What is the best advice to give a 16 year old that is expecting a baby? what are some ways to get by?

Dont be rude! i just want to know some ways to get by with a low income. i know babys are not cheap at all. but there must be a few ways to save cash. Like breast feeding. What other advice could you give a new mother, who is just 16.





I want to keep my baby. I mean its my baby. A baby needs their mother and thats me. I want to live up to my mistake and make the best life i can for my child. So please dont say abortion or adoptionWhat is the best advice to give a 16 year old that is expecting a baby? what are some ways to get by?
get over to a local catholic church. they will help you with what you need to get started and help financially.


What is the best advice to give a 16 year old that is expecting a baby? what are some ways to get by?
Depending on what state you live in, you may be able to call 211 or 311 for resources in your county. Look in the phone book, you can get hooked up with teen parenting classes. Talk to your school counselor about programs that can help you.





As for money, get a part time job if you can, save every penny. You can get pretty decent baby stuff at thrift stores. Call churches in your area to see if anyone has a crib, car seat, etc.





Breastfeeding is good, and cheaper than formula, but if you're on your own you may need formula if you have to go to work, school, etc.





Apply for WIC and get Medicaid for the baby so you can always take him to the doctor.
Good for you for stepping up a being a good mother! Speaking from experience, the road ahead is not an easy one, but things will come out ok. It's all worth it for your little one. Try shopping at thrift stores for baby clothes, toys, high chairs, etc. Garage sales are great too. You'll save a ton of money. It's ok to use an off brand of diaper, they work just as well. State aid can help you with food, dr appointments, etc. There is also a program called WIC that is great for mothers and babies/toddlers. Just remember that not everything has to be brand new or name brand. Your baby will love you regardless. The most important thing you can give him or her is all you love and affection.
well low income is a good idea, but you need to be 18, maybe in some states its different but you need to be an adult for that, so you can plan on that, and food stamps and wic, not sure if wic will give checks out for a 16 year old since you liv with your parents they will go off their income....I would just stay in school focus on being healthy, going to the doctors, get a job and try not to relie on your parents so much, try and show them you can do most of it on your own (buying baby clothes, etc)
I was 16 when I had my first son, Things were hard and god bless my parents. you said ';I want to live up to my mistakes'; that baby you are carrying is no mistake!....a 16 year old can not care for a child without help....I am going to be honest and I may sound rude buy you need to dig deep and decide what is best for the baby ...and by the sound of your question you do not sound mature enough to be a mother. ';A baby needs thier mother and thats me'; you had said that. A baby needs are far more great than diapers, wipes, clothes, ect..
Congratulations! You should be a role model for some of the people on here. I am proud of your decision. Your more responsible than the adult on here asking if he can get his gf to get an abortion.





SO, if you haven't told you rents yet do so. If you haven't gone to the hospital for the prenatal checkups then do so. Go to your local health and human services and they might help you. If you live in wisconsin they have a program called W.I.C. or food stamps etc. Breast feeding is cheaper and ultimately healthier for your child. Go to like a toys for tots or a local charity Place that helps out single mothers. There are ton of things you just got to do research its different for each area. so Good Luck hun and Congrats once again. :)
You should try to get on wic. They help buy formula and baby foods. You could look for a second hand store, some of them sell nice baby items for cheap. Or look in the newspaper when I was pregnant with my first one I found a new crib that someone was selling really cheap because they ended up not needing it, it was really nice and we used it for our second baby as well.
Buy things NOW.





Buy diapers and wipes.If you get generic instead of name brand, that would help.





Buy in bulk (diapers and wipes)





Generic baby wash/lotion brands are cheap.If you have a good quality dollar store in your area, you might be able to purchase things for less.80 count wipes even.





Don't buy too many newborn clothes.Stick to bigger size clothes.Try stores like Factory 2-u and sale wracks.






there's tons of ways to save money! first off sign up for wic and any other federal and state aid that you qualify for and that will help quite a bit. try shopping at discount stores and thrift shops. you can get any baby furniture at a good thrift shop for a fraction of what you'd pay somewhere else. dented canned food still tastes the same and it costs less, lol.... if you go to church, let them know that you are struggling.... i know that our church helps out people in need and having good friends is the best help of all. good luck honey and be strong.
Most people has given you good advise, however, I'm giving you advise about life not materialistic stuff. Stay in school continue your education that's the best thing you can do for yourself and baby.





