Children are constantly growing. While the cost of diapers and formula will eventually drop away from your budget, you’re faced with a continuous enlarging budget over time… Children’s clothes.
You would think that a tiny humans clothing wouldn’t cost much because they’re so small. Wrong.
I had the shock of my life when I started preparing for my son.
I’m a perfectionist and an extremely frugal human being my nature.
Ultimately, I knew that would pay off in life when I started having children because everyone complains how expensive little one’s are.
But as I’m scouring the aisles of Walmart and Fred Meyer, I realize the cost of children’s clothes in my cart is adding up fast.
Before I know it, my total is over a hundred dollars.
Panic sets in as I choose between the clothing items I really need for my upcoming baby and the clothes that are just plain too cute for words.
I learned quickly after this experience!
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
I needed to cut costs somewhere to avoid choosing last-minute at a checkout aisle on what clothes I really want or need.
Since that time I’ve learned tricks to cutting corners when it comes to my son’s clothing. I refuse to settle for having panic attacks over the cost of children’s clothes.
No longer do I spend hundreds per season on clothes my baby will quickly out grow.
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Here are all the ways I’ve been able to save hundreds per season on children’s clothes as a stay-at-home mom.
Shop Clearance
As a caring parent I want my child to have the best of everything. But that doesn’t mean I need to spend $25 on one pair of jeans that’s five times smaller than adult jeans.
Repeat this saying: “Do not pay full price!”
My favorite children’s clothing brand is Carter’s. They carry an equal amount of boys and girls clothing and both are equally cute. However, Carter’s can get a bit expensive.
Because of this I make sure to never pay the full price.
When I see a clothing item that I love, but is not on sale… I keep moving.
I merrily stroll my family through the endless aisles of expensive full price clothing and head straight to the clearance rack.
Stores constantly have mark downs or clearance on your favorite children’s brands. You just have to know where to look.
Stores always place the newest and expensive clothing in the front of the baby section to get your attention to buy.
Overtime, those same items you fell in love with at full price will eventually make their way back to the clearance section. Just be patience and check for new clearance items often.
A three-piece onesie set that was $15 could later be found on the clearance rack for just $5.
Look for sales of 30% or more
While clearance is the best option, parents face two problems…
1. Clearance items are sometimes picked clean by the time you get to the store.
2. Sometimes the quality of clearance clothing is not always the best.
Since I don’t want to end up with children’s clothes that are too thin and don’t offer warmth or patterns that can’t match with anything, I look to sales with 30% or more.
Let’s do some quick math to put this into perspective…
A three-piece outfit I recently bought for my son costs at full price $38.00. Now did I pay $38.00?
Absolutely not! The three-piece pullover set was on sale for $16.99. I saved a total of $21.01. That’s over 70% off!
Many stores offer constant sales of 30%, 50% or even 70% off all the time instead of placing items on a clearance rack.
Personally saving over $20 on an outfit of great quality that I love is a score in my parenting book.
Always keep your eyes open for sales.
Here is my son’s 2T clothing wardrobe. I saved tons of money by shopping in clearance sections, checking secondhand stores and online coupons!
Sign Up For Amazon Baby Registry
Amazon carries everything you need for your new bundle of joy.
Every product you can imagine for mother and baby is all in one place.
Not only will your registry be easily accessible to family and friends, Amazon Baby Registry helps you save money on children’s clothes.
Amazon gives you 10% off your entire purchase. But if you are an Amazon Prime Member you receive a total 15% your purchase order.
If you are not an Amazon Prime Member, I’ve made it easy for you to reap the benefits of being a Prime Member by clicking the link below.
With free registration, Amazon Prime Members are eligible to receive a Welcome Box full of name brand goodies for baby and you.
The Welcome Box is estimated to be worth $35 of FREE items.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t turn down free stuff.
After completing my own Amazon Baby Registry (back when I was pregnant) I received the following in my Welcome Box:
- One Muslin Swaddle Wrap by Swaddle Designs
- Sample pack of Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes
- Two (Size 1) Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
- A small diaper carrying pouch
- Sample pack of Bloom Baby Wipes
- Two (Size 1) Babyganics
- A $5 off coupon for Babyganics Diapers
- Two (Size 1) Huggies Snuggler Diapers
- Sample pack of Huggies Wipes (Natural Care)
- Sample pouch of Aquaphor Baby
- Small bottle of Aveeno Baby Lotion
- Small bottle of Baby Dove Wash
- A set of Munchkin Latch Nursing Pads
- 4 oz. bottle from Philips Avent Natural
This Welcome Box from Amazon allowed me to get familiar with different baby products and brands.
By receiving my Welcome Box of brand samples I was able to decide for myself which products were actually worth the money.
