(True fact: the friend was Freud’s great-granddaughter.)

Every time I saw a pretty christening gown for 3 quid, or a hand crocheted, 100% goofy woolen – with only a tiny wee moth hole – I’d snap it up.

I found my stash recently: it included a hand-hooked bright green baby duck-emblazoned rug and was as tremendous as when I’d girlishly parted with my pocket money in the 80’s. However, the Mommy part of me laughed scornfully at my pre-kid naiveté. The rips, stains, infestations and dangling mother of pearl buttons – choke hazard, duh – are as patently unsuitable for a real baby, as they are dreamy-fabulous for an imagined future one.

Which brings me to my dressing policies for almost-3-year-old, Sheba.

Dear Babyscooper: I am a rube. Till recently I lived in a fool’s paradise where piles of preordained Sheba-clothes fell literally into my lap every time I opened her closet. I never had to do anything as humdrum as buy her anything because lovely women came forward with bags of pre-edited gear. Even now that’s ended, the need is low because her Grandpa goes twice a year to John Lewis in London and mails her divine little pieces for her birthday and Christmas.

But with the overall supply dwindling, I am stumbling.

My therapist, for goodness sake, broke down and bought Shebes a suitable ensemble: organic cotton hoodie-tunic and matching leggings from Mini Mioche. They suit Sheba’s current cultivation of her masculine side (‘I not a good girl. I big boy!) (Freudianize that) because I was able to swiftly rebrand the tunic from ‘dress’ to ‘fleecy hoodie’. She’s comfy, she’s warm, she looks like a girl, and she thinks she looks like a boy: boxes ticked.

So why couldn’t I have figured that out? I walked past the very same outfit a month ago and deemed it ‘too expensive’. What the hell? The delicious mail-order woolens that come from Cambridge Baby in England, attract shocking duty charges and shrink because I wash them too hot, aren’t expensive? The little brown roman sandals we go out of our way to purchase every time we’re in Berlin aren’t expensive? (And deliciously bizarre, but that’s for another time.)

All in all, if I had to choose one word to define my policy, it would be: unfocussed. Gendering my daughter, sweatshop and fair trade issues, washability, affordability, warmth, sun protection, Dufferin Mall-avoidance and my own secret desire for Shebes to look like a drawing from a vintage children’s book, tend to overwhelm.

Feel free to share your tips, successes or parallel unfocussiosity in the ‘comments’ section below.

About The Abi Chronicles:

As our in-house blogger, Abi reports on the full spectrum of parenting – from the searching, essential questions to the quirkier territory all families sometimes inhabit.

The Babyscoop introduces The Abi Chronicles, a new weekly column by Abigail Pugh. As our in-house blogger, Abi reports on the full spectrum of parenting – from the searching, essential questions, to the quirkier territory all families sometimes inhabit.

Abigail lives in downtown Toronto with her partner John, daughter Bathsheba and their dog Pippin. Originally from England, she has lived Canada-side since the mid 1990′s. Abigail is a journalist, copywriter and perma-renovator of houses with varying degrees of promise.

Blog Entries:

Clothing Your Child 101

If the flurry of new kids products hitting the market makes you feel a little dizzy, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to lay a little bit of shopping love on you with our newly launched Family Gift Guide. We’ve scoured through our favourite products this year and compiled Top 10 lists for everyone on your list: Mom, Dad, and the Kids. We’ve even included a few helpful ideas for great gifts under $25. There’s a mix of stuff, from good ol’ classics, to a few new and noteworthy finds. Just the right amount of inspiration to get you started.

And to make things even easier – all products in the guide link through to an on-line retailer for easy and instant shopping.

Have Fun!

Family Gift Guide

For those wanting to spend a little less, take a peek at the recently launched Nook Lite. Lite comes with the same great look (pebbles and great colours), but a few things have changed: the materials used aren’t organic and they use a non-toxic foam core instead of natural latex. But like the pebble, it’s comfortable, hypoallergenic and washable. Dual-sided too, so it’s firm for babies, and softer for bigger kids. But the end result is a mattress that weighs and costs less!

Above: Nook Pebble Organic Mattress -$545-$599

Above: Nook Pebble Lite Crib Mattress - $295

Above: Inner Nook Pebble Crib Mattress

Above: Nook Pebble Twin Mattress -$695

Above: Nook Lilypad Playmat -$120

Looking for some helpful mattress buying tips? Check out BabyCentre.

Photo Source: Nook.com

Normally priced at $189.95, Amazon price $132.00! (you save $57.95)

Available through 4moms.com for $849.99

Photo source: 4moms.com

Regularly $679.99, you can now purchase from the Amazon for $445.00 (that’s a $234.00 savings) while quantities last. What a bargain!