Slash the costs of buying for a new baby

Baby on the way? Just want to go out and buy every cute little thing you see? Businesses know that new mums and dads are the easiest to sell to.

They are trying to ply you with every product under the sun promising to make you and your baby's first few months on this earth so much easier.

All those parents who have been there and done that, however, will tell you that you don't really need half of what you're told to buy.

Here's what to take off the shopping list if money is tight or if you'd rather save a few hundred pounds to bring that first family holiday a little bit closer:

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The Moses basket

Okay, it looks really cute and baby will look so gorgeous tucked up in it. But you don't really need it. Babies have just come out of the womb, so they like to sleep in a cosy compact space, but a cot will take him or her from birth to three and you can make baby feel just as secure in one.

A Moses Basket or cot will feel the same to a well swaddled baby. Moses Baskets start at around £35 and then there's about another £25 on top of this for the stand that you will also probably be persuaded to buy plus the special linen.

Cross it off the list and save: around £75

The crib or cradle

Again you may dream of a beautiful veiled crib in the corner of your nursery, but baby can just go straight into that cot for the reasons mentioned above. Babies grow quickly, they may well be too big for their craddle or Moses basket in a couple of months.

It is advised that babies are kept in their parents' bedroom for the first six months of their lives, so if you can fit a cot into your bedroom, there is no need for anything else. Cribs cost around £70 and on top of this there is the mattress and sheets that will only be used for a short time.

Cross this off the list and save: at least £100

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The cotbed

This is a larger than standard cot that can be turned into a smaller than standard single bed when baby reaches two or three. A toddler will have to sleep in a standard size bed at some point, whether on holiday or at relatives and guess what if you put them straight into a standard-sized bed at two or three they will probably take the same amount of time to get used to it and they will keep getting out of it for the first few days whatever it's size.

Those clever sales assistant will push for you to get a cotbed, because they're gambling that your second child will come along in a couple of years at just the point when baby number one's cotbed is being turned from cot to bed, so you will have to buy a second cot or cot bed for baby number two. So go for the smaller cheaper cot.

You can get a standard cot for around £50 and then there is the mattress and bedding, another £100 or so. Cotbeds start from around £100, plus another £100 for the mattress and bedding and if baby number two comes along quickly, you either end up buying two or putting the eldest straight into a standard bed anyway.

Cross it off the list and save: upwards of £50

Baby baths

New born babies are tiny, they don't need full baths every day, a wipe down with cotton wool and warm water is sufficient and when they do need a full bath your basin or a washing up bowl will be the perfect fit for them.

Just as they outgrow the sink they will outgrow a baby bath too before long, it's another product with a very short shelf life. As baby gets larger she can be bathed in a shallow standard bath and you can use a baby bath support to relieve your tired arms.

Cross it off the list and save: from around £10

Baby towels

As long as it's soft, warm and clean, baby doesn't care how pretty or well-fitted her towel is. Save the room in the linen cupboard and use one of your usual hand towels, moving onto your bath towels as she grows.

Cross it off the list and save: from £15

Nursery furniture

Pretty mini wardrobes with bunny shapes carved into them; chests of drawers with scenes from nursery rhymes and duck head handles; and, clunky changing stations. Not necessary. It will all make your baby cringe by the time he's ready for big school.

Go for sturdy, stylish standard size furniture instead that will take him through to his teens. A changing mat will go on any chest of drawers so there is no need to get a purpose made one.

Cross it all off the list and save: hundreds

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