With the 15% off a total purchase with an Amazon Baby Registry I used it to save money on children’s clothes I needed for my newborn.
Buy Secondhand Children’s Clothes
New parents tend to forget this one. With a new baby comes excitement.
Everything has to be shiny and new, including clothing. But this really impacts your overall budget.
Especially when you consider the fact that newborn babies will only be in newborn clothing for a couple of weeks on average.
Don’t pay a huge price tag for children’s clothes a baby only wears once, shop at secondhand stores.
Although many baby clothes are often found in storage bins at secondhand stores, it’s worth the time and energy to sift through bins to find multiple items you need.
Every time I’m in need of new clothes I check the secondhand stores first before checking any retailer.
Even though I sometimes have to go to multiple secondhand stores, I always end up finding name brand items that are still in good condition.
However, a fair warning… Some clothes are riddled with stains or look like they’ve come straight out of 1985. I suggest passing on these.
While you want your kids to have clothing, you also want them to be fashionable.
Clothes containing set-in stains often do not come out. I simply pass on those items and move on. There’s always better out there.
Garage sales
Keeping your eyes open for nearby garage sales can save you tons of money.
While many people pass right by garage sales, they actually have a lot to offer for children’s clothing.
At garage sales, people just want to get rid of old items. Because of this I can always find a onesie for 25 cents.
Quite often when I shop at garage sales, I find baby and toddler clothing that was hardly worn.
Just recently I happened to hit a great garage sale with quality clothing for both boys and girls with the great price of $5 a plastic bag.
Trust me, you would be amazed at the amount of baby outfits you can fit into a plastic bag.
For me that number is 13 outfits! Yes, I am the queen of folding, stuffing and bagging baby clothes when it comes to getting them for 5 bucks!
Reuse Baby Clothes
Clothing one child is expensive, but clothing multiple children gets even more pricey.
A perfect way to cut spending with multiple children is to save and store all baby cloths, passing them on to your next child.
While this works if you have back-to-back boys or girls, it doesn’t really work if you have a boy and a girl.
Since every clothing item is either for a boy or girl, recycling baby clothes becomes tricky in this instance.
Although green and yellow clothing can be reused for a boy or girl, unfortunately baby clothes are mostly separated into blues and pinks.
I use old diaper boxes to save my son’s old clothes. Each box is labeled with the sizes on multiple sides of the box.
Sell Old Baby Clothes
Are you at a point in your life where you’ve sworn off having more children?
If so, then selling all your children’s clothes that no longer fit is the way to go.
Don’t let useless baby clothes you don’t need anymore take up space in your house or garage.
Not only will you purge your house, but selling them can put extra cash in your pocket.
The extra cash you acquired from old baby clothes can then go toward buying (you guessed it) more clothes for your children.
Such websites as ThredUP allow you to sell your used clothing online by simply creating an account, bagging used clothing and shipping it.
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Take Advantage Of Online Coupons
If you’re a busy parent that shops online for your children’s clothing needs, find online coupons to save you extra cash.
Coupons.com always has discount codes that can be used with a variety of retailers to lower your overall spending costs.
Discount websites offer a variety of different coupons that you can print off or use the online code.
I find the online codes work best to find the best deals at my favorite stores.
Check back often on coupon websites because they are frequently updated with deals that only last a certain amount of time!
Buying Wholesale Lots
Websites like eBay offer you a chance at one stop shopping on baby clothes.
Known as wholesale lots, parents can buy an entire wardrobe for a reasonable price.
Buying baby clothes in bulk is a great way to save money on clothes children grow out of fast.
To know if the wholesale lot is worth the value paid, take the cost of the lot divided by the quantity.
For example:
A wholesale lot costs $20.50 with 30 items. Therefore each item of clothing costs roughly 68 cents.
Final Thoughts
Children’s clothing is expensive! You can find ways to cut costs by scouring local garage sales and secondhand stores.
Don’t think used clothes are of little value. Children grow fast. Especially the first couple years.
Used children’s clothing allows you to save loads of cash.
If you can’t find any descent used clothing, always look to the clearance aisles first!
Full priced items are always placed at the front of the aisles when they first become available in stock.
But eventually those same items will make their way over to the clearance section.
For online shopping fanatics, plenty of websites offer discount codes, coupons or bulk clothing lots to save even more money on children’s clothing.
But remember, look for sales 30% or more.
Don’t waste another minute buying full price children’s clothes, Shop Amazon – Create an Amazon Baby Registry to claim your Welcome Box and 15% off!
Works Cited:
Baby Clothes: Money Saving Tips
51 Ways To Save Up For Baby
ThredUP