When to Buy Nursery Furniture to Save Money

One of the fun parts about pregnancy is planning your little one’s nursery. You get to browse nursery ideas and start buying baby furniture and baby gear.

In order to save money and plan for your baby girl or baby boy, you need to know what you really need for the new baby before you shop. Some things to consider before buying baby furniture is to look at the space and the room that will be the nursery. Whether you are in the second trimester or third trimester, good planning is the best way to save money on nursery furniture!

When to start buying baby stuff during pregnancy?

Once you start to tell friends and family that you are expecting a little one, your pregnancy will start to get really real and really fast! This also means you should start your planning.

Most people use the first trimester to collect nursery ideas on Pinterest and start really looking at the space for where the furniture and baby items will go. It is a good idea to start with some basic measurements and a layout.

I like to take a blank piece of paper and block out the shape of the room, and then add measurements of each of the walls. For instance, you may have multiple windows or closets that break up your wall space and you will want to know how wide those spaces are for furniture.

Most of us will buy some items in store and some items online, so it is best to start with a cheat sheet of the measurements of the space available. This will keep you from accidently buying a piece of furniture too big for your space and will end up blocking a window or closet door.

Once you have your room layout, then you can start doing research on the pieces you think you will want in the nursery. For instance, you may already know that you want a crib, changing table, and dresser. Or you may only want a pack n play with changing table attachment.

There are so many different options of baby furniture, so before you buy anything you need to figure out what you want. Once you know what you want then you can start looking in person or online to find the items that will best fit your space.

Only once you have decided what you want, found it at multiple locations and compared prices, then you should consider buying the nursery furniture. Keep in mind that if you order nursery furniture sets online, it may take 5-7 weeks for it to be delivered.

Some new moms want to wait until a certain pregnancy week like 16 (4 months) before they start making any big purchases, and others want to wait later until week 24 (6 months). It really comes down to each individual person.

You may not want to wait until the 3rd trimester of your pregnancy to order furniture if it needs to be assembled. As a mom of 2, trying to build furniture with an ever-growing bump can be way more difficult than you think.

If you find a really good deal in your first trimester of pregnancy, you may want to look at the store’s return or exchange policy. You may not assemble or set up the furniture for months, so if the return policy is only 30 days you will need to know that incase the item you purchase turns out to not be what you want, it is damaged or missing pieces.

Who should buy the baby crib?

Unlike a wedding where the tradition is for the bride’s family to pay for the wedding, there is no set tradition when it comes to buying a crib for the baby.

In some families, the grandparents or great grandparents may offer to purchase bigger ticket items to help the new mom and dad furnish a nursery. This is usually based on if they can afford to help with the more expensive items.

If you do have an offer from the new grandparents to buy baby furniture as a gift, you may want to let them know exactly what you are looking for and any specifications like color and size. This will help ensure that the items work in your space.

Another great idea is to go ahead and make a baby registry for larger items just for family or friends that may want to help with bigger expenses. Then you can make a separate baby registry for smaller items like diapers and burp cloths for a baby shower later on.

Some of the bigger ticket items that will add up fast include a car seat, a bassinet, a crib and a dresser. Some friends and family may also want to pass down some bigger ticket items to you instead of you having to buy new ones.

Baby Hand Me Down Etiquette

If you are living on a tight budget and getting ready to have a baby, you will probably gladly accept any hand me downs that will be helpful for your nursery. There are some items that you may want to accept and there are a few that you should pass on.

Accept these Hand Me Downs for Baby

The following items are always great things to accept that have previously been used by another family. These items will not only save you money, but they will also allow you to try out some items you may not have bought on your own.

