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Styled to Last | Shop for Hand Me Downs

kids style, style kids clothes to last, shop for kids hand me downs, little style, how to shop to extend clothing life In my humble opinion the best way the extend the life of kids clothes, is to hand them down when each kiddo is done with it. Pass them down to a sibling, a cousin or even a friend – being able to share clothes and pass them on, giving them a whole new life span is the ultimate way to extend the life of little clothes. We personally love hand me downs (giving and receiving), over half of my daughters closet is composed of items her brother once wore (or his adorable little friend). Generally when I shop, I keep the hand-me-down mentality in mind, which has helped me streeeeeeeetch my dollar and lower even more possible excess shopping. So I thought, heck why not share some of my cheapo, I mean frugal tips – how I shop for clothes that can be handed down.

kids style, shopping for kids coats, little style

COATS When buying big ticket items like coats, I try to really stick with classic or more unisex styles. Since my son is older I buy him a coat in a style that his sister will also be able to wear in a year or two. When it comes to outerwear I always buy it a size or two too big, they can then grow into it as they wear it – and sometimes get a year or more of wear out of it (and then hand it down). And I always buy at end of season sales, winter coats are pricey so I try to avoid the wallet hit by buying on sale – generally most of my kids outerwear is a year old because I try to shop sales.

 

kids style, shopping for kids tees, little style

TEES I think I naturally gravitate towards styles that work for both genders, mostly I stick to classic styles or prints that are timeless or unisex.  I often buy King tops from the boys section that I would have bought Harlow anyways, if it had come in her size. When the top fits a bit too big for little Harlow’s girly frame; I layer it, roll up the sleeves, or tuck it in – changing up how itvis worn is one way I try to make hand-me-downs new again.

 

kids style, little style, shop for kids shoes BOOTS and SHOES Buy unisex styles and colors, especially when it comes to winter boots. Those bad boys are not cheap, but if you can get a few kids to wear the same pair of boots, the price is not too bad. Sometimes, when Harlow gets a hold of King’s old boots, to make them new I sub the laces with a fun color OR I have been known to paint or dye shoes. Shoes are another item I like to buy larger and on sale, I rarely ever buy shoes that will fit them NOW (buying shoes they need now makes it hard to buy on sale) – I keep my eyes open for sale shoes and buy large so they always have shoes to grow into.

 

kids style, shop for kids pants, unisex kids pants

PANTS Buy pants for boys from the girls section, as long as there is no girly stitching, embroidery or rhinestone action no one will be able to tell and sometimes they fit way better anyways. Then in a couple years (after you have extended their life) they can be handed down to a little girl (in our case little sister Harlow). Also when it comes to boys jeans (I have talked about this one before, here), they make the BEST brother jeans (my name for kiddo “boyfriend jeans”) when handed down to little girls. When it comes to buying jeans I stick to a couple stores, I find even in the land of kiddo jeans every store has a different fit that fits every little differently. So it may take some shopping around to find the right fit, then you can keep your eyes open for sales.

 

kids style, kids clothes, kids shirts, little style SHIRTS Button downs are the best for being handed down, you can extend the life pretty great for your boy and they also have so much versatility when handed down to little girls. A simple denim or chambray shirt, plaid or striped shirt are all so very classic and unisex to begin with it makes it an easy switch to take them from a little boys closet to a little girls. To make shirt hand-me-downs new, I like to belt them, layer them under sweaters, layer them under dresses, layer over slips, or roll up the sleeves a bit.

 

kids style, shop for kids accessories, little style ACCESSORIES Buy unisex when possible; backpacks, hats, touques, belts, cardigans, even ties and bow ties. My kids share hats, backpacks, belts, and suspenders – so I only have to buy ONE. Bow ties when they get too small, I have in the past cut them and turned them into little hair clips. Sometimes if an item is really boyish (especially when Harlow was a tiny baby), I added little embellishments to make them new for her; a simple bow, colorful stitching, or I just pair them with a girly item (like hot pink sneakers).

 

The first 11 months of King’s life I had not a thought in my head that his clothes would one day be handed down to a sibling, so at first I just got really lucky that I gravitated towards classic or unisex items. But once we learnt of a coming sibling I changed how I shopped, and literally started shopping for items that could be handed down later – of course I don’t apply this to every item but generally it is one of the first things I think of when looking at an item for my kids.

These tips will work if you have an older daughter and a younger son (buy her boys items, style them girly and hand them down later). Also even if your little has younger cousins or your friends have younger babies – everyone loves hand-me-downs!

