Here’s How To Get the Best Deals on Kids Clothes

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Clothes shopping for children can be tough. They grow out of their size seemingly overnight, constantly change their style preferences and sometimes have to adhere to a school dress code. This can make even the most simple purchases feel like a waste of money when they can’t or won’t wear the clothes you’ve bought for them. To ease some of the stress on your pockets, here are some helpful tips to find affordable trendy kids’ clothing at our favorite online retailers.

Babies: 0-2 years

Credit: Unsplash

1. Don’t buy clothing too far in advance. Babies double their birth weight by five months old and triple that number by their first birthday. This stage goes quickly, and if you buy new clothes during a growth spurt, you might not get a second wear out of them. So, it’s better to buy clothes as needed.
2. Stick to one or two outfits for special occasions. Babies are fussy. Though they may look cute in that mini tuxedo, there is a slim chance they’ll want to wear it the entire day or very often.
3. Opt for clothes that are slightly bigger sizes than you think you need. You’ll get longer wear if you buy slightly bigger sizes. This will keep you from buying new onesies every few weeks. 
4. Stick to dark colors. Accidents happen so you want to make sure that your fabric can camouflage any stains your washer can’t remove.

Where to Shop for Cheap Baby Clothes

Credit: Carter’s, Cat & Jack

• Carters: It’s affordable, offers gender-neutral options, and is comfortable. Dress your baby in a wide range of essentials such as side-snap tees and zip-up play and sleep outfits to make changing time a breeze. You can save even more by stacking coupons on top of sale prices.
• Cat and Jack: Next time you’re at Target, check out their baby clothing brand Cat and Jack. This brand has a lot of adorable outfits at amazing price points. If an item of clothing wears too quickly, the brand offers a one-year guarantee. Keep your receipt, and if something wears out faster than you’d like, take it back for a replacement. The best essentials from this brand include low-cut socks and $5 leggings.
• H&M: Your haven for baby basics. From comfy to cute, H&M offers affordable baby T-shirts, jumpers (you can get a pack of three for $20!), and jeans for your baby. H&M uses organic cotton with soft linings and virtually undetectable seams to keep your baby comfortable and non-irritating.
• Baby Gap: These clothes are made well and last a long time. Some must-haves for this brand are the adorable ear hoodies and the convertible sleep gown (now $13.00!) 

Bonus: TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods and other similar off-price retailers are excellent places to find quality clothing brands for your little ones at big discounts. While you do have the ability to shop online, you can often find interesting and unique items when you shop in stores.

What’s a Good Price Point for Baby Clothing?

Generally speaking, aim to spend less than $8 on baby outfits. If you’re going to splurge on a nice outfit for a holiday or photo session, look for items in the $10 to $15 range. Onesies will give you the most value for your money, since many brands provide options for less than $2 per piece. Stock up on stretch leggings and bottoms when they are $2 to $3.
For outerwear, you can usually get away with sizing up by a whole year depending on your child’s size (i.e. get a 2T for your one-year-old). Look to save 60% to 75% off on quality coats and jackets by shopping offseason.

Toddlers: 2-5 Years

Credit: iStock

1. Mix and Match. This age is all about your child demanding independence, so why not give them some options to choose from? 
2. Opt for solid and classic patterns. Get a little more wear out of your items by not going with trendy patterns and buying solid colors. This way, their clothes stay in fashion for more than one season and you can even have some hand-me-downs for younger siblings.
3. Buy Gender Neutral. Rather than only purchasing precious pinks and baby blues, consider buying neutral colors such as navy, cream, white, red, and greens for future children to wear regardless of gender. 

Where to Shop For Inexpensive Toddler Clothing

Credit: Old Navy, OshKosh B’Gosh

• OshKosh B’gosh: This clothing brand can withstand the roughest of play-days and are known for having a lot of great deals, such as 20% off your first purchase and a $10 reward for every $100 you spend. You can also score bonus points during exclusive events. 
• Old Navy: If you’re in need of outfits for the playground, Old Navy is another affordable store for your toddlers. It’s a good store for casual outfits such as comfortable dresses, shorts and jeans. In the cooler seasons, they offer a wide selection of layering pieces such as leggings, long sleeves and jackets. For the holidays, they often have themed clothing that is easy to mix and match
• Gymboree: Gymboree is the perfect story to mix and match clothing items. With classic patterns, you’re sure to find pieces that will last several seasons. They even offer rewards to loyal customers such as Gymboree rewards and GymBucks, so you can save even more as a frequent shopper.
• The Children’s Place: While many locations have closed, The Children’s Place is still going strong with its online presence. There is almost always a huge sale or great selection of clearance to shop from. Must-haves include cheap graphic tees and comfy sleepwear.
• StrideRite: Not only are these shoes built to survive hand-me-downs, but they come in half sizes and different widths. It makes the toddler shoe buying experience much easier.

