This is Immy's dress cupboard. There are two coats hanging here, a couple of skirts and a plethora of dresses.
These are the ones she currently fits into, thanks to Groovy Granny and Nana Christmas who provide her with many an outfit, having an older sister and three older cousins plus a mother who never says no to a hand me down the child is swamped by fancy dresses. She is now having to wear infant couture to creche to get some wear out of them.
I was recently reading a post where the mum was a little concerned that her mum's group might be a bit snobby as her son was receiving some hand me downs. It still surprises me that the receiver of second hand goods can be considered somehow less than one who won't. When I was pregnant with Popps and discussing how much we had received another pregnant lady scoffed at me, "over my dead body will my son be wearing some other babies things", I did feel 'put in my place' I guess.
I recently also thought a friend doing it tougher than others might like some of Immy's wardrobe, and I admit to feeling uncomfortable suggesting it, in case they were of the 'no hammydowns' variety. It made my day to hear she is excited to receive a bundle of anything I want to pass on.
But now the problem I really see?
My own cupboard! You see, I have about three dresses, lots of jeans with holes in them and my maternity trackies that I may never ever throw out. Clearly, something needs to change around here.
How about you, are you happy to dress your kids in seconds or wear them yourself?
I have the exact same problem! My clothes are few and far between and they're pretty ratty but my kids' wardrobes are full of lovely clothes! As for the hand-me-downs, I'll offer them to other family members who I know are happy to accept them, otherwise, they're off to the charity bins!
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ReplyDeleteI realise when it's a first child you want to have them in only the very best new special hand-picked ladidah clothes, but seriously? Why pay all the money when they outgrow them so quickly, and when you're having to change them five times a day because of all the escaping bodily fluids!? Between having dozens of beautiful outfits from friends and family (I was first in the extended family AND among my friends to have a baby, so we had excited people sending us clothes from all over the world) and accepting boxes full of hand me downs, Eduardo could have gone the first three months without repeating a single outfit, and I was fine with that. Most of it did only get a couple of wears, and when he outgrew them, all the ones still in good condition were passed onto a pregnant friend who gratefully accepted it all.
ReplyDeleteI'd still happily accept hand me downs if anyone offered them. I've noticed for older boys there's not a lot of hand me downs on offer, and I'm putting this down to how much boys thrash their clothes. I wouldn't dream of handing any of Eduardo's old clothes to other people simply because they're so nasty looking at the end of each season - stained, stretched, ripped. I turn them into bedding for the pet rats. ;)
I've swapped clothes with girlfriends quite a bit over the last year or so. Items we purchase but never wear get swapped out, clothes that no longer fit because of weight gain or loss ... I don't really see it as 'hand me downs', just a cheaper version of op-shopping. Or a friendlier, less risky version of taking clothes from a siblings' wardrobe, haha. My wardrobe is ... embarrassingly well stocked. :/
My kids are dresed in hand me downs and love getting others kids clothes.
ReplyDeleteI always pass my clothes on as the good ones never worn out ! Happy to pass on to clairebear, yes my kids have more clothes than me, and much nicer ones to!!
I'm all about recycling!
ReplyDeleteI have no qualms at all. With mortgage & utility bills, clothes is one of those things you can save on.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have anyone to give me 'hand me downs' so bought them from a recycle boutique. Loved the fact that he was once again in designer clothes at a price a newly single mum could afford. Loved it so much I set up my own preloved kidswear website ten years later.
ReplyDeleteWe love pre-loved and sometimes get some lovely things from her older cousins. Although lately I've started to cull Doots clothes, she just has too many things and it's started to make it difficult for her to get herself dressed. Easier now she's in a uniform for kinder.
ReplyDeleteLove your new look! It's absolutely gorgeous!
My youngest son must have the world’s largest 2yo wardrobe, thanks to hand-me-downs from his big brother and his three older cousins. I love hand-me-downs for the kids. It means that I only ever buy the really, really cute stuff. I’ve never bought singlets or ‘just for kindy’ clothes or any of the basics. I love getting the seasonal hand-me-down bag from my sister – it’s like Christmas opening it up to see all the new clothes. I even occasionally do a clothes swap with her, which is even more like Christmas as its new stuff for me. I have barely any clothes as I never get the time to shop, let alone try anything on. My only real problem with hand-me-downs is that you accumulate so much stuff!
