Week 5 - Baby Clothes!

I missed last week's blog post so I am doubling down this week to get caught up!

Topic: Baby Clothes 

Where do I start? In the beginning, we didn't have to worry much about clothes. Well before Reese was born, we were stocked up on clothes for him. Our awesome friends and family showered us with enough clothes for 3 babies. In addition to that, Justin and I would frequent baby stores or department stores with baby sections and buy up the cutest outfits. We could not resist anything even remotely baseball related! I thought we were set. 

And mostly we were. I had to buy a few things once he got here - like a few more pairs of footie pjs because they're just THAT amazing - but nothing too major. My awesome friend, Meghan, also generously gave us lots of her son's hand me downs which were so so soooo helpful and appreciated!

This was all awesome because BABY CLOTHES ARE FREAKIN EXPENSIVE! And they only can wear them for a few weeks/months tops before they grow, grow, grow (too quickly. Sigh).  It wasn't until Reese was in around 6-7 months old that I had to buy a significant amount of clothes for him.

And I gotta say, I felt a little cheated out of the "baby" clothes stage. Reese is a little on the large side for babies his age. He is average weight for his height but his height has always been off the charts. At 6 months, he fit comfortably in size 12 month old clothing and was quickly growing into size 18 months. I'd go around looking at gimmicky shirts that said things like "My first Easter" only to realize they didn't carry them in his no-longer-baby size. Oh well, there are worst things in the world, LOL. 

One thing about baby clothes - especially newborn baby clothes - is that some are just soooo darn CUTE but not that practical. Reese spit up constantly so it made no sense to EVER put him in anything remotely nice unless there was a chance he would end up in pictures. He also had (and still has) horribly sensitive skin so anything except light cotton was out of the question. 

Something that was DEFINITELY a waste to buy - BABY SHOES. Reese is over 11 months now, I've bought countless pairs of shoes, and we've never managed to keep any pair on his feet longer than 10 mins. They're purely ornamental anyway. For what does a baby need shoes? But that didn't stop me from buying them. 

Carter's was (and is!) by far my favorite brand. Their layette sets are just the best! A little pricey but so worth it. They fit true to size, are lightweight cotton, and are just soo adorable. In a market dominated by baby girl clothes, Carters is the only brand IMO that even comes close to bridging the gap. 

Reese's growth has leveled off quite a bit and at 11 months, he is still in size 18 month clothes, although they are getting a little tight. Now that we have emerged from the newborn/needy baby phase and it's easier to take field trips, I LOVE going to thrift stores! I seriously wish I'd started this sooner. I pay less than $1 for onesies, $3 for jeans and footie pjs, etc. and the brands are all the best - Carters, Old Navy, Jumping Bean, Osh Kosh, etc. I am amazed at what great quality I've found for a fraction of the cost! Most of the stuff looks barely used. I have always been a bit of a thrift store junkie (thank you, Grandma) so I know a lot of the good ones in the area. The hard part is maneuvering the stroller down those aisles and holding my own against the other bargain hunters. But I'm usually up for the challenge. :)

So that's it! I've been saving most of Reese's clothes in the hopes that if/when we have another baby, we will have another boy and then he'll be set with all the hardly used clothes of his big brother. Or maybe Meghan will have another boy before then and she can use them (no pressure Meghan)! :)