Recently while getting our little man dressed in another new outfit, my husband commented that it used to be mom with all the new clothes now it is our little man. I LOVE a well dressed baby...it's a serious weakness. Which presents a major problem for a stay at home mama who is already a self diagnosed shopaholic. Admittedly my little man lives in his jammies or onesies and shorts most days when we stay at home, but I love to dress him up for photos and when we go out. He is a bundle of cuteness all on his own but the right outfit definitely kicks it up a notch. With that being said I want to be sure I find a good deal on his clothes because at some point I would like him to go to college...plus I am pretty sure in all that babbling that my husband just agrees to he has already asked and been promised a Ferrari...yikes!!
So here are my best tips for where to buy adorable baby clothes on a budget. Be advised I have no problem with consignment clothes for babies, so you will find a few options scattered throughout this list for secondhand clothes.
Poshmark describes themselves as "#1 way to buy and sell fashion" and while most of their commercials are for women's clothing and accessories they have a huge assortment of baby clothes. I have bought some adorable Ralph Lauren outfits, Robeez shoes, and lots of baby bundles for my little guy on Poshmark. Bundles are definitely the way to go on Poshmark. I recommend searching by size for your baby and once you find an item you like, click on that seller and search the rest of their items. Because you pay for shipping you definitely want to get multiple items to make the shipping worth it, plus many sellers offer a bundle discount or will send a private offer once you build a bundle and may even throw in a shipping discount. Also, don't be afraid to build a bundle and submit an offer to the seller, most will accept reasonable offers or counter your offer. Once you find a seller who carries your baby's sizes, follow them. That probably means they have a baby who will continue to grow out of the sizes that you need. I've had so many great deals on Poshmark including some great bundle deals. Check it out and start your bargain hunting off right but entering 'Invite Code' kelly93080 for a $5.00 credit to your account.
Hand me downs!!! Can we say free?!! Do you have friends or family with children older than yours that have offered your free clothes?! If yes, say yes! Don't be shy about it. You can return the favor later on by handing them down to the next person with a baby younger/smaller than yours.
Target Clearance is a great place to find deals on clothes and they get bonus credit in my book for offering a 1 year guarantee on their Cat& Jack clothing line. To get the best deals I like to stack the promotions; Clearance + Cartwheel + Target RedCard savings. My latest example is actually what my little man is wearing today. He is wearing a pair of terry sweats that were on clearance for $1.70. I combined that with a Cartwheel offer for 20% of clearance clothing bring it down to $1.36 and RedCard savings of 5% off bring it down to $1.29. These pants were also Cat & Jack so if anything goes wrong within a year (or actually the 6 weeks before he grows out of them...growing like a weed) I can return them for a replacement of a similar item.
Zulily is great for those who plan/shop ahead. Zulily has new products every day that range from clothing to event tickets to home items. I have purchased several things and love checking out their kids items. This was also a great source of maternity clothes. I am so excited about the adorable Christmas items I ordered this week. They even have several customized options for babies. It is also a great place to shop for Christmas presents for family, friends or any upcoming white elephant parties. Just give this a little extra time as they do take a little longer to ship items unless you choose expedited shipping. Check them out here and sign up for an account so you see their new items daily.
Local consignment shops and events are another awesome way to get a good deal on clothing and items for baby. Kid to Kid is our local consignment shop that offers some great deals every day but also has special deals on items that have been in the store for a while. Bonus for our local store; they had a "Mom's Night Out" event that included special raffles, wine, snacks and extra percentages off for that night only. I spent about $80 and got little man's entire 12 month wardrobe PLUS a really cool fold up activity center that was great for vacation. Also check out Facebook for local consignment events that usually happen 2 times per year and are HUGE events. In my area we have Just Between Friends and WeeUsables.
I'm always looking for a great deal and little man can always use "just one more outfit" so I would love the hear about your best deals on baby clothing. Head on over to the forum to post your favorites or send them to me via the contact page!