Less is more, right?
I'm expecting a little lady in July, which means I need to get going on a girl's wardrobe.
Spending a lot of money on baby clothes is inherently ridiculous. But you want to know what's also silly? Letting people bombard you with what
they think your baby should wear, even if it's plastered with garish advertisements for toys and 'witty' phrases like "trouble" or "brat."
I have been able to avoid most of those offending items so far, yet I had little or no input into what my son wore during the first two years. I was in the middle of residency, studying for boards, and just trying to stay afloat. My extended family gave me much needed help, even
informing me what my son's birthday party theme and Halloween costume would be each year.
This time, I hope to have a hand in everything and organize a practical, budget-friendly, and even stylish wardrobe for my boy and girl. My strategy is this: Purchase the necessities in gender neutral colors and patterns (in case we have another child in the future) and accessorize in small doses. I think it's also important to have fewer articles of clothing that are of decent quality, than to have a closet bursting with clothes that make things hard to find, add to the laundry load, and don't make you smile.
To that end, I have created a "layette scheme." It's my own little pin board that also serves to give my family an idea of what I'm trying to achieve.
Call me crazy, but I'm also
photo-cataloging what I have already so that I can visually survey what I'm missing to create an outfit, and remind me of what I have enough of.
In addition, I'm totally digging
this guide from Copy Cat Chic about what a baby really needs ages 0-6mo., and am using it for motivation.
Another thing I'm working on is finding a tactful way of telling people to keep their receipts. After our son's baby shower, we returned more than $300 worth of items and put that towards the gear we actually needed. People seem to be much more invested in putting their 'signature' on our daughter than they were with our son, though. I've already been told "I bought your girl some clothes, I BETTER SEE HER IN THEM." *gulp*
Perhaps my quest to streamline things is more like mission impossible? Will I be maneuvering through piles of pastels to get into the nursery? Time and perseverance will tell.
