Comments on: Dressing your child on a budget – Part Three: Sales http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/ Every Day Ideas for You and Your Kids Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:20:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Cathi http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-525 Cathi Fri, 23 Jun 2006 11:43:18 +0000 http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/#comment-525 I'm with Lotta, if you don't end up using it you can always sell it on ebay! My daughter goes to a school which doesn't have a uniform, and I don't want her to be scruffily dressed. In Australia, the key is to wait for the post-sale sales. For instance, last winter a major department had 50% off the sale price of everything, plus 75% off the sale price of selected items. I got my daughter a stunning warm winter coat for $20, a nice raincoat for $5, and other basics like hooded zip-up jumpers and nice pants. I think that the key is to go for good-quality basics that won't date (avoid the current seasons 'trendy' styles), or things which are so out there that they won't date quickly (like Oilily), and to try to know what your child will actually be willing to wear. I managed to resist the temptation to buy jumpers at the sales, because my daughter rarely wears them, even on the coldest of days, she prefers easily removable layers like zip-up knitwear. Another suggestion, and this is a good one, only recently possible - when your summer is approaching, buy from the end of season summer sales in a different hemisphere! I once bought my son some gorgeous clothes from the US and UK - they were on sale and heavily reduced, but they were perfect for the season that we were about to start. As more and more stores go online and are willing to sell internationally, this becomes more viable as an option, plus your child may end up with something which looks quite unusual. Due to the trans-seasonal nature of a lot of stuff, you can also pick up things in your own country that your kids can wear in the coming season - at the summer sales, I picked up a long-sleeved top and some lightweight pants which my daughter is currently wearing and are her absolute favourites. But they are brands that I probably wouldn't buy full-price. I've also found that it helps to buy tops a bit long (not pants though!) - my daughter has just sadly passed on a top that she has adored for the past 3 years, sleeves were a bit long to begin with but it fit well most of the time...everything was getting a bit short by the time she acknowledged that it should go to a younger friend. But it was a top quality brand and still looks fantastic (why couldn't I have had two kids the same gender!). However, none of this works for my son. Anyone got tips on how to buy for quick-growing tall children? (websites with the inseam measurements for different age groups are what I really need...). My just turned three year old son is tall, normal length legs but wearing the same top size as my nearly 7 year old daughter. I can buy for the coming season by adding a bit of length to my estimates of what he's currently wearing, but the stuff that I bought him last year on sale mostly ended up being a waste of time. Plus my tastes in children's clothing have changed! I guess that what I save on my daughter's clothes can go towards my growing like a weed son. Cathi. I’m with Lotta, if you don’t end up using it you can always sell it on ebay! My daughter goes to a school which doesn’t have a uniform, and I don’t want her to be scruffily dressed. In Australia, the key is to wait for the post-sale sales. For instance, last winter a major department had 50% off the sale price of everything, plus 75% off the sale price of selected items. I got my daughter a stunning warm winter coat for $20, a nice raincoat for $5, and other basics like hooded zip-up jumpers and nice pants. I think that the key is to go for good-quality basics that won’t date (avoid the current seasons ‘trendy’ styles), or things which are so out there that they won’t date quickly (like Oilily), and to try to know what your child will actually be willing to wear. I managed to resist the temptation to buy jumpers at the sales, because my daughter rarely wears them, even on the coldest of days, she prefers easily removable layers like zip-up knitwear.

Another suggestion, and this is a good one, only recently possible – when your summer is approaching, buy from the end of season summer sales in a different hemisphere! I once bought my son some gorgeous clothes from the US and UK – they were on sale and heavily reduced, but they were perfect for the season that we were about to start. As more and more stores go online and are willing to sell internationally, this becomes more viable as an option, plus your child may end up with something which looks quite unusual.

Due to the trans-seasonal nature of a lot of stuff, you can also pick up things in your own country that your kids can wear in the coming season – at the summer sales, I picked up a long-sleeved top and some lightweight pants which my daughter is currently wearing and are her absolute favourites. But they are brands that I probably wouldn’t buy full-price. I’ve also found that it helps to buy tops a bit long (not pants though!) – my daughter has just sadly passed on a top that she has adored for the past 3 years, sleeves were a bit long to begin with but it fit well most of the time…everything was getting a bit short by the time she acknowledged that it should go to a younger friend. But it was a top quality brand and still looks fantastic (why couldn’t I have had two kids the same gender!).

However, none of this works for my son. Anyone got tips on how to buy for quick-growing tall children? (websites with the inseam measurements for different age groups are what I really need…). My just turned three year old son is tall, normal length legs but wearing the same top size as my nearly 7 year old daughter. I can buy for the coming season by adding a bit of length to my estimates of what he’s currently wearing, but the stuff that I bought him last year on sale mostly ended up being a waste of time. Plus my tastes in children’s clothing have changed! I guess that what I save on my daughter’s clothes can go towards my growing like a weed son.

Cathi.

]]> By: Lea R http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-444 Lea R Sat, 17 Jun 2006 03:06:08 +0000 http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/#comment-444 I love finding cute things for Baby A at consignment stores, but I've made some mistakes along the way--buying things that looked (and are) cute, but inconvenient for me or even uncomfortable for A. To wit: * bubbles or jumpsuits with button closures in the legs/diaper area. They don't mix well with wriggly babies or toddlers. * big collars...or, really, collars at all. They just tend to need ironing, or to stand up and poke the poor baby in the neck and chin. * zippers, embroidery, or appliques on the back, which are uncomfortable in a car seat or for back-sleeping. Same goes for stuff on the front once the baby sleeps on his or her belly. These are things I know to watch for now. HTH. - LDR I love finding cute things for Baby A at consignment stores, but I’ve made some mistakes along the way–buying things that looked (and are) cute, but inconvenient for me or even uncomfortable for A.

To wit:

* bubbles or jumpsuits with button closures in the legs/diaper area. They don’t mix well with wriggly babies or toddlers.

* big collars…or, really, collars at all. They just tend to need ironing, or to stand up and poke the poor baby in the neck and chin.

* zippers, embroidery, or appliques on the back, which are uncomfortable in a car seat or for back-sleeping. Same goes for stuff on the front once the baby sleeps on his or her belly.

These are things I know to watch for now. HTH.

- LDR

]]> By: Lotta http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-437 Lotta Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:46:02 +0000 http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/#comment-437 Brilliant. Everyone thinks I spend way too much on kids clothes. But I really just hit the racks of the big dept stores and boutiques. Anything that doesn't fit or doesn't get worn gets sold on ebay! Brilliant. Everyone thinks I spend way too much on kids clothes. But I really just hit the racks of the big dept stores and boutiques. Anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t get worn gets sold on ebay!

]]> By: shannon http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-379 shannon Tue, 13 Jun 2006 00:13:04 +0000 http://kiddley.com/2006/06/10/dressing-your-child-on-a-budget-part-three-sales/#comment-379 Here in the States, Hanna Anderson is having a big sale. Even their sale prices are high, but, my daugter has dresses from them that she has worn for over 2 years! When I said to her the other day that her Hanna dresses were getting too short to wear she just smiled and said, "I can just wear shorts with them!" Here in the States, Hanna Anderson is having a big sale. Even their sale prices are high, but, my daugter has dresses from them that she has worn for over 2 years! When I said to her the other day that her Hanna dresses were getting too short to wear she just smiled and said, “I can just wear shorts with them!”

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