Smart tips to help you shop for your children this festive season

AS THE Christmas holidays approaches, many parents will be buying their children new clothes to commemorate the festivities. This is regarded, in some circles, as an essential part of South African culture during the end-of-year period.

But parents often end up in debt to keep up with this trend. This festive season activity even sparked a debate on X recently when a user posted a picture of a young boy dressed in expensive designer clothes.

The post sparked the curiosity of user @KingDon_za who wanted to know how children play while wearing clothes with exorbitant price tags.

@SheElCapo responded and said that she believed that it is more important to buy children comfortable clothes than expensive ones.

“Your point is valid ... I think kids should be kids, mahn ...I'm not saying don't dress them up but let kids be kids,” her post read.

Meanwhile, other X users argued that the reason that boy was dressed like that was because he was probably going out with his family, which made sense to them.

But experts warn that parents should avoid finding themselves in a situation where they buy their children expensive clothing that they don’t need.

This should result in splurging money on Christmas clothes and then not being able to afford to buy uniforms and other back-to-school essentials in January.

To shop wisely for your children this festive season, here is some expert advice:

Invest in affordable clothes that have durability

Understand that children are constantly growing and that their clothing won’t fit for extended periods of time.

Invest in affordable garments and make sure that your little ones wear them enough so that they can get the most out of the clothes before outgrowing them.

Take advantage of specials

Look out for sales and specials at retail outlets these holidays to ensure that your little ones are well dressed and that you don’t break the bank.

Avoid credit

Buying on credit could have long-term financial implications. Instead, look at other shopping options such as lay-bys, which is a system of paying a deposit to secure an article for later purchase.

Avoid buying clothes according to seasons

Since it’s summer, now is the best time to buy winter clothes because they are currently on sale. But remember to buy bigger sizes so that by the time that season comes, the clothes fit your child perfectly.