Congratulations, mama!
You are about to begin one of the most amazing journeys of your life.
But how do you know when to start buying baby stuff?
This guide is written with budgeting and some reassurance in mind and features ideas for:
- is it bad luck to buy baby stuff early
- when to start buying baby things
- should I find out my baby’s gender
- when is it too late to shop for baby
- things to consider when buying baby stuff
- when to start buying diapers when pregnant
- honest advice for buying baby furniture
- honest tips for buying baby clothes
- what not to buy for baby before it’s born
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I could earn a commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase using them.
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When to Start Buying Baby Stuff
Finding out you’re pregnant is a life-changing experience!
So, it’s natural to want to celebrate by picking up a few things.
But, when is it time to buy baby things?
Do you need to buy all the baby stuff right away?
Is it bad luck? Is it too early? Too late?
I have a feeling you’ll like what you hear!
Is it Bad Luck to Buy Baby Stuff Early?
Buying things for your baby early on (before 12 weeks) isn’t going to impact the outcome of your pregnancy.
If you don’t believe me, ask your healthcare provider 😉
But I can understand the fear because I’ve been there.
I miscarried twice between my two girls and didn’t purchase a single baby item before having those miscarriages!
Unfortunately, my angel babies were just called to heaven early.
My fourth pregnancy was then deemed high risk based on those losses.
I started shopping at 4 weeks pregnant the first time
Two and a half years earlier (in 2016), I found out I was 4 weeks pregnant with my first daughter, when my husband and I were on a family trip to Croatia.
I was so excited and wanted to buy a few checkered baby clothes because I wasn’t sure when we’d go back next with a growing family (and good luck finding Croatian jerseys for babies in Canada).
I’m not going to lie to you though – back then, I wondered if it was bad luck to buy baby stuff early too!
But four years later, my second baby is now wearing those Croatian soccer jerseys that we bought for our first daughter 🙂
The moral of the story is that your shopping habits won’t cause a loss – unfortunately, miscarriages are often the result of chromosomal abnormalities.
I hope that sharing this personal experience puts your mind at ease!
When To Start Buying Baby Things
Consider the following timelines for purchasing baby stuff.
They’ll help you with preventing too much clutter early on AND sticking to a budget.
First Trimester
Your first trimester is the perfect time to pick up a couple of cute little trinkets!
Pregnancy is such an exciting journey and those teeny tiny pieces can make you feel like you’re bonding with your baby even before you get to meet him or her.
But keep in mind – purchasing baby items this early on is more of a fun thing for mom than it is an essential for baby.
I’d recommend picking up a couple of cute things like onesies, sleepers, or even a white noise machine during your first trimester because it’s a way to celebrate the good news you’ve just received.
If you prefer to wait until your risk of miscarriage decreases though, between 13 to 14 weeks is another good time to start shopping for some small items.
The risk of loss becomes around 1% at this point.
Second Trimester
Enjoy your second trimester as much as you can!
It’s a nice break between the nausea and aversions of the first trimester and the physical discomfort that’s coming when you hit the third.
If you didn’t already do so during the first, you’ll want to use your second trimester to take care of any chores on your before baby arrives to-do list and pick up pregnancy necessities.
They’ll make the final trimester THAT MUCH easier.
This is especially important to do before you hit your 28th week of pregnancy!
Things like back pain, leg cramps, and fatigue* may be at an all time high during your third trimester and you won’t feel like doing much if you don’t take care of yourself!
You may even want to pick up everything on your newborn shopping list before the third trimester.
Third Trimester
Your final 12 weeks of pregnancy may have you feeling sluggish and uncomfortable.
But if you prefer to spread out your purchases, consider shopping during both your second and third trimesters.
Does baby stuff ever go on sale?
Yes, and splitting the expensive purchases by a few months can help with budgeting as can shopping during major baby sales events.
Because sometimes you can take advantage of HUGE discounts.
For instance, I bought our SNOO in October when I was 6 months pregnant because:
- it was marked down to 20% off
- I had a membership that gave me an additional 20% off
- and I snagged an email subscription coupon for an ANOTHER 10% off
So, sign up for email lists and always search for discount codes online before you complete your purchase.
Another way to save a ton of money on baby things is to shop Facebook Marketplace and auction-style bidding groups.
Babies grow so fast that new parents often overbuy clothing, diapers, etc. so you’ll frequently come across baby products with the tags still on them or in the boxes!
Should I find out my baby’s gender?
Personally, both of my girls were surprises and I absolutely loved finding out the gender of my babies after I gave birth to them.
It also forced us to buy more neutral outfits to start which broke up all of the pink that I went buck wild over later, haha.
But if you are dying to know your baby’s gender, find out!
It can help with some purchasing decisions if you want to be specific with things like:
- clothing
- nursery decor (should you choose to set one up)
- stroller cover color
- infant car seat color
- diaper bag color
- baby carrier color
But from a mama who’s done it twice, there’s something pretty special about finding out your baby’s gender on the day you meet them for the first time!
When Is It Too Late To Shop For Baby?
It’s never too late!
Thank you, Amazon Prime, haha!
But in all seriousness, we live in a very spoiled time.
Our mothers, grandmothers, and all of their mothers before them didn’t have the same luxuries and technology that we do when it comes to preparing for a new baby.
And I hope that it gets even easier for our daughters!
