Parenting is, if nothing else, a series of cascading revelations. Early on you’ll realize that you can exist on a lot less than eight hours of sleep every night. Then you’ll realize that your needs have fallen behind that of your new baby, and the baby’s mother. And, above all, you’ll realize just how incredibly expensive raising a child can be.
Children’s food, clothing, toys and accessories are all very expensive. And of course every parent wants to buy the best of everything for their child. One of the biggest expenses you’ll run into is children’s clothing. New parents are often amazed at how much a single piece of baby clothing costs. And when you start looking at high quality name brand names like Baby Gap and Appaman, you’ll wonder how anyone can afford to have more than one child.
But as you become more accustomed to parenthood, you’ll also start figuring out when you should buy the name brands and when you should just stick the more generic brands.
For example, there is no shortage of absolutely beautiful designer infant clothing available days. New parents are often amazed at the quality, and price, of these tiny works of art. Unless you’ve got a bulging bank account, you’re not going to be able to afford too many of these garments.
Beyond the price comes the question, “How many of these garments do you really need?” Babies are notoriously hard on clothing. Between bodily eruptions, sloppy eating, and just basic baby mess, their clothing takes a real beating. Many times, you’re better off buying low quality infant clothing, knowing that you’ll probably have to throw it away before your little one has outgrown it.
But don’t forgo buying children’s designer clothes altogether. Dressing up your baby in something really special and beautiful is a lot of fun. Try sticking with a few nice pieces that can be worn a few times and then, hopefully, be passed along to a younger sibling.
If you’re comfortable buying used children’s clothing, you’re definitely in luck. Garage sales, Craigslist, and second hand stores are full of high quality, barely worn children’s clothing at rock bottom prices.
Budgets get very tight when children come into our lives. Good parents know that they can’t buy everything they want to buy for their kids. Buy your infant some nice clothing, just do it in moderation.