16 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Buying Kids’ Clothes

Parents should be aware of the common mistakes to avoid when buying kids’ clothes to save their little superstars from wardrobe disasters. 

Choosing kids’ clothing can be confusing, with so many things to decide on, from nappies to onesies, bodysuits to pajamas, socks to booties, and baby hats to beanies. Due to over-enthusiasm or lack of experience, new parents could fall into the trap of cute designs, big names, and expensive tags making kids shopping a failure. Plus, they might ignore the fabric quality in the name of style and trend, while spending on low-quality clothes is harmful to both their children and bank accounts. Ignoring the common errors in kids’ shopping could result in flexible, functional, and fashionable kids’ closets in the long run saving parents from frustration and a whole lot of baby tantrums. 

Have you ever purchased those tiny suits or mini dresses just because they are too cute to resist, and found them useless later? You are not alone, many new parents do the same and waste a lot of money on the wrong sizes, colors, and patterns. Sometimes, they only focus on the price tags to decide on clothing quality and shop accordingly (that’s how they create the mess).

However, a small mistake in kids’ shopping can cost a lot including making kids uncomfortable to breaking the bank. We shortlisted some common mistakes to avoid when buying kids’ clothes for parents and suggested some smart shopping hacks. Let’s discuss how to pick practical, durable, and stylish kids’ outfits by eliminating the frequent mistakes made by new parents.

What Are the Challenges Parents Face When Buying Kids’ Clothes?

Varying Growth Spurts: Kids grow pretty fast, that too at varying rates at different ages, making it challenging for parents to pick the right sized clothes for children.

Quality Concerns: This is a basic concern in kids clothing whether the fabrics are durable, comfortable, washable, quick-drying, etc.

Shopping within Budget: Buying high-quality clothes often leaves marks on parents’ wallets. So, parents find it hard to shop for quality clothes within budgets.

Comfort vs Style: In kids’ clothing, comfort vs style is the real dilemma, as focusing on one means compromising the other. However, striking a balance between these two is important.

Safety Concerns: New parents (even the experienced ones) struggle to figure out if the fabrics are safe and hypoallergenic for children. Are the designs kid-friendly? Having minor details on baby dresses makes them look stylish, but too many loose embellishments come with concerns like choking hazards.  

Risks in Online Shopping: Buying kids’ clothes online offers so many benefits, however, it associates a lot of risks as well. Parents should be aware of online scamming, fake reviews and ratings, sizing issues, color concerns, and misleading product descriptions to make online shopping error-free.

16 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Kid’s Clothes (Online and Offline)

Avoid these common mistakes when picking dresses for your little munchkin and provide them with a comfortable wardrobe for all seasons:

For Offline Purchase:

1. Choosing the Wrong Size

Buying clothes in too big or too small sizes leads to clothing mishaps for kids. And parents often make this mistake by not measuring their children correctly. Guesswork in child’s clothing often backfires making kids uncomfortable, either making clothes too tight to irritate skin or making them too relaxed to 

2. Buying Too Many Pieces (In the same size)

Kids outgrow clothes in a blink. So, buying too many clothes in the same size is not an investment, but rather a potential waste. Instead, buy a few basic pieces that are actually needed. 

But the trick is to pick versatile clothing that can be styled in different ways. What’s the use of a wardrobe full of outgrown clothes that will remain unused?

3. Prioritizing Style Over Comfort

Neglecting comfort in exchange for style is not wise, especially for kids. They need breathable and comfy fits, not stiff or heavy outfits with excessive embellishments that restrict movement. For toddlers and kids, comfort is crucial, whereas style is optional. 

However, you can choose dresses like shirts, tees, skirts, and leggings in breathable and stretchable fabrics to ensure both style and comfort for your child.

4. Compromising Fabric Quality

Look for soft, natural, and breathable fabrics like bamboo or cotton to keep your child comfortable and relaxed. Compromising fabric quality affects the durability of the clothes making parents buy more in the long run. Plus, low-quality fabrics are rough on kids’ skin resulting in rashes, irritation, and allergic reactions.

5. Ignoring Functionality and Practicality

Your little bundle of joy needs functional pieces that match their active lifestyles, not any fancy items that affect their natural growth. Outfits with complicated openings and closings take too much of parents’ time while dressing kids on a busy morning. That surely leads to frustration, both for kids and parents, hampering their busy everyday schedule. Moreover, practical elements in kid’s clothes (snaps, zippers, elastic waistbands, etc.) enhance kidswear’s utility fostering their development.

