First Posted: 9/30/2013

In February, I had my first (and probably last because that really hurt!) baby. I was extremely excited that I had a little girl. You all know I love fashion and makeup, so now I had to buy super frilly pink and purple cute things like my all time fav – pink cotton and lace baby leg warmers!

My little bird doesn’t have much hair yet, so we are currently in the headband stage. It seems like no matter how much pink I have her in, if there is no hair bow on her little fuzzy head, I get, “Hey, look at that little fella! How old is he?”

I have yet to come up with a creative answer, so e-mail or tweet me with any suggestions.

Having a babe has opened up a whole new world of local and online children’s shops that I would love to share with you. Lollipopmoon.com has very trendy and over-the-top original baby designs, amazing head pieces, and ruffled everything! They also offer great sales and promotions if you “like” them on Facebook.

Thecouturebaby.com has both boys and girls clothing and accessories. They even have special holiday and christening outfits and bedding for the couture baby nursery. My favorites are the Petti Rompers for baby girls; they are more gorgeous than most of my dresses. If you are looking to get yourself or mommy something, you can find diaper bags and “haute mama” shirts. If you can stand the cute overload, they make matching floral headbands and wings, yes wings, for newborns! And last but not least, they have a selection of bibs; bibs that you would never dream of spilling pea green baby food on.

For some local shops for kiddie clothing, check out Small Frye’s Boutique (3022 Birney Ave., Scranton). For a more mainstream shopping experience, check out Baby Gap and Old Navy at the Viewmont Mall in Dickson City or Crazy 8 for the girlies at the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre. You can also find some great deals for your mini fashionista at Macy’s in any of our surrounding malls. The Steamtown Mall has some great stuff for both boys and girls at Gymboree, and of course you can hit all four kids clothing stores at The Shoppes at Montage, where you can find Carters, which has a great coupon program, Crazy 8, Justice, and The Children’s Place.

Sales are my friend when it comes to baby shopping. It breaks my little heart when my Story can’t fit into those trendy skinny jeans and she’s only worn them for two hours. Babes grow fast, so buy smart – splurge on the accessories!

Whatever you do…

• Check out shops like Marshalls, Ross, and T.J. Maxx for designer baby, toddler, and kids clothing for a deeply discounted price.

• Check out some local privately owned boutiques.

• Don’t splurge on daily basics – they grow fast!

-Erin Rovin has been working in the entertainment industry for 10 years and writes for various national gossip publications. You can reach Erin at erinrovin@gmail.com.