How to Shop for Children's Clothing and Save Money

Most of us make the mistake of buying way too much clothing for children. In the growing years, most children will change sizes every 2-6 months after age 2. Under 2, every 2-3 months. Here are shopping tips to save money on children's clothing.

If you are given hand-me-downs, that's great. Be careful of secondhand clothing stores and sales, however. Often the clothes is stained, stretched out or damaged. Your child should not wear second-hand shoes, hats, underwear, bathing suits or socks.

When shopping for children's clothing, use the six rule: six each of pants, undershirts, shorts, tee-shirts and warm shirts. For underwear and socks, 10 -12 pairs are sufficient.

If you choose skirts or dresses for girls, skorts are the best alternative (these are skirts with shorts built in). She will feel less vulnerable. Also, skirts and dresses are generally not warm enough alone, so you'll need some heavy tights with them. If the tights get too short, cut the feet off and she can wear them as leggings.

Throughout the year, four pairs of shoes are sufficient: one pair of sturdy play shoes for gym and outdoor play, one pair of sturdy, comfortable dress shoes, one pair of sandals for summer and one pair of warm, waterproof boots.

For outerwear, choose a warm heavy coat with a zip-off liner and you'll have a winter and a spring coat. Your child will need a raincoat if the zip-off liner isn't waterproof. If you live in a winter climate, you will need snow pants or a snowsuit.

Your child will need these accessories: an umbrella or rain hat, knit gloves, snow gloves, bathing suit, robe, slippers, sun hat and sunglasses.

You do not need to purchase special PJ's unless you find them less than $7 a set. Most are overpriced and poorly made. Any loose-fitting soft knit shirt and shorts or pants will do.

It is easy to get carried away on the dress clothes. One or two nice outfits are plenty. Dress clothes are expensive, difficult to wash, and impossible to play in. Don't send your child places over-dressed. They feel uncomfortable.

The Children's Place, Target, Fashion Bug (for girls), Walmart, Old Navy, Family Dollar and Meijer (in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois) get my top votes for low prices, good sales, quality clothing, and sensible styles.

Look for clothes with reinforced seams, generous hems, and no loose threads. Check buttons, zippers and snaps. Avoid clothing with lots of decoration sewn on. Watch out for underarms and necklines; these are often poorly sewn.

My favorite fabrics for children are cotton/poly blends. I like pants with a little stretch in them; Just a little Lycra or spandex improves comfort. Corduroy and denim wear well. Polar fleece is excellent fabric for comfort and play. Tee-shirt fabric and sweat suit material wear well. Skip the satin, lace, wool, chiffon, nylon and other similar fabric. They are itchy and they don't breathe well.

Use a thick spray-on stain remover like Spray-n-Wash or Shout or a Stainstick on stains. Treat the stains ASAP. The longer a garment stays unwashed the more difficult it is to get the stain out.

Knit garments can be washed inside- out to retain shape. I often hang or lay knits flat to dry. Wash delicates in cold and use liquid soap. Wash clothing with zippers separately so as not to snag or tear other clothes. Heat can damage clothing so use hot water carefully. A little liquid fabric softener keeps clothes feeling and smelling fresh. Clothing that is hung up inside of folded in drawers stays fresher also. I put a deodorizers in the closet and in drawers.

Here's a price guide for children's clothing. Check back-to-school sales. Buying things in the off-season gets you better prices, as long as children don't grow out of them before the season arrives. And buy clothes that fit; don't buy too big to grow into.

6 pairs:

pants/jeans-$6-$8ea
warm shirts-$5-$7ea (sweaters about $8-$10 ea)
shorts (wait to buy until spring or summer in case they grow) $4-$6ea
tee-shirts-$3-$5ea
socks-$4-5-pkg/6
underwear-$4-5-pkg/6
undershirts-$6-$9pkg/6

2 pairs:

shoes (sturdy-one for running and one for everyday wear) $10 ea
hats (winter) $1ea
gloves(knit) $1 ea

1 each:

bathrobe(for winter and beach) $10
boots $10
slippers $5
sturdy sandals $8
beach shoes or flip-flops ( to wear in the water or locker rooms) $2
winter coat-$20
winter snow gloves $3
umbrella $3
raincoat $6
sun hat $2
sun glasses $3
bathing suit $8

The total comes to about $260 per year. You will have to watch sales. Look for coupons in store, online, and in the newspaper. Stores are in competition for your money so shop carefully. You will find some good buys if you keep your eyes open. For more parenting and shopping tips, visit my linked blogs.