AIBU to spend £200 to £250 sizing up toddler clothes?

[wrinklycactus]

Just that really. How much do you spend when baby/ toddler goes up a size?

Going up to 12-18 months size and we haven't had any hand-me-downs this time (I got lots for younger baby but people seem to have stopped now!)

I reckon I've spent somewhere between £200-£250 on the lot including coats, shoes etc.

50% Vinted/ supermarket stuff,
30% mid range like Next and H&M,
20% more pricey brands like a couple of nice tops/ dungarees from JoJo (still mostly in the sale though!)

Is that about normal? Or do you tend to get all your stuff secondhand/ from supermarkets at this age?

I know they grow so fast and make a mess at nursery etc, but still want to have a few nice things.

We earn OK and can afford it (and £100 was gifted from family), but DH thinks I've spent a lot given they grow so fast.

Just wondered what others tend to do and AIBU to think this is not too extravagent?

YABU - it's a lot to spend
YANBU - it's fine

fashion fashion is terrible

By the time they’re 2ish clothes wear out before they grow out.. or maybe that was just my two 🤣 I found hand me downs stopped around then. You’ve done well to refresh a toddler wardrobe for £200!

Sounds like quite mixed views!

I agree with landfill/ fast fashion being an issue. That is why I do buy quite a bit on Vinted and I actively avoid cheaper quality brands like Primark and Shein that will need to be thrown away after a few uses.

The things I do buy new are good quality and then they go on Vinted or to friends/ family when we're done with them, so they are reused even if I bought them new.

It's true that £250 actually doesn't go as far as it used to! A pack of 5 bodysuits on Next is £18, for example - he needs 2 or 3 packs so that's around £50 already if I get them there.

I find the Vinted postage costs sometimes don't even make it that much cheaper, and I've had things arrive already too small from being overly laundered etc. I still persist with it but I've realised sometimes it's not as cost efficient as it seems.

Anyway sounds like I'm on the higher end but maybe not crazy unreasonable.

Good tips about buying ahead in sales too, thanks all :)

if its within your means and you choose to spend that its your choice.
The issue seems to be your DH doesnt agree the amount is reasonable .
It seems reasonable to me but its a personal decision.

I agree if you can afford it go for it but seeing next and m and s described as midrange for some reason depresses me, I find them very expensive!!

Toddlers are expensive!
I'm granny and take great pleasure in buying clothes and shoes for my grandchildren (stuff that I know my DD2 will like too). I just bought DGD's first shoes and they were £40 just on their own!
I think baby-age 4 is the most expensive then it tails off a bit once they are in school uniform until they are teens when they seem to grow an inch a day and of course want branded stuff (tho mine were never bothered about that and have great bargain hunter instincts as adults)
I easily spend £200 a year on my grandkids each..probably just on shoes as I do think good fitted shoes matter!

This! I replaced things bit by bit so it was never a grand “sizing up” exercise.

I think I mostly bought very cheap brands as I don’t think Vinted was a thing when my two were that small.

Too me its a lot for toddlers.
I just bought from 'George' and didn't buy a lot.
It was only when they wasn't growing so fast that I either bought more frequent or spent a bit more on clothes.

Also not sure why he needs 3 x 5 packs of body suits? Maybe having 10 suits is good for convenience over just 5 (although I’m sure you could get packs of 10 in my day) but 15?? That seems OTT.

Sell the old stuff in Vinted and you’ll get money for the bigger clothes

Stuff is expensive. 🤷 I have found it harder to get good stuff on vinted as my baby gets older. Sometimes things are not much cheaper than new once the shipping is taken into account. It's only really worth it if you buy a lot from one seller.

It's funny, everyone told me to get tonnes of newborn stuff, but it's actually now that I have a toddler that I'm finding I need more clothes. She manages to get wet/muddy/covered in food/filth so frequently that I need about three outfit changes a day. If it's just water she's covered in, I put the clothes out to dry and wear them again. But I have found that I need quite a lot to avoid constant laundry.

This is true, you tend to need a lot of baby clothes to make up a washload , so having multiple vests isn't a bad idea at the messy play stage.

£200 would soon go if it was all bought new. A pack of three sleepsuits from Asda the other day was £9, so I went on Vinted instead and got 14 sleepsuits and a whole load of short and long sleeved vests for £8 including postage. I don’t think it makes much sense to buy that sort of thing new! I v rarely buy anything new to be fair, it’s all Vinted. I do enjoy buying them bits and pieces though so probably spend a fair bit, but as it’s gradual rather than all at once, I wouldn’t really know how much.
The only thing I do buy new every time is shoes. And they’re quite dear 😅 little pair of Clarks prewalkers for my 1yo the other day for £30, altho I will sell on again afterwards, for most.

