A baby is coming in a few months' time!  After the happy news, you want to go straight to the stores and buy all those cutie stuff.

Hey!  Cool down a bit.  That will be the worst mistake you can make.  There is no hurry at all.  After all, you have at least another 6 months to do all the shopping which you can actually do in two or three days.  The time can be better utilised to make sure that you don't buy too many things or buy all the wrong things.

How?

You reach the store, bursting with enthusiasm to buy all the good stuff (after all, only the best will do for your baby).  But before long, you are completely overwhelmed by the range of products available in the stores.  Not only are there so many different kinds of products manufacturers try to convince you that either you or your baby will need, within the same product group, e.g. bottles, there are so many different types you really don't know which to buy.

So how?  Take time to do the following :
1. Research - read up, check the web, etc. Visit the stores to look at the products first.
2. Ask around - ask your friends, relatives, parents what they find useful/useless, etc.
3. Find hand me downs - it's the cheapest way to have a feel of the products before going out to buy new ones for your baby.  To save money, let your baby use the hand-me-downs.

When to Buy?

Try to buy during sales period, such as year end sales, Christmas sales, etc.  You will save a lot of money.  If there is a sale going on now but your baby is not due for another 5 months, don't worry.  Wait.  There are sales all year round.  Sometimes, department stores have special baby fair where you can get everything in one place, instead of running around several stores.

Some people prefer to take their time, buy a bit at a time, so they start earlier.  For me, I prefer to do all the shopping in one go.  It is wiser not to start too early (e.g. when you are 3 months pregnant) 'cos you may realise later on that 'cos you didn't take the time to research, you bought the wrong things. People may pass you hand-me-downs or give you gifts later on.   Also, you may not want all the baby stuff to clutter up your home, taking up space and collecting dust.

Yet on the other hand, it's no good to do everything last minute.  It really depends on your condition.  Some women with problematic pregnancy may need more bed rest during the 3rd trimester.  Even for women with normal pregnancy, it gets more and more tedious to walk around, or stand on their feet too long, during the final trimester.  Furthermore, some of you may have your babies born early.  Therefore, it is not advisable that you do the bulk of your shopping during the final weeks of your pregnancy.

Conclusion : Shop later but not too late.