Seeking Emergency Help

HI N.

You are welcome to my baby boy stuff - I've got blankets and bed linens, some clothes, a baby bath, high chair, stroller (and I think the car seat that fits in). I live in the West Bloomfield area. My little one is five now so it's a bit dusty as it has been in my basement. If this is of any use please let me know - Alison

N., I have tons of boy clothes I can give you and coats. I can send them to you. I have some formula also. Send me a message on where I can send these items to you. Good luck.

I have a bunch of random things I am giving away. They include couple cans of Enfamil formula, organic and nonorganic baby food in a jar, boxes of cereal, clothes, toys, etc. I could get them to you however you wish. I have a one year old who grew out of these things before I used them. Let me know how and if you would like to get these things. My email address is ____@____.com

Natassia ~
A couple things you listed aren't really "necesseties." More like "wants."
You don't need a bottle warmer....put the bottle in a mug or container, run some hot water over it in the sink, shake it up...only takes a minute or so.
It's cheaper yet to breast-feed (no cost at all!), but I know that it's not for everyone.
Also, you don't need a baby bathtub. I used our sink, it was big enough, and much easier on my back! As he got bigger, I just used the regular tub with a couple inches of water in it and a towel underneath him so the tub didn't feel so cold.
There are alot of resources that can help you, too. Have you looked into WIC? They will help with milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, etc. during your pregnancy, and formula and more after you deliver. Up to the age of 5.
Try any crisis pregnancy center or planned parenthood, they often have blankets, diapers, bottles and other supplies that have been donated.
There are also second-hand stores around with decent prices, like Once Upon A Child. Also check out mom-to-mom sales...they're often listed on Craig's List.
Good Luck!
it will get better!
D.

honestly...some of those things are a waste...the baby bath tub is a pain in the butt...i had one, and used it once...the kitchen sink is much easier to maneuver. Or I just took a bath in the bathtub, and took the baby in with me. the bottle warmer is nice and convenient...but you can live without it...do you have a crock pot? keep it filled with water at night and on...same thing...just grab the bottle and warm it. blankets and clothing...go to your local charity...those things are usually available there. Or if you belong to a church...people are ALWAYS willing to help with things for a new baby...
congratulations on your little blessing!

If you live in the Bay City area, there are two places that offer help. Beacon of Hope is on Salzburg and The Cat's Meow is out on Center. Both offer help with these type of needs.

Melody R.

If you are in the Holland area I would imagine Lakeshore Pregnancy Center would help.

Hi N.,
I am not sure where you live but here in Brighton each week on Tuesdays a certain church gives away free clothes, baby items, food etc. I go past the church all the time and have forgotten the name. I can get it for you if you are interested. Also try the Planned Parenthood Program.
I think they help with those sort of needs. I believe there are Goverment Funded programs that can help you too.
Also call the Salvation Army and tell them of your needs. They can help get you items.
I wish I could help you out myself. My son is now 7 years old and I no longer have any baby items.
I wish you the best of luck and best wishes for a easy, smooth and wonderful delivery.
M..

Are in the Cedar Springs MI area? I would like to help if so.

I would try signing up for a website called freecycle and posting your wants on that site. It is for people who are looking to get of rid of things, but don't wish to throw them away. Good luck.

C.

Try Once Upon a Child in Canton. It's on Ford Road and they have tons of stuff that really cheap.

where are you located? I may have some things ... but will have to get time to dig it out of storage... not certain all that is left... but I feel pretty sure there is a tub and some clothes

I'm an active member of Freecycle in western wayne county. We are able to ask for items that folks are no longer using and also post items that your done using. There are many folks offering baby items regularly.

Check us out. Freecycle is a Yahoo group. Go into Yahoo Groups and type in Freecycle and find the group closest to your area.

J.

Congratulations N. on the birth of your baby boy!! Your first?

In the Jackson area Birthline does an excellent job of connecting Moms and resources.

Do you need a ride?

blessings on you and baby!
M.

Many areas have a "baby pantry" type thing too. Shiawassee County area has one in the First Baptist Church of Owosso 2nd and 4th mondays of the month. Skip the bottle warmer, haven't found one yet that i LIKED.
Check your WIC office, Even if you don't qualify for that, they usually know the good sources of help forpeople needing it in your area.
Good luck,
C.

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your son! Check out Craig's List, Mom2Mom sales and your local newspaper want ads. Better yet, ask your friends and family to borrow some of their used baby items.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/
http://www.mom2momlist.com/

I hope that you are considering breastfeeding your baby because it is so much cheaper and easier than using formula! The bond between you and your baby is wonderful and breastfeeding produces a naturally relaxing hormone that is great to decrease stress. I have already given all my baby stuff away (my son is 4), otherwise I would give some things to you. Blessings to you and your little one.

