THE recession has brought a whole new meaning to the term ‘baby blues’. Feeding, clothing and equipment for the little ones is becoming increasingly expensive with soaring prices and shrinking wallets.

But two women from Warboys have come up with a cost-cutting solution.

Far from being somewhere you go to trade-in your bundle of joy for a quieter, sleepier model, The Baby Exchange store is packed with unwanted new and second-hand baby items that are available for exchange or purchase.

The idea was the brainchild of Ali Harris, 23, who was so inundated with gifts for baby Jack when he was born 16 months ago, that she decided to put them to good use.

“Because Jack was the first grandchild in the family everyone went crazy buying him things,” she told The Hunts Post. “We found we had double of everything and didn’t want to just give them to charity shops.”

Ali and her mother-in-law Jackie Ambrose, 44, decided to put The Baby Exchange on Facebook and said the response was overwhelming.

“There are so many young mums out there who just can’t afford to buy quality stuff for their babies, and for those who can, the clothes hardly get worn,” she said. “Basically, if people have an item they no longer want and want to exchange it for something more useful they can do it in our shop.

“They can exchange it on the day or we’ll issue a voucher which is valid for six months.”

The pair have had so much interest that they have also started stocking a range of new children’s toys which they say are cheaper than national retailer rivals.

“I calculated that if I had to buy everything for a newborn baby from our shop, it would cost me about �200,” Ali said.

The pair now plan to grow the business with a view to securing more prominent retail space close to Huntingdon.

“The message we want to get out to people is that, at the end of the day, having a baby doesn’t need to cost you a fortune.”

INFORMATION: The Baby Exchange, Unit 5, Fen Road Industrial Estate, Pidley. Visit www.

facebook.com/thebabyexchangepidley/info