by Valerie Zwald

Created on: February 26, 2007   Last Updated: January 08, 2008

One of the joys of having a new little baby in the house is the trip through the clothing department....all those cute little outfits, cozy pj's, teeny socks for sweet little feet. How can a parent NOT go just a little bit overboard?
Fast forward about eight years. That sweet little baby has gone through twelve sizes and twenty-four changes of season. Clothes shopping is not as adorable as it used to be. It is downright depressing. And the big adolescent growth spurts are still to come. Your little one could grow four inches in one school year...his shoes could go up two sizes before basketball season is over. How to stop the madness?

We will concentrate on two age groups: the small baby to third-grade age group who pretty much wears whatever he or she is handed in the morning....and the much harder to please pre-adolescent to teen group to whom clothing is not just a necessity, it is a personal statement.
The younger age group is much easier to deal with, although there are lots more jumps in size and entire new wardrobes must be procured every year. For this lot, I recommend the five following steps:

1. Keep your friends close. Especially those who have children just a bit older than yours. Because kids grow so quickly, hand-me-downs are almost always in close to new condition. Just remember to share the love and pass down YOUR outgrowns to a friend with younger children.

2. Never pass up a second-hand store without a quick browse through. You would be amazed at the items you didn't know your child needed at really great prices....If you can get you child a winter coat at Goodwill for $7 in August, then by all means do it!

4. Discount stores hold no shame. Well, YOU may not feel super fashionable shopping for your wardrobe at the same place you buy your paper towels and get your film developed, but for kids' fundamentals, there is no better place to pick up socks, underwear, solid color t-shirts and sweats, PJ's, stocking caps and gloves....The quality may not be the same as higher priced department stores, but for the amount of time your child will spend in these items before outgrowing them, it is kind of a moot point.

5. Check out after season clearance sales. All you need is some storage in the back of a closet, and you can pick up some great things ahead of time for your children at prices that almost feel like stealing. In May one year, my husband and I wandered into a name-brand children's clothing store, only to find racks of winter clothes marked down

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