Anyone ever do this with clothing for kids?

[stbmom]

I am thinking about buying clothes for all 3 kids (two one year olds and a 3 year old by the time of the cruise) at garage sales this summer and just toss them after the kids wear them. We are going in Dec., so I will need Spring/Summer clothing (Eastern Carribean) when it will actually be Winter back home anyway. I am thinking why bring back dirty clothes the kids won't wear again anyway and if I buy them already used - what's the big deal?

I will probably try to find some nice outfits on clearance for formal pictures.

 

Anyone else ever done this?

 

I am just trying to think of things to help lesson stress!

[kat89447]

My DD and I love to go to thrift stores and garage sales and find anything, as well as clothes. You will find that kids clothes are usually in great shape and lots of times have original tags still on them. Kids rarely stay in clothes long enough to wear them out. I used to find work shirts for the whole family this way, cause I just couldn't see spending tons of money on something that will get hit with chemicals (DH is in mfg.) I used to bartend and there are some beverages that never come out of a shirt. Later I worked in the office of a mfg. plant but spent plenty of time on the floor and would on occasion get oil or some chemical on a sleeve. Makes great sense to me. I love disposable clothes.

[Rhealsmom]

I agree totally -- we have had the priviledge of playing a very major role in the life of our 17 month old niece. Since her birth - she has spent weekends with DH, DS and I... Well, I have to confess - now that she is running and climbing - the weekends have turned into 5 or 6 hours on Saturday :) DH and I both work full time -- opposite shifts as we have a special needs son, and we are so exhausted by the weekend that the thought of chasing Miss Liv for all of her waking minutes -- is just so tiring. Îm Sorry to digress...

 

We have totally outfitted Olivia through second hand stores - both for clothing at her home and for her home here. In fact 99% of all of the baby equipment and toys have come from other homes as well.

 

I figure there will be plenty of years when she is old enough to know the difference and want New Clothing -- but until then, Id much rather put the money toward this vacation - in which we are taking her and her mom. Like the previous poster said -- quite often you can get the items with the tags still on - and if the clothing is damaged or destroyed by stains or spills -- it doesnt matter, just toss it away.

 

You may also ask at the Pursers desk if the ship has adopted an orphanage or organization on one of the Islands. I know a few accept donations (money, clothing, toys, etc) to give to a special project. I thought I read somewhere that they arent allowed to advertise their project - but they can answer if you ask them.

 

Sorry about this message -- it is long and rambling and you may have noticed that I havent used an apostrophe --- my cat who thinks he is a typist just walked across the keyboard and now my keyboard is in French mode. Everytime I hit my apostrophe -- I get an è. Last week he turned the whole screen sideways -- so at least Im learning all the little tricks of a computer keyboard.

 

Have a great night and a wonderful trip.

[aaklang]

I think it sounds like a great idea to buy used things for your kids. Garage sales and thrift stores are definitely the way to go. I know there are a lot of children-specific consignment stores within a few miles of my house in LA, so hopefully you can find some where you live too.

 

Rather than throwing away the clothes, I'm sure you can find a very easy way to donate them or give them to someone in need. If you can't find an organization through the ship, maybe some of the crew members would want them. I know many of them don't receive great salaries and work really hard to provide for their families. They might really appreciate some free clothes for their kids back home.

 

You can also try to borrow clothes from friends if you don't find what you need on sale.

[beckyjohns]

Try craigslist. You can usually get large lots of clothes for a really good price. Saves you some money if you're not too picky. You can usually find a whole season's worth of one size clothing for pretty cheap from somebody cleaning house. And, since kids grow so quickly, chances are good that they only wore each of the pieces a handful of times at most. I've found a great website for trading kids clothes, but that's not really what you're looking for since you want to leave them behind on the ship.

[Rhealsmom]

Something that is really catching on -- here in Canada is Kijiji.com

 

This is a website that is specific to many individual cities (for instance -- when I go into Kijiji - I just select my city) and many, many people are advertising to sell their children's clothing. Most of what I have gotten has been from Kijiji. I usually buy it at $20 or $25 for a Garbage Bag of clothes... The last bag that I got last week had 18 month snowsuit, 24 month snowsuit, 2 pr winter boots (size 6), 3 prs of Oshkosh overalls, 2 Baby Gap outfits, 6 pairs of jammies, 3 dresses, etc, etc, etc,. Probably $300 - $400 worth of clothes for $20.

 

Kijiji is in some cities in the States as well (I watch Hartford, CT as we have family living there) but isn't nearly as popular as up here --- but it is growing more and more each day.

[Florida_cruisers]

I do that all of the time. Actually the outfit (2T) my son is wearing on my signature picture is on ebay right now, I am hoping someone can use it too. There is no sense of spending too much money on formal wear for children, but if it is something extra cute, then maybe I will spend a bit more.

[cruzinfamilyof4]

I think that is a brilliant idea; I never would have thought of that. Now I am going to go to try and find something for DS for our "formal" nights. We are such casual people that anything I buy he will never wear again, now I won't feel like I am wasting money! Thanks for the idea!!!

[Kerry's Girls]

Most of what I buy for my girls is used anyway - toys and clothes. Each port day of our cruise I fill the stroller with clothes and little toys that aren't coming home with us and we pass them out during the day. So often the vendors have their children with them, so it's easy to see what sizes/gender they can use. And it's a great way to go with toys because we have stuff to play with on board that we don't have to bring home - and the kids on shore LOVE having something new to play with while their parents are working.

 

Best,

Mia

[Onessa]

The consignment stores are also good for "nicer" outfits at a lower cost. I shop only the sale racks at the discounters and outlet stores (and even there look for the sales).

