Thursday, May 21, 2020
I was SO hellbent on having everything being new when I was pregnant with Hunter. So much money was spent on the most top-of-the-line toys, strollers, shoes, and clothes - and then so grown out of so quickly. With Brody, he got a lot of new things but so much of his stuff was hand-me-downs from Hunter. He didn't know the difference and about 50% of everything was barely used because Hunter had grown out of everything so quickly. Lesson learned for this mama.


Now granted, we definitely got our shop on for this baby girl (before stores were shutdown) but since then, I've had SO much fun scouring online secondhand shops and BST pages for sweet little dresses and outfits. Today I wanted to share some of my most cherished secondhand outfits and my favorite places to find them. There's just something special about receiving someone's hand-me-down's - someone's memories! - that is truly special and probably one of my most favorite things to buy.

Naturally, when I first ventured into the crazy world that is baby girl clothes, I fell in love with all the Jamie Kay, Zara, Spearmint Love, Copper Pearl, etc. Even though I was blinded by all the precious prints and insane launches (the hype of getting one of the prints before the sold out was even worse than beauty launches!), I wasn't that blinded. I mean, after two kids, I can reason with myself that that adorable $32 romper I wanted so badly was probably going to be a victim of an epic blowout one day and I'd have to toss it.

BEST PLACES TO FIND SECONDHAND CLOTHES:

  • Once Upon A Child - It's the first place to pop in my mind when I think secondhand! From shoes, to clothes, to toys, to - you get the idea - it's a one stop secondhand shop to find everything you'll ever need for your baby with sizes going up to the big kids as well. Brands range allllll over the place and you can definitely find some hidden gems (like RAGS, Spearmint Love, etc.) here. Because of the pandemic, our store has been closed (at least here in CT) but recently they opened up an online shop that you can shop and pick up! Check your local Once Upon A Child and see if they've opened up contactless shopping near you. My favorite find: A brand new Mamaroo, still in the box, for $125.
  • Kidizen - Secondhand shopping directly at your finger tips. It's an app and website! You can search for a specific brand or even that shirt you once saw somewhere or you can just browse the site for deals on clothes, toys, books, maternity wear and more. Sizes range up to bigger kids. There's clothes on there for as low as $2! My favorite find: Olive Nike Huaraches for Hunter for $15.
  • B/S/T groups - Buy/Sell/Trade groups on Facebook. There is a BST for just about any and every thing out there on the planet but we're going to focus on the best clothing groups for now. If you're looking for steals on Old Navy, Zara, H&M, Baby Gap; those sorts of places, check out old navy, zara, h&m, baby gap etc bst. You have to join it. I have bought SO much from this group. Keep in mind, these are individuals selling their own clothes from their own closets, normally in a "purge" style which means they'll list the article of clothing, one by one and you claim it, usually with your PayPal address. There are some times when it's a race to "claim" the clothes being offered because they're at a great price or are hard to find but I think that's half of the fun sometimes. Another great group is Zara, Old Navy, H&M, and more BST for the same style clothing. Spearmint Baby Buy/Sell/Trade is one of my faves for clothes, found on the website Spearmint Love, for a good amount off. Ace Gets Thrifty is my latest obsession. It has a great amount of Cotton On, Zara and all the brands in between. Your best bet is to join a few, see what's being sold and go from there!
ATTN: When paying, ALWAYS use Goods & Services through PayPal so you will always be covered in case your package gets ruined in the mail, the seller never sends it, etc. Again, real people selling things and sometimes real people suck. 

FIXES FOR ISSUES WITH SECONDHAND CLOTHES:

  • Funky smell. Hey, maybe their detergent isn't your cup of tea or they smell like they've been sitting. Toss the clothes into your washing machine with your own detergent first. Next, throw it in a little white vinegar (amount depends on the load) with NO detergent. If that doesn't work, try a third time with a little baking soda and NO detergent. That should do the trick and your clothes should smell fresh! *Apparently, upon research, you can combine both of those together in one wash but I haven't tried it.
  • Animal hair. Dog or any animal hair should easily come off with tape or a sticky roller. 
  • Animal smell. Sometimes it can take a few washes to come out. You can also try the same method as above for urine smells.
  • Yellowing. I don't know how many times this has happened to me! Yellowing, especially around the collar, happens a lot from baby drool. Even worse? It can show up after being exposed to heat (like traveling in a package) or different climates. It's an easy fix! Oxiclean is bomb for removing the yellowing for good. If you don't have that on you, you can pop the clothing out in the sun and let it sit.
  • Piling. Oh my gosh. This is one of my favorite things to do! No lie. I show myself doing it on my IG stories all the dang time. It's so relaxing. My favorite fabric shaver is this one. You do need to be careful with some materials (this can actually cause holes in it if the fabric is thin) but this little baby is my secret weapon to making secondhand clothes look brand new!
Let me know what your favorite secondhand find was!