MWW- Dressing baby for less!

If you’ve been tracking with me for a while, you know I love a good deal! So, one more time I’m going to devote a blog post to shopping those deals. Anyone with kids knows that the three top expenses in the first two years of a baby’s life are diapers (see previous cloth diaper posts for more info on how to save), formula/food (we were lucky to be able to breastfeed exclusively for 7 months until my boobs suddenly dried up, but I was SHOCKED at how much formula is!) and clothing.

Girls are so much fun to dress, but because of that they can also be expensive to clothe. Here are my tips to dressing your precious girls for less. I am sure the same principles could be applied to boys too, but I don't have any experience with that.

1. Shop off season. This is only something you can do when you get a hang of how fast your baby is going to grow. MK wore newborn clothes for about a couple weeks and quickly grew into 3 month clothes by one month. She continued to be 3 months bigger in clothes until just about a year when she slowed down. She’s stayed at 18-24 months since last August and will certainly be in 2T by her birthday in August. So, because I have a pretty good idea how big she will be, I buy her clothes off season. At the end of summer/fall I bought a ton of size 2T summer clothes on the 75% off clearance rack at Target and Gymboree. I’ll do the same in a couple of weeks for winter.

2. Realize that you are buying for a messy, growing toddler who doesn’t care what she wears. Even if we could afford it, I still don’t think I would buy MK’s clothes anywhere other than Target, Old Navy and the Gymboree and Carters outlet. Why would I spend $20 on an outfit that’s just going to get stained and she is not going to be able to wear next year?

3. Consign, Consign, Consign! It’s no secret that I LOVE consignment sales. There are two big ones here that happen a couple times a year- Just Between Friends and Divine Consign. I shop at their 75% off sales and get amazing deals on very gently used brand name clothes.

4. We have been so blessed by the generosity of several close friends who have let us borrow clothes for MK. If you have older kids and know mama’s with younger ones, let them borrow your stuff! I sorted MK’s clothes into two piles- ones that I didn’t care if they got ruined and ones that were sentimental and I wanted to pass down to my sisters when they have babies. I’ve been letting my girl mama friends borrow MK’s old clothes and I am so glad I am able to bless those mamas with free clothes for a season. Put your name on the label with a thin tipped sharpie and start blessing!

I hope these tips will help you in your journey to clothing your babes for less. Maybe you can spend the extra money on you for a change! Go get a new dress, a pedicure or let dad watch baby and treat yourself to an afternoon at Starbucks with a good book (doesn’t that sound like heaven!). 

A polo dress for $5, a Baby Gap tunic for $2.50 and a Baby Gap play outfit for $2.50... I heart consignment sales! 

This precious ruffled romper was $5 at Diving consign, it also came with a hat that matches for the summer! 

How do you save money on your little one's wardrobe?

Love,
K Vog