SolveYourProblem Article Series: Shopping
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How To Shop For Kids Clothes & Make Them Last

So many parents complain that they’d just bought their toddler a sweater one week ago only to find the sleeves too short already. How does one shop for kids clothing and make them last long enough to not break the bank?

Of course, kids clothing hang in the stores so cute and frilly that parents just want to buy on a whim. If you are one who enjoys shopping on a whim, consider buying your child’s outfit in a size that she can grow into. If she is a 24-month-old toddler, consider buying a 3T outfit where you can roll up the sleeves or pant cuffs.

Try to buy outfits that can be versatile. Ask yourself whether a particular outfit is seasonal or not. For example, can your child wear that thin summer dress in the middle of a blizzard? If not, then she probably will outgrow the dress by next summer. If, however, the dress can be worn during summer and winter weather, then you will get more for you money buying this versatile outfit. Buy colors that match with your child’s other clothing. For example, white matches most outfits and can thus be worn more often.

Hang onto clothes if you know that you want to have another child. If your next child is the same gender as your first child, then you can do double duty by keeping the clothes to be worn again. If your child is not going to be the same gender, then you can just use the unisex outfits and add bows to your daughter’s hair.

Don’t underestimate the great markdowns on the clearance rack at the back of the children’s clothing stores. Some of these are “last season’s” outfits and are marked down significantly. Stock up on the size of what your child will be for next season. For example, if your daughter will be 3 ½ for next summer, make sure that you are buying all 4T outfits for next year. If some of these next summer outfits will work through the winter, keep them out and let her wear them through the winter. She probably won’t mind last season’s clothing.

Don’t forget to look at garage sales. Most of these parents are trying to get rid of perfectly fine and sometimes “worn once” clothing for just a few coins in your purse. Take advantage of these sales to buy larger for your child and store these clothes away for when your child is that age. Make sure you go early for these sales as most mothers and grandmothers know the garage sale tricks and will manage to buy every last sock and shoe from these eager sellers.

If you have nice friends who happen to have older children, never say NO when they are offering free clothes for you. Graciously accept the gift of hand-me-downs and filter through the clothes that you think your child will wear and give away the rest. Look to see if the stains are removable and clean them before you store the clothes away for when your child gets old enough to wear them.

After you’ve loaded up on all of these larger sized clothes, make sure to compare the clothing as some of them are made smaller and some are larger. Separate the clothes by size and put them in storage containers. Make sure that you label each container clearly, so that you won’t have trouble finding that 3T when your child is struggling to fit into her 2T outfits. When it’s time to open up the right container, you will have forgotten what’s inside and have a little party going through all of the “new” clothes again.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2008

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