Children's clothes -- shopping for them, storing them, keeping them clean

I shop often for children's clothes. Since I have a boy and a girl, there's no such thing as hand-me-downs, except for what I wash, store and then give away to charities and local shelters and community resource centers. I most often shop at Target for clothes for my children, because the prices are reasonable, and the clothing is almost always in style, fashionable and practical. On most days I can tell you honestly that one or both of my kids is clothed from head to toe in Target clothing!

The nice thing about children's clothes is that there are so many possibilities for styles! My daughter recently received a short-sleeved shirt that was on the long side, but rather than wait for her to grow into it, we simply paired it with a pair of leggings and a wide belt. Runway models could expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a similar outfit, but since I'm buying children's clothes, I can expect to spend less than the cost of a gas tank fill up for the outfit.

Keeping children's clothing looking nice is another thing altogether! When you pick out a nice outfit from a place like Sandbox Couture, or even a nice outfit from a local retailer, you want it to last. The key to keeping your child's clothing looking nice is to treat stains right away. Rinse in cold water, and scrub with a bit of dish soap (I recommend Dawn). Don't use warm water, because it will cause the stains to set in the children's clothes. Keep to cold, and wash the clothes on cold. Use a high quality detergent, like Tide or Downy, and consider using bleach for whites, and color-safe bleach for colored clothing.
Another trick to keeping children's clothes looking nice is to keep like colors together in the wash and dry cycles. Pair denims with reds, and light colors with other light colors. Also, for those fancier outfits with sequins, screen printing and the like, turn the articles of clothing inside out to protect the embellishments during cleaning.

Finally, remember to dress your child so that he or she looks her very best, no matter what the occasion! If you have a little girl, mix and match pants, skirts, dresses, leggings and tops to make multiple outfits out of just a few articles of children's clothes. For little boys, never underestimate the cuteness factor of overalls or a vest!
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Kim Green loves Children's clothes -- shopping for them, storing them, keeping them clean