measles outbreak in Sydney not sure about the other states

    • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:28

      Thanks.

  • gimme on 11/04/2019 - 09:34

    Best way to save? Adopt one out.

  • [Deactivated] on 11/04/2019 - 13:46

    second hand ones too with a good clean on the mattress

    Eww, buy a new mattress.

    Sell one of the cars. Quickest way to save $5k per year in costs and you'll get the price of the car back. Yes, public transport sucks, one of the cons of having kids on a budget.

    • serpserpserp on 11/04/2019 - 15:04

      Sell one of the cars.

      Don't do this. You'll be amazed at how convenient having two cars are when you have kids. Having one car absolutely sucks and I wish we didn't consolidate our two cars into one new one when we started having kids.

      More so if one has to use a car to drive to work. Time is precious as a young parent and if you can save 15 minutes each way on a commute by driving a car you do that!

      • [Deactivated] on 11/04/2019 - 15:39

        You'll be amazed at how convenient having two car

        Yes, op may have to sacrifice convenience to stay within his budget. That's sort of the point.

        Work out how many hours per year your car "saves" you versus how much you spend on it. I did the numbers once and was shocked to discover my car costs me over $45 per in-use hour. Factored in services, tyres, fuel, depreciation, rego, insurance, and I only use the car 200 hours per year. It's a very expensive convenience.

        Having two cars is simply extravagant. Especially when op is considering buying a dirty used mattress to save money!

        • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:25

          We can afford the two cars without problem. I am novate leasing the pajero and i'm doing it to the extreme so it's pretty good.
          I was just looking for ways to save on baby related items.

          I don't think I said I would use a used mattress did I? A used cot for sure. But, yeah a new mattress is a reasonable suggestion - unless it's the ikea one in which case they're special sized (as I have read)

          • TheLurker on 14/04/2019 - 10:37

            @FoxJump: On used cot, we were given a boori with wear marks and knocks. I sanded it back and resprayed with a child safe enamel. It was already multiple dents and marks before I even had it reassembled. They make them from very soft timber

  • DiLs on 11/04/2019 - 14:17
    -5

    Use a condom

  • freemoneyhunter on 11/04/2019 - 16:59

    My advise is to start watching for the council kerb side clean ups.

    • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:20

      Yes. Unfortunately, some annoying councils only do pickups based on bookings - so the old days of streets full of treasure/trash are over in my council.
      But I will check another council I know still has the schedule this up on their website.

  • KLoNe on 11/04/2019 - 17:15
    -4

    Wow. You got someone pregnant and you can't afford the kids. Good thinking!

    • AussieMark on 11/04/2019 - 17:18

      he didnt get someone pregnant..

      firstly it's his wife

      Secondly… He was sleeping and didnt even wake up, she took advantage of his ozbargain way to sleep nakie as it saves money on clothes.

    • FoxJump on 11/04/2019 - 17:49

      Sigh.
      I'm not saying i can't afford the kids.
      I'm was simply asking for advice on ways to save - which is all that ozbargain is about.

      You sir or madam must enjoy paying for everything full price. Because otherwise you really can't afford it if you need to find a discount.

      • try2bhelpful on 11/04/2019 - 19:11

        Just ignore the trolls; the vast majority of us are very happy for you and the missus. I bet it was a shock when they said two of them.

  • AussieMark on 11/04/2019 - 17:17
    +1

    Are you open to trading one of the babies on ozbargain?

    • FoxJump on 11/04/2019 - 17:49

      Nup

      • AussieMark on 11/04/2019 - 18:12
        +1

        okay worth a try…

        If you give them the same name you can send both to school and one hides in the bathroom but you only pay 1 set of school fees.

        Then each child goes to the classes they are good at and wins.

        I saw it in a tv show once so it must be true/possible

  • [Deactivated] on 11/04/2019 - 19:38

    What do you call a man in charge of birth control? …..Dad……

    Think about a vasectomy, around $800, $300 back from Medicare.( Some friends of ours had 12 month baby and a new born, imagine if that happened to you)

    • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:18

      Good joke. I like it.
      I'll pass with the vasectomy.

  • Austaurean on 12/04/2019 - 12:15

    2 cars = 4 booster seats for later, easier than swapping car seats all the time..

    An In-Line stroller rather than side by side, much easier in the shops to navigate,

    also keep a 2 litre ice cream tub in the car when they are older for a sick bucket..

    The woolies baby wipes are quite good, alcohol and scent free..

    • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:18

      Thank you for the ice cream tub contribution

  • TheLurker on 14/04/2019 - 06:35

    One tip not mentioned… OzBargain codes for Youfoodz kept us going for first 3 months. At $5-6 a meal, it was more about time saving.

    • FoxJump on 14/04/2019 - 09:18

      Cheers

  • Kiz on 17/04/2019 - 19:30

    Hey mate, I've just become a new dad (last Monday the 8th). We did a while lot of things which a lot of people on here have advised. Always check Facebook marketplace for items, there are so many cheap/free things to find. In Melbourne, there are things called Bumblebee markets which are effectively people selling their second hand items at cheap prices.
    Ask for help from friends and family where you can and don't be shy of hand me downs.
    If you are buying onesies, always look for ones with zips…..buttons suck!
    If your wife can, try and breastfeed, it will save a tonne in formula and is good for the babies. Most public systems will help with lactation consultants if your wife struggles with it at the start.
    Best of luck with it, I'm so glad I have little Hudson in my life now!

