There’s an old adage that kids grow like weeds.  This is one saying that is absolutely true.

Tonight I watched a video of Carmen when she was an infant.  She was around 4 months old and getting her first taste of solid foods.  It was a mixture of rice cereal and breast milk. She was sitting in a Bumbo on the coffee table.  I could remember the scene like it was yesterday.  How proud I was of her.  How proud I was of us for making it that far.  I glanced at my now three year old playing a game on her mama’s iPad.  Oh, how time flies.

Kids grow up way too fast and with that they outgrow their wardrobe at world-record speeds.  I remember when she was an infant we would have to go through her closet every two weeks.  We would box up clothes that still had price tags on them.  We quickly learned that we needed to streamline the whole clothes situation.

So, for you new dads out there, here are some of my tips to maximize your time and budget.

Buy only what you need

When you have a newborn get just enough clothes to get you by for about 3 weeks.  It will give you some wiggle room for those midday outfit changes.  There will be a lot of those due to diaper blow-outs or excessive drool.  It will also give you some time to get the laundry done, so you can start the cycle all over again.

Buy used

I am a big fan of buying used items.  It gives the items a new lease on life and keeps them out of landfills.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you can get them at a fraction of the original retail cost.

• We would frequent Goodwill and look for their sale tags.  We could get baby clothes for as little as $1 a piece.  Our local Goodwill receives donations from Target, there were several times we would score items with retail tags still on them.
• Check out consignment shops and thrift stores like Once Upon a Child.  Once Upon a Child has a great selection of toys and baby gear like strollers and slings.
• Also check out Craigslist under the Baby+Kids section.  We once bought three huge trash bags full of clothes for $10.

Avoid the 0-3 months size

Well, pick up a few 0-3 month outfits, but keep it to a bare minimum.  This goes with buying what you need.  The truth is when you bring your newborn home, you won’t being going out all that often the first couple of months.  So, if you have a closet full of 0-3 months outfits, but the kid is lounging around the house in nothing but a onesie, well… it is nothing but wasted money.  And with a new baby, every single dollar counts.  Besides, unless your child was born around <5 lbs., a 0-3 month polo will look real young on him real quick.  The snaps at the crotch will be struggling by week 8.

Plan ahead

If your baby’s 7 months old, start stocking up on 12 to 18 month old clothing.  She will be there before you know it.  Don’t wait until every shirt looks like a belly shirt.  Shopping thrift stores makes this part easy, because of the money you will be saving.  Move the next size up to the back of the closet.  You will want to continue doing this even into when she starts wearing the T’s (2T, 3T, etc.).  This will help you with the next, and last, tip.

Keep organized

My final tip is to keep organized.  Set your smartphone to remind you to rotate out your little monster’s clothes every couple of months.  Go through the clothes, grab the ones that are too small and box or bag ‘em up.  If you think you’re done having kids, donate or sell them.  If you think you will have another one within 4 years or so and you have the storage space in an attic, garage or basement, save every last piece of clothing.  Just make sure you protect them.  The last thing you wat is to keep something store for years and find out it’s been torn up by bugs.  Make sure to label the boxes according to the sizes.

Utilizing these tips will help keep your frustration levels to a minimum and help you maximize your time and budget.

So, congrats on your new baby!  There is quite a bit of work involved with taking care of your little bundle of horror, but a little planning will go a long way.  So, rock on, dad!  And get to sorting those clothes!

Stay tuned for more tips in the coming weeks.