Hi N., you may want to call Compassion Pregnancy
Center of Macomb. They are there for girls in situations
like yours. Their Phone # is ###-###-####. Mom-Fri 9:00 a.m. till 4:00P.M. They can give you numbers of centers in Detroit if that would be closer to you. God Bless
you and may everything be clean and pure around you as you deliever your precious new baby, In Jesus' name. K.

Hi Natassia,

I'd suggest checking our craigslist.com or better yet join freecycle.com
Freecycle are for people giving things away. You can also check local social agencies, WIC (they might be able to put you in touch with the right people), charitable organizations. If you attend a local place of worship, check with them. They might be able to put you in touch with many options.

Best of luck with your new bundle of joy.

Where are you located? Have you checked re-sale shops for clothing and bathtub? I would love to help, but my baby boy is only 7 weeks. Also, don't bother with a bottle warmer unless you get one for free. I found it didn't work well (bought one with my daughter) and returned it. Now I just use room temp water.

I should also say I have some samples of formula as well I would be happy to send you. Your ped. should give you some as well.

Good luck to you and congrats on your baby boy!

Go to craigslist.com (http://detroit.craigslist.org/bab/) or Freecycle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/motorcityfreecycle/) - you will probably hit a jackpot there!

Good luck!

Also, depending on where you live I can give you a baby bath tub and some boy clothes. I work in Southfield and live in Clinton Twp., so if any of those are near you I'd be glad to give these to you if you can meet me in one of those areas. Send me a message if you're interested!

Natassia,
The Crisis Pregnancy Center in Mt Clemens /Clinton Twp has items you might need. I don't have their number, but I'm sure you could find it on line or in the phone book. Trust this helps.

Hi N.,

Freecycle.org is a GREAT resource!! Check out their website and look for a local one in your area. They post through yahoo groups. Everything is FREE. They don't allow anyone to sell things. People post things all the time, I see baby stuff alot. People clean out their basements and what not and find stuff to give away. Typically you just have to drive to pick up. You have to check often though... it's a first contact first serve sort of thing. So, look and get in contact with the lister ASAP.

Congrats on your baby!!!

Oh.... Salvation Army also could be a good resource.

Is there a Pregnancy Helpline in your area? People donate items to Pregnancy Helpline to help out women just like you.

Also check your local churches. People will donate items to churches.

Good luck!

Hello N., Try Good Will, Salvation Army, or other trift shops. Also, if you ask around at local churchs, plenty of people will donate used items. Good luck, and congrats.

You can go to www.freecycle.org and find a group in your local area and post a want add. You can also check out www.craigslist.com under their free stuff and post a want add there too. I see people giving this stuff away for free all the time.

Where do you live. What does your Dr. recomend as far as warming bottles. My first we warmed his bottles. My daughter we took the bottles out about 30 minutes before feedings. Also have you thought about breast feeding it can do no harm to try. You would be suprized at how cool breast milk is. Fell free to email me if you want to talk more. My email is ____@____.com If you can use powdered formula then you can control the tempature of the water and just add the powder.

A.

Have you tried using freecycle its this website where people in your area give away stuff they dont need/ want anymore you can also ask for things that you need/ want .. you should check it out the website is freecycle.org you will have to have a yahoo email account i believe which its free sooo .and then you will have to request to be in the group that is in your area and then you can start looking to see what people are giving away and if you need it then you respond to them back and if they give it to you then you set up a time and place to go pick it up .. its actually a really good website.. good luck and hopefully you get things situated..
J.

Just a few words of advice - there are things you mentioned that are not necessary so please dont stress yourself out thinking you need them I have 4 children and have never had a baby bottle warmer. First of all it would be most cost effective to breast feed so no need for a warmer but if you choose not to then simply warm the bottle in hot water - shake well and test on your wrist. Also a baby bath is not needed, again I never had one. Place a hand towel or similar in the sink and place you baby on it to reduce sliding. It works great and can be transitioned into the tub when baby gets larger.

I have layette clothing and blankets if you are still in need please PM me.

Also if I can be so bold if you have your own washer you may want to consider cloth diapers they save you over $1000 a year.

I've reviewed some of the posts and see that someone suggested freecycle. I live in Grand Rapids and have used our local freecycle group for years. It's an all around great group. When I have some stuff that I don't want, I just post it to the group to see if anyone needs it. At the same time, if I'm looking for something in particular (baby boy items in your case) you can post a Wanted. Make sure you include that it's "Not For Resale". The whole concept of freecycle is that things are given, and taken, with no money exchanging hands - it's free. Basically, you "recycle" everything, giving it a new home. It's a great source for stuff. We've spent minimal amount of money on clothes for the last 4 years for our two daughters. Everything has come from freecycle.

don't waste your money on a bottle warmer. use a coffee mug and run it under hot water. Shake it a couple of times.
It is much quicker.
look up community resources. 211, your church.
good luck.

