Baby clothes are undeniably adorable, and it can be so tempting to go mad and buy lots of cute outfits for your little one. Plus, more often than not these seem super cheap in comparison to our adult clothes. The problem is a baby will triple its birthweight in its first year alone, so you can imagine how quickly they’ll be in and out of clothes. This makes buying them numerous cute outfits an expensive habit as they grow out of them so quickly.
But there are ways you can get around this. If you’re clever and frugal, you can build a stylish wardrobe for your baby and stick to a tighter budget. You can also help others to do the same. How you ask? The guide below offers money saving tips and ideas that will help you cut the costs but keep your baby stylish.
Get thrifty
As previously stated, babies grow out of their clothes pretty quickly and if they’ve already got a sizeable clothes collection before they’re even born, it’s likely that some items will only be worn a handful of times. This means that charity shops are full of clothes that are essentially brand new. In fact, some clothes that are gifted to mums or bought early on might not even have the tags removed.
Some might turn their nose up at the thought of buying secondhand clothes for their child, but as previously stated many of these are basically brand new. Plus, anything you purchase can be washed before being worn, so thrifty charity shopping sprees can help you to find some stylish clothes and stick to your budget. And you never know what gems you might find!
Swap with friends
If you’ve got friends with babies the same age or slightly older than yours, it can be a nice idea to swap clothes with them. You could arrange afternoons to meet up and go through the kids wardrobes, swapping any items that perhaps your little one has worn a few times or that they may have grown out of. It can be great way to add new pieces to their wardrobe and is also a nice way for you and your friends to socialise and catch up.
Use discount codes
If you’re buying clothes online, always look for discount codes before you purchase. Alternatively, if you shop somewhere regularly for your baby’s clothes, sign up to their newsletter so you’ll be alerted when they have sales on. This can be a really handy way to save money and have clothes delivered straight to your door. No battling the busy shopping centre with your pushchair required.
Ask for the right gifts
You may have an upcoming baby shower or perhaps your little one has their first or second birthday approaching. This can be a really great way to boost their wardrobe without spending a thing! At such a young age your baby will probably have a few toys, but they don’t really need much in the way of possessions, what they need is necessities like clothes.
So when your mum, friend, godmother, grandad, cousin or whoever it may be asks if there’s anything baby would like for their birthday, you can point them in the direction of the clothes you’ve been eyeing up. Alternatively, if you’re unsure of what they need, it can be a nice idea to ask for vouchers for your favourite shops so you can spend a day choosing the clothes yourself.
Swap/buy in bulk online
Pre-loved clothes and up-cycling is becoming increasingly popular and there are now dedicated websites and social media pages where parents can swap or sell their babies belongings. And quite often these come in bundles. For example, someone might advertise a bundle of boys clothes, age 12-18 months. You take a bit of a gamble unless they’ve included pictures of every item, but that can just add to the excitement. Plus, these usually come at a fraction of the original price because they’re having a clear and want the clothes gone – but to a good home of course!
The beauty of these sites is that some parents will even post free listings. So as long as you can go and collect the items, you can have them for nothing! What better way to find new additions for your baby’s wardrobe and cut costs? And when your little one eventually grows out of their clothes; you can return the favour by selling/swapping your items online to help other parents out. It’s a win-win!
Look out in the supermarket
Supermarket clothing can be really underrated, but each chain has its own clothing brand with lots of exciting choices that you won’t find elsewhere. So next time you’re in Sainsbury’s, Tesco or ASDA, be sure to wander over to the clothes section. Often they stock a really cute range of baby clothes for very reasonable prices. Plus, more often than not these are of great quality.
Rent if you need to
So you’ve got a wedding or family celebration coming up and you want baby to look their best. You might have seen a perfect but very over-priced dress or suit in the shop, but it’s important to ask yourself whether they’ll ever actually wear it again or is this just a one-time outfit. If you know they’ll have no use for it after the day, it might be wise to look into renting an outfit instead.
A quick internet search will show up any rental stores near you that let baby clothes. If the outfit you wanted seems a little steep for one day, cut the cost and rent something cute for them to wear instead. That or look for another shop that offers clothes of a very similar style but for a fraction of the price. For example, some high street stores will replicate more expensive styles that they’ve seen on the runway, but these cost much less to buy. It’s really just about being sensible and knowing when clothes (no matter how cute) are not worth breaking the bank.
Written by Hayley Sturniolo, owner of Inscripture.com specialists in hand-engraved jewellery and gifts, perfect for new mothers.
