Having a baby can be exciting, daunting, moving, emotional, joyful, fearful… and expensive. These expenses start before your child is even born, with anti-natal treatment, check-ups and scans.
Then after the birth, you need to buy a range of accessories and necessitates from nappies to night lights. And, of course, your young one will need clothes that he or she grows out of very quickly as they get bigger and bigger.
Because of all the costs incurred when you have a baby, and because they grow out of their clothes so quickly, finding affordable clothing is a must for many parents.
Fortunately there are places to find good quality, affordable baby clothes in South Africa that won’t break baby’s piggy bank.
Franchise Stores
National retailers such as Pep and Ackermans have large departments dedicated to clothing for babies. At these stores you will find cute clothes for a range of ages that are relatively easy on the wallet.
Online
Online retailers usually don’t have as many expenses as traditional bricks and mortar outlets:
- They don’t have to pay rent
- Online retailers don’t have to spend money on display units and store décor
- They don’t need as many employees as traditional retailers
- Most online retailers only have one stock and storage facility, meaning lower transport costs
With these savings, online baby clothing stores can transfer the lower costs onto you. Here are some stores to search for online:
- Takealot: If it’s good deals top-branded products you’re after, you can buy these products for toddlers and babies on Takealot. The store stocks a variety of items such as clothing, healthcare products, nappies, car seats, prams, toys etc
- Kalahari: Kalahari is known as one of South Africa’s best online stores, with delivery straight to your doorstep. They have a range of baby necessities for you to browse and shop for at your convenience
- BabiesRus: a division of ToysRus, BabiesRus specialises in offering an extremely wide selection of products for new borns, toddlers and young children.
- Calora: If you are looking for more form your shopping experience, Calora Baby offers an online community for parents along with excellent baby and toddler necessities
- Netbaby: All products on Netbaby are sold locally, meaning very competitive prices. As one of the country’s top online retailer for baby and toddler gear, you can buy a range of quality products to fit you and your baby’s lifestyle
Tip:
When buying online, watch out for shipping fees that only get added on at the end of the purchase cycle. If the shipping costs are high, you won’t actually be saving yourself any money by buying online. If possible, search for sites that offer free shipping.
Out with the new, in with the old
As already mentioned, babies grow out of their clothes very quickly as they grow at a rapid rate in the early stages of their lives. So what happens to all the clothes that babies grow out of?
Considering they were likely not even worn for a very long time, these clothes are often still in excellent condition. Sourcing out used baby clothes is probably the most affordable way to buy baby clothes in South Africa:
- Ask around: If you know someone who has recently had a baby, ask them if they have any old clothes to sell you. Who knows, they may even give them to you free of charge?
- Take to the Classifieds: People trying to make a bit of money off their baby’s outgrown clothes often turn to free Classifieds such as Gumtree. You can use the search function on Gumtree to find baby clothes in your area so that you don’t have to drive too far to see or collect them. There is also a whole section entitled “Baby and Kids” for you to browse. Here you can also find other baby accessories, as the section is not limited to clothing.
- Start a swap: Gather a collection of mom with children of different ages. Each of you brings old or unwanted clothes and you can trade with each other to get any items that you need. Don’t limit yourself to clothes – it could also be a great opportunity to swap toys that your kids don’t enjoy any more.