Your Questions About Baby Care

Lizzie asks…

Where to find polyblend baby clothing?

I am looking for polyblend rompers, onsies, and so for newborns/toddlers. I’ve found some expensive baby boutiques online, but want to find a a major retailer, like KMart, Target, Family Dollar, or somewhere similar…thank you!!!

The Expert answers:

Try babys are us

John asks…

Moms- how much would you pay for these baby items at a yard sale? And some other yard sale questions..?

My mom and I are preparing to have a yard sale this weekend, and I’m not sure how to price my twins’ outgrown clothes or even how to sort them.

So, a few questions…
1: Would you sell onesies (the kind that come in packs at walmart, like Carter’s) separately, or put them together in groups and sell them that way? I was thinking like $2 for several or either 25 or 50 cents if individually…
2: Should I group newborn socks together or put them all in a box and say “so many for $1” or “10 cents each”?
3: Would you group outfits (pieces that came together, like shirt and shorts) together or leave them separate? This question is mostly so I can my husband that it was a dumb idea to just throw everything out there and say “$1 a piece for everything.”

And finally, how much would you pay for these baby items at a yard sale? All are sized 12 months and under.
-onesies sold by the pack at stores
-nicer onesies sold individually at stores
-sleepers (the nicer sleepers that newborns constantly wear)
-Pajama sleepers
-local college sports attire (football is a big deal around here, especially college)
boutique type outfits (the kind that run $20+ retail. nicer looking overalls and outfits).
baby shoes, several that look as if they were never worn

Thanks so much for the help. I’ve never done a yard sale, so I’m new at it.
Okay, if I hang all the baby clothes up, is it okay if I ask to keep the hangers when someone buys something, or would that be considered rude?

The Expert answers:

1. I personally like seeing these things grouped in ziplock bags together (like they would come from in the store.) 4 or 5 onsies for $1, depending on the brand. However, when I did my yard sale, I had everything hung up and priced these cheap onsies for 25 cents each.

2. I would group them together, say 10 pairs of the same style/size in a labeled ziplock and charge 50 cents or $1 for the bag. No one is seriously going to pick through a bin to buy one pair of socks.

3. Yes, group outfits together. If you have clothes pins on hand, just attach them to the bottom of the hanger to clip the pants on.

I’m a huge bargain hunter and I know what prices are at various stores, consignment shops, online, etc. So…my prices will be a little stricter than some people will pay. Good rule of thumb, people hunting garage sales are looking for a deal…not for you to make money. These are the prices *I* would pay at a yard sale:

-onesies sold by the pack at stores
*No more than 4 for $1

-nicer onesies sold individually at stores
*50 cents to a $1 depending on how cute the phrase or picture is, also depending on brand.

-sleepers (the nicer sleepers that newborns constantly wear)
*$1 if they are in fantastic condition.

-Pajama sleepers
*$1 if they are in fantastic condition

-local college sports attire (football is a big deal around here, especially college)
*Ooooh, I pay a lot more for these things, because we all like to sport them. I have paid up to $5 for used college team appearal.

-boutique type outfits (the kind that run $20+ retail. Nicer looking overalls and outfits)
*At a yard sale, $2 tops. Online (ebay,) I’d pay a little more…maybe up to $10 if I was in love with the outfit.

-baby shoes, several that look as if they were never worn
*Anywhere from $2-$5 per pair, depending on style, size, and sole.

And since this is your first yard sale here’s a couple of tips: Mark prices clearly but be willing to negotiate and display everything (people do NOT like to rummage through boxes or piles of junk on a table.) If you don’t have a clothing rack, run clothes line and hang all the clothes up, and fold or lay the rest neatly on a table.

*No, not rude at all to keep hangers. Most people expect they will not take them home.

William asks…

Help with a business name!?

I am trying to come up with a business name for a boutique children’s clothing that is handmade. High end clothes for newborns to about 5 year olds. Mostly babies though. I am looking to change my business name and need something catchy. My online business is very successful but I have outgrown my current name.

To give you an idea of my style: Very trendy, snobbish and very european. Beautiful childrens clothing that are made with exceptional care.

But… I need a super cute name that will be memorable.

Any ideas?!

The Expert answers:

Invite over ten of your best friends to a party at your house (make sure there are designated drivers) and once they’ve had a glass or two of wine, tell them that you invited them over to help you get a name for your children’s clothing boutique. You’ll be surprised at what they can come up with once they’ve loosened up.

Good Luck

Nancy asks…

Naming a business……?

I am trying to come up with a business name for a boutique children’s clothing that is handmade. High end clothes for newborns to about 5 year olds. Mostly babies though. I am looking to change my business name and need something catchy. My online business is very successful but I have outgrown my current name.

