foster care child came with NOTHING.:::update page 4:::: THANKS ALL!

[Momma2dakidz]

Ok all you awesome shoppers i need your help! My sister just got a new foster child this evening and she came with NOTHING not even a lovey. (like most fc , lovely family situation)

She is a girly girl and wears a 12 slim.

Any deals on clothes? She needs everything! she got some basics with her voucher today but i want to buy her some nice name brand stuff.

What is a good shoe to buy a 10 year old that wears a womens 6.5?

Place for cheap jacket?

And last but not least, I NEED a build a bear. (any coupons out there?) I cant imagine dealing with what she has had to deal with and not having even one stuffed animal to hug on at night.

Any other ideas? I would like to make her a "welcome home" basket. Any ideas for cheap toys? (i am hitting the thrift stores tomorow too.)

Thanks so much!
Becky

 

[babytrees]

I love Famous Footwear for shoes for my girls!!

JcPenneys is great for not only regular sizes but the slim and bigger sizes. I know there is a big sale next Wednesday there.

I have no idea of Build a Bear coupons but they have a great new panda bear right now.

My girls are just a smidge older and love flip flops and books.

How about a brush and a bunch of hair prettys??? Nail polish and lotions??They also love their fleece blankets.

Hope I've helped.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

Becky, in my community we have a Community Resource store for foster children. From what I've heard from other foster parents most communities (or state level) have a resource room for the kiddos. Have your sister check this out. Ours gives support five times a year, plus a birthday gift in the month of their birthday. BUT, unless you are aware of this, DHS doesn't always tell the foster parents. I guess they think they all know about it.

The state also issues a clothing voucher every quater for the children. It's not much, but every bit helps. We just got a new placement last week and because he was in a foster home, then had to go to the hospital, everything that he had at his formor foster home has been "lost". He has intelectual delays and despite that his posesions were purchased with his own SSDI money, no one is willing to rock the boat with his former foster home before he went to the hospital.

He's pretty much starting from scratch too. We're waiting for a clothing voucher.

 

[Momma2dakidz]

I am babysitting after school and we are going to build-a-bear and hobby lobby. Every kid needs a bear and blanket.

I dont know what to do about the shoes, i am afraid to let her pick them out fearing she picks something that would be appropriate in her PAST life. but then again every kid deserves to be able to pick out thier own shoes. When i have the kids with me we are very active and i insist on them having the proper gear for the activities, think i can get away with using that reasoning for buying a pair of quality shoes?

Becky

 

[Julia M]

I would also consider something special for her in the area of grooming...fancier shampoo, lotion and so on.

My dd is 13, and she likes having her own shampoo, body wash and so on.

My dd also likes magazines....maybe a beach tote, flip flops and beach towel, too?

Manicure/pedicure stuff?

Hair items (does she have long hair?)

A place where I buy alot of those items for dd is Dollar tree.

julia

 

[captnJacksmommy]

We host a little girl from russia in the summer, she comes with 3 empty suitcases that we fill every summer. Her family is very very poor, so we buy stuff for everyone. I don't mind spending the money on her and her family she is so greatful, last year was our first year with her, we took her shopping and let her pick out whatever she wanted. Some of our fav. shops are old navy(always has good deals and clearence items) jc pennys , sears and macy's ( you have to watch for sales, i have gotten my boys outfits for a little as $2 each) Good luck and have fun at build a bear. I love that place.

 

[PilotWife]

I am a social worker. Will this child be a permanate placement for your sister? (like staying for an extended time period) If this child will only be there for a few weeks,or you do not know how long she will be with your sister, it is best to just get the basics and a few outfits, undergarments, and shoes. I know we always want to give these children extra "stuff" because of their "past life" but there is a chance that this child will have to go back there....so try not to overwhelm her with all the "lavish attention", it tends to cause "guilty feelings" at parental visits and reunification on behalf of the child as well as the parents who cannot afford name brands. I know your heart is in the right place, and the world needs more people like you and your sis. Good Luck, oh, and I just got a sale flyer from The Children's Place with several 2 for items....Also shoes - our children(my children) and my agencies children really like the sketchers brand of shoe, if that is affordable for you guys.

