Infant Clothing Style

One of my favorite parts of being a mommy is dressing my Monster in freakin' adorable infant clothing!

I often joke about how if Monster doesn't slow his growing down I might end up bankrupt with only an awesome infant wardrobe to show for it. That might be an exaggeration, but I want what's best for my Monster, and sometimes that means not saying "No!" to my inner shopoholic.

Last week I was browsing Orchard Park mall in Kelowna with KK for the first time since Monsters birth. They have some children's clothing stores that I've never shopped in like, The Children's Place. I was so impressed with this little store that I want to go back and buy Christmas gifts for my younger nieces!

The biggest draw to that store for me was how their infant clothing looks like "little-big kid" clothing. I only like to dress Monster in clothing that looks like it could be warn by a big kid or adult even. Basically, I hate baby blue and little squishy Teddy bears everywhere I look.

I knew that Hubbs would love this sweater, but I couldn't talk myself into spending $25 on one article of infant clothing... Even though it's freakin' rad!







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Hand-Me-Downs

When I first heard the words "It's a BOY!" I'd be lying if I said "All I could think about was how many hand-me-downs I'd be getting". Although, the thought did cross my mind after the hospital trip was over and done with.

Monster has a cousin who is a year and a half older then him (Roo), and a soon-to-be best friend Kaders who is about 10 months older then him. You'd think that would mean I'd be swamped with hand-me-down gifts.

Not so.

As you may know I am the proud mother of a Monster (and I say once again, that I use that in the most loving way possible describing his size, not attitude) who is rather large for his age. Therefor, most of the clothes his 2 year old cousin, and 1.4 year old friend are wearing would fit Monster right now. Of course, that's not the case with every single brand of infant clothing. Please Mum, Disney, Carters and Cherokee I've found tend to fit Monster almost perfect for the age suggestion.

Monster and I just got home from visiting in Kelowna, and thankfully we left with one heaping grocery bag of like new hand-me-downs from Kaders. We also left the city with 4 new sleepers, and 3 new shirts. I couldn't pass up Pekkle blanket sleepers from Costco, or the fall sale that Please Mum was having. I live for sales!

I love adding to Monster's wardrobe... But if I can't control myself I will end up bankrupt with only a killer infant wardrobe to show for it!

Note: I realize I am lucky to have any potential hand-me-downs because there are parents who don't have any family or friends living near them, let alone ones that have children close in age. I am grateful!

All Clothes are Not Created Equally.

When it comes to baby clothes, sizes are all over the map for my Monster. Yes, it is overwhelmingly frustrating!

Ok, I get that he is a big boy! Why do the clothing companies have to conspire against us to make me feel like he looks like a toddler at 5 months? Warning: I've gone into dramatic mode.

When Monster was born, he was a little too small for the 0-3 month clothing we had on hand, but he was born far too big to make it worth buying anything in newborn. I was right, as he fit into his 0-3 month clothing by the time he reached about 2 weeks old.

Since then, he hasn't stopped! From what I've found, the infant clothing brands sold at our local big box store (Zellers, HBC); Cherokee and Little Tikes fit generally as the tags say they will. The swim trunks he wore at the beach today were 3-6 months (Little Tikes), fit him perfectly and he is barely 5 months old.

However, if we decide to shop at Walmart for any clothing we have to round up. A lot. Walmart does not have much to chose from in the way of size 6-9 month clothing. Rounding up? Monster is just a little too small for a 12 month outfit from George brand clothing. That is WAY off the charts for clothing sizes.

Please Mum is a higher quality children's clothing store (brand) that thankfully fits Monster dead on! It's obviously a little more expensive then Walmart, but in most cases to do with Walmart, you get what you pay for. I've never actually boughten him anything from Please Mum, except for 4 shirts on major clearance sale. The rest of his Please Mum has been gifts.

The rate of Monster's growth, and the differences in sizing wouldn't be too much trouble if I were a millionaire and could afford to buy him his clothes as he needed it, not having to result in SALE HUNTS! I love a good deal, especially on infant clothing that Monster is going to grow out of in a month or two. Ideally I would like to sale hunt, pre-buy his clothing a season in advance (example: buy out the clearance summer clothes from this year, in a size he can wear next summer) and be set. Who's to say what size he'll be in in a year?

As a parent, how did you live modestly with a growing Monster(s)?

Infant Growth Spurts

When will they end?!

Once Monster turned 4 months we headed out to the Public Health until to celebrate by him receiving his 4 month shots. During each visit it is protocol to weigh and measure your infant to monitor his growth. We did so, as usual and found that his 3 month growth spurt was equivalent to 3lbs 4oz, and 2 inches in length.

Yes, my Monster, is just that, a Monster!

That's fine and great, I thought the growing might slow down for a little while and didn't expect much change until about 6 months. I was definitely wrong. Today, Monster is almost 4 months, 3 weeks (will be tomorrow) and it is very clear to me he is enduring yet another infant growth spurt.

All day my little boy either ate or slept. Even after sleeping 11 hours over night, he insisted on napping every two hours for at least an hour. This is completely out of the norm for him these days. It's been a struggle to get him to nap longer then two 45 minute periods per day because he's sleeping so well at night.

I decided to humor myself and pull out my tape measure to measure his length. He has gained another full inch in 3 weeks. I consulted Kellymom.com about growth spurts and found out that it isn't uncommon for infants to have another one in the 4th month. Sheesh! I am happy I have a healthy growing boy, but we are flying through clothes! I'm finding it hard to keep up!

The next growth spurts are at due for 6 months and 9 months, so we'll see how long his fall/winter wardrobe lasts.