Where To Find Cheap Dress Up Clothes?

[Annalee]

What are your kids' favorite dress up centers/pieces?

my kids like the chef hats!

[Meyou]

I shop the dollar store for accessories before Halloween. They always have lots of hats, wings, wands and stuff like that. Then I shop the clearance sale at Target after Halloween. I got 13 costumes for $30 last year by lucking in at the right time! I also have good luck this time of year online on second hand sites. Everyone is posting Halloween costumes and you can usually grab them cheap.

[MarinaVanessa]

Mine LOVE the tu-tus and the high heeled shoes. Especially the boys. ::

The girls all fight over the tiara's and the crowns. They also seem to gravitate toward the purses, aprons and the dresses.

My construction, fireman, police and doctor apparel are the least used.

NO clue why.

I also think it has a lot to do with each particular group. A couple years ago, I could not have enough animal costumes and nothing else was ever worn.

Now my dog, dinosaur, cat and monkey dress up stuff sits untouched.

This was my problem too until I started to do themes in my pretend center. I pulled out one type of costume at a time and then put out a lot of accessories to go with it and would put away all the rest. I would also arrange the area to look like the career office.

* Police: police officer costume, swat costume, trench coat (detective), small note pads (for writing tickets), FBI costume, magnifying glass, badges, white paper/pencils for fingerprint taking, walkie talkies, sun glasses, hand cuffs etc.

* Firefighter: firefighter costume, play fire extinguisher, play hose, play fire made of toilet paper tubes and tissue paper, etc etc

This is the ONLY way that I could get the kids to play with the career costumes.

[midaycare]

This was my problem too until I started to do themes in my pretend center. I pulled out one type of costume at a time and then put out a lot of accessories to go with it and would put away all the rest. I would also arrange the area to look like the career office.

* Police: police officer costume, swat costume, trench coat (detective), small note pads (for writing tickets), FBI costume, magnifying glass, badges, white paper/pencils for fingerprint taking, walkie talkies, sun glasses, hand cuffs etc.

* Firefighter: firefighter costume, play fire extinguisher, play hose, play fire made of toilet paper tubes and tissue paper, etc etc

This is the ONLY way that I could get the kids to play with the career costumes.

This is what I'm hoping to do.

[e.j.]

I don't have anyone I can get hand me downs from, and the second hand stores around here have been a bust.

I'm looking for the doctor, fireman, princess type stuff. It is super expensive whenever I see it. If I do find cheap things, it is made to break within 24 hours. I have had a little bit of luck at the dollar store, but I have bought their supply out.

Any ideas?

TIA!

I've been lucky to have dc parents give me fireman dress-ups. Could you maybe buy scrubs from Walmart to be used for dr/nurse costumes? Just buy the smallest woman's size you can find. For princess dresses, I usually wait until after Christmas and Easter when the holiday dresses go on sale. If you buy a size 7 girl's dress, it usually fits like a gown on a 3-4 year old. I've been able to buy some really pretty "princess gowns" for very little money and the ones I bought have lasted for years.

[SignMeUp]

Most of mine are either my old clothes ::
Or I make them: tutus are easy to make with an elastic waistband and layers of netting - a simple casing for the elastic to run through.
Vests serve a variety of interests: wedding-wear, servers at the Italian restaurant ::
Chef hats and aprons are easy too. Chef hat = circle gathered around the edges, sewed to a rectangle that fits around the head, with velcro to adjust size.
Capes = rectangled hemmed on three sides, gathered on top. Top edge sewn to a folded edging with velcro to fasten.
Firefighters = plastic hats + pieces of an old hose and a little imagination.
I also like open-ended dress-up, like chiffon scarves, bandanas of varying colors, silky scarves.
Also buy old prom dresses at Goodwill, etc. Instant mermaid ::
My old hats, small purses, some shirts also go into dress-up.
Scrubs are easy to make too, and so are kid-sized and doll-sized hospital gowns. Super easy My kids also like my velcro armbands with red crosses sewed on them :: You know, like they wear in hospitals ... ? (No, they don't. But they like them.)
Oh, and if you have had a child with hospital experience, who needs to do a bit of their own play therapy: The top end of an old sock, put around the wrist, will hold the outer section of a medicine syringe attached to aquarium tubing, to make an i.v. ::

[NightOwl]

Nov. 1st is my day to shop too!

[midaycare]

Most of mine are either my old clothes ::
Or I make them: tutus are easy to make with an elastic waistband and layers of netting - a simple casing for the elastic to run through.
Vests serve a variety of interests: wedding-wear, servers at the Italian restaurant ::
Chef hats and aprons are easy too. Chef hat = circle gathered around the edges, sewed to a rectangle that fits around the head, with velcro to adjust size.
Capes = rectangled hemmed on three sides, gathered on top. Top edge sewn to a folded edging with velcro to fasten.
Firefighters = plastic hats + pieces of an old hose and a little imagination.
I also like open-ended dress-up, like chiffon scarves, bandanas of varying colors, silky scarves.
Also buy old prom dresses at Goodwill, etc. Instant mermaid ::
My old hats, small purses, some shirts also go into dress-up.
Scrubs are easy to make too, and so are kid-sized and doll-sized hospital gowns. Super easy My kids also like my velcro armbands with red crosses sewed on them :: You know, like they wear in hospitals ... ? (No, they don't. But they like them.)
Oh, and if you have had a child with hospital experience, who needs to do a bit of their own play therapy: The top end of an old sock, put around the wrist, will hold the outer section of a medicine syringe attached to aquarium tubing, to make an i.v. ::

You are way too creative for my skill set :: But I live your ideas!

[SignMeUp]

You are way too creative for my skill set :: But I live your ideas!

Aw, if you have sewed a seam, you can do any of those. None have any fitted shape, so perfection is not necessary :: I haven't sewed anything 'real' since junior high

[Josiegirl]

I've been lucky enough to have 2 older dcgs go through dance classes so they donated lots of princess dresses and tutus. Another dcm has bought beautiful plush Halloween costumes for her 2 dds and donated those. I had to laugh...1 of my 3 yo dcgs wanted to borrow a plush duck costume so she wore it home. She looked so cute walking down the street to the car. Another time she borrowed a chef's costume.
I'm always scouting out yard sales for bits and pieces that would work as dress-up. This past summer a local dc was closing and she had a whole tub of dress-up for $5.00. Lots of cute purses, beautiful butterfly wings, all kinds of stuff. I end up rotating all the dress up because I've got this nice little toddler dress up station with hooks and plexiglass mirror. But no one likes to hang their stuff back up so I only keep a few things out.
I've got mainly girly stuff because all my dcks are girls. Except for a 6 yo dcb I had this summer and he was perfectly fine with wearing a Hannah Montana top with sparkly silver pants. He didn't even give the unisex type stuff a 2nd glance.

[Unregistered]

Big lots. It's mostly girl stuff it cheap and has lasted for me. Skirts, dresses etc.

[AmyKidsCo]

Mine are old clothes that I cut down and took in to fit. Their favorites are half slips I cut up the seam then took in at the waist. They use them as skirts, dresses, capes, long hair, blankets, etc.

[Meeko]

Yard sales!

[Unregistered]

Gymboree has 40% off their Halloween costumes and if you are a rewards member, there is a 20% off coupon. I bought boy and girl superhero capes, a dragon cape and a pirate cape for $12 each! I donated it to my daughter's orek that had old ratty dress up clothes. In my daycare, they seem to favor outfits that they can easily pull on and off.