Archive for the ‘SandboxCouture’ Category
Chances are unless you have a baby or have someone close to you who has just been blessed with a child of their own, you probably don’t pay a lot of attention to baby clothes and accessories.
While they have their own sections at stores like Wal- Mart, Target and K-Mart, chances are if you’re not specifically looking for baby clothes or gifts you’ve consistently skipped that section on the way to electronics or bathroom supplies. Because of this, you’ve probably missed the fact that baby clothing has been getting pretty fashionable lately.
Gone are the days of plain colors and cookie cutter designs, children’s clothing has been getting serious attention from some of today’s hottest designers. It’s not just for the celebrity mom either, fashionable prints and interesting color schemes are showing up everywhere from high-end baby clothes boutiques to your favorite mega stores.
This is good news for both new parents as well as those looking for baby gifts as there are now many more options to match both the a parent’s and child’s personality. By just scanning the website of a baby specialty store you’ll noticed a large and intriguing selection of clothing for babies. A few of the options include:
- A onesie featuring soft florescent colors with the words “punk rock” on it.
- A onesie featuring a Japanese style tiger with a leaf background.
- A full line of fashionable shirts featuring such phrases as: “all natural”, “fat and happy” (my personal favorite), “uber snuggler”, and “peas out” with green peas on it.
Clothing such as sundresses and pajamas have also modernized by utilizing new and exciting colors and styles while continuing to feature such classic patterns as polka dots and straight lines. Colors like black and white are now being paired with pinks and purples to make contrasting designs that really stand out from the crowd. One of the more adorable dresses I came across has a repeating pattern of pink and green flowers.
On the accessory fronts, those looking for a new and exciting gift have much to choose from. Bibs come in all different fabrics and colors and many companies have coordinated the colors and designs of their baby clothes and their bibs. In fact, most companies offer matching towels, hats, bedding and even diaper bags so parents can plan a color scheme and stick with it. Even hair clips, pacifiers and footwear are now designer made and make really wonderful gifts for any occasion. There really are so many cool ideas when it comes to finding baby gifts!
So there you go. If you ever find yourself in a position to buy a gift of baby clothes or accessories you can use your full fashion sense for your purchase. Next time you find yourself near the baby aisle at your favorite shopping center take a look inside, you might be shocked at what you see.
Kimberly Green can always come up with cool ideas when it comes to getting baby gifts
Buying the correct size of baby clothes can be intimidating if you have never done it before or do not do it often. Most clothing lines are not true to size, making the best of intentions of shopping for clothes for your own baby and gift-giving a frustrating and sometimes financially wasteful experience.
First, let me say that babies grow so fast during their first year that the baby clothes sizes will likely span from newborn probably up to 18 months within the first year for the average baby. In fact, most babies are not in 0 – 3 month sizes for very long so do not stock up on those. While the tiny sizes are adorable and hard to resist, they will not be useful for very long. In fact, many outfits sit in drawers never to be worn and end up in garage sales and mom-to-mom sales.
When I buy baby clothes, very rarely have I found clothing to be true to size. I generally buy a size up from what their age is. For example, if the baby is three months old, then I buy six month sizes or if the baby is 12 months old, then I buy the 18 month size.
If tags show height and weight guidelines, I consider those over the age of the child. They are generally more accurate.
You also have to be aware of the seasons while shopping ahead to ensure proper fit. For instance:
• If you are shopping for winter clothes in September for your three-month-old baby, your baby will be 6 – 9 months during the cold, winter months. Remember to buy a step up in size from what their age will be during those months, not the age they are when you are shopping. For winter items, remember to leave enough room for layering onesies underneath tops and bottoms.
• When buying jackets and snowsuits, remember that there will likely be at least two layers underneath in the form of a onesie and an article of clothing such as shirt and pants. Remember to leave room for bulkier clothing underneath such as sweaters.
• If you are shopping in March for summer outfits for your six-month-old child, your child will be 9-12 months during the hottest months. Purchase clothing one size up in age from what your child will be during the months you are shopping for.
Of course, size accommodations should be made if the baby is smaller than average or larger than average in growth. These recommendations are for the average size baby.
Buying baby clothes doesn’t have to be difficult. Unless you find clothing lines that are true to size, utilize the height and weight guidelines on tags. If the tags do not have height and weight guidelines, going a size step up in age generally works well.
Kim Green has lots of family whom she has bought baby clothes for so she definitely has the experience in getting the correct sizes!
Babies grow so quickly and their clothes tend to accumulate and cause clutter. Don’t get rid of outgrown baby clothing though, there are many ways to get years of use out of them.
In the first year of a baby’s life, the rate at which they grow seems to be expedited. Parents often find that they are shopping for new outfits every few months, unless they have purposely bought clothes that are a size bigger for their child. However, even the baby clothing that has been worn in that first year are still in usable condition because they are often not worn out at all. You can make good use of these baby clothes instead of feeling the frustration of not knowing what to do with the baby clothing that has suddenly accumulated and has taken up much too much space.
If you hope to have more than one baby, than by all means, keep outgrown baby clothing in storage! Keeping clothes for younger siblings is a sure-fire way to save money. An expanding family means an expanding budget. This works especially well with baby clothing because most baby clothing consists of all in ones, sleepers, undershirts and booties or socks.
To store them properly, keep your baby’s clothes in zip-lock bags and label them according to their age groups. You may specify the appropriate seasons for wearing them too, if you are living in an area that experiences the four seasons. By storing the baby clothing in this fashion, you can be assured the clothes will remain clean and in order for easy access when the next baby comes along. Place the zip lock bags into a plastic box and label that box too, just for easy reference.
