Anybody who knows me can tell you I’ve got an insane case of baby fever. A baby is all I’ve wanted since I was, like, thirteen. Unfortunately, I am currently nineteen years old, so having a baby of my own is still a few years away for me, but that doesn’t stop me from thrifting cute baby clothes when I find them! Often times cute thrifted baby and kids clothes that aren’t stained beyond repair are hard to come by in thrift stores since kids are so hard on their clothes, so I figure a head start can’t be bad, especially since I want to dress my kids in a similar fashion to how I dress myself and finding the cool, colourful, kinda funky kids clothing can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack. Below are some of my favourite pieces from my collection, I have many more than just these but these are my favourites (I’ll try to add onto this post as I find more good stuff too!)
Thrifting vintage kids clothes
When it comes to kids clothes its usually pretty easy to place an item in any given time period just by knowing what the children’s fashions of that time were, since kids clothes are not offered in quite the same variety as adult clothes. For things that look very dated, (80’s is usually the oldest I’ll find of baby clothes semi-regularly) check if garments are handmade by looking at the stitching on the inside (handmade items will have different, not as cleanly finished seams). As unfortunate as it is, sewing has been consistently going more and more out of vogue. Obviously, there are still plenty of moms and dads who sew clothes for their children (I will definitely be one of them!), but it has definitely become less common over time. I’ve found that in my own findings at thrift stores and antique markets that the drop became really noticeable in the 80’s, and by the time you get into 90’s kids fashion, almost none is hand sewed. A good way of telling if a piece of children’s clothing is vintage or not is also to look at the size tag. Earlier baby clothes were sized using pounds as the measurement, whereas modern baby clothes have sizes standardized to months. I’ve tried to research online when the switch in sizing methods happened, but can’t find even an approximate time frame. If I had to guess just by dating some of the items in my collection, I’d say the switch really started happening in the 90’s, with sizing completely switched over before the millennium. Remember though, that some brands were using a standard months sizing format long before this, this is just when I would guess that all brands started to get on the same wavelength regarding baby sizing methods.
The sweetest little long sleeve. This is a personal favourite of mine because of the bright colours and fun lace overlay. it’s also a lovely thick fabric so it’ll hold up well for winters. its not sized, but I would guess 4 or 5t.
One thing about baby gap is that it will always hit! Genuinely one of the most consistently cute baby clothes brands, and the clothes are so timeless.
The cutest ever vintage long sleeves for 12m/20lbs. I’d place this top in the mid to late 90’s, and it is so sweet with the pink and green flower trim!
Such a sweet tropical summer dress in literally the cutest colours ever! Showed it to my friends and immediately they said it was me-core.
A personal favourite of mine, I love the colours of this little dress, and am such a sucker for anything with a funky floral pattern.
The cutest butterfly camo cargo pants. These are definitely from my era of baby clothes, wouldn’t surprise me if anybody I knew owned these exact pants in, like, 2006.
Such a cute little boy crocodile tank from sears. This is definitely something my little brother would’ve worn as a two year old in 2009.
I am a major sucker for anything involving this style of little dog that, for some reason, is featured on a lot of little boy clothes from the nineties. Immediately had to get this one when I saw it!
Of course, some classic overalls. I mean, who can resist a baby in overalls? It’s just too cute!
Back at it with the nineties baby boy dog, this time on the cutest blue corduroy overalls. Genuinely the cutest ever!
The sweetest baby girl top, in the sweetest baby girl pink floral pattern. I mean, who wouldn’t buy it?
Another baby girl top, this one in an adorable brown floral pattern, from Baby Gap. Very 2000s!
What a sweet green floral dress! Giving early 2010s but in a cute way.
A baby boy baseball jumpsuit with a tiny matching ball cap. I thrifted this one quite a while ago and it is just the sweetest!
The first thing I ever thrifted for my future baby! I thrifted this adorable 7/8 sweater when I was about fifteen because it says 2008 all over and thought wouldn’t it be so silly to have my kid running around in the 2030s wearing a sweater that literally says 2008 all over it? So into the cart it went!
A new addition to the collection that I just got while at the antique mall this last valentines day. It’s the sweetest 3t cardigan from Switzerland, with German on the pockets, and the sweetest heart buttons and elbow patches.
Taking it way back for the next couple ones, this one I’m putting in the 80s or 90s for sure. I honestly just thought it was such a cute play romper, and just imagine a trip to the zoo in this! I mean come on!
These adorable light blue overalls are one of my favourites and I’m obsessed with the baby pilot patch on the front pocket!
Such an adorable dress, perfect for spring and Easter! It’s definitely very 80s, but in a cute way!
Another baby jumpsuit, I thought the fish pattern on this one was just too sweet to pass up on.
Like I said, baby gap never misses! these are the cutest little low top sneakers! My children are 100% going to be barefoot kids, I mean, I don’t even wear shoes in the summer if I don’t have to, but sometimes the baby shoes are just too sweet to pass up.
The sweetest moon phase mary janes, perfect for my future extremely cool daughter.
And of course I have plenty of vintage kids sewing patterns as well! Here are my favourites:
The cutest ever fruit themed baby girl outfits, I mean who could resist? The strawberry dress? Come on!
Some dress up clothes! As someone who danced their whole life my daughters will 100% be in dance, so the ballet outfits are perfect. The dress-up clothes patterns are from the 70’s which felt crazy to me since that’s when my mom was born.
And of course, my favourite just general vintage sewing patterns. My favourite is definitely the bottom one, I mean how much cuter could it even get?
I’ll definitely make sure to add more to this post as my collection grows more as I love sharing my baby clothes! Stay tuned for in a few years when you get to see some of these modelled by my own baby!