Preparing To The Best Of Your Abilities: Finances for Mulitples

- Finances - 
Here are a few things to consider:

• Multiples Cost More

Having one baby, let alone two or more babies can be costly. With one baby, you need certain items, such as a car seat and a place for baby to sleep (bassinet, crib, pack n play, co-sleeper, or your bed...),  to name a couple. However, with twins, some things you need two of each, triplets three of each, quadruplets four of each, quintuplets five of each and so forth. For example, if you were to buy this more affordable car seat, Graco Snug Ride Click Connect 30 Infant Safety Carseat for $99.99 (in February 2016), that's a pretty good deal. To buy for twins, this becomes $199.98, almost $200 dollars and $299.97 for triplets, almost $300 dollars!  And that's if you're sticking to car seats around $100 dollars. Car seats can cost in the 100s, 200s, 300s and even 400s! And travel systems - a car seat and stroller set often cost more depending on the brand and accessories your stroller comes with and how many your stroller seats. Although some baby items can be borrowed from family and friends, bought gently used at second-hand stores to save money and reduce the cost of what you have to spend, car seats are one baby item that is supposed to be bought brand new and they expire every 6 years. It is also recommended that if your car seat has been in any accidents to replace them. 

• Less Time To Prepare

Because multiples, such as twins often come earlier than singleton babies, you don't have the luxury of spending an entire pregnancy getting ready for the arrival. According to About.com's article, Top 10 Reasons Twins Are Born Early, "Almost fifty percent of twins are born before 36 weeks gestation, almost a month before a standard 40-week singleton pregnancy" (Fierro, 2014).

• Make Early Decisions

With multiples you have to make earlier decisions, not just because of how early the babies often arrive, but also because those decisions will determine how much money you will be spending on baby supplies and products and what kind you get. According to the article posted on Babble.com, Preparing For Twins, their shopping list recommends 140-200 diapers a week for twins (O'Brien). In the article on Multiples.About.com, How To Save Money on Diapers for Twins, the author says parents of twins will change more than 5,000 diapers in the first year (Fierro, 2016). You have to decide if you will be using disposable or cloth diapers. From the article Twin Parenting Dilemmas: Issues and Choices for Parents of Twins, choosing what kind of diapers is the first decision and choosing to stick to a schedule or feeding on demand is the second. Some parents of twins say doing things on a schedule, such as feeding is the only way to survive, but some parenting experts recommend babies to feed on demand rather than on schedules (Fierro, 2015). You also have to decide if you will be exclusively breastfeeding, pumping, or using formula. Whether you're open to receiving donated breastmilk, if it's from someone you know willing to do it for free, a local group that does it for free, or a professional milk bank that costs money or utilizing a combination of all the options I mentioned. Those considering exclusively using formula instead of breastfeeding, I read in an article written by a mom of twins who stated that with coupons and deals she was able to spend $200-250 dollars a month on infant formula to feed both babies. It is recommended by experts to feed babies breast milk or formula throughout the first year, so a year's worth of formula going by $200-250 means in a year you would spend an estimated amount of $2,400-3,000 dollars on Infant Formula.

- Money Saving Tips -

1) Stock Up When You Are Trying To Conceive
Whenever my husband and I are trying to conceive a baby, I like to stock up on baby products whenever they are on sale and clearance. It gives us a head start to affording the baby things we will need. When I was trying to conceive my first child, my husband and I would buy disposable diapers and wipes on sale and clearance. Be sure not to open any of the products, because products sealed in original containers can often be exchanged if you end up not using or needing it. Baby products, such as disposable diapers, wipes, baby shampoo, soap, lotion and diaper rash cream have a pretty good shelf life. Now, what about if you are interested in using cloth diapers or have used it for your other children and want to continue using them? I did switch to cloth diapers when my first child was 14 months old, but its still the same concept. When trying for my second and third child, I added to my cloth diaper stash when I would find good deals in second-hand stores, on sale online or in local stores, or reasonable deals on E-bay and local cloth diaper swap groups. I've purchased the majority of my cloth diapers stash from E-bay. 

