I spent £60 at the Aldi Baby Event and immediately realised my mistake
The Aldi Baby Event is back in stores this month with the budget supermarket launching its family-friendly special buys yesterday, Thursday, January 9. Supermarket baby events are a great opportunity to save money on essential items, whether you're preparing for a new arrival or stocking up on your family staples.
Supermarket giant Aldi offered shoppers a preview of the bargains on offer in the January Baby Event in their online leaflet this week, with a number of bargains available in the famous middle aisle. I had a look through the leaflet in advance and spotted a number of items I fancied for myself, and that I wanted to share with friends who are expecting their first babies.
Before my son was born I spent hours researching everything from baby bouncers to slings and carriers, as well as high chairs and stair gates. I wouldn't even like to estimate how much I spent on getting ready for his arrival - and so many of the items I ended up buying were almost identical to the products in Aldi's Baby Event this week.
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I wish I'd known about the special buys when I was getting ready to welcome my son, as I could have saved hundreds of pounds and a lot of effort. I still popped down to my nearest Aldi branch in Cressington to pick up a few items that are useful now I've got a toddler, and to try and pick up some useful bits for the expectant mums in my life.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Babylo bouncer chair, priced at £29.99, which looks exactly like the £184.90 BabyBjorn soft balance bouncer. I spent a solid chunk of my maternity leave envying the BabyBjorn bouncer when I went for playdates with other mums who had one - it looks so comfy for the baby and it doesn't look garish in your home thanks to the subtle design.
But I just couldn't justify the price tag, so I never bought one. The Aldi special buy version is suitable from birth up to 9kg and folds flat for easy portability and storage. It's got a three-point safety harness and a three-position recline, and was available in a lovely neutral blue/green colour.
I was also impressed by the Nuby pram rocker on sale for £24.99, having heard so many mums swear by the Rockit portable stroller rocker. If you've ever spent hours rocking the pram to keep your baby asleep while you try and have a hot coffee or a conversation with a friend, you'll appreciate that this gadget can really save your arms. And for £24.99 it's worth a try to see if it works for you and your baby.
While I was at the supermarket I picked up the 2-in-1 high chair for £14.99, which I thought was an absolute bargain. I've been using the Ikea high chair since my son started on solids, and while it's an absolutely fine product for the price-point, it's missing a few of the features I wanted in a high chair.
The Aldi version had a footrest, which I think my son will find more comfortable, as well as a five-point harness which should do a better job of stopping him from trying to climb out of his chair. The Aldi version can also convert to a junior chair when your child grows, with a handy hook on the back to hang the tray on when you're not using it, so it will take up less space in your house.
Another chair available in the middle aisle was the £19.99 booster seat from Nuby, which is a really good value buy for any parents looking for a chair for their toddlers when they are in the in-between phase after growing too big for their bouncer but still needing a structured seating option.
The baby stair gates from Aldi's brand Mamia were on offer for £14.99, which is cheaper than the versions I bought from Amazon when the time came to baby-proof our house once my son started walking. While I was in store I also picked up a few more kitchen items, including a cute set of silicone tableware which included a cup, bowl and plate, as well as a catchy bib for £2.99.
The quality of all these items feels really good, and it was great to be able to buy them all in one place, while I was doing my food shop. They also had Matchstick Monkey teethers, which I know lots of mums rate very highly, in a range of different colours, for £6.99.
I popped some of the Mamia 'sweet dreams' bath soak in my basket for £1.99 because the smell is absolute gorgeous and it's a big part of our bedtime routine. I find the Mamia products to be really gentle and a good alternative for the pricier Childs Farm product, which costs £6.50 per bottle. When you're getting through bottles as quickly as we do in our house, it's great to be able to save a bit of money.
Aldi also had baby toys and books for as little as 99p, but I managed to resist the temptation to buy too much of this, as it's still quite soon after Christmas. However I was impressed by the puzzle play mat for £9.99, which was cheaper than the one I ordered online recently.