3 . Choose Quality , Clean Garments
4 . Opt for Gender Neutral
5 . Get Smart About Sizing
6 . Upcycle When Possible
The Smart ( and Sustainable ) Way to Buy Baby Clothes
46 your little one should fit into 6 months clothing , it doesn ’ t mean that either of those things will be true . You may end up with the warmest fall on record and a baby who grows like a weed and passes right through the 6-month clothing stage . Resist the urge to pre-buy and wait until you ’ re certain of baby ’ s size .
3 . Choose Quality , Clean Garments
Cotton is the world ’ s dirtiest crop . Period . Conventionally grown cotton accounts for roughly 4 % of the world ’ s crops , but uses 25 % of the world ’ s pesticides . Due in part to their size , and skin-time in contact with textiles , babies are far more vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides than adults . We must be as careful about what we put ON our babies , as we are about what we put IN our babies . Even with thorough washing , some chemicals cannot be removed from garments and will then be taken in and processed by our skin ( the body ’ s largest organ ). Organic clothing = healthy clothing !
4 . Opt for Gender Neutral
I ’ ll skip the part about hyper-gendered clothing being oddly sexualized , demeaning , and creepy ( i . e . clothing that say things like , “ Future Diva ” or “ Little Bruiser ”), and stick to the part about how hyper-gendered clothing is doing a number on the environment . Not long ago , babies were just babies ; not little men , or little women . By branding clothing as being for a boy or girl ONLY , clothing companies have doubled the odds of you having to purchase entire wardrobes from one kid to the next . Sticking to neutrals allows you to focus on the beauty of your babe and opens up your options for future clothes sharing .
5 . Get Smart About Sizing
Want to cut your purchasing in half ? Follow this one step . Currently , if you walk into a baby store , you will find the clothing separated as such : Newborn , 0-3 months , 3-6 months , 6-9 months , and so on . Historically , this was not the case for sizing . Until recently babies were clothed in just 3 sizes : Small , Medium , and Large . It used to be Ok to have your baby in a onesie that was just the tiniest bit snug , or just a touch too loose at the legs . By dividing sizes up into such small increments , clothing purchases for the first year of life double – seriously , double ! Good news though , there are wonderful companies making the switch back to the 3 size model . Often you can find these companies online or in small boutiques .
6 . Upcycle When Possible
I ’ m no crafting queen , but when it comes to upcycling clothing there are a few projects even I have mastered . With just a tiny bit of work you can double the life of your favorite garments . The easiest project by far is converting winter clothes into summer clothes . A basic hem is about the extent of my sewing talent and that ’ s all that it takes to turn a pair of pants into shorts or a long-sleeved shirt into a T-shirt . If you ’ re skill level exceeds mine , you can really have a blast with this step , making a memory quilt out of your child ’ s favorite t-shirts , or even making your own headbands . The possibilities are truly endless , and again , the more you use an item , the less need there is to purchase new items !
With just a few of these steps , you can positively influence sustainability and change the paradigm for over-purchasing . Here ’ s to living small , and making big changes !