10 Reasons I Buy Children’s Clothes Second Hand

Buying second hand children’s clothes has become completely normal in our house. With three children, I’ve seen first-hand just how quickly they grow through sizes, how little wear some clothes actually get and how much perfectly good children’s clothing is already out there waiting to be worn again.

Obviously I run Second Snuggle, so preloved clothing is a huge part of my everyday life, but I was buying second hand for my own children long before I spent my days surrounded by rails of it. For me, it isn’t about trying to shop perfectly. It’s simply a practical way to get good quality clothes for less, waste less and often find much nicer pieces than I could justify buying new.

Here are ten of the biggest reasons I keep coming back to preloved children’s clothing.

1. Children Grow Out of Clothes So Quickly

This is probably the most obvious reason.

Babies can move through several clothing sizes in their first year, and even once they are older it sometimes feels as though trousers fit one week and are halfway up their ankles the next.

That means a lot of children’s clothing simply doesn’t get enough time to wear out.

I regularly see clothes at Second Snuggle that have clearly only been worn a handful of times. Sometimes they look almost new because the previous child simply grew before they could get much use from them.

For something that might only fit for a few months, buying second hand makes a lot of sense to me.

2. You Can Get Better Brands for Your Budget

One of my favourite things about buying preloved is being able to choose brands I know wash well and last.

I love brands such as Boden, Frugi, JoJo Maman Bébé, Next and M&S for my own children. Buying them second hand often means I can choose better quality pieces without paying the original retail price.

That matters particularly for things like coats, knitwear, dungarees, waterproofs and everyday clothes that are going to be washed repeatedly.

I’d often rather spend my budget on a good quality item second hand than buy something lower quality simply because it is brand new.

3. You Can Save a Lot of Money

Children need a surprising amount of clothing when you add everything together.

There are everyday clothes, coats, shoes, wellies, jumpers, pyjamas, summer clothes, winter layers and all the unexpected things they suddenly grow out of five minutes before you need them.

Buying some of those things preloved can make a real difference to what a family spends over the year.

I also like the fact that if I buy a good quality item second hand, one of my children wears it and it is still in good condition afterwards, I may be able to sell it again.

A lot of my children’s clothing gets sold when they outgrow it and I use that money towards buying the next size.

It becomes much more of a cycle rather than constantly starting again from scratch.

4. You Can Find Clothes That Aren’t in the Shops Anymore

This is one of the fun parts of shopping preloved.

You’re not restricted to whatever the current season happens to be in the shops.

You might find an old Boden print, a Frugi design from a previous collection or a favourite jumper you bought for an older sibling years ago.

I love that unpredictability.

Obviously, it means you can’t always decide exactly what you want and expect it to appear immediately, but that is part of why I start looking ahead rather than waiting until we desperately need something.

Some of my favourite things my children have worn have been preloved pieces I simply happened to spot.

5. Good Clothes Can Be Worn by More Than One Child

Children’s clothes don’t need to have one owner.

A good quality coat might easily go through several children. The same can be true of jumpers, dresses, trousers, dungarees and plenty of everyday clothing.

We pass things down between our own children where it makes sense, although with a six-year gap between my boys I don’t keep absolutely everything. Sometimes it makes more sense to sell something while it is still in lovely condition and buy what we actually need later.

Either way, the aim is the same. If an item still has plenty of life left in it, I want somebody to wear it.

That is really what Second Snuggle is about too.

6. You Can See How Well Something Has Lasted

This is something I think is often overlooked.

If a piece of clothing has already been worn and washed by another child and it still looks great, that tells you quite a lot about it.

You can see whether the fabric has kept its shape, whether the colour has lasted and whether the item has generally stood up to real family life.

Brand-new clothing can look beautiful on a hanger, but you don’t always know what it will look like after ten washes.

Preloved clothing has already had a bit of a test run.

That is one of the reasons I often return to the same brands when shopping for my own children.

7. I Don’t Worry As Much About Everyday Mess

Children get messy.

They play outside, spill food, paint, climb things, find mud approximately three seconds after leaving the house and somehow come home with marks on clothes when you have no idea what they’ve been doing.

If I’ve paid a fortune for something brand new, there can be that horrible temptation to save it for “best”.

I don’t really want my children’s wardrobes to work like that.

If I’ve found a lovely quality jumper or pair of trousers preloved at a sensible price, I’m much happier for them to actually wear it.

Clothes are there to be worn.

And if something already has a tiny disclosed mark that doesn’t affect how it looks overall, I’m quite happy for my children to wear that for school, playing outside or everyday life.

8. It Makes It Easier to Buy Ahead

I buy ahead quite a lot, particularly when I know one of the children is going to need something.

If I see a lovely coat in the next size during summer, I might buy it and put it away. If I spot good winter boots before the weather changes, I’ll get them rather than waiting until everybody suddenly needs boots at the same time.

Preloved shopping works much better when you give yourself time because stock is naturally one-off.

There usually isn’t a warehouse full of the same coat in six different sizes.

That’s why I keep notes on my phone with the sizes and items each child will need next. If I’m shopping and see something, I can check whether it is genuinely useful rather than buying it simply because it looks like a bargain.

9. It Helps Children See Second Hand as Normal

My children know we buy preloved.

We don’t hide it or make it into a big thing. It’s just how we shop.

We talk about the amount of clothing and other things that already exist and why something doesn’t have to be brand new for us to enjoy it.

As they’ve got older, I think that has helped them understand the difference between wanting something because they genuinely love or need it and wanting something just because it is new.

They still ask for things. They still have favourite brands and characters and things they desperately want like every other child.

They just don’t see second hand as something inferior.

I really like that.

10. It Keeps Good Children’s Clothes in Use

This is probably the biggest reason behind Second Snuggle.

Children grow out of clothes long before those clothes have necessarily reached the end of their life.

If another family can use them, why shouldn’t they?

I love seeing clothes come into Second Snuggle, checking them, listing them and knowing they are going to another child rather than sitting unused in a wardrobe.

The same applies when I clear out my own children’s clothes. Some get passed down, some are sold, some donated and eventually some genuinely reach the end of their useful life.

But if something is still perfectly wearable, I want it worn.

Do I Buy Everything Second Hand?

No, and I think that’s important to say.

There are things I buy new, things I can’t find in the right size when I need them and times when buying new is simply the easiest option.

I’m not interested in making parents feel guilty about how they shop.

For me, preloved is another option, and often a really good one.

Sometimes I find exactly what I need second hand. Sometimes I find something even better than I was looking for. And sometimes I don’t find it at all.

That’s real life.

Final Thoughts

After three children, I can’t imagine going back to buying all of their clothing brand new.

Preloved saves us money, gives us access to brands I know and love, makes it easier to buy ahead and means perfectly good children’s clothing gets another chance to be worn.

I also genuinely enjoy the hunt. There’s something much more satisfying about finding the exact coat, jumper or dress you were looking for second hand than simply ordering everything new.

If you’re new to buying preloved children’s clothes, you don’t have to change the way you shop overnight. Start with something simple. Try a coat, a jumper, a bundle of baby clothes or a brand you already know.

You might be surprised how quickly “second hand” simply becomes the way you shop.