Tip #11: Ugh!! Save money during growth spurts

Snap extenders are an absolute must if your baby’s growth spurts have him growing longer than heavier. A dear friend of mine shared this tip with me when I was complaining that our daughter kept growing out of bodysuits and turtlenecks faster than I could buy them. She scolded me for wasting money on new outfits when all I needed were inexpensive snap extenders that would increase the “wear life” of her outfits.

What is a snap extender? How does it work?

“So what’s a snap extender?” I asked Amy, curious to learn how this would save me time and money. She said, “It’s a small fabric piece with snaps on both ends that attach to each side of the baby’s clothing that lengthens the inseam. Since they snap right onto the snaps in the inseams, you can rotate them between different items as needed.” With that, this item was an absolute “must have” for my sprouting “mighty mite”. I have since shared this tip with several moms to help save them money and time on buying new outfits. Since you can rotate them between clothing items, you should only need two to four of these so you’ll have a couple handy when others are in the wash.

Great! Where do I buy them?!?

Snap extenders are available in most baby stores and fabric stores (notions section). They are on average 4” long and usually come in a package of two. One extender has smaller snaps for newborn sizes and the other one has larger snaps for infant sizes. You can buy them for generally $5–6 a package, which is a small price to pay to increase the “wear life” of clothes you have bought for your baby, not to mention the money and time you’ll save trying to buy new clothes to replace clothes you “thought” your baby had “outgrown”. They are intended to work with bodysuits, turtlenecks, etc. and are not meant for pants, overalls or the like.

Word to the wise, keep your receipt for any extenders you purchase so you can return them or exchange them for other ones if they do not work with your baby’s clothing. Why do I bring this up? Because I believe the baby clothing manufacturers are ‘wising-up’ to these little miracles and have started using snaps that aren’t compatible with the snaps on snap extenders. (Ain’t that nice of them!?! They’re not satisfied with the initial clothing purchases you made for your baby (whose investment you want to make the most of). No, of course not. They want you to buy new outfits every single time your baby goes through a grow spurt. Isn’t that just grand?) I’ve found many of the newer outfits purchased for our son have not been as compatible with the extenders as our daughter’s clothing was. It is a real bummer if they don’t work, so save your receipt so you don’t have wasted money invested into an accessory you can’t use.

Finally, consider making your own extenders by cutting off the snaps from an icky outfit or an outgrown outfit you don’t care about keeping. Sew the line of snaps on either side of a 3–4” cotton spandex type fabric (make sure the fabric can stretch and give or it will constantly unsnap creating more of a headache for you). When sewing on the second line of snaps, be sure it is on the back side of the opposing side of fabric so you can easily attach it the clothing with no folding or bunching.

$ Total savings: You’ll save $5–6 per bodysuit or turtleneck that you “thought” you had to “replace”. On average, your baby may have 5–10 shirts and 5–10 bodysuits, etc. Your $5 investment in snap extenders could save you up to $100 or more in new clothing purchases. Wow!

Just this savings strategy above can save you $100 or more!

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