Mama Magic

I’ll let you in on what seems to be one of the parenting world’s best-kept secrets: you don’t have to spend a fortune on children’s clothing in order for them to wear trendy, cute clothes. All you have to do is head to your nearest Once Upon a Child store, a resale franchise store that sells gently used kids’ clothing, shoes, toys, books, and baby gear.

The Once Upon a Child stores I’ve shopped in the past carry a huge selection of special occasion (think Picture Day and holidays where you want your kids a little more dressed up), seasonal, and everyday wear. They’re very, very picky about the inventory they buy, which means that everything in the store is basically curated for you. You’ll find many items that still have the original tags on them (never used)! Shirts and pants range from about $3 – $12, depending on the brand, and the price of the dresses are unbeatable (typically less than $10). Every season, I spend usually under $200 for a completely new wardrobe for BOTH my kids. They also offer clearance sales to deepen the savings even more!

Once Upon a Child also offers a loyalty program that allows you to collect coupons and offers as you spend money at that specific franchised store, which can save you $5-$10 per visit after your first few visits.

Once Upon a Child also resells gently used Halloween costumes, so you can start your Halloween shopping here to see if they carry the costume / size you’re looking for.

My kids have gotten many compliments about how unique and cute their outfits and dresses are – especially when they were younger and loved wearing fancy dresses as their everyday wear.

The down-side of Once Upon a Child is that it can be “hit-or-miss” with certain styles, especially as your children get older and grow into larger sizes. For example, I’ve found their selection of pajamas for my now-6-and-9 year olds to be a bit lackluster.

My recommendation for the gaps in wardrobe is to hit up Target to supplement what you purchase at Once Upon a Child. These are my two go-to stores to purchase clothing for my kids!