I get asked quite a bit where I do my shopping for my son. I bought the cute little Burberry shirt at Bloomies over a year ago (on sale, not for the price pictured). I nearly bought him Diesel jeans that same day (also on sale), then changed my mind. At the time, I thought, “How CUTE! I love Burberry and the prices are a slightly less expensive than clothing for me, so I can dress him in brand names all the time!”
Now that I’ve been a mother for over a year, I see how prices add up quickly for my little one.
So really, how practical is getting high-end brand names for kids? Yes, the clothing is very well made and the styles emulate that of the adults, so the allure to dress your child in the higher end fashions is too tempting. I’ve always said that if I had a daughter that I would have to take on another job just to supplement our wardrobes.
With the way kids grow in these early years, it’s impossible for me to justify purchasing something that is so high cost because it is also something that comes at such a high turnover. Believe me, with the awesome styles out there, I would love to dress my son the way Brad and Angelina dress their kids. But Dominic has already gone through 3 pairs of Converse in his 21 months of existence, not to mention dress shoes and flip-flops or sandals. If he’s going through five pairs of shoes every three months, the cost adds up. And for any family of modest to medium means, it’s just not practical.
Parents should understand and know that there is plenty of great affordable fashion out there for our little ones. The second picture is a recent one from my great aunt’s birthday party. Both outfits for my son and my niece were from H&M and both outfits (including shoes, socks and tights) were a total of $65. Both kids looked fantastic and stylish at a fraction of the cost.
Just as I’m creative with my wardrobe, I’m also as creative with my son’s clothing. I even had to go so far to get him a custom-made Joy Division shirt (seen here, it was only $12 and so worth it). For the clothes that he wears every day, I shop at places like Old Navy, Crazy 8, H&M, A Children’s Place, Gymboree and Pumpkin Patch, but I make sure to be smart about it.
One of my favorite places to get kids clothing is at Target. They have the coolest little t-shirts at prices from $5 to $10. Dominic wears a Run DMC t-shirt from Target and I always get stopped by people asking where did I get that cute little shirt (which was only $5.99). My son is growing at a seemingly exponential rate (he’s predicted to be 6’1″ as an adult because my husband is 6’4″), so the price range is completely pocket-book friendly.
Just to give you an idea of how often Dominic goes through clothing, this is a list of how many times I had to make a sweep of his clothing (which I’m always donating):
- Newborn to 3 month clothing, purged after he was 2 months old
- 3 to 6 month clothing, purged after he was 4 months old
- 6-9 month clothing, purged after he was 6 months old
- 9-12 month clothing, purged when he was 10 months old
- 12-18 month clothing, purged when he was a year old
- He is currently wearing 24 months to 3T clothing
I purged a total of a year’s worth of clothing because I was trying to keep up with his growth spurts. Kids are also not the cleanest during those early months, so I tried to have as many onesies available to keep the washings down to one time per week, rather than several times weekly. When you have to purge clothing so often, it really does feel better to give up $5 shirts than $40 ones every 2 to 3 months.
I want my son to have the best of everything that my husband and I have to offer. I’m realizing and learning all the time as a new mother, that cute and stylish things can be found everywhere, that won’t break the bank. I am a self-proclaimed fashionista and I love clothing. As I make smart investments in the things I buy for myself, I will always make smart investments in my son, where it counts the most. So I need to be practical and realize that I need to rely on my creativity when it comes to dressing him. My true investment for him will be the time I spend with him and my unconditional love.
Amen to that sister. As a mother of a five-year old boy, I can attest to the challenges of fashionably clothing a fast-growing kid without breaking the bank. On top of the stores you mentioned, Marshall’s always carries brand-names for less than half the price at the high-end stores.
You are right! And you and your son are both very fashionable, so I’m glad you agree 🙂
I definitely agree with you, but I think a mixture of both is a good idea. The thing with good quality clothing is- it can be handed down. My sister only bought my nephew joe’s jeans and the like, and they held up so well that now that’s what his sister wears (they’re very androgynous) and I wouldn’t be surprised if she keeps them for her next kid or gives them away, they look brand new.
With her h&m stuff (which she does buy) it’s much more affordable, but she isn’t going to be able to hand that stuff down, it’s worn till it can’t be worn.
You are definitely correct! If I find a great sale, I will most definitely get great quality, higher end clothing. But I wanted to drive home the point that stylish clothing is out there at any price, and creativity can go a long way.
Thanks for your comment and for visiting my blog! 🙂
Kids outgrow clothes and shoes like crazy. My mom cleaned out our closets and gave the old baby clothes that my brother and I used to wear to our cousins in China who’d just had babies. Most of the clothes looked practically new. My mom pointed out a darling blue dress with embroidery on it that couldn’t have been worn more than once and said, “You spit up on that the first time you wore it and the stain didn’t come out.” Designer duds for kids just aren’t practical! Although…if I ever had kids someday, they’d make great gifts coming from else. 😉
Hi Lisa! I know what you mean. Most of the clothes that my son wore in his first 4 months of life were only worn once! We ended up giving so much away or donating them.
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