Try posting your message on this website. You will need to sign up first. Good luck!
____@____.com

Hi N.- I think I have some things I could give you as far as blankets and cloths wise- will have to check my bins for Newborn items but I do believe I have some left. If you are interested e-mail me at ____@____.com.

I would check a few places.
- local churches
- Dream Center
- Deacon's Conference
- Salvation Army
- Red Cross
- You could also check a second hand store

Hope this might help!

~K.

I agree with using freecycle. It is a wonderful resource. Also here is a link to a clothing swap group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SEMIclothingswap/
Not sure if this is in your area but they post local swaps that are going on. There are none listed now but it may be a good resource for the future. You do not have to bring clothes to take them so don't worry about that.

N.,
Have you considered breastfeeding? It saves people a TON of money.. you can contact La Leche League Interational (look online for local groups) for help and that's free.

Check out Salvation Army or local thrift stores things like that are CHEAP..

i would more than willing to help..please contact me at ____@____.com thanks!

Hi N.,

Where are you located? I have two big cans of formula I am getting rid of, I have a baby tub that I can give you and I know I have some baby blankets. Let me know if you are interested.

Congratulations on your new baby boy!!

I agree with what others are saying. You don't need a lot of gadgets. If you breastfeed, that's a huge savings and convenience and the healthiest for your baby. I am part of a LLL (breastfeeding support) group in Warren but there are groups all over. We meet the first Monday of every month, which is next week! 10 Mile & Shoenner. You can go on www.llli.org for lots of information, or contact me if you're in the Warren area. Our moms trade clothes and equipment all the time. Sounds like you could use a group of supportive moms right about now! Been there! Good luck!

Check out Free Cycle on Yahoo. There are always people giving things like this away, you can also put in a request for the items. Jusst an FYI the best bottle warmer is a crock pot with water in it. It works the best. I understand the financial situation, you can also check Babies R Us and get their coupons, they have alot of clearance items this time of year and if you have one of their coupons you can get 15-30% off the clearance items. That is if you have a few extra dollars. Also DHS can help set you up with organizations that will help you get the items you need. I hope this helps.

What part of town do you live in?

I would love to help - I think I still have some formula samples and I'm sure I have some clothes that I'd be more than happy to give you. My email is ____@____.com - please contact me if you'd like. Congrats on the upcoming birth...what a blessing...a little baby to love that will love you back regardless of your financial situation.

Hi.. I have 2 girls, so I don't have any clothes - but I do have a ton of diapers that I could help you with. My 8 week old is pretty big (chubby! - lol) so she didn't wear newborn diapers for long and I never really liked the Huggies and people kept buying them for me.. So I have some huggies, luvs, and even some swaddlers (size 1-2) that she just grew out of. What area do you live in? I'm in Allen Park. I also have a bunch of Dr Brown bottles that I'm done with (the 3.5 oz glass bottles and 4 oz BPA free plastic ones - 6 of each) if you need those.
I also have a small box of newborn boy clothes that my sister in law brought over before we knew what I was having last time, and I have a boy of toys (huge storage bin full) That we were looking to donate... let me know if any of this will help..
oh and I agree with the other people, don't bother warming bottles, just make them as you go with room temp water - power formula is the cheapest way to go (unless you're breast-feeding of course)

Hi Natassia,
Congratulations! Look in your phone book for W.I.C. You can get free formula for the baby and also coupons for food that you and your daughter can use.

R.

Freecycle.org

Post what you need and if anyone has them, you go pick them up! It's great!

N.,
I have baby blankets that i would love to share. Please call me at ###-###-####. So we can set up a time to meet at Krogers, etc.
thanks
L.

Check out Crossoroads Pregnancy Center in Pontiac. I think it is on Opdyke and South Blvd. They have alot of help for people in need. When you mention a bottle warmer...you could save lots of money by breastfeeding your baby. It's healthier for you and baby too!

Hi N.,

I'm not sure where you are located, but in many areas, if you call 211, you will be connected with an information bank for community services, such as United Way. If they can't help you, they will put you in touch with someone who can. Also, I would try local churches. They love to help people in your situation.

Good luck and congratulations on the upcoming birth of your new little bundle of joy.

You can try checking sites like freecycle.org and craigslist to see if any of those items are available.

If I were you, I would contact each and every church in my area and call to ask exactly what you've just requested. Clearly you have access to a computer as well, so I would get online and find out about contacting Salvation Army and any other organization that re-distributes clothing and other necessary articles. One word of advice: I hope you choose to breastfeed your baby. Not only is it the best nourishment for your baby, it's also free! It will save so much money. For more information about breastfeeding, you can contact the La Leche League. I'm sure the hospital can put you in touch with a La Leche volunteer.

Good luck!