I think I’ve spoken in passing about Baby & Kids Markets in Australia. The ones in Canberra tend to be held bi-monthly at the Fitzroy Hall at Exhibition Park. For the curious, these markets sell mostly pre-loved baby and young children’s goods – anything from clothes, to prams, to toys, to books, to car seats, to electrical appliances, to cloth diapers…

Stalls are set up and hosted mostly by mothers who

  • had once upon a time walked into their new 4-bedroom home with their husband Before Children, and thought, “Phwoar! This place is freakin’ HUGE!”…. only to discover that children – and their clothes and paraphernalia – can and will take up half your house, despite your best intentions
  • have sworn off the whole pregnancy gig, having acquired their 2.4 children
  • have finally managed to sort through and part with all the clothes, shoes, toys, appliances and furniture that their offspring accumulated in 3 short years
  • envision their newfound space and giddily embarking on their My Home Looks Like Something Out Of Pinterest project, only to find that they…
  • …might make a small sum of money, but will run out and buy new things for their children anyway. Return to Square One.

For the consumer, the markets can be a treasure trove – especially for first-time mothers, since newborn clothes hardly get worn, much less get worn out. The first time Tony and I went together to shop for Arddun, we ended up with this.

I haven’t been to one in about a year, mostly because we’re fairly self-sufficient now and the last one I went to didn’t have that much clothes for Arddun’s age. It can be a bit hit-and-miss. Still, the MIL and I took a trip down yesterday with a rough list of items in our heads of things to get for Boy Blob.

Naturally, I emerged an hour later completely sidetracked, with loot for Arddun instead.

Things bought from Baby and Kids Market in November 2014
Clockwise from left: $1 brand new Grosby boots for 18-month old… and the only thing I bought for Boy Blob yesterday, $2 schoolbag for Arddun to use next year because current backpack is too small, brand new silver cardigan for $3, Pumpkin Patch cherry-printed bikini for $2, matching Pumpkin Patch swimming hat from stall next door for $1. Total outlay: $9

What can I say. I love a bargain.