Cheap Baby Clothes and Recent Changes in the Law

As the recession hits harder parents are finding it increasingly difficult to find cheap baby clothes. A mainstay for those on limited budgets used to be Thrift stores, Goodwill and yard sales but the new law designed to keep lead contaminated products away from children means that for many these options are no longer available .

In February 2009 the new law restricting the amount of lead allowed in children's products came into effect. The new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) document says

"Under the new law, children’s products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot lawfully be sold in the United States on or after February 10, 2009, even if they were manufactured before that date. The total lead limit drops to 300 ppm on August 14, 2009."

They further go on to say that resellers of children's products do not have to test for lead content but if the do they sell products that have lead content above the recommended limits "they could face civil and/or criminal penalties."

This new regulation has had a devastating effect on Thrift and Goodwill Stores across the nation. Many have taken not just all of their baby and children's products off the shelves but also all the baby clothes and kids clothes in case there is lead in the zips, buttons or printed designs. Millions of articles are being sent to land fills as obviously no one wants to face prosecution. The loss of revenue these stores face could force many of them to close down and for charitable ones like the Salvation Army there will be a loss of money used to help those in need.

Nobody would argue that any law that keeps our children safe from harmful substances is not good and necessary. However, the effect is going to be far reaching. Many single parent families, those on welfare and low incomes rely on these sources for affordable baby products. They are going to find they cannot afford to buy as many baby clothes and kids clothes because where they would be able to get items for a dollar or two they are now face with having to spend possibly double or more per garment.

So where can parents go to find safe cheap baby clothes? Stores such as Wal-Mart and Target usually have a good selection of clothes and often for prices less than the mall stores. If there is a Ross Store or Burlington Coat Factory near you they are also a good source of inexpensive clothes. It is also worth looking in the big department stores such as JC Penney and Sears as many of these have huge clearance sales going on and until the economic climate changes I think these sales will last a while.