Hand-me-downs

When I was pregnant with John, we went a bit mad with spending. There's something about first babies; it's exciting, it's new & you want the very best of everything. Despite everyone telling me that a baby won't know if they sleep in a £1,000 cot or a second hand crib, we still wanted to buy everything new.

Then Maternity Pay kicked in. Suddenly, cash is tight and food & bills take priority over another pair of baby leggings & more cute nursery accessories. The great thing about babies is that people like to buy them gifts. And thanks to some very generous family & friends, John's wardrobe for the first year of his life was well stocked but when he started to out grow his lovely gifted clothes, I turned to eBay. Seeing how many of his clothes had hardly been worn due to how fast babies actually grow (sob!) I found myself not only selling some items but also buying things in the next size up too. Obviously, it's difficult to get everything John needs off eBay (hello, bidding wars) but even a few items can really save a fortune and stop me from abusing my Next Directory account!

And then along came David. I think I can count on my hand the amount of outfits I actually bought new for him. Bless him, my wee potato. I could allow myself to feel guilty that he's lived his life so far purely in his big brothers cast off's but honestly, he doesn't know any better; and he'll poop and spit on it just the same, as if it was brand new anyway! It's true - babies grow so quickly & spend such a small amount of time in each size of clothing that I just can't justify spending a fortune on new outfits when there's perfectly good ones with plenty of wear still in them, sitting in our bedroom cupboard. My god, I've turned into my mother!

What's better though, is when you receive hand-me-downs for John, particularly when they are as gorgeous as the ones we recently received from their Aunties friend. Not only are they quite possibly the most stylish clothes John has ever worn (just look at him!) but they're also in such great nick that David will get wear out of them too - double win! And given the rate he's growing, he'll probably be sharing them with John in just a matter of weeks. John's also over the moon with them, particularly since the bag included a selection of superhero outfits - what more could a 2 year old ask for?

Where do you stand on hand-me-downs? Do you love a bargain/freebie? Or are you all about the new? Let me know in the comments!

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