Buying Your Child Clothes

Shop For Children

Buying kids' clothes can go from being a delight with your first baby to a challenge with your preteen. Whether you're shopping for a child who's growing like a weed or locked into a battle of wills with your toddler or preteen, planning before you shop is the key to saving time, money and sanity--all valued commodities for busy parents. Shopping for infants and toddlers

Steps

1. Keep in mind that babies grow fast and have the next size ready to go. Many new parents and gift givers don't realize that some babies never fit, or fit only for a few days, in clothes sized zero to three months. If you receive a lot of gifts in this size, exchange most for sizes six to nine, or nine to 12 months.

2. Remember that toddlers need clothes that pull on and off easily when they're in the "I can do it myself" and potty-training stages. Shopping for older kids

Steps

1. Take inventory. At the start of each season, pull out and sort all the kids' clothes. Box any outgrown items for selling, donating to charity or storing.

2. Make a season-specific shopping list that includes categories such as basics, school clothes, outerwear, and athletic and extracurricular attire. When considering quantities, consider how frequently laundry gets done in your house.

3. Keep kids' preferences and ages in mind, and ask for their input. By second or third grade, expect them to have firm opinions about what's cool and what's not. Look at Web sites and catalogs together at home to see what they like before venturing out to shop. Explain any limits you have regarding styles you're willing to purchase, but use your veto power sparingly.

4. Set a budget and use it as a teaching tool. As soon as your kids are old enough to understand, tell them how much you plan to spend and let them help decide where to spend it. If the name brand wardrobe your daughter must have costs too much, a compromise might be a few T-shirts from her favorite store and less expensive jeans from a discount store

5. Buy socks and underwear to fit, in bulk and in the same color, style and/or brand for each child. These items wear out fast and are uncomfortable if they're too big. You don't want to have to throw out a good sock just because its mate got lost. If you have more than one child, assigning a color or brand to each also decreases laundry mix-ups. Limiting styles to one choice also eliminates fussiness on busy mornings.

6. Take a child shopping if you have a question about size or an exceptionally picky child. Make sure everyone is well rested and fed to cut down on short tempers. Consider shopping without the kids for expediency. Just make sure you can return anything that doesn't work out.

7. When shopping for uniforms quality if everything, especially if your child or children will attend the same school for more than one year. Purchase clothes large enough that they can grow into them. Clothes will look less worn if additional uniforms are purchased to reduce the number of washes over the course of the year and can be handed down as younger siblings grow.

Overall Tips

Make sure you understand return policies, which have gotten stricter in many stores, and file your receipts, which are also important for any items with a wear-out warranty. Focus on buying durable basics such as jeans that will hold up after many washings. Inspect items for quality construction. Feel the fabric to see if it seems sufficiently heavy to withstand wear and tear. Check that buttons and zippers fasten securely.