Stretching your baby's wardrobe & saving money on your child's clothes!

I've always loved fashion and putting together outfits for myself, be it for work or play.  After I became a mom, I developed the same love of fashion, but for dressing my son.  I like putting together outfits, not just dressing him in anything that fits and is season appropriate.  Shopping for kids can get expensive however, even though picking out their clothes is fun because there are so many cute pieces.  I try to get the maximum use out of every piece of clothing I buy for my son, and that's why I tried to use some off season pieces in a few different ways.

Although I enjoy dressing up my son, I actually find it difficult at times too.  With my son, like with most kids it's hard to estimate how quickly they will grow out of clothing and therefore how much clothing they need for each season.  Then there's the many gifts of clothing.  The most common gift given at my Baby Shower was clothing.  Everyone loves picking out a cute outfit for the new bundle of joy.  Of course I was happy to get all of the clothing, but there were some challenges.  I got so many of 0-3 months, and not as much from older ages.  I also got summer, or short sleeved clothing for ages that my son would be in the winter.  How was I going to not waste this cute clothing before my son grew out of it?

Outfit #1: Winnie the Pooh overalls with collared blue shirt, was a Baby Shower gift

The Challenge: Not season appropriate - My son fits this outfit now, in the middle of a cold Canadian winter

A cute outfit, but not for the winter

Reinvention #1 Use of the collared blue shirt - layered under a long sleeved shirt

One combination of clothing to use the shirt with

The collared shirt is fully showing with longer sleeved shirt showing through

Reinvention #2- Collared blue shirt - layered under a sweater

Looking preppy with the collared shirt & sweater combo

Outfit #2: A cute themed onesie I HAD to buy, (Mini Pooper)

The Challenge - Not season appropriate - It was short sleeved & only available in a size that would fit my son this winter

A cute onesie with a funny logo, but not for the winter

Reinvention- Mini short sleeved onesie - layered over a long sleeved t shirt

One outfit using the funny onesie 

A Mini outfit with stripes just like on a Mini car!

Outfit #3: Another short sleeved onesie I got as a gift that my son fits into in the winter

The Challenge - Not season appropriate -Another cute onesie I got as a gift

A cute, colourful onesie, but not in cold weather

An outfit using the onesie as a layer

The orange onesie collar really stands out under the striped sweater!

I hope these three outfit reinventions have inspired you to get the most out of your baby or older child's wardrobe.  Before giving up on a piece of clothing and thinking it won't work in the current season, think of layering it or combining it with warmer clothing in a unique way.  It feels great to get more use and wear out of your existing child's wardrobe and saving a little money along the way.


I'll leave you with a Challenge even I CAN'T solve: what do I do with these overalls in the middle of winter??