Flea markets are awesome! In Bremen, there is a flea market dedicated to kids with more than 600 stalls. Four times a year, Piccolino is a haven for parents looking to save some money and decrease our environmental footprint. Last Sunday, Bubsi, Grandma D, and I went into the lion’s den and came out with jewels!
Nice clothes for little money
The great thing about Piccolino is that the stalls usually have great quality hand-me-down clothing. As babies and toddlers run through clothes so quickly that they hardly wear them down, buying second hand is actually great. Children’s stores usually charge a premium for new children’s clothes, too, as they know that parents will pay extra for their cherished offspring. You can find any clothes for your kids that you might want at the flea market, in any kind of fabric: linen, wool, cotton, fleece, you name it! Prices vary depending on quality and brand, but they are at least two thirds cheaper than new. We bought at least 50% of Bubsi’s first year clothes there. (The rest were gifts from friends and family, or borrowed.)
Next to clothes, there is baby and toddler furniture on offer. Cribs, high chairs, normal chairs, play dens – you want it, you can get it. At Piccolino, I bought my nursing pillows three years ago, and if we had needed to they even sell car seats and push chairs. Finally, there are the toys. Sometimes I wonder whether one can find more clothes or toys. Papa is in love with the Lego section, I prefer the game boy corner. And Bubsi does not get a say yet ;).
Our Piccolino experience
Piccolino, as the quarterly flea market is called, charges 3€ entry per adult and lasts five whole hours. The first time I went, Bubsi was still in my belly. I recall noticing the many pregnant women around. Papa said that the entire event was insane: imagine tons of pregnant ladies or parents with toddlers in tow waiting for the doors to open, to be the first in line for bargains. Germans, you see, are quite unorganized when it comes to queuing, my dear British readers – chaotic captures it better, if there is cheap goods to get. And then, when the doors finally open, this mass of people swamps the large exhibition area for the best value deals. Of course, one can be smart about it and start from the back, where the crowd ends up last. Which is what we do.
This time, our main object of desire was a bike for Bubsi that she can learn how to balance on. While there are several on offer, the quality and purchase price vary and we took quite some time to survey them all. We also grabbed some last minute winter clothes and a new pair of leather house shoes as Bubsi’s feet grew out of her previous pair. Once we had found everything we definitely needed to buy, we took a food break. For this, Piccolino offers a sit-down area next to a toddler play area. Volunteers sell freshly baked waffles, sometimes even grilled sausages, coffee, and soft drinks. When our energy returned, we looked around one more time for the nice-to-haves. The constant hustle and bustle was exhausting and so we left soon for Bubsi to take her afternoon nap at home.
Do you visit flea markets for your babies and toddlers?
The new bike was a bargain!