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son must have the world’s largest 2yo wardrobe, thanks to hand-me-downs from his big brother and his three older cousins. I love hand-me-downs for the kids. It means that I only ever buy the really, really cute stuff. I’ve never bought singlets or ‘just for kindy’ clothes or any of the basics. I love getting the seasonal hand-me-down bag from my sister – it’s like Christmas opening it up to see all the new clothes. I even occasionally do a clothes swap with her, which is even more like Christmas as its new stuff for me. I have barely any clothes as I never get the time to shop, let alone try anything on. My only real problem with hand-me-downs is that you accumulate so much stuff!
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son must have the world’s largest 2yo wardrobe, thanks to hand-me-downs from his big brother and his three older cousins. I love hand-me-downs for the kids. It means that I only ever buy the really, really cute stuff. I’ve never bought singlets or ‘just for kindy’ clothes or any of the basics. I love getting the seasonal hand-me-down bag from my sister – it’s like Christmas opening it up to see all the new clothes. I even occasionally do a clothes swap with her, which is even more like Christmas as its new stuff for me. I have barely any clothes as I never get the time to shop, let alone try anything on. My only real problem with hand-me-downs is that you accumulate so much stuff!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally at home with second hand clothes and hope to pass on my kids clothes down the track. I absolutely love going to the recycled kids markets and picking up some gorgeous things for so cheap.
ReplyDeleteMy only beef about hand me downs is that I've realised just how varied peoples taste in clothes really is and then I'm torn between accepting things I'll never use and accumulating more clutter or possibly causing offence by refusing. Oh, and being offered things that are 5-10 years too old ... how much room do people think you have to store things?
As for my wardrobe? Hmmm.... sadly lacking, but then I HATE shopping for clothes for myself.
My daughter wears some hand-me-downs from her cousins, but most of her things are new. I have the same problem - she has more clothes than me. This must be remedied!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the new blog look!
Miss2 lives on Miss5's hand me downs - which also affords me the excuse of buying Miss5 nice-ish stuff (as in Pumpkin Patch when it's 50% off, as opposed to her regular Kmart stuff).
ReplyDeleteMstr2 lives in stylish designer gear, and nothing less - but only thanks to a lovely friend who has twin boys Miss5's age - who went through extensive IVF to finally conceive her boys - hence the designer gorgeous clothing from the extended family.
My boy always looks good, no denying it - but I wouldn't be paying for those clothes myself. And I have no qualms with Miss2 generally wearing something from 3 seasons ago that was once Miss5's.
Except when Miss5 remembers it used to be hers, and tries to fit into it again.
In my circle of people we were the first to jump into the parenting game so there was no-one to offer hand-me-downs. Sure we were spoilt rotten by all of our DINK friends but we had to make all the big purchases with little real world knowledge.
ReplyDeleteNow my kids are older I find my youngest has a wardrobe to rival Immy's thanks to new friends with older daughters. She was known for her amazing dress sense as a stubborn toddler who insisted on dressing herself. However I find my son often looks neglected (I write this knowing he unwittingly wore a pair of his sisters bell bottom track pants to school today) and I wish we had friends with older boys to share the love. As for my clothes I have approximately 3 pair of shorts and a pair of jeans that almost fit if I wear a belt and 2 skirts and a few well loved tshirts. I need clothes or a hand-me-down fairy too.
Oooh, you've had a blog lift. I like! And as for clothing, my boys are dressed in new clothes, but mostly clothes bought by family and handed down by friends. My first lad had hand me downs and I loved them, but the scraggly ones, not so much. But with my second lad, I'm definitely more grateful for the trackie dacks I've been given. I've noticed that my four year old ruins every knee and that clothes are just to be worn and torn!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure girls are so different... and I think my boys have a million more clothes than me. Shocking really, isn't it? Must be time for a shop hey? Love this post. Interesting and relevant as usual.
xx
I always love getting a bargain and that includes thrift shop clothes. When I was a child My mother didn't care if I changed around hand me downs. I loved going through them and finding what worked or I could make work.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had better thrift shops here. I miss a good one.