SHARE IT, I DARE YOU!

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November 1, 2012     |     written by Brandy     |     22 Comments

Comments

  1. lauraegoldstein says

    November 1, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    I love the high socks on your daughter! Such a timeless look for little girls. I can’t wait to put them on H one day!
    http://www.littlebebenista.com

    Reply
  2. Jazmin says

    November 1, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    Loved this! Right now I only have 3 boys, but I’m

    Hoping a little girl will come along. I think of how well some of their clothes can easily be “transformed” into girly clothes.

    Reply
  3. Mel says

    November 1, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    These are always my favorite posts! Thanks for the tips! I’ve started shopping this way and it’s great!

    Reply
  4. Coryann says

    November 1, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    This has been so helpful, thanks mama!

    Reply
  5. Vivian says

    November 1, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    Love your posts like this! I think it is easier when the boy is older and hand-me-downs go to girls. I guess however, being a girl who got a LOT of hand-me-downs from boy cousins growing up, I eschew most neutral and unisex things ever since I had a choice in buying my own clothes! LoL!
    With a girl on the way, I can’t imagine handing anything down to a potential future brother, but if we had a boy later down the road, I would probably buy #1 more unisex items with that in mind!

    Reply
  6. michelle says

    November 1, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    i have started buying stuff for the girls from the boys section so the boy can one day wear them. some really great tips here!

    Reply
  7. cora says

    November 2, 2012 at 4:54 am

    This was super helpful! You are such a smarty when it comes to their clothes. And the last photo of Harlow in the suspenders is ridiculous!!

    Reply
  8. Angela says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:12 am

    Great post!!!!

    Reply
  9. liz says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:49 am

    great post! i actually do the same thing with the laces…i keep all the boys shoes and i’ve been switching out laces for jess 😉

    Reply
  10. Brooke says

    November 5, 2012 at 12:29 pm

    You are such a genius! I wish I would have seen this before I put back the black/navy LL bean snow boots at the thrift store! Laces! Duh.

    Reply
  11. Kim J says

    November 5, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    Such great ideas! I think I’ll be raiding our "too small" boy clothes bin for hand-me-down girl clothes. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Dani says

    November 5, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    I am obsessed with this and I don’t even have kids hahaha. I want a baaaaby. 😉

    Reply
  13. sheena says

    November 6, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    I absolutely love the way you paired the girl jeans on your little boy and the boy jeans on your little girl. So fashionable and trendy.

    Reply
  14. Christine says

    November 28, 2012 at 8:55 am

    Like you, I hadn’t a thought in my brain of buying unisex when my son was born. Luckily, we’ve got loads of pjs, pants and one-pieces that work well for either sex infants. But his first years of clothing was entirely hand-me-down and borrowed from cousins and friends, so I’m just now (that he’s 2) having to shop for him.

    I definitely need to use a few of these tips, now that we’ve added a girl to the mix and my kiddos are 20 months apart. Can’t wait for post-holiday sales!

    Reply
  15. StylowyBrzdac says

    December 29, 2012 at 4:30 am

    I like your blog!
    And fashion style of your kids!
    Great photos!

    Reply
  16. Hand Embroidery says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:03 am

    All idea’s are very good & interesting because this is the very new fashion trends.

    Reply
  17. Hand Embroidery says

    February 19, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Such a great collection for kids. I like your blog very much.

    Reply
  18. emilysoni says

    February 27, 2013 at 4:53 am

    What ever we wear at young age or during childhood that became our natural fashion. Nice blog shown by author as it is the childhood that make us to choose our natural fashion and style. What ever we think it becomes thought and that thought help to what we want to achieve. Same as what we wear during childhood – same thing we will follow for whole lifestyle. Such that many children like to wear mens tie and business shirts according to their father style. They throw if other attire provided to them . quality comes from uniqueness and this uniqueness is the origin of the quality.

    Reply
  19. lapel pins says

    July 20, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    These are always my favorite posts! Thanks for the tips! I’ve started shopping this way and it’s great!

    Reply
  20. loudbeeper says

    January 27, 2014 at 5:33 am

    good
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    Reply
  21. Davina says

    March 2, 2014 at 1:47 am

    This is all very helpful! I currently have a 17-month old boy and I always wonder how I can style his clothing if I were to have a girl next! I too love finding great deals on his clothes, and would love it if his future sibling could make use of all the cute stuff we’ve accumulated over the years! Thanks for posting this : )

    Reply
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    December 21, 2015 at 6:07 am

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