Cant Afford A Baby??!

Whilst looking through various news articles on the net recently, I came across one about a survey carried out by Red Magazine which I was quite suprised by.  It said that out of 2500 women who took the survey, 1 in 10 had decided to postpone having a baby due to the recession and 15% reconsidering whether to have a baby at all as they thought they'd never be able to afford it.

Im shocked!  Yes having a baby can be expensive, but not if you're clever about it and know where to look.

I was lucky with my second, we had everything still from my first in terms of big items such as a cot, pram, car seat etc. and very enthusiastic grandparents who were there to buy things we didnt have such as a steriliser and changing table.  Plus, when our second baby turned out to be a girl, she was kitted out with clothes for the next umpteen years as she would most certainly be getting ALL her sisters hand-me-downs, as my lovely sister did when we were kids!

It also got us thinking about our Baby Shop venture and how important it is to make people realise that having a baby doesnt have to be expensive if know where to look.  Take a look at these things for a newborn....

All that comes to less than a tenner on the site!  Very good value Im sure you'll agree.  Now Im not saying thats all you'd need for a newborn baby (for someone so small they come with a lot of stuff!) but it would be a very good start and not cost the earth.

Maybe we should contact Red Magazine and pass on our details so they can inform their readers?!

Theres A Definate Nip In The Air

So, summer is definitely over, (did it ever really start!?) and the nights are drawing in.  Whilst some find this depressing, I LOVE autumn.  We've been discussing at LTBS HQ that whilst the weather is getting colder, its better than the "inbetween" weather we faced during the summer holidays - too hot for jumpers and jackets but raining so too wet for shorts.  Such a dilemma when getting dressed for the day.

However, we've also been discussing the good things about the winter drawing ever closer - the snuggly jumpers, the cosy jogging bottoms, the boots!  Here are just a few things in our shop at the moment we know you're going to love dressing your little one in this winter...

Snuggly Snow Suit - 0-3 months

So cute with tights! 6 - 9 months

A must have padded jacket - 3 - 4 years

Hope you've got something for you and your little ones to wrap up warm in!  Keep checking back for more lovely snuggly clothes.

What Is Preloved?

I often get people who visit Little Tots Baby Shop asking me what "preloved" means and is it just a fancy word for "second hand".  I always say no!!

Preloved Baby Gap Jacket

Preloved is so much more than second hand.  Imagine this (bear with me on this!) - when your kids are growing up, especially when they are babies, you have favourite outfits they just look too cute in, or maybe a dozen outfits!  You dress your little one, take photos and create so many memories of their first few weeks, months and years.  Then your baby grows (too quickly) but the outfits and clothes you loved on your baby so much still bring you memories.  They no long have a use in your home, but they can bring happiness to another family who dress their babies and create their memories.

Preloved but not second hand!

A lot of the time, the clothes are immaculate and literally, as good as new.  A landfill site is no place for them as there is not a single thing wrong with them!  For practical reasons, it is impossible to keep every item bought for your child, so you give them away. 

That, for us, is preloved.  So much more than just "second-hand".

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to our blog!  So nice to have you with us.

We at Little Tots Baby Shop HQ thought it would be a nice addition to our online shop to have a behind-the-scenes view of what goes on here, our thoughts on our products and reviews on other products we hope to bring in.

Little Tots Baby Shop was started by two sisters - myself, Rhiannon and my sister, Rachel.  We both have children - I have two little girls and Rachel has a baby boy and two step children.  We know (only too well!) how expensive having a baby can be.  I cant tell you how grateful I was when having my second daughter, that I'd kept everything from my first.  Infact, most of the things I'd saved, sill had tags on.  My first daughter had grown so quickly I hadnt even had chance to put some things on her!  They are still in fab condition now, as babies arent babies for long! 

So with this in mind we decided to start the baby shop.  Our aim is to bring excellent quality and affordable new and preloved baby clothing to the online world!!  No matter what budget you are on, or salary you bring in, money is always going to be tight when you've had a baby.  They just need so much stuff!  This was the inspiration behind starting up LTBS.   

We'd love it if you follow our ups and downs in our little online venture and any comments you'd like to leave are very much appreciated!