Since Little Buddy was born, I have had fun searching for his clothes at children’s used clothing stores and consignment sales. Very few of his outfits have been purchased new because I find it painful to spend double or triple on something that he is only going to wear for one season.
For the past year, many of Little Buddy’s clothes have come from a friend with boys who are two and four years younger. She buys her clothes new, mostly from Carter’s, but keeps them in great condition. When her youngest son grows out of them, she sells them to me, usually for about $50 per season.
I then pick up any other items that I need at my go-to used clothing stores. Both are located in Franklin; one is called Once Upon a Child, and the other is called Kid to Kid.
Each store has it’s pros and cons. Once Upon a Child is double the size and has great toys and larger items, but the quality of the clothes and shoes tends to be lower. Kid to Kid has a smaller selection (almost no selection when it comes to shoes) but the quality is usually higher. They are only three minutes away from each other, so I am able to hit up both in a single shopping trip.
Do you buy used clothing for kids? If so, what stores do you shop at, or do you prefer consignment sales?
When my daughters were little we bought their clothes from thrifts stores or they got hand me downs from friends. We bought new only if items were on sale. We shopped at Once Upon a Child too but our location closed.
I have a 21-month-old daughter and we buy most of her clothes at Once Upon A Child. Like you, I can’t justify spending double or triple the cost for clothes that she’ll only wear for one season. Our OUAC is awesome and I always find name-brand clothes for a fraction of the price. 🙂
We mostly buy used! Often new is the same price for t-shirts, so I’ll get new in that case. We only have a once upon a child store nearby. I shop entirely used for myself also, but our 2 used stores closed during COVID. I’m not sure what I’ll do now. 😟
Clothes yes or I exchange them at local market. But shoes need to be new! They form from the owners walk and shape of the foot and your child could have problem with foot while they are still in developing stage.
Oh yes! We never buy used shoes and don’t even share between siblings. So bad for your back, knees, and ankles.
This isn’t an answer to your question but more like a handy tip. If you buy out of season clothes in thrift stores they are cheaper (winter coats in July, for example). Assuming your child is going to grow at a certain rate you can work out what size they’ll be in six months. So, I would suggest buying clothes in advance, out of season, to get even better bargains. I did that for my kids (at the suggestion of a good friend who already had kids when I was expecting my first) and it always worked out cheaper. This also goes for Christmas gifts for small children. Toys are more expensive in the run up to Christmas. People often move house in the summer, so bundles of kids’ toys are more likely to be online several months before Santa comes around!
That’s a great tip! Thanks, Katy!
Our used clothing stores never carry off season items.
I do this with Walmart clearance, it’s easier with toddlers cuz I know what size they’ll be in the exit summer so in the fall when everything gets clearanced I’ll buy the next size up for the next summer 💕 this is the bulk of my new purchase.
I also buy a lot of out of season clothes and I love fleamarkets. We have excellent storage solutions in our house and I can store a lot of clothes. If I see a good deal in the fleamarket I buy it. My 10 year old daughter has a really pretty winter jacket this year, I bought it propably 2 or 3 years ago. But I can’t really buy shoes ahead of time. We have four seasons,which means that you need 3 different type clothes: winter, spring/autumn and summer. So if I buy a good pair of sneakers beforehand they might be the perfect fit right in the middle of winter… In our country children go outdoors in school and in kindergarten no matter what the weather is. It’s been near 0 F and my daughter still rides her bicycle to school, so the winter gear has to be top notch.
If I buy something new, I usually try to buy something that is ethically made and of good quality.
I buy my oldest son’s clothes mostly from Once Upon and Child and when there is a consignment sale going on I wait until the last day to go so I get everything half price. Now since I have two boys in a row all my oldest son’s clothes and shoes (as long as they are still in good condition go to my youngest). I don’t buy shoes from those places unless they are look like they are in really good condition, I will buy those new. Now my youngest does get all handy downs from his older brother but i have bought some new clothes for him I just don’t go crazy, and I tell friends and family it’s okay if they want to buy him clothes because I don’t see the point in him not getting new ones. I have all the baby clothes in case my husband and I have another child because if it’s a boy I can reuse them again, if it’s a girl I could reuse some of them. I don’t see the point in buy brand new clothes when some of them might get ruined from playing and they will out grow quickly. My oldest son doesn’t mind when I take him to get used clothing. If I see a good deal in the stores I’ll get some new clothes. Like black Friday they have pants for my son at 7.50 a pair which my husband and I think is a good deal so I grab some a size up from what he is currently in and he gets those 4 pair of pants for Christmas.