1. Baby Clothing– Baby clothes are so cute and honestly, they are addicting to buy. The cost of baby clothes can be very expensive as well, so anytime someone offers me a bag of gently used baby clothes, I am jumping at the chance. Typically, these hand me downs may have been sitting in storage or in a bag for a while, so I like to go ahead and wash them in baby laundry soap before putting them away.
2. Rocking Chairs or Nursing Chairs – Rocking chairs, recliners, or other sitting furniture for a nursery will definitely come in handy and it is totally acceptable to use second hand. I would give the items a good cleaning and if the item has upholstery make sure there are no holes or lingering smells. These can be signs that the item has not been kept up and you won’t want them in your nursery.
3. Bouncy Seats and Swings – These items can get very expensive and if someone is willing to pass one down to you, then you definitely want to accept it. Keep in mind to look to make sure all parts like plugs are included, and that the item is clean. If the seat or swing is dirty or has lots of stains, you will want to thoroughly clean the item first. If the padded or cloth items are dirty, you will want to check if it can be put in the washing machine. Some manufacturers also sell replacement cloth pieces for pretty inexpensive, so that may be an option as well. A new fabric seat cover can make the bouncy seat or swing like new all over again.
4. Changing Tables – If your nursery furniture set does not come with a changing table and it is on your want list, getting a used one can be a great addition to your nursery. Unlike a crib, the changing table doesn’t have as many safety concerns for getting a second hand one. You will probably want to get a new cover or padding if the used one is cracked or showing too much wear.
5. Baby Bathtubs – These items are a must have, but babies tend to grow out of them quickly, so as long as the used bathtub is plastic and does not show signs of mildew or mold it is definitely an acceptable hand me down. If it is one that includes mesh fabric, just make sure that it looks clean and not frayed or has holes in.
6. Play Pens – Both of my babies actually preferred a playpen to a crib, so we used our play pen for almost the first two years with both kids. Keep a look out for any holes in the mesh or anything that would lessen it’s safety. We like to use crib sheets that fit the play pen to keep the padding from getting dirty from diapers or food. You can also buy replacement pads for pack and plays. As long as the playpen is clean and has no lingering smells, you should be fine.

Pass on these Hand Me Downs for Baby

There are some hand me downs that really just need to be passed on in most cases. That is because the items on this list have very strict safety standards.

1. Crib – Most people will tell you not to use a secondhand crib, and I will agree in most cases. We were actually handed down a crib that was kept at a grandparent’s house that was barely used. This is the exception to this rule. If the crib being passed down to you was barely used/never used or has no signs of wear, then you may want to consider accepting it.
2. Crib Mattress – just like bed mattresses, you will always want to buy a new crib mattress. Even if it has the leak proof plastic cover, it is best to go ahead and purchase a new one for your baby to sleep on. Crib mattresses are relatively inexpensive, so you should make room in your budget for this one.
3. Car Seats – Car Seats are usually a very big expense and it is tempting to use a hand me down one, but it is not safe. Every time you have a new baby, you really need a new car seat. I don’t even recommend reusing an infant carrier between siblings. Let’s face it, babies and toddlers are messy, and they can destroy a car seat. Even if you know that a car seat wasn’t in a car accident, you won’t know if the car seat was damaged by improper cleaning or products used on the car seat that will void the warranty and safety measures. Plus, car seats typically only have a 6-year expiration date as well as have frequent recalls. It is best to just buy a new car seat.
4. Strollers and High Chairs– These may seem like good things to pass along, but strollers and high chairs are very similar to car seats in that they tend to get dirty very easily and they are not always easy to clean. A lot of strollers are also part of a travel system including the car seat. If the stroller is the jogging type then it may be ok to pass down if it is still in relatively new condition. Just like the tires on a car, the wheels on strollers do wear down and some can be replaced. Check with the manufacturer to see if replacement wheels are available for the particular model.

Whenever you do accept hand me down or secondhand gifts, ownership will need to be established. So many friendships and families have been strained over these types of gifts.

In order to keep the peace with all parties involved, make sure to ask the person doing the passing down if they would like the items back once the child has outgrown them.

Some families may have more children later and would like the items back. Other families may be done having kids, but have someone else in mind they want to loan the item to later.

It is best to clear this up at the beginning before you even accept the item into your home. It would also be kind, to ask the gift giver what they would like you to do with the items once you are done using them. They may ask that you pass them along to another family or may tell you to do whatever you like with them, including selling the item.

Be sure to write down the instructions from the gift giver, so that you don’t accidently forget and offend someone or sell an item that they wanted back.

