I have become OBSESSED with shopping at children's consignment stores. My ever-dying love for yard sales will never be replaced, but with a 5 month old, there is only so much in and out of the car I can handle. Unfortunately that makes yard sales a little too difficult. Consignment stores are like several yard sales wrapped in to one.
So here are my top picks of what to by on consignment:
1. Books! I am just getting into reading to Laura, and she loves the picture books with the sound board. There is absolutely no reason to pay full price for these suckers. I scored a bunch just week for under $1 a piece.
2. Play mats! It took me awhile to have a desire to buy one of these. I just didn't think Laura would have much interest in it. I went into Walmart one day (Sorry Target, I still love you) and they wanted $29.99 for the damn thing! Highway robbery! It's a mat with plastic China made toys, and you want $30? Hells no. This is when I first fell in love with consigments. I checked out a local shop and found two, one for our house and one for Mimi's house. Both for $10. Take that Walmart.
3. Toys. If your kid is anything like mine she gets bored FAST and suddenly the toy she loved yesterday is the last thing she has interest in. We have about 15 different toys in rotation right now. At that pace, buying them all new is just insanity. I can usually find them $5 or less and after a little soak in the sink they are ready to be played with, or be chewed on, likely chewed on.
4. CLOTHES. I cannot say enough good things about buying clothes used. Don't get me wrong, everything at Target is beyond cute, but my wallet and my husband are not fans of my frequent Target trips. Laura grows out of thing SO FAST but I still want to experience the fun of dressing my girl in cute outfits. Consigment is the best way to get to enjoy lots of different cute outfits without breaking the bank. But here's a tip, always buy a size bigger when it comes to used clothing. Laura is currently wearing 6-9 month sizes, but in consignment she fits into most 12 months. These clothes have been washed numerous times and already shrink. Don't be surprised when you buy a month onesie for your month old and it doesn't fit.
5. Carriers. Sometimes you have to really keep an eye out for these! I own three different style carriers, because it took me awhile to figure out which style I liked best. My ring sling was my favorite during the newborn stage, but now that Laura is a wiggly 6 month old, I need the support of a front carrier, and she likes not being crammed into a ball in the ring sling. I paid $50 for my ring sling, and while I loved it, I just can't beat the satisfaction of the $11 I spent on my new front carrier. Bam!
6. Activity Centers/Walkers. Any of these big ticket items should ONLY be bought at consignment stores. Paying full price is just stupid for this stuff. Our newest activity center was $25 on consignment and a whopping $65 still currently being sold in stores. One thing to watch for is recalls! Take your smart phone with you and look up the product in the store. Make sure the one you are buying hasn't been recalled before purchasing. I bought Laura a portable swing a few months back. Once I got it home I checked online to see how much it was new, curious of how much I had saved and was flooded with search results of recall after recall. I took it became and the store owner was kind enough to refund my money.
7. Cloth diapers. I bet there are a few of you out there going "WHAT? EW!" Just calm down. Would I go to Goodwill and buy used underwear, absolutely not, but buy cloth diapers are an exception. When Laura was first born I wasn't 100% sold on cloth diapering, and stumbled upon a few cloth pocket styles in my local consigment store. They were $5. I couldn't argue with $5. It was an amount I was willing to spend to test them out. I bought a few with the intention on testing them out. I gave them three very heavy cycle washes before using and got my feet wet with cloth diapering. I fell in love! So if you are on the fence to cloth or not to cloth, look for a few used ones, save yourself the money, and give it a shot.
Here are just a few things I would NOT buy in a kid's consignment store...unused formula bottles, and feeding supplies or food jars/pouches. Baby bottles are constantly evolving and I fear that the plastic after too many heating is dangerous. Bottles are not that expensive regardless. A pack of 3 by Gerber is $4 at Target. Car seats, simply because many have expiration dates and I liked having the warranty with ours. There is no way to know if each car seat has been in an accident or not. Stay away from anything plush, like furry blankets or stuffed animals. There is no telling how well they have been washed/taken car of, and can often can be riddled with bacteria or bed bugs. Gross.
