Some kids' clothes have a long shelf life. After one child breaks in this year's back-to-school outfits, it's likely that someone else - a younger sibling, a cousin, a kid whose mom is an avid second-hand shopper - will wear them again at a later date.

It's one of the most successful forms of recycling.

The best hand-me-downs typically are classic styles with sturdy construction. Often that means spending a little more up front will pay off in the end, says Amy Maclin, senior editor at parenting magazine Wondertime.

"It's not just rampant consumerism to buy something nicer. It might seem counterintuitive, but it could be more green to buy nicer things," Maclin says.

Kathryn Finney, the blogger known as The Budget Fashionista, encourages thrifty parents to buy garments of the highest quality they can afford. Durable materials - think denim, wool or velvet, perhaps — that are cared for properly will provide the best opportunity to recoup your investment, she says.

The items that tend not to hold up as well are made of delicate fabrics or have a lot of embellishment. Twill, in particular, is at risk for losing color unless it's washed in cold water from the get-go, Finney says.

She also warns that an outfit that's "trendy" for one child probably won't be for the next, and the worst hand-me-downs are those items that no one wants to wear.

On the flip side, jeans, cardigans and coats are always popular. "There is no stigma anymore of wearing hand-me-downs or shopping at Salvation Army or Goodwill," Finney adds.

Children's styles don't evolve as quickly as womenswear, partly because children's taste is more consistent and they're motivated by comfort more than fashion, says Lands' End spokeswoman Michele Casper.

Another contributor: Hand-me-downs actually help keep older trends alive because styles are almost never laid to rest. If, for example, skinny jeans were the popular style when an older child bought them, then skinny jeans will be popular — at least in one household — when they fit the next-in-line sibling.

People sometimes make emotional connection with an outfit, especially those worn for special occasions, Wondertime's Maclin notes.

Luckily, she adds, those garments often age the most gracefully.

That said, Maclin steers parents away from buying head-to-toe matching ensembles for multiple children. "If you're buying for three kids, the younger kid will be wearing the same style from preschool to high school," she says.

Cecelia McWhirter, a mother in suburban Atlanta, says she is a pushover when it comes to her 6-year-old daughter's wardrobe, but she insists on labels with reputations of high quality and resale value — or at least styles that won't look outdated when her toddler niece is old enough to wear them.

When she first became hooked on cute kids' clothes, she thought it was an investment for her not-yet-born second child. That child ended up being a boy, though, so McWhirter started selling things on eBay. Sometimes she'll make back the full retail price, and her daughter has already had a full season in the clothes. "I either have good taste or the good fortune to figure out what will be hot the next year," she says.

McWhirter also has learned to buy more gender-neutral items, reaching for the panda T-shirt instead of one with a pink puppy.