Boutique Baby Clothing: Is it Worth the Price?

Babies are cute, cuddly and expensive! As a new mom, I often admired what other babies were wearing at the playground and our Mommy and Me class. So, one day I ventured into a baby clothing boutique. I took one look at the clothes and fell in love and then I took one look at the prices and turned around and walked out. I couldn't imagine spending $50-$100 on a dress that would only be worn for a few months!

Then, one day I drove by that boutique again and there was a sale sign in the window. So, I went back in. The sale was 50% -70% off the original prices. They have a sale like this twice a year; once at the end of the winter and again at the end of the summer. I found a dress I loved for my daughter that was $25 and I bought it for her to wear the following summer. I was so excited when the summer came around again and she could wear it. She looked adorable and it quickly became her favorite thing to wear. She wore it about 3 times a week that whole summer and it still fit the following spring! Not bad for $25. So, now I shop at all of the end of season sales.

I also look for brands that I like in consignment and thrift stores. This can take some effort since the clothes are rarely organized but I have found boutique items with their original tags still on them for under $5.00.

Tag sales, yard sales, garage sales, whatever name people call them, are also a great place to find quality children's clothing. Search your local newspaper for sales advertising children's clothes in wealthy neighborhoods. If you get lucky and find a lot of clothes you like in a size you need then many sellers will be willing to give you a discount for buying many items at once. I have even found one family whose child is a year older than mine and they now call me before they have a tag sale to see if I want to come early and go through the clothes. Of course, my answer is always yes!

As an added bonus, my younger daughter is now wearing these boutique clothes because they held up so well through all that washing and wearing. In the end, I am paying less per wearing with the boutique clothes than I am with the lesser quality clothes.