Baby clothes and how to save money on buying baby items

Baby clothes and other baby items can be expensive, we’ll look at reducing that cost.

If you buy baby clothes and other items new from a retailer, you will undoubtedly spend a small fortune. That’s the bad news. Now for the good news, you can also save a small fortune and still get some high-quality items. If you buy second-hand baby stuff, you can buy baby clothes and the other items you’ll need for around 10 – 25% of the original retail price.

If you’re looking for guidance on buying a pushchair. You can read our guide on ‘how to choose and buy the right pushchair’.

Baby clothes sale: Second hand baby clothes

Probably the best place to fill your cupboards with clothes is at a baby clothes sale or baby market. When we were expecting our son, we went to an NCT baby market. We came away with two large (full) bags of baby stuff for around £35. A few of the items were even brand new and still had tags on. Some of the items were branded items in perfect condition.

The reason that clothes are so cheap is down to supply and demand. There are so many second-hand baby clothes out there it brings the price down so much, otherwise, the owners just would not be able to sell them. You can see this at baby markets where they have sellers with tables, if a seller solely has clothes they will be going home with most of those clothes because they just don’t sell well because the market is flooded with them.

You can buy second-hand baby items from many places these days. Especially so with the advent of smartphones and apps. You can sit at home and buy stuff in comfort. There are online classifieds, ‘boot sale’ apps, facebook and ebay. However, the one thing I like about buying from baby markets is that you get to see the items before buying and usually find some great little gems too.

How much does a baby cost in the first 12 months

I think at this point it’s worth a quick mention of how much a baby can cost. The national average cost of a baby over the first 12 months is said to be  £3346. This includes all the baby equipment and furniture you need to buy, nappies and food, however it excludes childcare. With such a cost why not give yourself some help with that cost:-

Keep your baby items in a good condition

Babies, especially newborns grow fast and go through their clothes and outgrow other items in the blink of an eye. If you keep your baby items in a good condition (not always easy with a baby) you get a bonus. Once your child has outgrown their items you can then sell them on again and then use that money on your next purchases! Read our article about selling your baby items.