The discovery that the purchase of extensive amounts of infant clothing is enough to sink R.H. Macy into bankruptcy usually comes long before your little bundle of joy blesses you with its first stinky diaper and spit-up soaked burp rag. Despite the fact that infant clothing uses less material than their oversized counterparts most manufacturers insist on charging twice the price. Since a typical baby goes through no fewer than seven changes of clothing throughout the course of a day, they’re only going to wear the clothes you buy them for a month or two and unless you happen to have the one husband in the world who can handle loading a washing machine and adding soap (and knows how to turn it on) you’re going to be way too tired to even consider doing laundry every day, you’re going to need to learn the Mom’s secret to buying infant clothing.

Since even Wal*Mart charges an arm and a leg for its infant clothing many new Moms find themselves at a complete loss when it comes to buying cheap. Well-meaning relatives who have more money than children will rave about the latest trends at Baby GAP and Gymboree, leaving you reeling and wondering if dropping thirty dollars on a Onesie is the kind of expense you’re going to be stuck with for the rest of your life. By the time your child becomes a teenager you’re going to be used to your wallet developing terminal spiderwebs, but until that point here are some of the most closely guarded secrets in the Mother/Baby world when it comes to buying infant clothing:

  1. Take advantage of your relatives. Shamelessly. Especially your parents. There is nothing that grandparents like better than to spoil the new baby, which makes them a tremendous resource for things like christening dresses, buntings and that diaper bag you just can’t live without.
  2. Take hand me downs where you can get them. Babies rarely wear out their clothing, and most moms are more than happy to clear out their outgrown clothes to make room for the new. If you can find a friend, neighbor or relative with an infant at least six months older than yours you could save hundreds of dollars on infant clothing.
  3. Buy it secondhand. There are three indisputable facts that you need to know about dressing your baby. One, they will only wear what you buy them for a very short period of time. Two, whatever you put on them they will throw up on (or at least dribble on) within the first two to three hours. Three, baby formula doesn’t wash out. Ever.
  4. If you don’t like the idea of shopping at Goodwill you can always take advantage of a consignment shop. Consignment shops are usually upper scale secondhand providers of children’s clothing. They are very picky about what they allow parents to sell, and nine times out of ten all of the stock in the store is as close to new as you can get without buying straight off the rack.
  5. Buy sparingly. When you have a new baby you want to have plenty of cute little outfits to show them off in. Just bear in mind that the baby will be spending far more time hanging out at home than out in public. Save your money and buy five or six cute outfits new for those trips to Grandma’s and the doctor’s office; baby will be happier in a Onesie and a sleeper at home anyway.

With those facts in mind it really doesn’t make sense to buy baby clothes new when there are so many great secondhand options available to you. Goodwill and the Salvation Army are prime dumping grounds for secondhand baby clothes, and since the workers are usually good about sorting out anything that’s stained or ripped they’re usually in good shape.

Hal Lewis is writing informative articles for LibellulaCreations online store. They do not sell used baby clothes but check out their fine selection of Designer Baby Clothes, Designer Diaper Bags, and Fashionable Maternity Wear if you decide to splurge on baby a little.