At some point, every parent has said with some chagrin that their children are growing up too fast. When children are at their tiniest, it seems to be even more noticeable. For the first year of their life, they're outgrowing clothing at least every three months. After that, it moves to six months and then, finally, hopefully, every year.
Last year, I did well with thinking ahead. In the fall, I bought clothes for Autumn for this summer. Everything from the summer was on clearance, allowing me to pick up shorts and shirts for just $2 each. I did a little looking this spring for winter clearance items that should be fitting Autumn soon. I'm sure I'll be repeating that cycle again this year. The key is guessing what size your child will wear when it becomes the season for the clothes.
Another avenue, and one I visited for Autumn's first Christmas, is the second-hand store. BabyZone just sent out a list of why you should shop second-hand (but not for cribs, mattresses or car seats). You can read the article by clicking here.
In Erie, we don't just have the Salvation Armys and the thrift stores, but we also have Once Upon a Child, a chain that lets you sell your child's items to them and where you can pick up second-hand items. I bought Autumn a really cute Santa outfit there when she was just six-weeks old. It's incredibly adorable and it was less than $5. I just washed it once before putting her in it for her first Christmas. Erie also is home to a local store, Milestones, on West Eighth Street. The store sells on consignment and only accepts name brands. You won't find any Wal-Mart clothes there, but you will find Gymboree, GAP and others like that.
I admit that I have a weakness when I go through stores with children's clothing. I constantly look at the sale racks, though, because I refuse to buy a pair of $30 jeans for Autumn. Not now, when she grows so fast. But I do end up buying much more clothing for her than I do for myself anymore. I can't help it -- everything is so cute in miniature.
And then I find myself going through her drawers every few months, taking away the clothes that don't fit anymore, boxing them up and putting them in the attic, just in case we have another child and the child turns out to be a girl. So far, we've got three large plastic totes full of her clothes.
The sad thing is, I've been thinking it's time to go through her clothes again. Soon there'll be a fourth box up there.