I LOVE shopping for children’s clothes. Those tiny little dresses and shoes call to me. There are so many cute options and so many ways to shop! Whether you sneak over to the children’s section when grocery shopping, see cute advertisements on social media, or browsing your favorite store to shop online you’re sure to find boat loads of cute options!
Now think of all that money you’re spending, do you really want to stash those outfits away JUST IN CASE you need them? I hate packing cute outfits in places they may never get seen. When I shove them into an emergency stash location there is a very small chance it will ever be shown off! Just because it’s secondhand does not mean it will be any less cute.
There are many times having a cheap secondhand outfit will come in handy, here are a few!
1. Clothes For Your Diaper Bag
Secondhand outfits are great for the diaper bag, and this is definitely the most obvious place you’ll want a backup set of clothes. If you’re lucky you can shove it to the bottom and forget about it…just not for too long. You’ll want to make sure you’re switching your diaper bag outfit as your child outgrows sizes.
I didn’t have to use my emergency diaper bag often. Usually just for spit up messes and that phase was short lived, thankfully! While it was great to not HAVE to use my backup outfit often it was kind of a bummer that a few brand new outfits were outgrown before they were worn.
Some dry wet bags are a nifty product to have on hand in case of messes too! They keep wet or soiled clothes contaminating the rest of your diaper bag.
I really prefer backpack style diaper bags. You can click on the images below if there’s one you like!
2. Thrifted Kids Clothes are Great for in the Car
This is a backup within a backup! It’s a wise choice to have an outfit ready to go in the car. Your child may be old enough that you don’t carry a diaper bag or a “toddler bag” (hello potty training!). Or you may have had to go through their emergency diaper bag outfit and you’ll be glad to have a spare!
Even big kids can occasionally need a change of clothes spilled food or drinks, dirt or mud, after impromptu swimming, going down a wet slide, etc. – there are many possibilities where it would come in handy to have a spare just in case!
These organizers fit on the back of the driver or passenger’s seat and this one attaches to the back of your second or third row! So nifty!
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3. Keep Secondhand Clothes in Your Purse
There are a few wonderful sweet-spot phases where you can make quick trips with your little one and not need to drag along your diaper bag.
You can always have packed 1-2 diapers, some wipes, and an outfit in your purse and be ready to run out the door.
This may not be an everyday necessity, or option, but those occasions you’re confident you won’t need much will be so freeing not to have your larger diaper bag weighing you down.
You could use a purse organizer like this one or you could just put them in a separate zipper, I always buy purses with lots of compartments.
4. During Messy Meals
I love silicone bibs and these full sleeve waterproof bibs to help reduce mess and I’ve even seen super fancy ones that cover your child and their highchair making messes a thing of the past!
There are those meals though that you know will be a mess but you might not want to strip your child down, or have those fancy items with you. You’ll be glad to have some second hand clothes that you won’t be cringing with every drop on their shirt.
Many children’s nutritionists and food therapy specialists agree that fussing over your child’s messy eating habits or constantly wiping them down while they eat could cause them to have bad associations with food or cause picky eating habits. Making a mess is almost inevitable at certain stages, and you’ll be glad to have some outfits you don’t care about on hand.
5. For Arts & Crafts Thrifted Clothes Work Great
You can definitely buy one of these waterproof arts and crafts smocks but it’s also convenient to have a few outfits you won’t mind if they get paint, markers, or dye on them. There will never be a truly 100% full coverage option, so it’s best to have some outfits that can be worn at home for fun projects.
You have enough to worry about trying to keep those messes off from everything else, like your floors and table!
6. Playing Outside with Secondhand Clothes
If there’s ever a time to let your child get messy it’s when they’re playing outside! It’s also probably the most frequent time you’ll wish you had some less expensive clothes to rotate through.
Letting your child play in the dirt and mud is great sensory play and c’mon! It’s good for their little hearts! My kid is the happiest when she’s outside, and I swear sometimes her main goal is to get as filthy as possible. As much as my controlling side is screaming internally, I let her play freely (MOST of the time), splashing mud puddles and shoveling dirt piles.
There are so many articles surrounding the importance of outdoor play. Don’t let the fear of stained clothes stop you from letting your child enjoy it!
7. Kids Grow Fast!
I could see spending a lot more money on a teenager’s clothes than a baby, or even a 5 year old’s clothes. I am 33 and I still have some of my clothes from high school.
Baby and children in general, however, outgrow clothes quickly. I’ve made the mistake of buying too many clothes in a particular size and several outfits were never worn, or only worn once.
How likely would it be that you would buy yourself new clothes if you knew they wouldn’t fit within a couple of months? Probably pretty low.
8. It's Better for the Environment to Thrift Kids Clothes
Not only are we creating less waste when we buy secondhand clothes instead of new ones, there are also many other benefits you might not have considered, such as:
- Less pollution from manufacturers
- Using less resources
- Reduces energy use
What It Comes Down To
Emergency Outfits May Never Be Seen
Kids Are Messy
Clothing is Expensive, Especially for Growing Kids
Buying Secondhand is Better for the Environment
I know it’s so fun to shop for all of those new outfits, but there are just as many cute secondhand options in great condition.
Were there any reasons on the list you hadn’t thought of? Any reason I didn’t mention?
I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