To give you an idea of my style: Very trendy, snobbish and very european. Beautiful childrens clothing that are made with exceptional care.

But… I need a super cute name that will be memorable.

Any ideas?!
My little online business is very successful but very stale. It is a name that lingered from my other sewing business that I no longer work on and just kept the name because of all the printed forms and business cards. Now that I am only making kids clothes, I really want a name that representative of that. I plan on merging the two slowly, but I need a start.

The Expert answers:

Petit

Belle of the Ball

The House of Dear

Little Lovelies

Perfection in Minature

Tailor Made Baby

Itty Bitty Pretty

Kiddie Pretty Things

Good things come in small packages

Bon Bon Baby

Crafted Childrenswear

Bundle of Joy

Babes in Arms

Sorry, I have brainache. Hope these give you some inspiration, good luck with the business.

Chris asks…

How does my summary of Sarah Dessen’s “Along for the Ride” sound so far?

Along for the Ride is a teen romance fiction written by Sarah Dessen, one of the most popular writers for young adults. Set during a summer in a fictional small beach town- Colby, North Carolina, this story is about Auden, a teen who goes on a quest to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed with the help of Eli, who is still trying to come to the terms with the guilt that he feels for the death of a friend.

Auden West has missed out on so many things, learning how to ride a bike is just one of many. Even before her parents started fighting or the divorce occurred, as child up till now, she has always been treated as an adult. Auden is an overachiever who focuses on her academics to please her intellectual, egotistical, and demanding mother and to be the perfect daughter. She’s also an insomniac who started spending her nights studying and drinking coffee at Ray’s Diner during her sophomore year to avoid hearing or witnessing her parents fighting.

Auden decides to spend her summer with her father, his new wife and her stepmother, Heidi, and their newborn (her half-sister) Thisbe, in a small beach town, Colby. When she arrives, Auden finds that her father is too immersed in his novel to care about his new family, her stepmother Heidi is in need of help with the baby but denies any help given, and that the baby, Thisbe, is really colicky. In an effort to help Heidi get some rest, Auden takes Thisbe out in her stroller around town; she meets a boy, a local, where few words were said.

Auden gets a job as book keeper at a small, girly boutique owned by Heidi, Clementine’s. There she meets and eventually later in the story befriends Maggie, Leah, and Esther (though it took quite some time for them to accept her due to an incident Auden had with Maggie’s ex-boyfriend). They take her out to parties and introduce her to the world of girls: the talk, the friendships, the clothes, the boys, etc.

While out on a dinner with her family, Auden takes Thisbe outside of The Last Chance Café, the restaurant they were eating at, to once again try to calm down Thisbe’s crying and screaming. There, she meets the same local boy she met the other night when she took Thisbe around town again. They exchange a few words and the boy helps calm Thisbe down by doing “the elevator” on her. Heidi comes by and recognizes the boy. Auden learns that his name is Eli Stock.

Auden and Eli meet again at a jump park and a party which Maggie, Leah, and Esther brought her too. At the party, they had a conversation but had to leave soon because Eli’s ex-girlfriend, who happens to own the house and the host of the party, thought that Auden was flirting with Eli and kicked her out. Auden was told that Eli and Belissa, Eli’s ex-girlfriend broke up after Eli’s best friend Abe died in a car accident, which Eli is guilty about since he was the one driving. Eli now isolates himself so it was a surprise when Eli was laughing with Auden.

Does it make sense? Did it confuse you? I took all the summaries of this book and put them together in my own words and added more things. I have to write a summary for a book project including major events that occurred. Is there any way I can make it better or is it good so far?

Thanks!

The Expert answers:

I think it is good and you have a lot of detail. I would suggest when you are finished you do the following:

– Edit your work for sentence structure. Some of your sentences are very long and could be shortened by breaking them up into two or more sentences. This improves the flow of any writing, and make the piece easier to read and understand. For example:

Set during a summer in a fictional small beach town, Colby, North Carolina, this story is about Auden, a teen who goes on a quest to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed. Along the way, she enlists the help of Eli, who is trying to come to terms with the guilt that he feels for the death of a friend.

(I also fixed some other punctuation/grammatical problems in the above.) All in all, I do not think too many of your sentences need shortening, but there may be one or two more that could benefit.

– Find someone who can edit it for punctuation and grammar. Again, you do not appear to have many issues, but someone other than yourself going over the work will be helpful (remember, even great writers use editors!).

– Once you are done, review your entire work for detail. What are the requirements of your assignment in terms of a “summary”? Is your piece too detailed in some areas and not enough in others? You can do this yourself. It may be that you will keep everything the way it is, which is fine. Just make sure you do check the level of detail for consistency, etc.

I think you are a very good writer and I enjoyed reading your summary. I wish you the best of luck!

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