But realistically, the only things you NEED to buy for your baby before he or she arrives are:
- car seat
- diapers
- diaper cream
- sleepers
- hats and mittens
- swaddles
- vitamin D
- bassinet (or other safe sleeping location)
Everything else is a bonus!
Things To Consider When Starting To Buy Baby Stuff
It’s easy to go overboard – especially when you’re pregnant for the first time (I know I did).
So, stick to a newborn essentials checklist and take note of the items you’ve purchased.
If you plan on having a baby shower, you should also be careful not to buy everything on your registry before your family and friends have a chance to gift you some of those things.
When To Start Buying Diapers When Pregnant
I stocked up on diapers for my second baby on Prime Day.
I bought:
- one box of newborn size
- one box of size one
- one box of size two
Unless you’re trying to save a few bucks by shopping during a sale, you don’t need to buy diapers until you’re 32+ weeks pregnant.
Because even if your baby is early, he or she would not be released from the hospital until your healthcare provider deems it safe (often full-term).
Buying Baby Furniture
Ideal safe sleeping guidelines recommend the babies sleep in the same room as their parents for the first year.
You don’t need the cute furniture, fancy crib, or anything else that Buy Buy Baby tries to sell you!
What your baby NEEDS is a safe space for sleeping and his or her mother close by.
I can’t say enough good things about the SNOO – I wish I had this with my first baby (she didn’t sleep longer than 6 hours at a time until 9 months)!
This thing has saved me hours of sleep, hours of time spent walking around (trying to get my baby to sleep), and my sanity!
It’s like having a second set of hands to help out which is especially useful if you’re on your own with two kids most of the time.
Buying Baby Clothes
Trust me – the easier the better.
Cute outfits are fun but they are NOT practical for doctor’s appointments and family visits.
I would take a comfortable newborn in a sleeper over a trendy screaming baby in a car seat any day – because driving with a newborn can be really stressful when you do it the first few times.
Stick to sleepers or, if you live somewhere hot, invest in a couple of onesies as well.
What NOT to Buy for Baby Before it’s Born
Here’s a list of baby items I regret buying before my first and second babies:
Crib
Cribs are beautiful pieces of furniture but they’re expensive – especially since newborn babies HATE sleeping in them.
Newborns have a sensitive startle reflex (formally known as the Moro reflex) and after spending 9 months crammed in the womb, all of that space to stretch their arms is scary!
This is exactly why swaddling is a must for calming new babies and what makes the SNOO such a genius product.
I ended up co-sleeping with my first baby and bought a SNOO bassinet for my second (because the first was such a terrible sleeper, haha).
Here’s a throwback to the crib we spent way too much money on and never used for our first daughter!
Pacifiers
Bottles and pacifiers are the epitome of baby accessories, right?
Well, we didn’t end up using either and you may be the same!
This is one of those things that’s so cheap and readily available on Amazon should you choose to go this route.
This is me one week overdue with my first baby – both of my girls needed eviction notices, haha!
Breast Pump
I was adamant about pumping with my first baby but never even ended up using a bottle for her!
Breast pumps are super expensive and a final sale item at most vendors so, it’s just not worth investing in until AFTER your little one arrives.
When I was pregnant with my second baby, my sister found a Medela Sonata pump for me on clearance for just $200 and I figured, what the heck!
Well, my second baby girl is 4 months old now and I STILL haven’t used it, haha.
I have dusted it off in hopes of using it to produce extra milk for her purees though – I just haven’t had luck with a manual pump.
Baby Shoes
They are super cute for photos and pregnancy announcements but trust me – your baby’s feet will probably never even touch their crib shoes.
Both of my newborns spent their first 12 weeks in sleepers!
It just made life so much easier for them to be comfortable – especially being in and out of doctor’s appointments so often for the first few weeks.
Newborn Size Diapers
This one might come as a shock to some but my second baby wore size one diapers from the moment she entered this world (she weighed over 8 pounds)!
Since I bought diapers on sale for Prime Day, I ended up with a box of 100% unused diapers.
Since my oldest wore the newborn size for over a month though, I definitely didn’t expect that.
I’d recommend buying a small bag of newborn diapers instead of a big box like I did – it might end up saving you $20 if you end up with a big baby that wears size one from the start!
It’s not a lot but babies are expensive and $20 here and does start to add up.
A baby that wears diapers that are too small for them is also more prone to diaper blowouts – something I think all new parents definitely want to limit cleaning up, haha.
At the latest, you should start buying baby stuff by the time you reach your 20th week of pregnancy.
Even if you want to purchase the bare minimum, this will give you a good handle on things and allow you to compare products and prices.
But if you can’t wait to get started, consider waiting until you are at least 13 to 14 weeks pregnant for more major purchases.
You can start buying baby things like onesies or sleepers as soon as you find out but you might find them hard to look at in the event of a loss.
Lastly, completing all your newborn baby shopping is ideal between the end of your second trimester (27 weeks) and the middle of your third trimester (around 32 weeks).
Now, I want to know – what was or will be the first baby item you purchase after finding out you’re pregnant?
Say hello on Instagram or leave a note in the comments below 🙂
Congratulations on your pregnancy, mama!
Wishing you health and so much joy along the way.
Nikki Slivarich
Writer
Blessed mama of two beautiful little girls. I’m a full-time blogger and social media content creator who teaches moms and boss babes how to start an online business. Follow me on social for clever ideas to make money using the platforms you already love!