Jennifer

 

[disneymarie]

If you were in NE PA we are having a free kids giveaway from several consignment shops that donated.I saw a flyer at work.

Wilkes Barre scranton area if anyone knows of aneed PM me I will get the information.

dianne

 

[barkley]

I am a social worker. Will this child be a permanate placement for your sister? (like staying for an extended time period) If this child will only be there for a few weeks,or you do not know how long she will be with your sister, it is best to just get the basics and a few outfits, undergarments, and shoes. I know we always want to give these children extra "stuff" because of their "past life" but there is a chance that this child will have to go back there....so try not to overwhelm her with all the "lavish attention", it tends to cause "guilty feelings" at parental visits and reunification on behalf of the child as well as the parents who cannot afford name brands. I know your heart is in the right place, and the world needs more people like you and your sis. Good Luck, oh, and I just got a sale flyer from The Children's Place with several 2 for items....Also shoes - our children(my children) and my agencies children really like the sketchers brand of shoe, if that is affordable for you guys.

Jennifer

former foster care sw sup here and i have to agree. it's best to just stick with the basics-and get basics that are servicable (easy to launder, mix and match with future items she might get, shoes that fit but have a bit of growing room). i would avoid anything you don't know for sure she will need-unless you know she will need a bathing suit or beach stuff for a planned thing with your sis it's a waste of money to purchase them and they will just remind the child of what she's not getting to do.

your sis might want to see if there's any kind of fc support groups in her area that do clothing swaps for kids. there was a group in the county i worked for that worked cooperativly together and kept track of who had what sizes of clothing on hand, and age appropriate toys. if one got a placement they would ring up the others and get some items loaned to them until (in the case of clothing) they could find permanant items. we had a resource closet but it was realy not a whole lot (mostly infant/toddler stuff and diapers).

as for resources for inexpensive stuff-i use walmart for my kids. their clothing is good quality and cheap. i can get good servicable shoes and clothing and not spend a fortune. for dd i get her the white stagg brands of pants because they last until she outgrows them. the hanes sweat pants and shirts last FOREVER, in fact when they've gotten too short lengthwise we've cut off the sleeves and the bottoms of the legs and she uses them for loungewear (she tried a set of mine one nite and loved them). as far as jackets go, you might want to consider a fleece hoodie-you can get some good deals on them from old navy (around $15 and very warm for spring/summer into fall). hair stuff i would stick to the dollar store-and just the basics unless you know that she uses barretts or other 'hair pretties'. toiletries-again walmart or the dollar store (and you might want to find out if she needs sanitary products yet-and what type she uses).

as for toys-you might want to find out where her interests lie. she may be an avid reader in which case a trip to a used bookstore could provide a wealth of options. if she's into journaling then the dollar store has cute ones. as for a 'lovey'-my dd was pretty much past this by age 10 as were her peers so it would'nt be surprising to encounter a kid without one. and as for a build a bear-don't mean to be harsh, but noone in the world 'needs' a build a bear. it might be a nice item for a kid to have, but there are plenty of kids not in foster care who don't have them and do just fine (and a consideration with one is that there's little likelyhood beyond whatever accessories or costumes you buy with it that she will ever have an opportunity to get more, so it's not something she can 'build' on. a similar consideration should be given to any gifted items that require batteries or items to provide for future use (cd players come to mind) these are often discarded by the kids because they have no batteries to use them and no resource for cd's.

 

[tink2dw]

how sad that even if you want to give to a foster child, it is deemed that they are unworthy of nice things. I hardly think body wash and shampoo, and hair accessories are too nice. They are Kmart items.

I would suggest a good sized tote bag so she can have away to pack her clothes undies and shoes in, in case she is moved. Kmart has a $15.00 travel tote, in the luggage area, it is pink and gray, and holds alot of stuff.

