When a baby is on the way, or if you’ve recently had one, there is certainly a lot of excitement in your home. Of course, it’s a lot of work to have a little one too, as you need to be prepared with all the essentials. Buying the right clothes for your bundle of joy can be a fun experience, though there is some stress as well. Some people like to splurge and purchase numerous outfits of all sizes and for all four seasons. Other people may prefer to be more conservative. Your approach depends on various factors, including your budget and preferences.
What Can You Afford?
Your first job is to evaluate your budget and see how much you can afford to spend on baby clothes. Keep in mind that your baby has many other needs, including diapers, wipes, and possibly formula if you are not breastfeeding. Evaluate how much you are comfortable spending. If you have a lot of wiggle room in your budget, you can splurge a little more with higher-quality items and more of them.
On the other hand, if things are tight already, adding a bunch of new clothes could be stressful. Don’t put yourself in a bad position by spending a lot of money on baby outfits if you are at the edge of your budget as it is.
Think About Growth
One of the most important considerations with buying baby clothes is to realize how quickly the little ones will grow. For example, some babies may only be in 0–3-month clothes for a couple of weeks before they grow out of them. Other babies may never need newborn clothes and skip right to the next size. Bearing this in mind, you may not want to spend hundreds of dollars on dozens of outfits that your baby will only wear once or twice.
What About Hand-Me-Downs?
Unlike preteens and teens, babies don’t care about what their clothes look like. Styles and brands aren’t important to them, so handing down older clothes to your babies may be a good option. This can save you a lot of money and hassle. If your baby has older siblings or cousins, passing down used outfits may be a good idea. If you decide to do this, you probably won’t have to buy many new clothes or cut into your budget much.
Are More On the Way?
Related to the item above, you should consider whether you plan on having more children after your baby. If this is your last child, you may feel more inclined to spend more money on stylish clothes. Or, this decision may lead you to decide to spend less because you won’t be passing them down. If more children are in the future, it might make sense to buy more clothes and items that will last longer.
Buying baby clothes requires good budgeting and conscientious planning. In some situations, you might want to purchase more expensive, high-quality clothing. In other instances, you may not have to spend as much. You can start with an Old Navy coupon and start looking for items for your little one.
Sources:
https://prettypassive.com/splurge-worthy-baby-items/
