Baby clothes on a budget.

I should point out that this was written when Alfed was only about 10 weeks old or so. He has an even greater wardrobe now and sleep suits are worn mainly at night only, e've ventured into outfits, but thats for later.

Before Alfred was born u spent loads of time visiting the baby clothes section at all different shops. I felt no guilt buying beautiful sleep suits for him. I personally prefer sleep suits to 'outfits' as I think they make him look like a baby for longer. Once they're in jeans at tees it's like they're all grown up. Plus tees just end up scrunched under their chin. Sleep suits are just easy! But that's my own personal preference. I've also bought him a few rompers as he's a summer baby but you can't predict the weather here. I love a baby in dungarees but they look even cuter slightly older than newborn. Anyway I digress. Buying baby clothes new gets expensive.

Sales!!
I had my second scan on Christmas Eve and found that we were having a boy. A week later I hit the January sales to buy some clothes for Alfred. I mainly cashed in on sales at h&m and John Lewis
Pros:
•new
•choose your own preferences
•reduced cost
Cons:
•you may find an item you love but you can't find it in the size you would want.
•sales can be messy, and I have very little patience for routing through racks of clothes!

A personal favourite from the H&M January Sale!

Hand-me-downs.
I had loads of hand-me-downs, mainly from my sister.
Pros:
•they are completely free!!
Cons:
•they may not be what you would buy for your baby.
•can be very 'worn'.

New baby gifts
Pros:
•So thoughtful!
•Usually new
•Free!!
Cons:
•may not be quite what you would buy
•may feel obligated to dress your child in clothes you don't like because someone bought them for you.

Baby shower gifts
I was fortunate enough to have some friends throw us a lovely baby shower.
Pros:
•you can make a gift list, much like a wedding.
•when you dress your child in those clothes it's a reminder of how much he's cared for by others.
Cons:
•may not be quite what you would buy
•may feel obligated to dress your child in clothes you don't like because someone bought them for you.
•in my experience I ended up with a load of 0-3 month clothes and nothing else!

Car boots, charity shops and table top sales
Pros:
•usually very cheap
•some of my favourite items came from the charity shop
Cons:
•messy, and I have very little patience for routing through piles of clothes.

A pirate themed newborn vest I got from a charity shop for just 25p

eBay/gumtree/shpock
Weather buying bundles or individual items, this has been my favourite way to shop, although I didn't start to look online for clothes until Alfred was slowly growing out of his newborn clothes and I couldn't get out to buy any more.
Pros:
•you can search specifically for a type of garment
•can be very cheap
•it's a great way to get current in store items for a reduced price (especially next clothes)
Cons:
•postage costs can soon mount up so be aware and add it to the total you'd like to pay.
•it's addictive! Be careful not to splurge
•you don't hand over money, so whenever I think, 'oh it's only a few quid' it all soon mounts up.

Some of the greatest eBay purchases I ever made