It’s not that clothes that cost more are necessarily better. There are certain less expensive brands that are made of quality material and are well structured, manufactured and would last through several washes.
However, for the most part, it has been my experience that clothes that I spent an extra penny for traditionally have had a longer shelf life. Part of the higher price is because the material the clothes are made of are better and therefore they are more durable. Some people believe that since kids grow so fast, especially in their early years, there is no value to really spending much on their clothing.
I make the case for why this is not necessarily so.
- The hems in cheaper clothes start to unravel faster and sometimes after one wash or one rough and tumble play at preschool. They are not double stitched and therefore cannot stand the test of time.
- The color in cheaper clothes do not always remain true even when you use color-stay detergents created to help color in clothing last longer through several washings.
- The cheaper clothes sometimes pill and start to look old after just one wash. Then clothes you purchased for school, or nice outings out get shifted to the play clothes drawer quickly when you go for the cheap stuff.
Many of these issues go away by spending a few extra bucks for a mid-range to upper range brand. You don’t have to go from one extreme to the next and spend a killing on couture labels either. Mid-level price point brands like GAP, A Children’s Place, Hanna Andersson and Gymboree make clothes that cost more than the brands you’ll find at Wal-Mart, KMart, Sears, JCPenny and Target.
However, you get your money back in not having to go back to purchase new clothes after a few months to replace the tattered, old-looking, color-washed out ones you purchased trying to save money and go with the cheap stuff. If money is an issue.
- Establish a wish list on Amazon.com or some other site and refer God Parents, grandparents and friends who have no children and perhaps more disposable income to it and encourage them to purchase these items in sizes well beyond the size your child is currently wearing.
- Shop at discount stores that sell designer brands for a fraction of the original cost like Ross, Loehmann’s, TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory and Marshall’s. You can rack up on quality brand named clothes at these stores.
- Go to the wealthier areas of your town and shop the Thrift stores, Goodwill and consignment shops near there for deals on quality clothes for pennies on the dollar. Many times, you can find clothes with the tags still on that were given away when a kid outgrew the clothes.
Overall, be creative. There are ways to get better quality and longer lasting clothes that may be economically a better deal anyway than sticking with the cheap stuff.