How To Get More Wear From Your Baby's Clothes
Kids are messy little blighters and they grow like weeds. It’s no wonder then that they get through clothes like they’re going out of fashion. In fact your littlest family member will grow through an average of 7 clothing sizes in their first 2 years.
So when you consider that every week the UK sends 11million items of clothing, weighing the same as the Empire State building, to landfill, and that to manufacture just one t-shirt and pair of jeans takes as much water as we each drink in 13 years, it’s clear that getting more life out of our children’s clothing could have a significant impact on the environment. Not only that but it will save us money and time sorting, storing, disposing and re-buying.
So here are my top 6 tips to eke out more life from your baby’s clothes.
1.Don’t Panic Captain Mainwaring!
Poosplosions and vomcanos don’t need to be the end of the world. You aren’t alone if you’re terrified of handling the sweet sticky stuff and think affected clothes should be disposed of immediately. But after 2.5 years of cloth nappies, and more than my fair share of poo handling, I can guarantee that there’s absolutely no need to throw those poopey garments in the bin. First of all, breastfed baby poo is entirely soluble. That means it can be chucked straight in the washing machine with no need to rinse or scrape first. All other poo can be easily plopped down the loo and the clothes popped in the washer (even with other clothes). Secondly, a 40 degree wash will absolutely kill all poo bacteria even if the mustard coloured stains don’t immediately come out (stains don’t always mean bacteria). And finally, get those stains in the sun and they’ll disappear like magic…the bilurubin in poo stains reacts with UV and breaks down.
2.Launder Like A Pro
With the right laundry hacks those stains don’t stand a chance. Sunshine is definitely my favourite secret trick, but even before you hang all your most stubborn stains outside or in a bright window, the way you wash your clothes makes a huge difference. The first thing to get right is your powder dose…make sure you read the guidelines and use the maximum dose for your water hardness. So many people don’t use enough detergent to properly clean their clothes. Next, use whatever setting it is on your washer which adds extra water. Modern washers have reduced water usage for eco reasons. That’s fine for the light staining of adult clothes but just doesn’t cut it for kiddies. The more water the better. You should also always use a cold rinse prior to your main wash to start dislodging the stains before the heat of the main wash sets them into the fibres. And finally, try to avoid using a tumble dryer where you can. The heat isn’t great for clothing fibres, particularly where there is plastic or elastic involved (plus it’s really bad for the environment!)
3.Cover Up
The easiest little tip but one we often forget. Use neckerchief bibs on dribbly or sicky babies to avoid yellow stains around the neckline of t-shirts and vests. They’re a clothes saver and look incredibly cute. And always, always use an apron style full sleeve bib for mealtimes to protect clothes from food stains which are the hardest ones to remove (especially bananas!).
4.Clever Little Extenders
There’s a neat little gadget which so few people know about but can extend the life of your baby’s vests by upto a month. Vest extenders are a small square of fabric with three poppers on either end. They attach to the vest fastenings in the crotch and make the vest around an inch longer in the body. Especially good for long slim babies.
5.Shape Shifters
If you choose versatile clothing styles they can grow with your baby. Here are some great examples. Smock style tops for girls, like this one, with narrow shoulders and loose bottoms. These can be bought big and worn as dress tops, and then t-shirts as baby gets bigger. Babygros with snug fold-over cuffs at the ankles and wrists (rather than shaped feet) can again be bought loose in the body and grow for some time as baby’s limbs get longer. This one by Bonds is great and a super practical design. And harem pants for both girls and boys can be bought large as long as they have a waist that can be tightened. Just roll up the legs to begin and unroll as baby grows.
6.Rent
Our final tip can extend the average lifespan of your children’s clothes by at least 4 times. There’s clearly a limit to how long you can keep children in clothes which they’re growing out of. But if you rent their clothes they can be returned and passed onto another child over and over again.
It hugely reduces waste, is incredibly cost effective, and saves you time in having to dispose of or store old clothes and buy new ones. Companies like thelittleloop rent clothes on a subscription basis so you keep them until you want new ones, send them back, and get another set in return. It’s hand-me-downs with benefits…you choose the clothes, they’re professionally laundered for you, and your little boy won’t ever have to wear his sister’s unicorn leggings.