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How to Save on Your Baby’s ClothesTaking care of a baby is costly, with many expenses you can’t avoid.
One area you can save in is clothing your baby. Babies outgrow their
clothing so quickly that it makes sense to concentrate on a few
practical pieces. Getting carried away when buying baby clothes will
quickly break your budget, but keeping a few tips in mind will help
you to save.
Plan for baby’s age and shop seasonallyBy carefully planning how old your baby will be in each coming
season you will be able to avoid having your child grown out of
clothes before the season comes to wear them. By planning from
pregnancy and stocking up at end of season sales before the baby is
born, you will be able to take advantage of end-of-season sales.
A mother who finds out she is expecting in January, for example,
could stock up on end-of-winter sale items that year in sizes
newborn to 6 months, in preparation for her baby who will be born in
October. She could do the same at the end of the summer, in clothing
sized 6 months to 1 year.
Buy from other mothersMany parents will be left with unused baby clothes that their child
didn’t even get a chance to wear before growing out of it. These new
(or lightly worn) clothes can be sourced locally, through friends,
from neighbours, yard sales, and on sites such as Craigslist and
eBay. Buying pre-owned clothes can save you substantially – and on
sites such as eBay, “lots” of multiple outfits (many with tags still
on) can be bought for drastically reduced prices.
Make your ownMaking your own baby clothes might be something to consider if you
have access to a sewing machine and are sewing inclined. While baby
outfits can be expensive to buy ready-made, they use such small
amounts of fabric that your material costs can stay quite low if you
make them yourself.
Hold a clothing swapClothing swaps have been popular among adults for a few years, and
the trend is beginning to trickle down to children’s clothes. Host a
clothing swap with everyone bringing clothes in good condition that
their children have grown out of. Clothes can be organized on tables
in piles according to size, and everyone will have the opportunity
to browse what is on offer, leaving with some great free outfits for
their children.
Buy and Sell at your local children’s resale shopMany urban areas have resale shops that rival local high-end retail
boutiques. These clean, modern shops stock only never worn or
lightly used, high-quality brand name children’s clothing, all at a
fraction of original prices. One advantage of buying at a resale
store over online resale on sites such as eBay is that you can touch
and have your child try on the clothes before you buy. And while at
yard sales you might have to sort though piles of clothes in order
to land a few treasures, at a resale store you can be guaranteed
high-quality merchandise – most stores won’t bother to sell items if
they aren’t in excellent condition, and usually a name brand.
Even better, you can return to the shop after a few months when your
children have grown out of their clothes and put the same items up
for consignment, usually making back a good portion of what you
originally paid.
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