When does Nursery Furniture go on sale? (And how often)

Furniture generally goes on sale when other holidays are less obvious. Typically, furniture goes on sale during the summer months and the end of winter.

This is strategic sales timing because during the summertime people are outside and going on vacations, so people are less liking to be going furniture shopping. A good sale is usually enough to encourage people to go shopping. You will normally see Memorial Day or End of Summer sales during this time.

Same thing happens in December and January, most shoppers are focused on Christmas Shopping or recovering from too much holiday shopping, so they are less likely to go furniture shopping. Furniture stores know this, so they offer big sales and deals during this time to sway customers into making purchases when traffic is naturally lower for them. This is when you see President’s Day sales.

You wouldn’t offer a big sale or deal if you already had a lot of customers coming to buy, so sales on furniture are traditionally a marketing gimmick to get people to buy during their slow times.

If you find your dream nursery furniture set or individual piece of furniture at an online retailer or physical store, then you should start scouting out their upcoming sales. The easiest way to do this is to sign up for an email list or newsletter.

This way whenever they are having a sale or special offer you will be notified. Then you can decide if that sale or offer is the best deal for your furniture.

Another way to scout out prices at multiple stores for the same furniture piece, is to set up google price alerts. Setting up a price alert on a specific product is really easy and will let you know whenever the price goes up or goes down. Check out this easy step by step to setting up Google Price Alerts to get notifications in your inbox.

If you are shopping in store, I would recommend doing a simple online search for “2021 Baby Sale at X Store”. (You will put the name of the store like Target in place of the X.) This will more than likely give you results from previous sales that were in the last year.

You can take this a step further and use different previous years like 2020, 2019, and 2018 so that you can see if this store typically puts baby furniture or baby items on sale at around the same time every year and how often these sales occur.

For instance, Walmart typically has a Baby Month in September every year. If you want any items from Walmart and September will be here soon, it may be best to wait to see which items will be discounted during their promotion month.

Budgeting for Baby Furniture

It is very easy to get overjoyed and overwhelmed when decorating and furnishing a nursery. It is also really easy to spend more money than you planned.

Just like with any big purchase, if you set a budget before you start buying you will be able to keep yourself from overspending.

Also note, that not all items for baby need to be purchased right away. At the very beginning, a baby truly only needs a place to sleep and clothes to wear.

When you are searching for nursery ideas, take note of the current prices of similar pieces of furniture. For example, you notice that convertible cribs tend to run between $200-500. (Pro tip: you can also google search for “average price of a convertible crib” to get a general idea of what these items will cost.)

Then you will simply make a list of all the furniture items you want to buy and what their average cost will be. The list is a starting point for your budget, and depending on how much you want to spend, you can use this list to prioritize that spending.

Once you and your partner have decided how much you want to spend, then you can work on how you will pay for this. Maybe it will come out of savings, start a savings challenge, or start making more income to pay for the purchases.

I like to go on the higher side of the estimates if my budget allows because I know that I will come in under budget. If you are already living paycheck to paycheck, you may want to have a smaller budget for the nursery and plan to add more later as the child grows.

If you need more help on how to set up a budget, check out “The Super Easy Beginner Budget“.

Also keep in mind that a traditional nursery is set up for children from birth to about 3 years old. By the time your child turns 3, they will probably want to transform their room into a Big Girl or Big Boy room instead of a baby nursery.

If you can afford it, you may want to look into pieces that will grow up with your child like a convertible crib or a neutral color palette. If you are working on a tiny budget, you may want to just get the bare necessities, and maybe start saving up now for a more elaborate child’s room when they are older.

This is probably the worst thing that any pregnant woman wants to hear, but your baby will probably never remember the way their nursery looked. The look and feel of the room are really more about function for the baby and looks for the parents.

If you choose to go very minimal on the baby decor and furniture, you will be just fine. If you can afford to really splurge and have an Instagram worthy nursery, then go for it. Either way, the most important thing is that your baby has a safe place to sleep.

If you are not quite pregnant yet, check out “Are Dollar Tree pregnancy tests accurate?” to save some money on pregnancy tests!