6. Overspending on Brand Names

The age-old assumption- big brands mean the best quality doesn’t work in kids’ clothes. Parents often trust the brand label blindly and pay for those premium price tags without considering the actual quality. Before paying a fortune, think if it’s worth the cost in terms of fabric quality, durability, flexibility, functionality, etc. 

7. Ignoring the Details

When you like an outfit, do not rush to buy it for your kids. Checking the details like stitching, tags, seams, buttons, or embellishments makes a big difference in kids’ clothing. Loose threads, embellishments, or rough stitches can make your child uncomfortable, leading them to not want to wear it anymore. Besides, small buttons can cause choking hazards for smaller kids, which is a bigger concern.

And yes, don’t forget to check the tags/labels. Bigger tags in rough materials lead parents to wonder, why does my toddler hate new clothes? The solution? Look for tagless labels for your little darling.

8. Being Tempted to Cheap Tags

Cheaper tags are hard to resist, whether buying kids’ or adults’ outfits. But cheap buys often offer low-quality clothes, resulting in cranky kids causing them discomfort and irritation. Whether you are buying casual wear or occasional attire, don’t focus solely on price tags, rather analyze what you are getting in exchange for what you are paying for.

9. Skipping Seasonal Considerations

When shopping for kid’s clothes, make sure you consider the season. New moms (or soon-to-be) tend to buy a lot of clothes that just look cute, forgetting the seasonal and climatic changes throughout the year. Even if they shop seasonal clothes for summer or winter, advance buying for the next season might go wrong as your child will be you don’t know what size then.

10. Not Involving Your Child

You like yellow, your little munchkin prefers pink. What will you make them wear? That’s where most moms face the biggest dilemma. However, they often choose to ignore their child’s preference making kiddos unhappy and underconfident. Involving children in picking their own outfits results in happier kids, while making it less challenging for parents.

Tips: Select a set of 3-4 outfits in different colors and let your little one choose whichever they prefer. They will feel more valued and confident this way.

For Online Purchase:

11. Ignoring Reviews and Ratings

For online purchases, reviews and ratings matter the most. New parents often shop in a rush and they order whatever they like without caring for customer reviews. Checking previous reviews of a particular garment lets them get a clearer view of its fabrics, colors, durability, and sustainability; saving r]them from wasting on low-quality products.

12. Not Reading Product Descriptions

It’s better to check the product descriptions in detail rather than regretting later. For online buying, product descriptions work as a goldmine to let buyers know what are the clothes made of, how should you wash them, how to care for the fabrics, and most importantly, how the sizing works for different kids.

As kids are sensitive to even minor issues of sizing or fabrics, reading product insights carefully is crucial for parents to get as much information as they can.

13. Shopping from Fake Sites

Again, parents shop for kids in a rush and forget to verify the authenticity of the sites they buy from. Hundreds of fake or unreliable sites sell low-quality or nonexistent products. Be aware of these online scams and shop from trusted sources to make kids’ shopping a winning deal.

14. Not Reviewing the Return Policy

When buying clothes online, especially for babies, sizing issues hit hard, and chances are, you need to change the size or color of the clothes. In that case, we often ignore the return and exchange policy before placing the order, only to find out later that the shop follows a no-return system.

What a hassle, right? Check for online stores with easy return, exchange, and refund systems to make kids’ online shopping a breeze.

15. Random Shopping without Pre-Planning

Thanks to the online revolution, there are thousands of kids’ shopping sites at our fingertips. As a result, most parents often fall victim to impulse buying while browsing those colorful options in kids’ clothing. These random buys affect parents’ monthly budgets, leading them to unnecessary purchases.

16. Falling into the Fast Fashion Trap

The urge to catch up with the ever-evolving kids’ fashion trend is harmful to the environment. Buying low-quality trendy pieces costs more in the long run as cheap buys don’t last long. Plus, fast fashion leads to huge waste and pollution. Whether you have a little fashionista at home or you are expecting the little monster to arrive soon, avoid the fast fashion loop and invest in sustainable clothes to save the environment (and your wallet).

This is, however, true for both offline and online shopping for kids.

