Baby Clothes On The Cheap

 by: Kirsten Hawkins

In the world of art, there is a movement called Postmodernism. If you're not an art student, or an artist, or a professor of art, there's really only one thing you need to know about Postmodernism. It means that you can do whatever you want. Essentially, it is a melding of things that have come before, a new take on old things. What does this have to do with baby clothes? Anything you want it to.

Perhaps you're a young mother who is sick of the basic options of pink and blue, ruffled or hemmed with ribbon. Perhaps you're on your second or third child and frustrated that the styles for your baby haven’t changed at and you’re tired of looking at the same thing over and over again. Perhaps you just don't feel like shopping for baby clothes once every two weeks as your infant grows into the next size that they will rapidly outgrow. In any case, there is a solution to your frustration.

There are lots of things that are not baby clothes, but could be. Like what you ask? How about bandanas? That's right, your baby is tiny. If teeny bopper club girls can wear bandanas as shirts, imagine how much baby can fit into one! Bandanas are great for summer time as a shirt or a diaper cover, and that can be accomplished without a bit of sewing! With a little bit of snipping and stitching, there is plenty of material for an infant sized dress or pair of pants.

Baby doll t-shirts that are made for young women are ideal as dresses for older infants or even toddlers. Sure, some of the writing on them may not be so “babyish,” but some of the more neutral styles would be much more dressy than you can find for the same price in baby dresses.

Taking your own worn out clothes, or just clothes you're sick of as material to make clothing for your baby is a great way to personalize their style through your once loved clothing. It will save money and give you a little bit more space in your closet. Do you have a t-shirt that you once loved, but that now is stretched in an unflattering manner, or perhaps has wear spots in a specific area? If so, you're not alone! Most of the material from the t-shirt can be salvaged and made into a whole outfit for your baby to play in with a simple pattern that can be purchased for less than two dollars.

There are lots of other household items that can be used to tend to your baby. A normal sized bath towel, for example, can, in a matter of minutes be converted into a robe for your baby to wear at the beach or when just out of the bath. When the baby is an infant, just adding some accents and a hood to the towel will make a cheaper alternative to designer robes, and is a one of a kind statement that you simply can't buy at a department store. Let your creative mind wander before you throw out those never used scraps of material and old clothes. Your wallet and your baby will thank you.