If you do not plan to have more children, lend or give the baby clothing away to family or friends. This is greatly appreciated by siblings, close relatives, friends or colleagues who find themselves needing to buy baby clothing. You can help alleviate their financial burden! Always make sure you ask if they would like hand-me-downs. Most parents love receiving them but there are those who are particular about buying new baby clothing for their own babies.
If you do not know anyone who needs baby clothing, donate what you have to charity. Unfortunately, the orphan population is growing exponentially around the world. An easy way to find out where to take the baby clothing is to run a Google search for orphanages and adoption agencies. Donating to the nearby orphanage or shelter for single mothers is a wonderful act of charity.
If you have the time and you can sell them as second hand clothes. This is a good way to earn some return on the beautiful baby clothing you purchased for your growing child. You can opt to sell clothes online through eBay or other second hand exchange sites. You can even set up your own personal site and manage your second hand store from your own home. If you don’t have time to sell clothes online, check your area for second hand stores. Selling them to these types of stores is also a possibility.
Author Kim Green is a frugal shopper and knows how to get the most use from the baby clothing that is bought.
With the rising costs of toys today, buying a baby gift can be an expensive endeavor so making sure the baby gifts you purchase are of quality is a very important must for today’s economic environment.So there is a new baby in your life and you’d like to purchase a few baby gifts to welcome it into the world. Perhaps it’s the baby’s first birthday and you’d like to celebrate with a heart felt present. Well there are several factors that go into purchasing a fun, safe and economically sound gift for a baby.
First and foremost when you think of a gift the most important factor should be safety when you are buying for a baby. Safety can mean several things. First, all today and most baby related items come with indicators that tell you for what age the product is appropriate. This is important to pay attention to because the older the age groups the more intricate and likely the more smaller the pieces of the toy are likely to be which could cause a choking hazard. When thinking about toy safety for baby gifts you must also give consideration for toy recalls. Many toys get recalled every year due to safety issues and there are many online resources that can help you determine which baby items have been recalled.
Second, a great baby gift is a gift that helps to develop motor skills, cognitive skills and intelligence. Many times these types of educational toys are overlooked for simpler, shinier and more colorful toys that can do very little to help a child hone and advance their skills. A well thought out choice for a gift can give the child years of educational enjoyment. Shop around and avoid picking out the first thing that catches your eye. Focus on those toys that will enhance a child’s play time and your gift will be a sure fire success!
Any toy that helps a child develop is usually a good value but once you determine which toy you would like to purchase, do a little online research for the quality of that toy. Just because it hasn’t been recalled doesn’t mean it’s a solid value. Some toys tend to break just hours after a child gets their hands on it. Not only does this run the risk of having an upset child it runs the risk of dangers from sharp corners or small broken pieces that can cause choking. Mommy blog and children’s toy review sites are all over the Internet. Put a toy’s name in a search engine and you are sure to find tons of responses from mothers who have had first hand experiences with the toy you are interested in. Who’s better to tell you the quality of a toy than a mother? No one!
Following these tips will help you ensure the baby gifts you purchase are of high quality that will supply the baby in your life with hours of enjoyment, entertainment and education.
With today’s current economic slump making wise purchases are very important and buying clothes for your children can be a huge expense. Being an affective clothes shopper can help save you hundreds.Everyone has been affected by the current economy in one way or another so it’s reasonable to say that every household looks for ways to make the most of their dollar. With springtime just around the corner it’s likely that most parents have spring time clothes buying in the back of their mind.
When purchasing clothes for your kids there are numerous factors involved with selecting the best quality brands at a price that makes the purchase a value. The first such factor is obviously quality. After all, if the clothes you are buying are of poor quality it will end up costing you money in the long run.
Low quality means it will wear out quickly. Children are hard on clothes, especially springtime and summer clothing. Even high quality clothing will wear quicker than winter clothing because children are hard at play outside. So, it is very important that you purchase high quality clothing. Look for stitch count of the material, double stitching of the seams and slightly thicker materials. Low cost clothing is generally thinner and when stretched over your hand it’s easier to see the light sine through it.
Large retail chains, low cost outlets and super stores that tout lower costs generally provide these lower cost clothes at the determent of quality. If your child is in the middle of a growth spurt or is seriously hard on clothes these types of stores can provide an adequate value/cost ratio for your dollar but for most people, they will end up replacing their children’s clothes two or more times than if they had purchased high quality clothes. Don’t be deterred if the initial cost of the clothing is higher than a super store’s because the pay off will be a much higher quality/ cost ratio that will ultimately stretch your dollar.
Another very important factor about where you purchase your clothing is the fact that many brands are sold in many stores and at many prices. If it makes sense to you as to why you should avoid super stores then it would make sense that smaller boutique stores that specialize in higher quality clothing would be the place to go. In a sense that’s correct but when it comes to purchasing it is a little off. Most of the clothing found in higher end department stores and boutiques can easily be found online at a fraction of the cost from very reputable dealers.
With children sizes can change from season to season so it’s always a good idea to check sizes before purchasing any clothing. Most boutique and department stores will measure your child for free. This would also be a good time to look at the new styles and trends that are popular and to try on a few items that you or your child might like. At this time, make note of what you would like to purchase and how much it will cost in that store. Avoid impulse buying and wait until you get home. Usually if you search for baby clothes online you will be able to find a reputable sales person who sells children’s or baby clothing. Usually they will have the clothing you like for much less because they do not have the very expensive overhead of brick and mortar to pay for. Also, in most cases you will not have to pay sales tax and if your order is over a certain amount, many times shipping will be free. If by chance the retail location has the item at a lower cost by all means take advantage of that deal! After all, it’s all about raising the quality/cost ratio to get the most out of your dollar.
Posted in SandboxCouture | Comments (0)