Awww! Who’s a little fashion icon? It’s you! It’s you!
Childhood, what a time to be alive. Do you remember yours? Before the biggest threat to your health and safety were the horrors of modern society, all you had to worry about was the monster under your bed. Before you had to log your work hours and grind until you fell asleep, you could just sit and play a literal infinite amount of games with both your toys and imagination. The innocence and the kindness of the past will never leave you. That part of us lives on, we just happen to be bigger and older now.
That very innocence is why you need things to protect you from the cold, clothes to keep you warm at night. As such, baby clothes were invented. Everyone loves babies, and people consider babies to be cuter when in tiny clothes.
Parents can find solace in clothing companies wanting to provide different baby clothes for different needs. There seems to have been a strange boom in the industry of clothes for babies and toddlers. Why are high end fashion companies putting all their chips on baby and toddler collections? There is actually more than one reason. However, before we go in and get through the nitty gritty, we should take a step back and look at what we are having our babies wear.
What’re Ya Gonna Wear, Baby?
There are all kinds of different clothes for babies and toddlers to wear being made by notable designers like Versace, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and more. The reason for such variety is simply that baby clothes in general are extremely varied and provide differing levels of comfort and convenience. You might find yourself shocked by the sheer variety in clothes for babies and toddlers. You will likely need a guide to different baby clothes to catch a glimpse into why so many companies would jump into this.
The baby’s Onesie. Image courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue.
- Baby Onesie:
The classic onesie. A short sleeved onesie that leaves room for the kid’s legs. Very little chafing is possible for your little ones. The buttons at the bottom make diaper changes a lot easier for parents in comparison to some other sets of baby clothes we will be talking about here. Your kiddos will look adorable in these, especially when these often come in different colors with little designs and messages on the front.
Look at the rompers. Image courtesy of Kytebaby.
- Rompers:
Rompers are a unique style of baby clothes, specifically due to the sheer variety of it. Rompers can have long or short sleeves and leggings. Really the main distinction comes from the fact that these have sleeves at all. These outfits are most commonly seen as a one piece ensemble that combines shorts with a tiny top.
Aww! An adorable set of footies! Image courtesy of Kyte Baby.
- Footies:
Easily the most iconic of baby clothes. You hear “baby clothes,” you think about footies. These long sleeved outfits that cover the baby’s legs and feet entirely can help keep the little ones all snuggly and warm. These outfits tend to use zippers but can sometimes also use buttons. By covering the most of a baby when compared to other outfits, this requires more fabric, but it also provides the most space for unique designs and color combinations.
Baby bloomers can make your little one stand out! Image courtesy of Baby Bling Street.
- Baby Bloomers:
Not exactly a prominent form of baby clothes, but are definitely something to consider. Babies all wear diapers, so baby bloomers are the most clearly designed to go over them. You can clearly see how the bloomers go over the outline of the diaper. More often than not, these bloomers accompany some sort of shirt, typically because of how bloomers are simply the bottom half of the outfit, which is not something that can be said about the other outfits we have been discussing up until now. How the legs are utilized in these outfits act as a strong point of distinction for most of these styles.
Ralph Lauren pajamas. Image courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue.
- And More:
There is little cuter in this world than dressing babies up like tiny adults. As such, many sets of baby clothes are simply smaller versions of standard clothes. Tiny jeans, tiny shirts, tiny skirts, tiny suits, tiny jackets, tiny overalls, basically anything you can think of. So many great outfits are out there for you to get for your baby.
Things You Should Look Out For
All of these outfits are something to keep your eyes out for. One thing you should probably start with when buying baby clothes is checking their materials, texture, and size for the most optimal comfort for the tiny tykes in your life. While cotton is one of the less straightforward materials that is at risk of shrinking, it is often considered to be one of the best materials for baby clothes as well as sheets. With enough time and effort, you might even find a few other kinds of baby clothes to make the right decision as to which one meets your needs as a parent best. Let’s also not forget the fact that clothes can be strongly tied to gender identity, so do with that what you will.
Before we go over why any of this matters, in the grand scheme of things, we should first get back to the main question at hand; Why is the baby clothes industry so darned big?
Hug your babies, keep 'em close.
Pacifiers for Profit
With all the types of baby and toddler clothes laid out, one can’t help but ask why. Why all the variety? Why are so many companies jumping into this young demographic specifically? Surely the answer is just “for money,” right? Well, yes and no. This may shock you, but there are actually several reasons for this sort of unique direction that all of these companies are taking.
- Reduced Costs
First of all, reduced costs. Something anyone with eyes is aware of is the fact that babies and toddlers are significantly smaller than most adults. As such, it takes significantly less materials to make these sets of clothing. That combined with the prestige that these top designers already carry means that they can go for every business’ biggest dream; the highest profits at the lowest costs.
- Plenty of Venues
Secondly, there are plenty of places to sell baby clothes. There are of course standard clothing stores like Macy’s, JCPenny’s, Kohl’s, and so on, but there are also stores that specialize in baby paraphernalia like Babies R Us. As such, if these high end brands do not want to sell these baby clothes in just their own stores and website pages, they can spread themselves out a lot more.
- High Demand
Lastly, demand. Parents loving their children should be about as shocking as water being wet. As such whenever pregnancies are announced, either the parents will buy the clothes themselves or will get them from friends at baby showers, birthdays, and other such events. In other words, they can market these both as baby clothes and gifts for friends at these sorts of events. This can also contribute to the dopamine people get from buying them.
Really, the reasons for this baby fashion boom can best be boiled down to money. It tends to motivate most of everything that any company does. Sometimes that very motive leads to frankly heinous actions being taken, other times it leads to some of the greatest revolutions in human history.
It is time to put everything to rest.
Putting The Matter To Bed
Now that we have finally talked about why so many fashion brands are jumping into the baby clothes market, you are certainly inclined to ask why any of this matters to you. Everything that happens to you in your childhood, including infancy, impacts who you become as an adult. Sure, you may not be able to remember most things (if not anything) from infancy, but that does not mean that baby clothes are not important in the grand scheme of things. The clothes your parents made you wear as a baby more than likely contributed to how people initially viewed you. As such, those views would have likely been reflected in their actions and how you were treated in general.
Sometimes our lives can be forged by the things we least expect. Babies grow into the next generation of people. Babies are more than cute tiny humans. They represent hope. Babies are the faces of tomorrow and as such need to be properly cared for. They are the faces of tomorrow, bundles of pure joy and pure potential. It is our job to help them learn and grow, down to each and every aspect; what they eat, what they see, what they hear, and of course what they wear.
