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)?

Safety 1st Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Car Seat

Yes, ladies and gentlemen it was time for us to buy a new car seat, ALREADY.

Due to my Monster's monster-ism he will officially be too heavy for his carrier car seat in less then 4lbs from now. At his 4 month appointment 3 weeks ago he was 18lbs, his carrier will only accommodate him until he is 22lbs.

Hubbs and I picked out the Safety 1st Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Car Seat from our local box store. After reading some online reviews and feature lists, I thought it was the most bang for our buck without having to travel far to pick it up. After picking it out three weeks ago, we waited to purchase it for a few reasons. 1. We didn't need it right that second, 2. We didn't have the money to spend on something we didn't absolutely need, and might not need for a month or two.

Thank goodness we waited! I picked up our two local papers off our porch to look at the flyers for baby sales. I really only ever look for diaper or formula sales, unless something else catches me eye. What do I see? The car seat on sale $60 off, and the sale ended tomorrow!

I love love love deals! We (when I say "we" I mean Darryl) set it up as soon as we got him. So far, I love the way it looks. It's so sleek, stylish and just plain comfy looking!

More product review to come!