OUR PLAY CLOTHES WERE SECOND HAND, LOL hand me downs!!!! LOL!!!!!
I heard they are going to close kids stores and you have to buy them either Walmart, Target or online.
I you just buy new clothes for my girls at the mall. I don’t go to thrift shops. Most of the clothes in thrifts shoes are clothes from the 90’s. Shoes I buy new. Shoes are thrifts store are brought by other people who wants to buy other people’s shoes that authentic foot and other feet problems
I mentioned in a reply I also buy from Walmart when the season is coming to a close and the clothes are clearance- I’ll buy ahead for the next year.
I also buy mostly from a consignment store in the state I’m in, it’s great quality and I can’t spend much knowing they won’t wear it for that long either. I do occasionally make a purchase from amazon but even that has mostly stopped- after a few kids I really see how frivolous that can be lol.
When our children were young, I bought most of their clothes at garage sales in the area. It seems like that was a lot cheaper than Once Upon A Child. However, we did buy our changing table there before we had our first child. You might find as your son gets older, it will be more difficult to find jeans for boys at garage sales.
That’s a great point, Lisa. I’m already noticing that some of the pants I see used look worn. Might have to start buying some new on sale.
I have two boys and I have noticed it’s hard to pass down pants for them because of holes . They aren’t toddlers anymore and they still get holes in them . I have found good deals at the children’s place for jeans .
I buy both new and used for my kids . But when I buy for my oldest , I know that we are going to use them with my youngest son . I then pass it on to my nephew after that . I could try to sell them , but it’s so much easier to just give them away.
I feel the same way – so hard to spend full price on kids clothes when you can get them secondhand for a fraction of the price.
I find yard sales/garage sales have the cheapest clothes for kids, and often the cutest stuff too. I also use facebook marketplace often!
I am afraid I just ordered them brand spanking new from my desk at work… I always figured I could earn more by working and buying them new, than I would save by shopping around.
As a working mum, I have definitely learnt the things that can be outsourced and those that can’t… hunting for bargains is something I don’t have time to do…
Same here! Us working women don’t have time for domestic frivolities.
They’re no frivolities! It’s a great way to contribute to the household if you’re a sahm! And it’s good for the environment! Well done ladies 🙂
I’m working mom, but I still buy second hand. My husband and I split household chores 50/50, so I have time. We are quite frugal and this has enabled us to pay of debt really quick. And we haven’t had to sacrifice holidays etc. If we have a busy season, we use the extra money to have a professional clean our house every once and a while .
I did purchased many outfits during black Friday for my twins. Jcpenny had this awesome sale for summer clothing, summer clothes with top and shorts for 3.25 by Carter’s . I took advantage of that. I love shopping smart and reasonable. Never full price on anything except good quality shoes.
Back in the day, my mother sewed our clothes. We’d shop at the five and dime for fabric and then she’d spend the summer sewing lots of back-to-school clothes for the coming year. I loved her handmade clothes (dresses, jumpers, skirts, blouses) because I picked the fabrics and she added the expert stitching. If I wanted certain ribbons or buttons or bows, she’d add them. It was fun being a designer like that and watching my mother bring a dress to life on the black metal 1940’s sewing machine she had gotten as a postwar bride.
I sewed all my son’s clothes while he was a baby and preschool age. I could whip out 2 pairs of shorts or pants during his naps. Those pants never wore out. I guess with all the cheap imported clothes these days and the rising price (and declining quality) of fabric, nobody sews kids’ clothes any more. Sewing seems to be a lost art with the current generations too. In my mother’s day and in mine, all girls were required to take several years of sewing in Home Ec in school. Home sewing got women through the WW2 years when clothing was rationed and fabric was scarce. You could take worn-out adult clothes and use the remaining fabric for kids’ clothes, or in many cases make another adult garment from them. Women’s magazines at the time were full of articles about how to turn last year’s dress into this year’s skirt for you and your daughter. My mother used to take worn-out sweaters and make mittens and hats from them.
Just a little history lesson for you. “Thrift,” “used clothes,” and “recycling” are not new ideas.
I do about 50/50. I ordered big boxes of clothes by size off ebay. Also Facebook marketplace sometimes gives away free items. Also my neighbor has a daughter a year older where we get things. But I keep having less and less time so I try to make sure the at least the expensive items like coats are used.
If their were holes in boy clothes she would just put patches on them to make them look new.