Ressource for New Parents and Curious Grandparents!

The fashion industry is programmed to flood the market with clothes that are inexpensive, low quality and meant to be worn for a very short time. We buy and then we throw away. This is called fast fashion. We explain in this post how the arrival of adaptive clothing on the market contributes to decluttering. They're an excellent solution to overcome the overconsumption of clothes among toddlers.

 

Characteristics of Grow With Me Clothes

• They change at the same rate at which the child grows.
• They can be worn typically two to three times longer than one-size-fits-all garments.
• They are designed with stretchy fabrics to adapt to baby's changing size.
• They includes parts that can be rolled up and down for a custom fit (e.g. pant bottom, waist and sleeves).
• They are very compatible with washable diapers (big buttucks).

 

Types of Grow-With-Me Clothes on the Market Now

• Pants with bottom of the legs extensions and waistband.
• Hoodies longer at the waist and folding sleeves.
• Dungarees with adjustable straps and leg extensions.
• Onesies and diaper covers with extensions.
• Pajamas with mittens and socks.
• T-shirts with long sleeves that become 3/4 sleeves as they grow.

There are also outerwear with adjustable sleeves and legs, ponchos, dresses that turn into camisoles, etc.

We can also find some accessories like touques, baby caps, baby bibs, drawstring bags and a few others.

 

Example of a pant fitting from 6 months to 3 years.

Advantages of Grow With Me Clothes

Grow-with-me clothes are economical. For example, a pair of pants made of a quality knit can replace three or four pairs of normal pants. It becomes interesting for the wallet!

• A grow with me clothes is an ally for the environment since it replaces two or three one-size-fits-all pieces.
• A wardrobe with those clothes means fewer pieces to sort and store over the seasons; houses love uncluttered spaces!
• Versatile, these clothes can be shared between siblings over the years, especially if they display neutral colors.
• When made with quality fabrics, grow-with-me clothes are particularly durable and will survive many years being washed!
• A quality garment will undoubtedly be able to be resold! There are many clothing resale pages and lots of groups on social media.

 

 

Some Inconvenients : It's Not All Rosy!

Grow-with-me clothes are often a little more expensive than one-size-fits-all clothes; because they are mostly designed and manufactured locally, with high quality fabrics. It is still an advantage to encourage your local economy. 

They are very often equipped with fabric bands that must be rolled and unrolled to take advantage of the evolutionary side. We like it or we don't!

For some clothing manufacturers, sizes can be rather random. You have to trust the size charts and ask the retailer questions.

These clothes are mainly limited to children from 0 to 5 years old. Some companies offer 5 to 8 years, but it is rather rare.

 

A Word of Caution

Warning! If you opt for a grow with me clothes from a big box store, check their quality if you want to benefit from the advantages mentioned above!

In short, a well-designed grow-with-me clothe is a very good solution to overcome clothing overconsumption for toddlers. The important thing is to focus on quality.

 

Some Interesting Statistics

• North Americans send 9.5 million tons of clothing to waste each year, and 95% could be reused or recycled.
• 20% of industrial water pollution is attributable to the textile industry (Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017)).
• The fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water in the world (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe).