Discussion of babies and little kids clothing ...

**ironmaiden** · 01-06-2006, 10:00 AM

People in some other countries think Americans are crazy spending huge amounts of money on baby clothes. They would never dream of spending money for 3 or 4 completely different wardrobes for a baby - newborn size, 3 month size, 6 month size, 12 month size, nevermind 18 month and 24 month also. They don't have onsie type outfits for babies in some other countries - cause the kids grow long in the trunk and therefore these type of outfits can't be used for long.

My kids are both adopted from Korea and the clothes they came home in (ages 4 months and 5 1/2 months), they could still wear at 12 months. The clothes were separate tops and bottoms. The pants bottoms were elastic - thus the length didn't matter. Sleeves were rolled up or had elastic cuffs there too.

And in Korea there is none of this buy a completely different wardrobe for a baby if the second kid is of the opposite gender than the first. Colors don't indicate boy or girl in that country.

It's interesting that american marketing pushes pinks and purples for girls and blue for boys - so you have to buy new buntings, blankets, sheets, coats as well as clothes for a subsequent sibling of the opposite sex.

We bought my son a red/yellow snowsuit knowing we'd be adopting a girl next. She wore it too - though I did buy her a more girly hat.

I save all his jeans, blue pants, red shirts, black snowpants - stuff that's not too boyish for her. And his wool socks - which I haven't found in girly colors anyway - umm.. girls get cold feet??

Oh, the snowpants I bought for the kids have hems - wider stitching than normal and on the tag it says to take the hem down for 3 more inches of growth. And the coats I bought for them when they were 2 - had these channels on the sleeves with ribbons come out of them - you could pull tight and "lose" 2 inches of sleeve length.

**sunshine** · 01-06-2006, 10:28 AM

I had two boys, then was blessed with a girl. . . . she wore the boys hand me downs.

I added lace/rick rack to jeans-- appliqued pink kittens over the top of footballs--- sewed pink/lavender trims to any T-shirt, etc.

**homesteadmamma** · 01-06-2006, 10:31 AM

I agree. Our youngest son wore his sister's pj's when they fit him because they were all one piece and we could find any in his size for the right price.

We've often purchased navy blue snowsuites so they could be passed down from each kid to the next. It saves lots!! Also whenever we purchase snowsuits, we always purchase in one size larger so that each kid as gotten 2 years wear out of them.

Great thread!!

**camismommy** · 01-06-2006, 10:43 AM

We always bought my DD's clothes at a consignment store and always bought them a little bigger. We never spend full price on clothes for her. We have no other children to pass them down to so we often sell the outgrown ones on eBay so someone else can get a deal!

**hollyhill** · 01-06-2006, 11:23 AM

Ditto to all the above....
I don't think I have ever bought anything new for my children! Except shoes on occaision and underwear/socks.
Handmedowns are just a fact of life!

**canadian gardener** · 01-06-2006, 11:30 AM

some very good points.

**Emerald_Mommy** · 01-06-2006, 12:54 PM

I have never paid full price to buy my kids anything. I'll admit I've bought a few things new but always at an amazing price. Everything else is hand me down or purchased by grandparents. I do wish more "neutral" clothes were made, or clothes that were adjustable sizes. My girls look great in darker colors (of course I think they look great in everything) but most darker things have "boy" things on them.

Now, I'm not against Isabel wearing a truck shirt if she really wants to, but I get sick of people asking what gender the girls are. My girls are pretty slow in growing their hair and I have tended to dress them very "girly" to leave no doubt (and because I like them dressed that way)

**AmyBoz** · 01-06-2006, 01:42 PM

My kids wear hand-me-downs from their cousins. Some of the clothes are boy clothes, some are girl clothes. Patrick wore pink onesies under his clothes as a baby and still wears some girly color pajamas to bed. Julia got a lot of hand-me-downs from her cousin who was a boy. We pared out what was too boyish (T-shirts saying "Big Boy" and "Tough Guy" and dressed up the girl stuff. She's a pretty rough and tumble kinda girl to begin with. The baby will wear whatever my sister-in-law hands over to us this time that we've just given her for her son born in the summer.

I can't imagine spending tons of money on clothes that are going to get stained, torn, and grown out of in the blink of an eye. I can't imagine spending tons of money on clothes for myself, and I take care of my stuff!

**Scattymum** · 01-06-2006, 02:56 PM

I cant believe how much money is spent on baby clothes, both my kids have worn hand me downs from friends children - these clothes were hand me downs to my friend as well so they got well used. The only thing I insist on being bought new ( in the sales anyway LOl) is shoes

To be honest though for the first year of both my kids lives they wore babygros - I didnt really dress them up, they were comfortable - if we were going outside they had all in one coats on so noone saw what they had underneath anyway. I just do not see the point in having outfits for * special occasions* when they are that age, they will outgrow them so quickly.

Most people I know are like that with the kids when they are babies - very few will spend alot on clothes for the first year. I tended to get quite a few gender neutral things for Ciara which Jamie wore as well. Same thing with all the baby bedding, it was all gender neutral

**MandiDawn** · 01-06-2006, 03:13 PM

My little vent about this is this:
All my friends/relatives that have babies, they are "saving" all their clothes and stuff for the next baby. Now, that's fine and dandy, but if you are single, with no BF, no job, nothing, what are the chances that you will have a baby in the next 2 years? Why can't I borrow your bassinet? Or your infant clothes?
Or even better, is the people who swear up and down that "this is my only child, I will not have any more" but won't part with even the onsies from their kids.
I understand that a few items are semential and you want to keep them, but everything???
I'm not preggo yet, but I hope to be this year, and from all indications, I will have to buy everything. And that irks me - I thought people were supposed to help others out??
My one (best) friend won't let me borrow stuff because it might get scratched or stained or whatnot - hello!! It's a kid, yeah it's gonna get stained!!!
She couldn't breastfeed, so she sold her breastpump on ebay - for less then the price our other friend offered her for it.
ok - end of vent - I feel better, I have been holding this in for a year or so . . .

**ACEHearts** · 01-06-2006, 04:00 PM

My sister and I share our baby clothes back and forth, though I always get a lot more back from her, because she is a spendthrift. When I get "new" clothes, they are hand-me-down bags from friends.

I just went through 3 large garbage bags that were given to me by a cousin. In it were clothes for all 3 kids, plus enough clothes for the boys until they are about 6 or 8. Another trip to a friends yesterday yeilded enough clothes of the right style (ie slim fit pants) for my DD to carry her through another 2 or 3 growth spurts, probably 2 yrs worth.

I now happily have restocked all the kids "grow into bins" and the only thing I'll need to buy is underware for DD. I even have enough hand me down boys underwear to last both boys til they are 8 (or just about! LOL!)

Cindy

**crdurham** · 01-06-2006, 04:09 PM

I agree that people spend way to much on children clothes. The only new clothes ds gets is stuff that I get great deals on usually at the end of season. (Just bought 3 sweat pants/long shirt outfits for next year at $1.00 a piece) and shoes (which I get onsale)

I watched my ex-sil in law buy $100s and I mean $100s of dollars on clothes for my nephew before he was born. He didn't wear half of it.... luckly I got pregnent and had a boy so we didn't have to buy hardly anything. They don't buy as much for him now and since she is the ex, we don't get the hand me downs anymore. We also borrowed a cradle and walker from them.

I get ds clothes at thrift stores and yard sales. I went through all his clothes awhile back and only kept the important stuff and some stuff if we have another baby.

**marym** · 01-06-2006, 04:39 PM

I had 3 boys so there were lots of hand-me-downs. I have to admit when my Granddaughter was born I did go a little pink crazy

My DIL gets most of my GD's clothing at The twins and triplets used clothing sale that a local church hosts 2x a year. She gets really nice clothing, some things still have tags on them for very little money.

**Jillybean** · 01-06-2006, 07:28 PM

We always used a variety of stratigies....thrift store, consignment, yard sale shopping, end of season sales and buy the next size up, hande me downs etc. It all worked well and keep clothing costs down. After Ryan (our 6th and I thought last) was born I got rid of anything and everything baby related. Four years go by and SURPRISE! We have a new baby! I really was too tired/busy to do a lot of thrift store shopping but Ebay came to my rescue. I spent $150 on maternity clothes that spanned winter to summer and I had more clothes than I knew what to do with. I had bought them in 3 seperate auctions and I told Stan I think that it was the nicest wardrobe I had ever had....LOL

I spent just over $100 on Ebay for all the baby stuff I needed. Brand new coming home from the hospital outfit, blankets, jammies, socks, onsies a dozen cute outfits, wash cloths, crib sheets. I had too much what I didn't care that much for I took to the consignment shop and got money back on it. I love ebay!

Jill