I do a mix
shoes - I always get new (sometimes on vinted but always new)
school uniforms - the local schools all have pre-loved rails and at primary they have a kindness cupboard which is basically a cupboard of stuff people have donated and you make a small donation for the PTA.
General clothing - we have some hand me downs, new stuff (but usually in a sale) and then vinted.
with vinted I try to buy new with tag stuff because sometimes people seem to shrink stuff so you think you’re buying an age 7-8 but in reality it’s a lot smaller which is annoying!

It’s up to you, a personal thing

Buy second hand/vinted, go for new supermarket kids clothes or go high end with brands eg Joules, Ralph Lauren shirts

It’s all the same at the end of the day- clothing your child

Just depends on how much £££ you want to spend doing it!

Pretty much entirely Vinted (like someone else said bundles work out super cheap) and charity shops. We get the odd brand new thing from a small business near us when they have a good discount code. Then Grandma tends to buy them a winter coat in the next size up at Christmas! 😅

I am a SAHM though so probably on more of a budget than most. When I go back to work I’m sure I’ll be more tempted by some of the cute supermarket offerings!

£200-250 including coats and shoes is super reasonable! I don’t get anyone saying it’s not?! A pair of properly fitted 1st walking shoes is probably about £40 on their own! And personally whilst I’m always really grateful for hand me downs from friends I just cannot be bothered with searching vinted, not knowing if it’ll even get posted let alone if it will fit because they may have shrunk it or if there’s a stain that wasn’t visible in photos.

my DS is now 5 and everything he’s ever had has been brand new.

We don’t have anyone to give us hand me downs so we didn’t really have much choice. I’ve never looked at Vinted so not sure if that would ever have been an option.

I do however give away all of his clothes and toys that he’s grown out of to others who we know with younger children so nothing gets thrown away.

I agree with this. I never went on a massive shopping trip for ‘the next size up’; I just got whatever was needed as I noticed certain items getting a bit small. Also picked up bigger sizes in the sales and put aside.

Not saying you don’t spend as much overall in this way, but I would never have gone out and replaced the whole wardrobe for £250 in one go. Having said that, if you want to and can afford it, I don’t see a problem.

I did it all on the cheap, mostly Vinted. But I probably didn't spend much less than you because I bought a couple of new expensive things, including new shoes and a snowsuit. Plus some things in the Polarn O Pyret sale.

I do recoup a bit by selling on. It adds up quickly. I don't know how much I spent though as I buy in dribs and drabs. Some things, like Polarn O Pyret pyjamas, are cleverly designed with extending cuffs, so DC has been wearing them for about 2 years!

Now DC is at school they barely wear anything except school uniform. I hardly buy anything but shoes now, they have 4 x more clothes than they need. School uniform is all secondhand from the PTA.

I bought some new from an expensive brand I liked. We got some as gifts. Otherwise I used hand me downstairs or bought second hand from charity shops or eBay, Facebook marketplace. There are plenty of clothes in circulation already for most kids needs when they only wear them for a few months.

It’s hard to say as I don’t tend to do it all at once but when I do shop for them it really does add up cost-wise, even if only getting a few trousers and t-shirts. If you are being savvy, using vinted (which I do, but should try to do more tbh), etc and if that £250 includes extra seasonal things like sun hats, sandals, etc then I think it sounds quite realistic.

What does you DH want you to do differently? Spread it out more rather than all at once? Or buy less? Or look for more give-away/ second hand cheap stuff?

Like a pp, I find the idea of replacing a load of clothes all at once alien. One month I might notice they're short on trousers, another month they need a little summer jacket etc. Does that figure include shoes, coats and things for different seasons? Shoes/wellies/sandals/crocs does add up I suppose. I'm amazed you haven't had any hand-me-downs and do grandparents/aunties not buy clothes as gifts? When my children were that little I felt I could barely justify choosing things myself as we were constantly given stuff, almost too much. It's only slowing down now at KS2 age.

I don’t think we’ve ever been given a single item of clothing for our DS.

Most GP were dead before he was born and he has no aunties.

As older parents we also didn’t have any friends with slightly older children. The only ones we know are ones we met through baby groups, nursery and now school but these are of course all the same age as DS so little opportunity to receive anything from them. We do know some people who had DD the same age as our DS and now also have a younger DS so we give all our stuff to them as they don’t have any boys clothing to hand down.