There are a number of things that we’ve purchased over the past few months that aren’t necessities, but are fun for one reason or another. Not every purchase for the girls should be out of necessity; there are a lot of things we’ve found work great and are practical and useful. You have to have a little fun when you are spending so much money on babies…X3!
Photos: Before kids I was always shocked at the high cost of doing family photos, wondering why people spent so much money on it. After the girls arrival, I love doing family photos twice a year or at birthdays. Find a local photographer that runs seasonal specials- even if your kiddos run wild the entire time, I promise you will still come out with at least a few photos to treasure throughout the years. Sometimes the wild ones become the favorites for a particular age. Out of all our fun and elaborate life purchases, family photos are my absolute favorite treasure and worth every penny!!
Can I say CUTE clothes?!
June and January: www.juneandjanuary.com First off, this website is great for those of you that prefer to support small, family businesses. But in addition to that, they have incredibly cute clothes for both boys and girls! They focus on simple styles, stripes, solids, and basic patterns with a great color selection. The fabrics are quite soft and stretchy. Because it is a small company, you have to keep an eye out for things you want to purchase before they sell out. They are continually adding new styles and colors, and they have very reasonable shipping costs to Alaska (that’s huge in my book!). This is one of my go-to sites for purchasing clothes in pink, teal, and purple color coordinating.
One of my favorite things for purchase when the girls were infants were the 0-6 month baby booties. They are fantastic and come in a ton of colors! The booties have a small strap and Velcro, which keeps them on the girls feet even when very fidgety, and keep those little extremities warm. Unfortunately they discontinued the 6-12 month booties until after my girls could wear them; but with the girls running petite, we were able to use the smaller size up through a year. They now carry more of both sizes for purchase.
The site runs clearance sales pretty often and have definitely made a pretty penny off of us so far. One of the newer styles, the swing dress, is one of the cutest outfits sets I own and I want one in every color!! Not only are they so soft, but how cute is that picture?? They also have other cute accessories, hair clips and bows, and random stocking stuffers each Christmas.
Functional Baby Booties
Zutano Booties: For larger booties that June and January’s, and some that are slanted toward kids that are walking as opposed to infants, go to Zutano!
They can be purchased from Amazon or directly from Zutano’s website, and these booties last a while. They are on the pricier side (keep an eye out for first purchase coupons!), but well made, provide anti-slip traction, and have two different size of snaps to hold them on those tiny feet. We were gifted a couple pairs and used them a bunch while it was still cold outside. The girls still like these better than shoes- I think they feel more like heavy socks than soled shoes.
Baby Bows
Etsy Shop: AubreyGianna: I might have a problem on the amount of things I have ordered from this site. When the girls were a few months old, they didn’t like wearing any headbands. Another mom suggested I try headbands made out of the mesh fabric from panty hose, and it’s a huge difference. It doesn’t bother them at all and doesn’t leave a line on their heads. AubreyGianna has a TON of variety, in colors, patterns, and styles. She also has sale items quite often, and I’ve bought more than my share of headbands for the girls because…it’s okay if they are on sale…right?!
Burp Cloths Galore
My two favorite types are the Gerber baby ones: they are stretchy and soft and cute fabrics; and ones made by a lady in Anchorage using cloth diaper fabrics. They soak up spilled milk very well and we use them daily for meal propping…plus, they are super cute fabrics! You can find them in Etsy, the brand is Greenrock Creations.
Family Christmas ornaments, Alaska style and made by a local!
Take Time to Find the Deals
Clothing Sales: Now if you are like me, you enjoy buying cute things for your kiddos to wear during different occasions, holidays, seasons, and everything in between. With the girls being my first children, I have to have a little fun! The problem is…buying clothes for three can get expensive, really quickly, and requires looking for those good shopping deals before committing to purchasing.
Over the past year I’ve found a few great sale opportunities. First of all, Carter’s Buy One, Get TWO Free sale is my personal favorite. The first time I saw this sale pop up; well, I couldn’t believe it was true! Apparently they do it a couple of times a year, and it only lasts for a couple days so you have to watch out for it. It’s a great deal, partnered with free shipping, to get some of those cute matching clothing sets.
Kohls also tends to have great clearance deals online. Waiting until the end of season and buying for the following year has saved me a great deal of funds. And they have some of the CUTEST dresses.
When it comes to shoes I try to stay a size or two ahead of whatever the girls are wearing. This not only allows me to take my time and shop when deals are on, but removes the stress of needing to find something right away. While we don’t always dress the girls alike, I have found that three pairs of the same shoe make everyday life a lot easy. Why? You don’t have to track down three separate shoe sets every day and it’s so much faster when trying to get out the door for the day!
Buy Used: Keep an eye on your local Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s list, especially in the spring and fall. We have found a number of fantastic deals on play sets and climbing equipment that lasted us through more than one year at a much cheaper price. Whether it’s an airplane teeter totter that seats seven, a Little Price castle or slide play set, I promise used does not make a difference from new and keeps that money in your wallets.
More to come!
The Douglets 