How to Make the Most of Children's Clothing

Any parent can tell you that children's clothing just doesn't last long. This handy how to guide will help you get the most out of every piece of clothing for your children.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Determination
• Creativity
• Internet Access and/or
• A network of other parents

1. Care for your clothing properly to make them last as long as possible. Always read the care labels and launder your clothing as instructed. This helps keep items from fading, shrinking, falling apart, etc. Pre-treat exceptionally dirty items to make sure the soil comes out in the wash.
2. Try to find an alternate use for clothing that has become too dirty or torn up. You could cut up infant body suits into cleaning rags. Baby clothes could become doll clothes. Your daughter's favorite dress could be cut up and used as squares for a quilt. Think creatively and you can avoid waste.
3. Get creative and make some money from clothing that is outgrown when still in good condition. Hold a garage sale, take your items to a local resale shop like Once Upon a Child, or list them on EBay.
4. Trade away items that you couldn't sell. Make friends with other local moms and swap. You may have 2T clothing to give away to the mother of an 18 month old, and another mother of a 4 year old could pass down some 3T items to you.
5. Check out Freecycle (see resources). Sometimes, there just isn't anyone nearby that you know personally. Freecycle is an excellent online recycling community. They can point you to their local chapter, where you can offer items you no longer need and request things you are looking for.
6. Donate items you couldn't sell or trade to a charity such as Goodwill, a local church, or a women's shelter.

Tips & Warnings

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