Managing Life as MoM: Baby Clothes

This is going to be a long post!  I doubt you will ever see a post from me about how I manage to do the dishes at my house or get dinner on the table by six, but I have finally figured out how to shop for my babies!

I was so overwhelmed by shopping for Luke and Emily in the beginning. The only reason they had clothes to wear was because my sister shopped for them months before their birth.  One thing I have learned though is that shopping is a necessary evil.  Keeping babies in clothes is a full time job.  I feel like I am shopping for them All. The. Time. But the more I do it, the better I get and I get so thrilled over a great deal!  There are so many good coupons out there and I believe in a bargain, especially when they outgrow clothes so fast. I will also admit: I am incredibly picky about clothes.  I know what I like, what I think holds up, and what I think works for us. So this post is about what I have learned so far.

Emily and Luke were born in January...and it was cold.  Like, completely frigid.  My sister and mom outfitted them for the first three months of their life.  I hardly bought a thing.  My sister is truly gifted at this shopping thing.  And she is so fast.  I've gone with her before and while I'm still trying to decide if we really need it, or if it is the right size, she is practically already at checkout with an armful of clothes.  She has four kids but like...wow.  She should be a personal shopper.   Anyway, in the beginning, my babies lived in the footed sleeper- and it was wonderful.  After that they needed "real" clothes.

I LOVE Carters.  Can I say it again?  I LOVE it.  They are my absolute favorite for baby clothing.  I understand their sizing and they run great deals and coupons. Best of all they allow returns for up to year.  So I can buy way ahead when things are on clearance (or over buy if need) with no worries about wasted money.  So here is my system:  When I get home from shopping I grab a sharpie and give the items I purchased a letter.  For instance, on this day I was shopping for winter so the tags got a "w" on them.  I then label the receipt with a "w" as well and place it in the kids closet.  

I don't remove the tags or do any washing until I need the item.  If they outgrow it before they wear it, or if the seasons never line up etc, I just return the item.  You can return without a receipt but you lose money doing this since most items eventually go to clearance.  This way I can always find the receipt that matches the item easily.

Carters is also pretty true to size/a bit small.  My kids are in the 25th percentile or less for height and weight and they have transitioned into the size that matches their age at about the same time.

For pajamas:

My kids only wear footed sleepers.  They are my absolute favorite.  Anytime I can find the ones with the zippers I get those first.  Only a few prints have that feature but I try to snag them when I can.  I prefer the Terry cloth (even in the summer) and the fleece for winter.  I do have a few light weight ones but they don't hold up as well and since my babies don't sleep in  sleepsacks I like something with a little more weight to it.  They also don't fade nearly as badly.



For Denim and Pants for Luke:

Hands down- Gap Outlet.  I found that their clothes run a little small, and the sizes are a little bit different.  For instance, jeans run 6-12 months in size...which is a big range.  Luke is 8 months, small for his age, and squarely in the middle of that size. I have bought shorts and jeans there and they are the best! They wash great, and are better quality since we wear those a lot.  I do wait for things to be on sale- even at Gap outlet.  But I secured jeans for Luke the other day for less than $12 and when I find something I love I usually buy the size I need, plus one size up.  With babies it seems like you wake up one day and they have grown out of their clothes, so it is nice to have the next size up.

For Play Clothes:

Emily and Luke have pretty much lived in the Sleep and Play outfits from Carters.  I am preparing for the cold by buying some of these too:  Babies are really cute in little pants, but for everyday I don't really like them.  I want something that unsnaps. We just change way too many diapers.


For Church and Outings:

I have an assortment of cute things that I put the babies in when I want them to look a little bit fancier.  I LOVE Belk when I am shopping for Luke. They have amazing clearance racks and they carry some really cute brands.  I don't tend to do as well for Emily there, but for Luke it is always a score.  They will typically put items on sale, and then clearance them for 75% off that price, so as long as I am willing to buy up in sizes I often really score.  I secured some terry cloth Carters footed sleepers the other day for less than 2.00 a piece.  Add a coupon (retailmenot.com) and they are practically free.  I got these shirts for Luke for less than $2 and nailed this super cute outfit for next summer for $7.  

Emily's stuff is an assortment. My sister has sent her some super cute dresses. Thank heavens for a cousin with the same initial!

Shoes:

I am just now learning about shoes.  Emily's feet are ridiculously small, so nothing really fits.  We are mostly wearing Ministars (Robeez knock offs) from Target.

I have found that Burlington/Baby Depot has shoes that are really inexpensive.  We are still relying on socks a lot of the time.

Other Brands:

I know a lot of people love to shop at Target but in general, that is not where I purchase clothing.  I don't like the Circo Brand- it is really thin and just doesn't hold up very well for me.  My kids actually don't have a ton of clothes- so I want things that last. For example, I wash every single day so they really only 3-4 sleepers in the rotation to wear at time.  I have also found that if I shop carefully, with coupons and on sale, what I buy is hardly ever more expensive then what I could get at Target or Walmart for full price.  In fact, most of the time it is less.

I do shop Marshall's and TJ Maxx some, but in general I have discovered that again, their prices are not any better than shopping Carters/ Gap etc with coupons.  I want to love Gymboree but so far I haven't had a ton of luck with their infant stuff, aside from this summers swimsuits.  I think I will do better there as we move to 12 months and beyond.

Cleaning/ Spot Treating:

I hate stains.  It is like my pet peeve.  OxiClean combined with dawn dish detergent gets almost anything out.  The one stain that seems to stick is banana.  I never knew this before kids!! I can get even set in stains out with a little work, but banana just does not wash out if I don't catch it early.  Most of the time the babies eat naked, and I usually check their clothes for stains before tossing in the dryer.  If you come to my house there is a good chance you will see a glass bowl of OxiClean with onesies soaking in it.  I didn't breastfeed for long, but sunlight removes those stains like a charm. Who knew?

So that is it!  I am still learning, and it is still a work in progress.  I still wake up some days and realize that we are missing something, or that Luke has grown out of something. But for the most part they have what they need when they need it.

Happy Shopping!
Love,