How to Fix These Mistakes 

Don’t fret new mommies, here are your shopping checklists that will save you from creating a wardrobe mess for kids:

• Double-check the size chart and match it to your child’s current measurements
• Invest in high-quality fabrics even if you need to compromise style and trend
• Don’t stock too many same-size clothes, rather mix and match sizes 
• Review the return policy, product information, delivery time, etc in detail in case you are buying online
• Don’t ignore the shipping cost as some retailers charge significant amounts for delivering products at home
• Buy from reliable retailers, but don’t trust big brands blindly. Check the fabric quality and construction to avoid spending on low-quality clothes
• Avoid buying in a rush. Impulse buying often results in purchasing fancy pieces making the kid’s closet impractical
• Plan kids’ shopping in detail and prepare a list of wardrobe staples  so as not to miss anything urgent
• Prioritize quality over quantity, as too many cheap clothes ultimately end up in the trash bin
• Verification of online retailers is an absolute must to avoid being scammed
• Shop smart and value your kids’ preferences while dressing them. Prioritizing kids’ opinions lets them shine in confidence and joy

Additional Mistakes to Avoid

• Not considering a child’s specific needs: If they have extreme sensitivity, choose the softest fabrics with hypoallergenic properties. Take a child’s specific needs and preferences into account while shopping for them.
• Neglecting Accessories: Don’t forget the accessories. Besides appropriate clothes, additional accessories like shoes, socks, booties, hats, sunglasses, bibs, beanies, etc are required to make baby dressing easier.
• Sizing Down: Never size down for baby clothes. They will reach the next size in a blink. So, sizing down is a bad idea for growing kids, rather size up for an appropriate fit.

Bonus Tips for Kids’ Smart Shopping 

Shop Second Hand: Secondhand shopping saves a lot while buying kids’ clothes online or offline. Buying good quality second-hand garments saves half the budget which you can invest in other baby essentials. And it reduces wastage to make the world a better place.

So, second-hand purchases are both economical and ecological.

Leverage Sales and Discounts: Try to shop during special sales and discounts across stores and websites. Take advantage of the Year-End sale, End-of-Season sale, Anniversary sale, discount vouchers, loyalty points, etc to buy quality baby clothes within budget.

Look for Adjustable Features: Adjustable straps and waistbands work great to make the garments eligible for longer wear.

Invest in Multipurpose Clothes: Pick versatile clothing pieces that serve multiple purposes. For example, a printed cotton tee can be worn in school, at friends’ outings, at a family gathering, or as the base layer in winter. Such versatile picks go a long way to redefine kids’ fashion minimizing both cost and closet space.

Pass Down Clothes to Youngers: Parents should embrace the hands-me-down approach to reduce waste. Buy durable clothes, take good care of them, and pass them down to younger siblings to contribute to sustainable, eco-friendly fashion.

Buy Unisex Clothing: Buying gender-neutral clothes is a smart approach to kids dressing, making hands-me-down easier, whether you have baby girls or boys.

FAQs

How do you choose clothes for children?

Consider buying baby clothes focusing on comfort, functionality, durability, and practicality. Style and trend come and go around, while sustainable kids’ fashion is timeless. So, pick timeless classics like tees, shirts, jeans, and pajamas in breathable and stretchable fabrics to keep your baby boy/girl happy and relaxed.

What’s the most important thing about buying baby clothes?

Comfort, practicality, durability, and seasonal consideration go hand in hand in deciding kids’ successful wardrobe. Buy clothes that don’t compromise comfort in the name of fashion and style. Most importantly, they should be durable enough to survive heavy wear, frequent washing, and loads of unwanted spills and messes.

Are expensive brands really worth it?

Sometimes yes, however, not always. You can explore budget-friendly brands as well to get quality clothes without harming your wallet. Parents are often misled by the assumption that expensive tags ensure quality, which is not always true.

What fabrics are best for baby clothes?

Natural and organic fabrics are the best for baby clothes, cotton, bamboo, linen, etc for example. On the other hand, avoid rough and stiff fabrics that affect baby skin causing rashes, allergies, scratches, and irritation.

The Bottom Line: Make Kids’ Shopping Fruitful with a Few Basics

Did you ever make any of the above mistakes while shopping for kids? However, with a few basics, you can easily plan a successful baby wardrobe that supports your child’s growing years. Parents should consider planned purchases instead of impulse buying, which is one of the common mistakes to avoid when buying kids clothes. Remember the saying, haste makes waste, and it’s particularly true when you are shopping for kids. 

Kid’s shopping can be really stressful, only when you don’t know where you are going wrong. With the list above, you can identify the repeated errors and find their quick fixes to make kids’ clothing practical, functional, and easy on the wallet.