Start looking on Craiglist and free cycle for baby items. If you belong to a church or any social group, let them know what you are doing and ask for anything they might have stored away that they don't need any longer. Thrift stores are a great and cheap place to find just about everything you might need in toys, clothes, sheets, etc.
I have bins labeled with size and season which I keep stored in the very top of the closet and the attic. I try to buy gender neutral clothes, especially for the young ones and this helps keep the amount of stuff I have down to a minimum. Onesies in every size.I also keep a selection of diaper sizes. A baby wearing a 3 could wear a 4 or a 2 for one night. With clothes I keep something that they can sleep in like soft shorts and a Tshirt and some daytime clothes. Usually my foster kids come with nothing and we don't get a clothing allowance either.
With toys, I have a few bins with toys that a broad age can play with. I do not have any kind of electronic gaming system at all. We have baby dolls, trucks, blocks of various types, puzzles, lots of books and a few toys that play music or talk.
You should be able to get a crib from one of the previous mentioned places, but make sure that it is a relatively new one and the bars are no more than 2 inches apart. This is the national standard now. An older crib and bedding will not work. In Texas, they do not allow crib bedding until they are at least 6 months old. I have the bedding, but I don't have it in the crib.
I have a few bottles and nipples, sippy cups and small forks and spoons. A potty chair. A high chair and a booster seat. Several types of car seats too. Don't get a used car seat unless it comes form someone you personally know and can assure that it has never been in an accident. I got mine from a friend who runs a baby closet for low income people and she gets the seats free from the manufacturer.
Welcome to fostering. Hope your classes go well and you get your license soon.