 

I donated four pair of jeans that my DD outgrew (Levi's and Guess) to a local charity store. When I went to do my taxes I had a good laugh -- TurboTax's software to place a value on your donated goods had valued each at $6.88 (and that was "good" quality, not "excellent"). I had bought all off of the clearence rack at TJMaxx - one was $3.00, two were $5.00 and one was a whopping $7.00.

[Lewski709]

Well, I am ALL about my kids wearing hand me downs or second hand clothes...but I, seriously, don't think I could go to the effort of weeding through things to pick them out and throw them out at the end of the trip.

 

I want my kids looking clean and neat and in fashion. So, if I get the second hand stuff I get it off ebay or in goodwill or from friends. While I may not have spent a lot of money on the stuff, I know it is nice stuff and could never just throw it out. If you chose to go this route, maybe you could give the clothes to one of the poorer ports on your stop, as they are already worn. Maybe that's too much effort? I don't know, finding a child to wear the clothes would be easy, IMHO.

[pms4104]

Throwing the clothes away is just plain wasteful, particularly with the current economy. If you don't want to launder the items and given them to islanders, perhaps you could bring them back home, launder them, donate them to a shelter or charitable organization in your community. As the economy continues to tank, I'm sure there will be many agencies and people happy to accept your donations.

[Disneygirl4ever]

Throwing the clothes away is just plain wasteful, particularly with the current economy. If you don't want to launder the items and given them to islanders, perhaps you could bring them back home, launder them, donate them to a shelter or charitable organization in your community. As the economy continues to tank, I'm sure there will be many agencies and people happy to accept your donations.

 

ITA!!

[ElsieToo]

Throwing the clothes away is just plain wasteful, particularly with the current economy. If you don't want to launder the items and given them to islanders, perhaps you could bring them back home, launder them, donate them to a shelter or charitable organization in your community. As the economy continues to tank, I'm sure there will be many agencies and people happy to accept your donations.

 

I agree. Not necessarily about the economy, though. I would say buying clothes with the sole purpose of wearing once in order to throw away because you don't want the hassle of bringing them home is just plain wasteful and lazy, regardless of the current economy.

 

I take no issue with buying the clothes themselves secondhand (heck, my favorite place to show for my son is at Children's Orchard: great secondhand childrens' clothing stores http://www.childrensorchard.com/ ), I just have a problem with excessive purchasing and needless trash that you're going to leave behind. Disposing of trash (especially from tourists) is a huge concern for many of the tropical locations you'll be visiting. Why add more needlessly?

 

Bring a few gallon sized ziplock bags, throw the dirty clothes in there once they're done wearing them, squeeze out the extra air and bring them back with you. They work just as well as the "space saver" bags you can buy specifically for travel. They shouldn't take up that much room once you squeeze the air out, you'll have extra room for all the great souvenirs your family will bring back, and you can re-donate the clothes when you get home.

[pms4104]

ITA!!

Please explain ITA. Thanks

[Jacquelyn11]

My boys have always worn a mixture of used and new clothes. We have churches and groups who sponser childrens clothing sales twice a year. I always sell their stuff they have outgrown and buy the size they will need. I usually 'break even' from what I sell to what I buy. It's almost like 'renting' the clothes for a season!

 

With the airlines going to the 1 bag/pp limit, giving away the clothes while on your trip will make room for the goodies you buy while on your trip. Keeps from paying the extra baggage charge to tote your loot home!

 

Jacquelyn :D

[ElsieToo]

Please explain ITA. Thanks

 

ITA = I totally agree

[pms4104]

ITA = I totally agree

Thanks for the de-coding.

[helenb]

I haven't ever done this with clothes, but I do it with shoes (including shoes for me) all of the time! I'll take a pair of shoes on its way out and just toss them at the end of the trip.

[rabelgirls]

I totally agree with the above poster about the ziploc bags. I pack everything in them for our trips. I pack one outfit per day, undies & socks included. I buy the 2 1/2 gallon size. If you have small children, you can get two day worth of clothing in there.

As for disposing of 2nd hand clothing after your cruise, I agree that you should donate them to a shelter or orphanage or the like.

[Travelitis]

I'm all for second hand as long as it looks good. I'm sure that's what the OP meant, too. I don't want them running around looking like they are in disposable clothes unless they are at home.

 

When we took the kids on a cruise, my boys sported black suits from eBay on formal night ($20 shipped each), and I picked up a full-length formal for my dd for $15 shipped. Her other dress was a gift from Grandma at 50% off and used for multiple events. The kids proceeded to wear these to church repeatedly, and when the $15 dress met its demise, it became a Halloween costume and was downgraded to the dress-up box.

 

I vote a big NO for just tossing the clothes. If you buy them with growing room, why won't they fit in the summer? You can at least get the shirts big enough to last. If you don't want to do that, then donate the clothes.

[wrangler4u]

Definetly agree with going second hand, its a great way to reuse, repurpose and recylce. Please do not throw the clothes out! Donate when you are done, or use for play clothes. It would be wasteful. I went on an 11 day cruise with my twin girls when they were 18 months old, and by the end of the cruise we had lots of dirty clothes. Pack the zip lock bags for the really dirty things, and you can presort or pretreat your laundry back into your suit cases, then when you get home it is ready to launder. Not hard, and your packing for return trip is way easy.

 

Think of the throw away idea that you would be teaching your kids, too. Can you just hear it now, "Gee ma, thought it was ok to toss it?!" Ugh, bad for the landfills, bad for the environment!