I was faced with an interesting dilemma the other day. My friend is having her first child and, per tradition, planned a baby shower to mark this blessed event. Because gift giving for a baby shower is fairly mandatory I found myself at a local Target store trying to track down the perfect gift for my friends soon-to-be-born child. I wanted something with personality, something that both the mother and the baby would love. I wanted something useful also, I’m not one of those people who likes to buy gifts that I know will never be used. So as I sat there in the baby section of the store staring at my options I was faced with a decision that I always seem to be faced with in a situation like this: do I go for the childrens clothes and buy a little, or do I go with the baby accessories and buy a lot.

It’s an age old question when it comes to buying gifts: is it better to get someone one large gift or a bunch of smaller ones. As most people know baby clothes are expensive. Sure, it might be a little cheaper at a place like Target, but for a baby shower if you want to get out of there spending less than $30 or $40 you’re not going to be able to buy that much. If you go the accessories route, though, you can get a lot more for $40. What do I mean by accessories? Stuff like stuffed animals, bottles, rattles, wipes, pacifiers, teething rings, etc. You might not automatically think things like bottles and baby wipes make good baby shower gifts, but if you have a kid and realize how quickly you go through those thing you’ll gladly take as many as you can get.

The good thing about buying baby accessories is that you can not only buy more for your money, but they also last longer than baby clothes. Anyone who has had a child knows that kids outgrow clothing in what seems like the snap of a finger. In other words, while baby clothes are great for now, they will be boxed up in the closet in about three months. While kids might outgrow rattles and bottles, you do get a longer time frame, maybe six months or a year or so, before those become obsolete.

So what did I decide on? Well I cheated: I bought one set of baby clothing for a nine month old and then spent about twenty dollars on accessories. That way I was able to make a pretty impressive looking gift bag without breaking the bank or skimping on products.

Author Kimberly Green always make sure that she has the best childrens clothes for her friends’ baby showers.

Children’s clothes can be expensive, we all know this. As parents we are supposed to just accept this. A tiny t-shirt for double the price of a regular grown-up’s t-shirt? Geez, where do I sign up? We just sit back and take it, justifying our purchase of expensive child’s clothes by saying that we will reuse them (as long as we have another one of the same sex *fingers crossed*). We all have those friends that spend a lot on their children’s clothes and while they look cute we all secretly mock them and go “Geez, why do they spend so much on clothes that the child is only going to wear a few times”.

Thing is, though, as parents we all have the tendency to break the “cheap” children’s clothes rule. We all have that one thing we bought our kids clothing-wise where, during a moment of clarity, we put our head in our hands and went “what was I thinking?” For me, this purchase happened a few weeks ago at the beginning of baseball season when we decided to buy our kids some adorable Minnesota Twins fake jerseys. That’s right, at $40 a pop, our kids now can dress like they favorite Twin’s stars for like, you know six months. Honestly, I loved the jerseys to a point that I actually talked my husband getting them. And while our kids are now the ultimate Twin’s fans I still have no idea what I was thinking.

But I’m thinking maybe that’s what parenting is all about: well thought out decisions with enough stupid ones stuck in there to keep things interesting. For every five great decisions you make, there is one that is a complete head scratcher. But that’s probably human nature. By the way, I’m thinking of trade marking this “Five good idea- one bad one” phrase because I can believe that I’m not the only parent who feels this way. How many times have you told your kids that they can’t get a soda only to later on get an ice cream cone because you’re totally craving rocky road. And I’m sure we’ve all broken the bed time rule a few times because you’re just too busy to put them to bed.

Being a parent is hard and you’re not going to get everything right. With that said I would like to have that jersey purchase back. My kids are going to look amazing this season, and then we will have three expensive souvenirs to sit in the closet until they have kids.

Author Kimberly Green hopes parents avoid the pitfalls she stepped in when buying children’s clothes.

Many parents find themselves a bit confused when trying to find the best clothes for their children. Ideally, children’s clothes should be comfortable to wear, fashionable in design and  made to last a long time.

Thoughts of buying children’s clothing begin even before baby is born. Usually at a baby shower and then shortly after baby is born, parents receive some clothes as baby gifts. Often these are small sizes that the child will outgrow rather quickly. With this in mind, you can easily see that buying children’s clothes is an ongoing task for parents.

Infants will change sizes every few weeks because of the rapid rate at which they grow. With this in mind, be sure to buy durable clothing in washable, comfortable fabrics. Babies have many accidents so make sure you buy clothes that are easy to clean. Buying several onesies and sleepers are your best bet when shopping for clothing for an infant. All in one outfits are also a great find, as they are easy to put on and take off for all those diaper changes!

As children grow and reach the toddler stage, their clothing needs will change. For example, during potty training separate tops and bottoms are best to dress children in.  This makes training easier for parents as well as encourages the toddler to be independent. It is a very good idea to buy clothes that are easy to put on and take off so the child can learn to dress him or herself. Buying clothing that is a little big will ensure that the child won’t grow out of it too soon.

When shopping for children’s clothes, keep in mind that designs and fashions are ever changing, so it’s important to keep up with the latest fashion trends so your child is in style. Even newborn apparel is has changed and is trendier in style these days. Sometimes you will spend a little extra on good quality children’s clothes but remember, children play hard and can be quite rough on their clothing. You want to make sure that what you buy will last through whichever stage they’re in. If you have younger children of the same gender, or if you plan to have another baby soon, keep unsoiled clothing put away for the next child. The money you spend on good quality children’s clothes will go a long way because they last. If you store clothing in an airtight storage bin, the clothing will stay clean and fresh and with just one wash will look as good as new!

Remember, you can find beautiful clothing for children that they will feel comfortable and that will withstand the test of time!

Kim Green has young children and has a great deal of experience  in buying quality children’s clothes that are made to last.

I shop often for children’s clothes. Since I have a boy and a girl, there’s no such thing as hand-me-downs, except for what I wash, store and then give away to charities and local shelters and community resource centers. I most often shop at Target for clothes for my children, because the prices are reasonable, and the clothing is almost always in style, fashionable and practical. On most days I can tell you honestly that one or both of my kids is clothed from head to toe in Target clothing!

The nice thing about children’s clothes is that there are so many possibilities for styles! My daughter recently received a short-sleeved shirt that was on the long side, but rather than wait for her to grow into it, we simply paired it with a pair of leggings and a wide belt. Runway models could expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a similar outfit, but since I’m buying children’s clothes, I can expect to spend less than the cost of a gas tank fill up for the outfit.

Keeping children’s clothing looking nice is another thing altogether! When you pick out a nice outfit from a place like Sandbox Couture, or even a nice outfit from a local retailer, you want it to last. The key to keeping your child’s clothing looking nice is to treat stains right away. Rinse in cold water, and scrub with a bit of dish soap (I recommend Dawn). Don’t use warm water, because it will cause the stains to set in the children’s clothes. Keep to cold, and wash the clothes on cold. Use a high quality detergent, like Tide or Downy, and consider using bleach for whites, and color-safe bleach for colored clothing.
Another trick to keeping children’s clothes looking nice is to keep like colors together in the wash and dry cycles. Pair denims with reds, and light colors with other light colors. Also, for those fancier outfits with sequins, screen printing and the like, turn the articles of clothing inside out to protect the embellishments during cleaning.

Finally, remember to dress your child so that he or she looks her very best, no matter what the occasion! If you have a little girl, mix and match pants, skirts, dresses, leggings and tops to make multiple outfits out of just a few articles of children’s clothes. For little boys, never underestimate the cuteness factor of overalls or a vest!