What’s a Good Price Point for Toddler Clothing?

Aim to pay less than $4 to $5 per piece for play/everyday clothes. High-quality shoes should run about $20 to $25 if you find a good sale. If you choose a strap sneaker, you can size up a half size to extend the wear.

Kids: 6-10

Credit: iStock

1. Size up on Essentials: Grab a size larger on essential pieces so that they can be worn for the second part of the year if your kid hits a growth spurt.
2. Make the most of back-to-school deals. End-of-season sales always have the best prices, but back-to-school sales from mid-summer through September are always worth a look.
3. Be aware of what they like to wear. If they don’t like it, they probably won’t wear it–which means wasted money. Take note and listen to what styles your kiddos are into. 
4. Don’t splurge on trendy outfits. What’s trendy and “cool” this season might change next season, so don’t invest too much in current trends. Stick to classic styles and brands that have more longevity throughout the seasons.
5. Buy seasonal clothing that is a little too big. If you’re gonna invest in some warm and high-quality winter clothes, ensure they’ll last a couple of seasons by buying them a little larger. 

Where to Shop for Affordable Kids Clothing

Credit: The Children’s Place, Kohl’s

• Target: Target makes back-to-school wardrobe shopping a breeze. On their website, they have already-built outfits to give you and your child inspiration and also have a wide selection of clothing and accessories at affordable prices.
• The Children’s Place: This kids’ clothing store offers on-trend designs at on-point prices. Shipping is always free, and you’ll earn $5 in My Place Rewards for every $100 you spend.
• Kohl’s: You can find trendy and cute kids’ clothes while saving a few coins with their stackable coupon codes and Kohl’s Cash rewards, which makes the savings even sweeter. We regularly see Frontpage Deals on Kohl’s assortment of Carter’s baby clothes and French Toast uniforms. Plus, cardholders get 30% off and free shipping each month.

What’s a Good Price Point for Kids Clothing?

A good target to shoot for is $20 per outfit at this age. A quality jacket or pair of shoes will likely cost you $30 to $50, but your kids will likely wear them for a significant amount of time, so it’s worth spending a little more to get a durable item. This is also a good age to size up on outerwear when you can to get more life out of the item.

When to Shop for Kids Clothing During the Year

• January to March: Clearance fall and winter styles, special occasion outfits, winter gear, jackets and boots.
• April to May: Sneakers, Spring/Easter clearance, Memorial Day sales.
• June to August: Rain boots, raincoats and umbrellas, back-to-school sales (especially on jeans).
• September to October: Swimsuits, sandals, summer clearance, Labor Day sales.

Additional Tips for Affordable Children’s Clothing

• Shop off-season. One of the best ways to score great deals on kids’ clothes is to take advantage of end-of-season sales. You’ll score the biggest savings on warm-weather merchandise like t-shirts and shorts in July.  Coats, boots, sweaters and other cool-weather essentials are highly discounted in January. You can either buy your kid’s current size for short-term wear or size up for next season. The exception to this rule is shopping for cheap baby clothes since sizes are harder to predict.
• Shop in the middle of the week. One survey of more than 100 retailers showed that Wednesday is the best day of the week for children’s clothing sales, with an average discount of 40% off.
• Stack coupons with sales: Shop at stores that allow you to stack coupons with current sales. Kohl’s, JCPenney, Target, Macy’s and Old Navy all offer frequent coupons and other ways to save. And some stores, like Kohl’s and Target, will allow more than one coupon at a time.
• Resell gently used clothing: Recoup some of your clothing costs by selling outgrown clothing. You can sell locally through Facebook Marketplace or a consignment shop. Alternatively, you can sell clothes online through sites like eBay or thredUp. Then just roll your earnings back into your clothing budget.
• Join rewards programs. Stores like OshKosh B’gosh, Gymboree and The Children’s Place let you earn points on your purchases and then redeem these points for future discounts.
• Set up a Deal Alert. When you sign up for a Deal Alert, you get instantly notified when a sale is happening. Add in your favorite store or use specific keywords for what you’re shopping for.