With a young baby at home, we go through clothes like you wouldn’t believe. I had forgotten how quickly things get outgrown at this age- Shane was the same way, but it’s been over four years.
I’ve gotten spoiled since Shane just outgrew his 4T clothing after wearing it for over a year. Now, however, it feels like I’m packing clothes away even faster than I’m washing them!
With how fast babies and young children outgrow clothes, it’s important to find ways to save some money while keeping {good} clothes on their backs. Over the last five years I’ve picked up a few tips here & there that have helped us save on clothing!
1. Shop second-hand. Babies outgrow their clothes around every 3 months- sometimes sooner. That means that most baby clothing items only get worn a handful of times before they are too small, so assuming that they aren’t covered in food, they are typically still in great condition!
While we don’t usually buy second-hand past 18M {once they get into the “T” sizes- 2T, 3T, etc.- the clothes get worn for much longer and therefore are often worn out}, we would make exceptions for “special occasion” clothing that may have only been worn a couple of times- Halloween costumes, dress up pieces, tuxedos, suits, etc.
2. Shop the sales. If you have a favorite clothing brand {or two}, learn their sales schedules. One store that we particularly love has a very predictable schedule so we are able to get some pretty high priced clothing for less just by picking the right time to shop.
3. Set up a Swap. Whether you do it in person with your community or you join an online swapping site, you may be able to score new-to-you kids clothing without even spending any money! There are several websites out there that exist for just this purpose!
4. Save money on play essentials. Kids are dirty. They just are. Jumping in mud puddles, smearing ice cream all over the place, and falling down regularly are all parts of being a kid. Don’t send your kids out to play in expensive jeans- stock up on some well-priced play essentials that are cute but casual enough to play in.