Using Kijiji.com to Make Room for Baby

I am excited to announce that I have recently partnered with Kijiji.com, the free local classified web site, to promote their Baby On Board campaign where we're helping expectant parents get their homes organized in anticipation of their new baby.

Kijiji, which means "village" in Swahili, is a family friendly , safe, and easy to use classified site that does not contain explicit adult content as some other classified sites do. This makes Kijiji.com a great site for expectant parents to use to buy and sell items as they stock up on baby gear.

Go to http://atlanta.kijiji.com and at the top of the page you'll find the link to my tips for making room for baby while saving money.

To kick off the campaign, I'll be appearing Monday, June 1 at 8:38on FamilyNet TV's Mornings with Lorri & Larry. FamilyNet TV is on Comcast channel 265 in the Atlanta market. We'll be discussing how new parents can affordably transform a spare bedroom or home office into a cozy, fun baby's room. Here are a few of my helpful tips in case you miss the show or don't get FamilyNet TV in your market:

• To transform a home office or spare bedroom into a new baby's room, it is necessary to first purge the old furniture from the space. Kijiji.com is an easy solution for this as it only takes a few clicks to create an ad for that old desk, computer, or spare bedroom set. Selling unused furniture, electronics, and appliances from the home is a great way to offset the average $2,500 that new parents spend on baby-related items.
  

• To furnish the baby's room, consider buying gently used baby items on kijiji.com. According to eBay market data as reported by ItsDeductible, a used crib averages $37 and a rocker or glider averages just $41! That's a substantial savings from what new parents would pay retail.

• Rather than purchase a new changing table, convert an gently-used or antique wooden dresser to a changing table by adding a changing pad to the top. They average for around $31 on Atlanta.kijiji.com. Paint the dresser to match the baby's room, update the hardware and drawer liners and you'll have a great piece that can be re-purposed in the child's room as they grow older.
  

• Keep a tall bookshelf near the changing table as another storage option. You can place memorabilia on the upper shelves, extra clothing and bedding on the lower shelves, and use the easy-to-reach middle shelves for necessary changing supplies.

• To maximize storage options, don't forget about all that space under the baby's crib! Plastic drawers and under-bed storage boxes are great solutions for clothing that the baby has not yet grown into.
  

Tune in on Monday for even more tips for getting ready for that little ray of sunshine!