Good luck!
you can get on welfare and foodstamps to help you by. there are also programs for single mothers that offer cheap or free daycare. check with your local social services department.
fabric diapers.....get fabric diapers that way you can wash them and re-use them
Birthright can help you with resources 1-800-550-4900 God Bless
go on craigslist under free stuff and see if they are giving away any baby stuff in ur area.
freecycle for clothes/crib/playpen/toys and that type of thing
not sure what state you live in but here theres something called WIC. they help you with healthy food for you while you're pregnant, offer parenting classes, and after the baby is born they give you 8 cans of formula a month, lots of milk after the baby is one, and food and cereal for the baby up until she is 5 years old. also, accept any help offered from family. they really really come in handy even if you feel too proud to ask. :) you can get clothes from the salvation army. the toughest thing is all those diapers! thats what will cost the most probably. i'd suggest the non-disposable kind but who does that anymore? have a HUGE baby shower and invite all your friends and family and prey that they give lots of diapers lol. my sister had her first kid at 16 also, its tough but not impossible. just love that baby with everything you have in you and things will work out in the end. good luck!
My boyfriend's sister had a baby at 16, she is one of the best mothers I know! The best advice that someone can give you is to love your baby, and it doesn't sounds like that's going to be a problem for you which is great! My advice on saving money is to go to garage sales and flea markets to get furniture and things like that, most of the time good garage sales are hosted by families that are just wanting to get rid of stuff that is no longer of value to them. Also, if you end up having to bottle feed, use the OFF brand of formula. My boyfriend's sister and I stood at the store comparing Enfamil and the off brand at Wal-Mart (I think the off brand is like Parent's Choice) and we couldn't find ANY differences! I hope that this helps and I hope you have a supportive family! I think it's wonderful that you are keeping the baby and it sounds like you are going to/want to be a good mom! Best of Luck to you!
I think you should be commended on your decision.


Cloth nappies


op. shop for clothes


e-bay or similar for :


cot-it is advised to buy a new materess because of s.i.d.s(cot death)


pram


high chair-not needed until baby is 6 months


you've mentioned breast feeding which is a great way of saving and giving your baby the best in nutrition


accepting hand me downs


Asking your friends parents if they have kept anything that may be of use.


you don't need a change table just a change mat or towel on the end of your bed. When the baby can roll you'll need to change him/her on the floor with padding underneath


cotton balls with warm water instead of wipes


When starting solids fresh vegies mashed down no canned food


I would look at some pregnancy websites too for ideas, see if you can contact some other mothers in your neighbourhood who can offer some advise.


Good luck!
W.I.C that helps alot, if you have it in your area. They provide you formula (even if your breast feeding) up to the age of 1 and from there they will start to give you milk, and cereal, etc. Also, if you know someone who had a baby and they don't need their baby items ( crib, swings, etc.) you can probably go by that until you can afford your own items. I saw that some Family Dollar sell some luvs diapers so that can maybe help you. =)








I was 15 when I got pregnant. It was hard but i'm still managing. Definitely stay in school, some school have a parenting program so you can put your child in daycare and manage to go to school. It was just me and my boyfriend, I didn't have a job so basically my boyfriend was financially supporting our baby. There's alot of resources, don't let anyone bring you down.
you will get a ton of stuff at your baby shower and hand-me-down offers as well. you can apply for aid through social services to pay for formula if you can't breastfeed, milk cereal, cheese etc (WIC) as well as doctor visits (medicaid). baby items are so cheap second hand.. newspaper, garage sales, craigslist.. if you even need more after your shower.. i don't have to get my baby anything for years.





i don't know if you have someone to support you or if you need a sitter but if you don't have a place or anyone to watch the baby they can provide you with subsidized day care and housing too.





i hope you have a lot of support though from say your mom/sister/father-of.. someone. you can def do it but i don't want to give the impression it will be totally easy.






CONGRATS on becoming a mommy! My mom had me when she was 15! and I respect her SO much for keeping me!





To save money...like you said persevere breast feeding as it free and the best for your baby





Dont buy all these fancy things for your baby's room. Keep it simple! They dont know any better. All you need is a safe place for them to sleep, a place to change diapers and perhaps a chair to sit when you feed at night. Dont worry about these fancy cot bumpers or fancy blankets and lamps. Just a cool blanket and a warmer one when it gets cold.





If you think that you wont be able to afford disposable diapers, invest in cotton ones and then wash them out properly. You dont need to use wet wipes to clean the bottom, use warm water and cotton wool. Babies dont need soap, again use cotton wool.





Maybe have a baby shower? But when you send the invites out have a gift registery specifying what you REALLY NEED.





Believe me but babies grow so fast in the first 3 weeks that you dont need a heap of newborn stuff! Invest in older baby clothing.





If you cant breast feed, and dont want to use formula, perhaps ask your mom to buy a breast pump.. then you are still giving your baby breast milk. If you do go this way, you dont need a electirc bottle striliser you can sterilise the bottle in a pot of hot water for about 5 minutes.





