Published: October 06, 2009 04:14 pm      

CRIB NOTES: Trying the clothes challenge on for size

It doesn’t seem fair, really. One day, I put a pair of pajamas on Rigby, and they are a perfect fit.

The next time I put on that same pair of pajamas, the garment does its best impersonation of Bruce Banner’s tattered shirt after he’s transformed into The Incredible Hulk.

Clothes on children are expected to have a short shelf life, what with the combination of kids’ rugged playing style and frequent growth spurts. But with Penny and Rigby, it’s been nearly impossible to keep up.

Every time we put the kids’ laundry away, at least a couple items get discarded to The Pile, the cornucopia of clothing that’s gathered in their room and has steadily grown to Everestian proportions (and which we’ll pack away ... eventually). And that’s on top of the crates ... and crates ... and crates full of undersized items that have accumulated in the basement.

Items relegated to The Pile stare back sometimes, taunting us with their just-too-tight cuteness.

That tie dye shirt looked super-spiffy on Penny. Too bad, it’s only 2T! Mua ha ha.

Those pants are too tight for Rigby? But they’re 12-month pants, and brand new. Tough luck! Go buy more!

Our genius daughter assists in the trying-on process, offering a “too tight, it’s tight, too tight” whenever a piece of clothing is too snug (and occasionally when it’s not). She’ll then point to The Pile, say “over dere” and wait until the item has been placed before allowing the next garment to be tried on.

Not helping is the fact that both of our children are big for their ages. Penny, 26 months old, was wearing 3T and 4T shirts last winter (thankfully, some of them still fit now). And Rigby, 8 months old, has already exceeded the 12-month clothing limits; while we’ve been shopping for his Halloween costume, we’ve sought a 24-month frog outfit (Penny’s going to be a princess).

The kids’ family members love — LOVE — to buy them clothing, but even so it can still get expensive for us as parents. We seem to need to go shopping every weekend for new clothes, making for a pleasant but expensive pastime.

There are things people can do, though, to minimize the financial impact:

• They don’t share a gender, but Penny and Rigby can share certain items that aren’t “girly” or otherwise clearly made for females. Onesies, some pants and pajamas can certainly be handed down regardless of gender, so it pays to break out those old bins every once in a while.

• My wife is the best shopper I know and takes full advantage of clearance items, sales and coupons (combining coupons with sales to get nearly free items is one of her specialties). There are good items to be found on those “percent off” racks, so don’t be afraid to give them a look.

• You probably don’t want to go there for everything, but the Salvation Army is a gold mine for certain items you might not wear every day. We’ve picked up several Bills and Sabres pieces there that the kids can wear on game days. Once in a while you can find a new item, but most items aren’t; that’s not a problem, though, as many clothes have minimal to no wear, and someone in the organization inspects items to make sure they’re suitable for resale.

• The weather is turning for the worse, but it might still be possible to sell some of your outgrown items at a garage sale on a nicer day. You won’t get rich, but if there’s something you’re absolutely certain you won’t use again, it’s better to get 50 cents for it than the nothing you’d get by indefinitely storing it.

There’s not much you can go about your children growing. All you can do is avoid getting too attached to a certain outfit and allot a few minutes for dressing each morning so that the inevitable “this onesie keeps coming undone” periods don’t make you late to work.

And make sure you have a lot of storage space in the basement.

•••

One quick side note: We just bought Rigby an 18-month Sabres sweatshirt from the Salvation Army. After I’d written the first draft of this column, we got the kids decked out in Sabres gear to start the new hockey season.

The only thing tighter than Rigby’s shirt — which routinely left an exposed belly button — was Penny’s long-sleeve T-shirt, which was big last season but suddenly refuses to cover her wrists.

On the bright side: Now her shirt will fit Rigby ... for at least half of this hockey season.

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116,or paul.lane@tonawanda-news.com.