2) When You Are Pregnant Buy In Bulk

Whenever you finally do become pregnant and have had a dating ultrasound to tell you how many babies you are expecting, buying baby items and some pregnancy related products in bulk is a great way to save. Expecting moms can buy prenatal vitamins in bulk. If you use disposable wipes and diapers or infant and toddler formula, buying from stores, such as Costco and Sam's Club will save you more than buying individual packs. You can also buy some baby items in bulk from online stores, such as Amazon.com. Some expert tips from the article,  How To Save Money on Diapers for Twins, is don't buy more supplies than you have room to accommodate and don't buy too many items in one size, such as disposable diapers (Ferrio, 2016). I add this for thought, one thing I like about cloth diapers is they have one size cloth diapers. That one size diaper can be converted to small, medium, and large. Sometimes extra small too.  If you buy this in bulk, you do not know have to worry about having too many diapers in one size, as it can be converted to all stages. The only downside is, of course, some babies under 8-10 lbs may not fit in these diapers depending on the brand until they weigh more. If you aren't sure what baby items you can buy in bulk here is a list of items to give you an idea: 

• Disposable Wipes
• Disposable Diapers
• Infant / Toddler Formula
• Baby Food
• Hand sanitizer
• Baby Lotion
• Baby Soap
• Baby Shampoo
• Laundry Detergent
• Baby & Kid Medicine

3) When Possible Buy Used, Sale or Clearance

Now that you have  a baby on the way, there may be some products you want to get or try. Instead of buying it at full price, look to  get it one on sale and clearance or gently used from local selling groups or second-hand stores. This is a great tip for buying baby products, such as tummy mats, diaper bags, bouncers, pack n plays, changing tables, strollers, baby clothes and so forth.

4) Use Coupons
If you get any coupons in the mail or see any in the sales paper use them to help reduce the cost of baby items you are planning to buy. Some stores like Target will also give you coupons with your recepit after you have purchased some baby products.

5) Target Cart Wheel App
If you have a smart phone, this maybe a smart way to save. This is a free app by Target that you will have to download onto your phone. It allows you to see different sales and deals going on at your local target store. When you check out, the cashier will scan the code on your phone and it gives you all the sale prices and discounts. It's basically electronic coupons.

6) Make A Baby Registry

Whether you have a baby shower or not, another great way to save is to have a baby registry where family, friends, co-workers, church members, anyone wanting to get a gift to help you out can access a list of your must-haves and wants for your baby or babies. I have also been told after you pass your due date, stores that you are registered at will often send you coupons or deals to help you afford some of your remaining items.

7) Have A Baby Shower

A baby shower goes hand and hand with having a baby registry. This is a time where those wanting to support and celebrate your pregnancy with you, can bring you gifts from your registry, money, and / or diapers. A mom expecting multiples is definitely going to need supplies, such as diapers and wipes, and, even more, baby products for the things that they need two of and may only have one of from a previous child. Now everyone has different baby shower etiquette, some are you can only have one baby shower period, some is you can only have two, one for each sex, you can have another if you're having a baby with different partner and others are first baby, opposite sex or multiples, another is big baby shower for a first baby and a small baby shower called a sprinkle for a second baby. It also depends on some of these factors: the comfort level of the expecting mom/couple, how they feel about baby showers, if they want one, what baby number it is and if they feel like they need any help affording their baby items. 

8) Exchange Unnecessary Baby Gifts for Diapers (or other items you need)

Save all those gift receipts in case you get any unnecessary baby item or some of the same items that you don't need multiples of. If you have any item you would like to return but you don't have a gift receipt,  if it is a specific store brand's product, such as Parent's Choice is a brand sold by Wal-mart, you can explain it was a baby shower gift and you would like to exchange it. As long as the item is sealed, in its original packaging and not damaged it shouldn't be a problem. It can, however, become a problem if the item you are returning is a seasonal item, an item they are no longer selling or an older model that has been upgraded and you don't have a receipt.

- Sources -

1. Fierro, Pamela Prindle. "Reasons Twins Are Born Early." About.com Health. About Health, 3 June 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://multiples.about.com/od/pregnancy/tp/Why-Twins-are-Born-Early.htm>.

2. Fierro, Pamela Prindle. "11 Biggest Dilemmas for Parents of Twins."About.com Health. About Health, 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. <http://multiples.about.com/od/familyissues/tp/Twin-Parenting-Dilemmas.htm>.

3. Fierro, Pamela Prindle. "How to Save Money on Diapers for Twins." About.com Health. About Health, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. <http://multiples.about.com/od/twinfants/ht/moneysavediaper.htm>.

4. O'Brien, Meredith. "Preparing for Twins: Advice for Getting Ready for Delivering Twins." Babble by Disney. Disney, 01 Sept. 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.babble.com/pregnancy/preparing-twins-pregnancy/>.

Last Edited: June 28, 2017