I am sure that there are places out there that you can get either donations or purchase clothes and things for cheap!





Good Luck and Congrats again!
Well hun, first, I am not happy to see that your going to miss out on growing up because of choices you made. I may not of had my kids that young, but young enough to bet you this will effect you 100% more and your life then it will the fathers. Which is main reason why I don't like it. Not to mention the dad will be going to jail. BUT, I am very proud of you for understanding that it was wrong of you and you are ready to accept the circumstances as too many young kids think the plan B pill is some vitamin you can take at your leasure.


As far as food don't worry, your gonna get started on food stamps as well as WIC (may have diff name per state). Your obviously still going to be living with adults so don't worry about stuff like rent and utilities. You won't get alot of food as it's just you, BUT you will get checks specifically to buy formula (powdered or liquid is up to you). I do reccomend breast feeding atleast for a month or two after birth tho as the baby will take in things your body already has that the formula will not offer. However at your age you may not be able to. With my first I had to pump what I could from my body and add it to your formula when I could. It's better they get some then none.


There's lots of programs to help but no, it won't be easy. I will share this bit tho. As long as you don't have any debts that are not being paid for or have gone to court (I believe you need to wait till your 18), you can enroll to get a house thru the government with a fixed rate and with monthly payments based on what YOU make. Google ';HUD'; I believe, any probs let me know. Also, please report the father. While yes he'll get in trouble, you need to make him own up to his one responsibility now and that's to pay child support. This is not going to be easy tho. I went thru depression really bad when I had my first cause I was young and on my own. I realized MY life was over. While yes you still have a life, it's important to know she/he from now on will/should be the first in your life. Not partying, no missing work cause you don't ';feel like it'; and so what if you get fired... You need to grow up and grow up fast. With how young you are, I'd suggest doing whatever you can to finish high school and move on to atleast a tech school for some kinda degree or atleast certificate. Your rents should let you stay there to help you out and YES their are programs for single mothers to attend college. You can pretty much go to school for free. So you atleast have that and I wouldn't waist time. God bless hun.
well im 17 so i know where you stand and i have been doing a lot of research to find out what i can do and where i can get help and this is what i have found





1. if you live in the US then you can get on WIC it helps they give you money for your groceries and help you with the baby as it grows





2. then with education; many states and cities have programs so that b4 your baby is born you can get certified in a field so that when he or she comes you can support yourself





3. if you have insurance???? then i know with mine my baby will be brought into the world for about 1000 everything from month 1- 4days after birth so look that up





also you should look into planned parenthood they can give you the most info more then maybe anyone on here can give





ps Good Luck and Congratulations and you have made a very good decision happy holidays sweety
First I want to say,congrats on growing up fast and doing what you have to do by owning up to the bad decision you made(not mistake) .This question is a great question.I am glad you decided to give that baby life and not run from what happened.So,here is my advice on getting by with your child:





1: do not I mean DO NOT- drop out of school.I promise you will regret it and no matter how much a job seems to pay you,it can never amount to how much you can make with a diploma from high school and even a certificate or 2 year or 4 year degree from college.No matter how hard it gets,never ever never ever never ever give up on your education.a baby should make you want more and strive harder.





2: to hell with name brands.go to small hand me down shops(not once upon a child,they are rip offs) I personally love hand me down shops,because when you do not need the baby's clothes anymore you can always donate back and help someone in your shoes.it is like a place where people can lean on eachother and help out.Always buy clothes that are too big for the baby,so that he or she can grow into the clothing and use them longer.





3: food,is the most expensive part of raising a child.I know some people just blurted this out in other answers but,take advantage of the help you can get from the government.applying for wic is simple,that will give you a card to go and get infant milk and food,plus other things for you like whole milk,cheese,cereal,juice,etc.You can get wic now,while you are preggers and stock up.I am sure you know all about foodstamps,so we dont have to discuss that.do not be ashamed of seeking assistance from the government,that is what it's there for.Breastfeeding isnt easy for someone your age and it is quite painful.it is best to breastfeed,but I wouldnt recommend it for you.





4: there are ads on craigslist to help with giving stuff away free ,but be aware of weirdos,be careful.





5: go to local churches and usually they will give you a few funds or a voucher to get your baby some diapers,wipes,pacifiers,bottles,creams,e… parenthood help with that as well.





I could go on and on,I hope I helped you a little from this long answer I gave you lol I wish you luck and also love love love that baby.Regardless of what anyone says,the deed is done and you are now gonna be a mom.Be the best mom you can be honey.Hit me up if you ever want to talk.Good luck
You messed up big time