There is no denying it: kids are expensive. From the moment they are born they require so much, and the list only seems to grow. Parents can easily spend a small fortune on baby clothing in the first few years of their children’s life. And just when you think your child has levelled off and taken a break from growing, their pants are three inches too short. Reality is that clothing is a continued expense from birth until they start buying their own. So how can you make children’s clothing last longer and get the most out of what you already have? Here are some tips.
Repurpose Certain Items
Sure we may want our kids to have new and cool looking clothes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But what about pajamas? Kids will mostly sleep at their own house or that of a relative, so impressive and swanky pajamas aren’t exactly necessary. When kids are young, consider repurposing their T-shirts stained with grape juice and cotton pants as pajamas. Shirts especially get stained so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep clean clothes in the house. Turn the discouraging feeling of never being able to remove the stains into elation that you now don’t have to buy pajamas! Who cares if your kid wears a stained t-shirt to bed? They certainly won’t. Save some money on pajama purchases and use what you’ve already got.
Shop Consignment Stores
There are a variety of consignment stores for children’s clothing located in every city. Consignment stores are a fantastic place to buy clothing for children of all ages. Because no matter what, all of the other parents out there are experiencing their children growing out of their clothes faster than they can keep larger ones stocked. If you make a point to consign any gently used clothing to your local consignment store, then you may even luck out and earn enough in store credits to support the purchase of next size up for your children! Or at least the clothing you do choose to purchase will look brand new but be a fraction of the cost.
Have Your Kids Eat in the Buff
One way to avoid stains and keep clothes looking fresher longer is to eat messier dinners without any clothes on at all! This works well for younger kids who are just learning how to eat proper foods and who may not be all that skilled with a spoon or a fork. It’s easier to run a bubble bath and wash spaghetti sauce off bare skin than it is to soak and scrub stained clothing and try to remove the remnants of dinner.
Although there are many costs that are unavoidable when it comes to raising children, you can minimize your clothing budget with some mindful planning. Kids will be kids and you will never escape growth spurts or dirty clothes, but try to make the process as easy on your wallet as possible.