 

[Green Tea]

Old Navy clothes likely have the popular look you are hoping for and the inexpensive price. I would get nice flip flops since they are popular and comfortable. Teva ones will last a long time. Rainbows are v popular and durable but expensive for flip flops and she is likely growing quickly.

 

[fatewineroses]

Amazingly enough, try Macy's. They OFTEN have great sales on kids clothes. I worked in the Children's Dept over the holiday season this year and was absolutely SHOCKED at the deals they have there. Not only that, but they have some great "house" brands that are along the same line as Sear's old Geranimal (sp?) line? You know, where everything was mix and match?

I saw women walking out the door with TWO LARGE BAGS of children's clothing for less than $100.

Other places: Target, Walmart, Old Navy, The Children's Place

 

[grlpwrd]

I have seen numerous ads in our area on Craigslist asking for wanted items.

That might be a good option. GL!

 

[canadianmom2three]

I shop second hand for a lot of my kids brand name clothes. We have a few really good consignment stores and the things there are in great condition. The kids grow so fast, they hardly have a chance to get worn out, and where else can you get a huge bag of brand name clothes (GAP, children's place, old Navy, etc) for $65 !!!!! My daughter is wearing one of the outfits today, old navy very cute shirt (3.50), osh kosh skirt (4.50) CP polka dot leggings (2.50) and old navy hoodie (5.00). The only thing I don't go second hand on is shoes (so yes, her crocs cost more than her entire outfit put together ).

 

[punkin]

My DD9 is growing like a weed. I went to the outlets last week and got her an entire summer wardrobe for under $80 at the Osh Kosh outlet. If you only look at the clearance racks, you can get some lovely shirts for under $4 and pants for under $10. The quality is fantastic and I know for a fact they have 12 slims. The Ecco outlet (really expensive shoes) was having a sale and I bought DD a pair of very good (not your typical payless "quality") school shoes for $19.99 (not included in the $80 above).

 

[java]

Name brands that my 10 year old is into- well not really a name brand but she and her friends love limited too. Mostly because they sell slim clothing- My dd is also a 12 slim.
They are always having sales of some kind.

WEBKINZ!!! Lovey and toy in one. If she access to a computer. It will give her something that she can play with at your sister's house as well as where ever she will find herself in the future.

 

[Magic Mom]

Do you have a Kohls near you? They've been running a huge clearance sale here 90% off some items.
Also Limited too is a very popular name brand for that age...its expensive off the rack, but that always have clearance racks. I've found great stuff for DD there on clearance.
As for shoes, SKetchers make adult sizes, but still look youthful.
Good luck, (((Hugs)) to that poor little girl.

 

[alittlepixxiedust]

A ten year old is probably finishing up 4th grade. I would go witha Build a Bear or a Webkinz, can't go wrong with either.

You might also want to check aeropostle for clothes, the clearance racks can be amazing in there if you hit it right. You might only be able to get tops in there but the sale prices are affordable. I also love Old Navy and Target for the price and style. The girls this age also love Limited Too but it's expensive.

Kids love flip flops and you can probably get two pairs for around $5 at Old Navy. Crocs are also a hit with kids. Target also has a great shoe department!

Best wishes!

 

[cndij]

First I would try Freecycle for your area. Go to freecycle dot org. I have only been on there for a couple of weeks, but have donated tons already, trying to clean out my garage. The one in my area is very active with both offers and wanted stuff.

Second, I vote for limited too as well. My neices love it. Their knit shirts are a little thin, but the pants and jeans are well made. You can find their "too bucks" on ebay often, that help knock the prices down by half. I just used $70 worth to "too bucks" last weekend.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

do you have an old navy nearby? they have flip flops on sale 2/$5 and that age of girls love them. Also some nice big beach bags/tote bags on sale for $3. Maybe you could use the bag to put stuff in for her?