Baby Clothing
Buy and sell baby clothing in Costa Rica.
Many pre-owned baby clothes in Costa Rica were imported from the United States, so their labels often use US sizing in months rather than a local size chart. Bodysuits and sleepsuits, small sets for visiting the grandparents, white christening outfits, hats, socks and soft-soled shoes all pass through here, new and pre-owned. Babies outgrow each size within weeks, which is why so much of it is barely worn and a bag sorted by size is worth more than a pile of single pieces.
Bodysuits and sleepsuits do most of the work:
the bodysuit, with snaps between the legs, goes under everything or on its own on a warm afternoon, and a baby can get through several in a day. The sleepsuit, sometimes called a romper, covers the legs and often the feet and is what most babies sleep in. A zip is quicker at night; snaps down both legs let you change a diaper without undressing the whole baby. Hats and socks matter most in the first weeks; soft-soled shoes are for looks until a baby walks. Swaddling cloths and blankets sit with swaddles and blankets, and cloth training pants with potty training.
Reading a size label that came from somewhere else:
most US labels count in months and give the top of the range, so a piece marked with a baby’s age fits up to that age, not a baby who has just reached it. European labels often add the baby’s length in centimetres, the more reliable guide. Go by your baby’s length and weight rather than age, and when in doubt take the next size up: a baby grows into a loose sleepsuit in a few weeks and out of a tight one straight away.
A bag of baby clothes sorted by size:
is how most of them change hands, because a single piece barely carries a price. A pack of five plain cotton bodysuits costs around ₡14,000 to ₡16,000 new, so one used bodysuit on its own is worth pocket change. A lot of twenty or thirty clean pieces in one size saves a family a shopping trip every time the baby moves up, and that is where the money is. Pieces still wearing their tags, usually newborn sizes from a baby shower that the baby outgrew before they were opened, hold most of their value, and so does a baptism outfit worn for one morning.
Where a second-hand bodysuit gives out first:
at the snaps. Close and open each one: a snap that has pulled through the fabric or no longer clicks shut is a repair, not a wash. Stretch the neck and leg openings and let go; elastic that stays slack is finished. Look at the chest and collar in daylight for old milk stains, which can come back yellow after months in a drawer even when the piece went in clean. Tug gently on every button, bow and sewn-on appliqué, and leave anything with a drawstring at the neck or hood. A zip on a sleepsuit should run its full length without catching.
The christening gown worn for one Sunday:
a christening outfit is worn once and kept for years, so it comes up nearly new. White cotton, satin and lace turn ivory or yellow in storage, first along the folds, so ask for daylight photos and look along the creases. Check the lace edges for small tears, make sure the set is complete, with the bonnet and any cape or booties it came with, and compare the length with your baby: a christening that slips later than planned may need the next size.
Before you bag up the clothes your baby outgrew:
sort them by the size on the label and offer each size as its own lot, with the label system in the title, US months or centimetres, so a buyer can match it to their baby. Photograph the lot laid flat in daylight, plus one label and any stain close up. Say how many pieces there are, which still have tags, and whether the house has pets or smokers. Anyone driving over from Grecia or San Ramón to collect a lot will open the bag and try a few snaps before paying, so test them yourself first. Hang the christening gown and photograph it pressed: whoever answers usually has a date booked at the church and needs to see its true colour well before that morning.