I KNOW THAT BABIES GROW FAST... SO "HOW" SHOULD I BUY BABY CLOTHES?

Don't bother with shoes until they're walking, unless you like to dress your baby up. Shop at thrift shops, on Craigslist, or Ebay. You can get huge lots of baby clothes for very little money that way. If you want clothes that will fit your baby then go ahead and buy a couple of new born outfits, but chances are, they'll only fit for a couple of weeks, unless you have a big baby, then they may not fit at all. I usually just started my babies out in 0-3 month clothes. They drowned them a bit, but they grew into them quickly. How much of each size to buy depends on how often you want to wash laundry. Babies are messy, they have blow-outs, and spit ups, and drool a lot. So you'll probably go through an average of two outfits a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I don't really intend to invest more money in my kid's clothes until he cares. As long as I can buy lots on ebay I'm going to. It is way way cheaper that way.

Don't buy their whole wardrobe now. I say this because my son was in six month sized outfits by two months old. He grew so fast with weight and length that he was in newborns for a few weeks, three months for a few weeks and then has leveled out to stay in six month outfits for a while. Buy them enough clothes to use as a newborn, but don't bother buying a larger amount till he or she arrives and shows you their growth. Get enough onezies, pants, socks where you dont have to do constant laundry to keep clean clothes, my son went through one to three outfits a day. I also recommend a few sleep sacks (love these). I had to take my sons outfits that still had tags on them back to get larger sizes. Don't bother with shoes either, they can't walk yet.

buy them a little big while the baby is small, but not too big

They grow quick, so dont spend a ton on infant clothing, get like seven everyday outfits and one cute nicer one, dont blow a lot of every cute outfit you find. If you want to shop ahead of time, get a few outfits in each size up. They usually start leveling out at about 3 or 4. They still grow quick, but the clothes will last a good year. As for shoes, babies really dont need shoes, just something warm for their feet when you are outside. When they start walking outside, then you start investing in shoes. Dont put them in larger shoes, they are uncomfortable and will give them blisters and its harder to walk, get properly fitting shoes. If you cant spend a lot look in used stores and in discount shoes like payless. Things like coats, shirts, and hats, you can shop a couple sizes up for, its okay if they are a little bit big.

Just buy them basic clothing - there's no need to dress them up. Our daughter is 5 months and has spent most of her time in sleepers. She sleeps most of the time anyway, why would we put a dress on her (we may for Christmas). Baby sizes go: Newborn, 3m, 6m, some stuff is available in 9m size, 12m, 16m, 24m, 2T (not much bigger than 24m though), 3T... There's a big difference between each of those sizes (except 24m and 2t) so you can't really skip sizes. Yes, you'll be buying a lot of clothing but you can't just skip sizes - the items would either be so small the kid can't move or too big they'd trip over them. Same thing goes for shoes - try running in shoes that are a size or two too big for you and see how clumsy you become. Here would be my advice though: - There's no need to buy fancy stuff. Buy a good solid brand name (don't go too cheap or they just won't last). - If you're planning on having more than one kid then try to buy more gender-neutral stuff so you won't have to buy as much again next time. - Borrow from friends who have had a kid - they understand how expensive clothing is and have probably saved theirs and would be happy to loan - Check out second hand and consignment stores for deals. - Ask fellow moms what you really need... you don't need as many clothes as the clothing industry would have you believe - Forget the shoes. Children learn how to walk better in bare feet - not shoes like many shoe companies try to make you think. You don't need shoes for you child until he or she is walking (with or without assistance) outside. Our daughter took her first steps it was the middle of winter so we weren't going to have her walking outside. We didn't buy her a pair of shoes until she was over 12 months. - Buy less, do laundry more often. This is especially true for the newborn and 3m sizes as they outgrow this size so quickly. - Keep the tags on clothing you're not sure you're going to wear. You're supposed to wash clothing before you wear it (especially things like onesies that are right next to their skin), but skipping washing the odd thing especially things like sweaters is ok. Either return the stuff she outgrew before she wore it, or save it for presents for other mothers having kids. - Sell your used clothing to consignment stores - Buy sleepers without attached feet. I love the fact you don't lose their socks when they have feet sewn right on, but most kids outgrow the length faster. The ones without feet are more forgiving on the fit - Do inventory and have a very specific list before you go shopping. Baby clothing is darned cute and it's hard not to buy an adorable outfit on impulse, but being prepared with a specific list (and budget?) will help you stay on track. They start slowing down the sizes around 2, but are still rough on their clothing as they become more active. Our daughter tends to wear out shoes about as fast as she outgrows them. Some stores will guarantee their clothing to last as long as it fits the child which is nice too.

here is the thing babies do grow fast so there are a lot of clothes for babies that are hardly used. you really should not be paying for them, often people will line up to give you baby clothes if they know they will go to a place where they are going to be used. Dont forget to pass them on.