  • clarebear on 19/04/2019 - 14:39

    I haven’t read through all the other comments but don’t purchase 2nd hand car seats, you don’t know if they have been in an accident causing hairline fractures. They also have to be washed a certain way to maintain the fire retardant fabric. Join “Child Restraints. Is your child restrained properly” on facebook if you have an account. Its an Australian page that will tell you what seats are suitable for your cars and lots of info regarding extended rear facing, different seat types and proper installs.

    • FoxJump on 04/05/2019 - 19:39

      I bought second hand capsules from a place that hires them out.
      I expect a place the hires out capsules as part of their business will check them thoroughly.

      *fingerscrossed

  • FoxJump on 04/05/2019 - 12:46

    An update.
    1x second hand double pram purchased (inline). $900 (rrp $2000)
    2x ex-hire capsules purchased ($179 each. Cheaper than renting)
    12x bonds wondersuit at $10 each with giftcard

    1x freebie side-by-side doublepram from a friend
    1x freebie 6m to 4 year seat from a friend

    • AussieMark on 04/05/2019 - 17:16

      Congrats. Did you get the buy one get one free child discount at the hospital?

      • FoxJump on 04/05/2019 - 17:52

        Hehe.
        Kids aren't born yet.
        The having twins means that
        a) You visit the hospital every two weeks for scans, and
        b) The fact that the hospital is booked out for scans - does not apply to us
        :)

        I'll leave the cot, and clothes and breast pump to later.
        I'm done buying stuff for now.

    • spackbace on 04/05/2019 - 20:50

      12x bonds wondersuit at $10 each with giftcard

      Cheap, but be careful buying too many baby clothes. Never know if they'll be tiny and need 00000, or big big boofas and need 000-00

      • FoxJump on 04/05/2019 - 22:09
        +1

        Yep. Aware.
        We bought some
        And won't be buying more until people start gifting gifts :)

      • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2019 - 13:51

        Let's hope for OP's wife's sake that the babies are more on the smaller size…😳

        • spackbace on 06/05/2019 - 13:53

          Could always end up being a slice & dice though regardless

          • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2019 - 13:59

            @spackbace: They usually are for twins. Mine came 2 days before the scheduled c-section date and my son was born in our driveway. He was tiny and so wet and slippery.

            • FoxJump on 07/05/2019 - 11:59

              @[Deactivated]: Crikey.

              • [Deactivated] on 07/05/2019 - 20:04

                @FoxJump: It was the most horrifying but also the most wonderful moment of my life :) Our third child was born at the Royal Women's and we felt so pampered. We were offered gas and tea :) Everyone was so kind and caring. I highly recommend a hospital birth.

                • FoxJump on 13/05/2019 - 12:30

                  @[Deactivated]: Gas?

                  • [Deactivated] on 13/05/2019 - 12:36

                    @FoxJump: Laughing gas

                    The gas given to women in labour is a mixture of nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen; sometimes known as laughing gas. It helps take the edge off the pain during a contraction. It is inhaled during a contraction through a mask or a mouthpiece. You may feel a little nauseous or light-headed and you may have dry mouth for a short time. There are no after effects for you or your baby.

                    Link

                    Edit: I probably should add, that we decided to go public over private because my mrs is a tightass true ozbargainer at heart. We have no regrets: the care and service were top-notch.

                  • [Deactivated] on 13/05/2019 - 12:53

                    @FoxJump: The Mrs barely had any of the gas.She wanted to "be in the moment" and "feel every single contractions" because she knew it was going to be her last pregnancy. I had a couple of puffs when no one was looking and it made me giddy.Happy giddy :)

  • john009 on 14/05/2019 - 16:00

    Be prepared for many sleepless nights (yes, both of you as they always wake up screaming at the same time..!)

    Congrats. sometimes they do. But when they don't you will be super tired, like one baby just finished crying and then another start. But don't worry, you will push through those days and became more resilience and patience parent.

  • FoxJump on 14/04/2020 - 19:09
    +2

    Updates:
    - They're 7 months now.
    - Enjoying the discounted Aptamil formula. They didn't like Aldi.
    - Nappies, was using Aldi ones until Covid19 then we buy from BigW with delivery.
    - Food: Some potato/carrot/sweet potato for them to munch + heaps of the tube/envolpey/premade stuff from the shop.
    - iCandy Orange - Great Pram! Except on sideways inclines.
    - Had to move to a bigger house so each kid could have his own room - otherwise impossible for them to sleep good.
    - Neither sleeps through the night on all nights. Feeds every 3hrs or so.
    - Were born 2.5 and 2.7kg, so hospital staff said FEED FEED FEED … so now feed = sleep :(
    - Babbly
    - Not as developed as other babies in the mothers group. I say, with twins - less than half the love each -! Too many things to do, not enough time to do developmental play.
    - Baby monitor is 2x TPLink Tapo cameras and an Android table running Onvifer.
    - TPLink Kasa Wifi switches to control the heaters in their room.
    - Clothes from all over the place.
    - Bonds clothes aren't dryer friendly - they shrink!
    - Love to dream swaddles ARE dryer friendly. Their sleeps suits ARE NOT.
    - Very tired.

    • paaj on 15/04/2020 - 14:02

      Good to hear your update mate. Mine just turned two and they're still wearing clothes for 1 year olds. Don't worry about it, they'll grow and develop on their own time.
      The sleep gets better and you'll get less tired. This is one thing i'm very thankful for. A full night's rest.
      In a few months you'll see them playing with you and each other a lot more!
      I dont particularly think things get easier; the problems change and you just get used to it more.

      feel free to PM if you ever need any support. i'm no expert, but we all try and help each other!

      • FoxJump on 15/04/2020 - 20:21

        Thanks for the message and offer of support via PM's if needed. I think we're over the worst bits. These days they can entertain themselves on the play pen either individually or together. It's one load off our shoulders.

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