Hand-Me-Downs or New Clothes?

Off the Rack or Out of Someone's Closet?

May 25, 2008

Sarah Jessica Parker's son James Wilkie may have a hand-me-down wardrobe, but it didn't seem to bother most lilsugar readers. Seventy-six percent of you said it didn't matter that the cutie pie wears second hand threads while mommy wears designer duds. So that left us wondering, how you outfit your child.

Do your kids get most of their clothes off the rack or out of someone else's closet?

Source

17 Comments

princess cupcake 4 years 7 weeks

I would love to have the option of hand-me-downs for my daughter; however, she is the first grandchild on both sides. We were really lucky and got tons of clothes as presents after she was born. I fill in the wardrobe with clothes that I find on sale. If you are a good shopper, you can find things at Baby Gap and Gymboree for less then Target (my daughter wears lots of Target clothes as well). I have bought her some Stride Rite shoes at a consignment sale, but was shocked to find the prices on used baby clothes to be so high. I can find new items on sale for less.

kikidawn 4 years 51 weeks

When I have kids I will definitely do both.

Greggie 4 years 51 weeks

A little bit of both. We get a lot of boy hand-me-downs for my sons from family, and a ton of people gave us stuff for my daughter when she was born. She's probably in 70% secondhand stuff, and it all still looks brand new. Actually I was drooling over a dress at Nordstroms a few weeks ago when suddenly I realized it looked familiar. Sure enough, when I came home and looked through her 6 months clothes, there it was, donated to us by some friends. My kids are way better dressed in hand-me-downs than we could ever afford on our own. I still say SJP's son would look mismatched even in new clothes, just due to his mom's odd style of mixing stuff that doesn't go together at all.

VPHS 4 years 51 weeks

To be fair - SJP gets most of those designer duds for free. I'm all about hand me downs! I have 3 girls and the younger ones still rock the older one's clothes. We call them their "vintage" duds. :)

anniekim 4 years 51 weeks

Some new, some from Salve Armia or Savers. After all, the clothes get played in , painted on etc. if they are 2nd hand I don't mind. If I buy new and the clothes get ruined I do get upset. I have 2 girls and they hand down to each other and will soon be handing down to baby sister #3.

mbev1234 4 years 51 weeks

I wouldn't mind getting hand me downs, however my kids really ruin their clothes - they play hard. So, I would feel badly if someone lent me clothes and they were in turn ruined (in case they want them back).

lickety split 4 years 51 weeks

there isn't anything wrong with used clothing, but sjp takes it to the extreme. she puts her kid in her brothers old clothing, hello 30 year old hand me downs while she wears the latest and most expensive stuff? he looks weird all the time, mismatched, too big/small, etc. i like my girls to look nice and so i am always looking for clothes/shoes for them. i hand them down to each other but that's about it. and it would never occur to me to put them in a plain white t-shirt and elastic waist shorts, or something like that, but to each their own.

lms 4 years 51 weeks

Off the rack. I am very picky about how my daughter is dressed and I have yet to meet a child that I like her clothes enough for me to take them as hand me downs. However, people want my daughters clothes, which I get tired of the requests.

radarkitty 4 years 51 weeks

I go and check out Shepherd's Gate where all the kids clothing is $1. They only put out the best stuff, no rips or stains, and a lot of it is super cute. I picked up 2 Old Navy skirts for my daughter that looked brand new. And the money goes to a great cause so it's a win win.

aleigh 4 years 51 weeks

i dont really mind either. the second hand stores are great, but i cant find anything my size or style most of the time. but when i do its cool bc it dont cost as much at the other stores with newer stuff does.

mamato2 4 years 51 weeks

My 3 girlfriends and I all have daughters that are about 1 year apart each. Hand-me-downs have been working out great! No one has a boy yet so I usually buy him clothes at Target, Children's Place, or Old Navy-especially when they are having a sale. I'll keep his clothes around in case one of my gf is having a boy. I see nothing wrong with using clothes 2+ times as they do grow way too fast!

luckyme 4 years 51 weeks

Before my daughter was born I bought a ton of stuff for her at Once Upon a Child. Many of the items still had tags on them. Since we're the first in amongst our friends and family to have a baby, there aren't many hand-me-downs, so I do have to buy some things new. However, I tend to get most of her new stuff at Target or the Carters Outlet. It's so much cheaper, and she doesn't wear them long enough to warrant the expensive price tag of the GAP or Gymboree (for me, anyway).

keiren63 4 years 51 weeks

I have three boys and a girl and the girl is the youngest. By the time the boys clothes have been passed to all three, they are rags! I rely on hand-me-downs for my daughter as it's too much to buy an entirely new wardrobe for her. I know people who buy Gap and Old Navy and there are times they are giving me clothes for her that still have the labels on. Some kids get so many clothes from parents, as presents, etc. I only buy new for undies and socks, and sometimes special occasion--although I have a really good second-hand store where I can buy stuff that's in great quality. When my oldest son was into expensive trendy jeans, I would go to this store and find pairs that had been barely worn, or were even brand new--clearly people buying jeans for teenagers who didn't want them. The store would mark them up since they were trendy...but that meant they were $10 (cdn) not $7, and not the $75 in the retail stores.

Brendelwoman 4 years 51 weeks

I tend to buy new and used. There's nothing like finding kid's clothing at garage sales. Unless they've been worn by several kids they are usually in great condition. I found several adorable outfits recently that looked new all for $1 or $2. Sometimes I think it can be really hard to put the brakes on spending for kids. After all everything is cheaper than adult clothing and we want our kids to look cute.

LiLRuck44 4 years 51 weeks

I meant *no* sense. And Fabsugar posted an excellent site called Thread.com the other day, and it goes into the real price of discount clothing, etc. Worth watching the clips!!

LiLRuck44 4 years 51 weeks

I make almost all my kids' clothes. I not only love it as a hobby but it is extremely inexpensive! And things are made just right, not to mention I can build in an extra size in case it turns out to be a favorite. For things I just can't make like shoes, I usually head to the second hand stores. The one in my area only accepts new looking items so there is so sense in not checking there first.

controlledspin 4 years 51 weeks

I don't see a problem with hand-me-downs. How many times have you seen your child put on sneakers that were worn twice and say they didn't fit anymore during a growth spurt? It's such a waste when other kids could get enormous use out of the them...

Link Love

17 Comments

You Might Also Like