With a two-year old son in tow, what was once my panacea is now a place I try to avoid: the mall. My quest was simple, or so I thought. Sweatpants in colors other than the standard red, navy and gray. All the spring fashions are in, so off we went. First stop, Gymboree.
Gee, no sweats here, but plenty of clothes for babies who enjoy sitting still as they adjust their waistbands. Toddler-sized khakis with zippers and buttons in the muddiest shades imaginable. The fashion was skateboard-inspired; excuse me, but I want my child to look like a child, not like a teenager I have no control over. I looked to my right and glanced at the little girls clothes; adorable, pastels with little embroidered flowers on the collars, matching leggings, all cotton, cute and appropriately babyish. They even had smocked dresses. I heaved a heavy sigh as I looked to the side of the store in which I dare not begin to trespass, as my son nearly leaned out of his stroller to grab the pint-sized rocker, knocking me back to reality. Why did I have to settle for the beige 8-ball-on-fire tee shirt, coupled with a mismatched plaid button-down overshirt, and stiff olive-drab cargo pants, when I could have smocking with ducks? On to BabyGap.
Sweats in navy, red and gray, which I already had. No purple, orange, light blue, green or yellow. However, if I was interested in a leather baseball jacket at $148, they had plenty. Oh, gray-striped suit pants too, and of course khakis with zippers and jeans, jeans, jeans. Need polyester stretch bell-bottoms for your baby? Look no further. Here’s what was an interesting mistake I made: I bought cotton pajamas. They said they were snug fitting to accommodate not being sprayed with a flame retardant. (The concept is that if a parent smokes around his/her child and happens to bump into him/her with the cigarette, the flame retardant is supposed to keep the fire at bay, and the fabric just melts onto the skin, instead of going up in a blaze. Reassuring, isn’t it? So the snug fit keeps the clothing closer to the skin, discouraging a possible pajama-related inferno.) I won’t be inciting a flare-up anytime soon, so I bought a larger size to alleviate the snug fit, but to no avail. (After one washing, these are now tight fitting pajamas, so much so that my son cannot move his arms freely. So now, I have to go back, and I hate going back.) I glanced in a few of the major department stores, but after seeing what I saw, I was done. I was relieved when I saw no line at the merry-go-round, or at Mrs.Fields.
Why Go Out To Shop When You Don’t Have To?
Home from the mall, I realized I should have used the resources right under my nose. Once my son was in bed, my quest for colored sweats was appeased after browsing in a few catalogs and then taking a visit to my new shopping haven, the net. Want great quality cotton clothing? Get yourself a Hanna Andersson’s catalog (1-800-222-0544 or visit www.hannaandersson.com). Although a little pricey, these clothes last and last. My son has been wearing his sun yellow hand-me-down sweatpants since last September. The reason they last is not only their construction, but the way they are sized, which is according to your child’s height and weight, rather than age (I like it when things makes sense). The colors are beautiful, and the catalog features clothing for the entire family. Personally, I live in their sweats, and they are designed to actually fit women, (without the elastic at the ankle). Here’s a small warning: if you see something in the catalog and the model is sitting down (and it’s not a baby), you might want to pass. If the clothes don’t look good with a model standing up in them, chances are you won’t, either. Every time I need to return something I purchased, this seems to be the case. Coincidence? Maybe.
For more cotton baby clothes, Ecobaby (1-888-ECOBABY or www.ecobaby.com) is a great source for organically grown cotton bedding, blankets and diapers. Plus, great wooden toys for newborns to age six. The catalog is not as slick as many others, but the products are of good quality. Also, in the same vein, you might want to check out Natural Baby at www.naturalbaby.com and order their catalog. Once you receive it, if you can get passed some really awful pictures of toddlers in the worst looking children’s clothes ever, their organic baby clothes in cotton, silk and wool are truly beautiful. (They were bought out about two years ago and the art direction really shows it, but the products and toys for babies are worth it).
Have any ideas of your own about finding quality cotton clothing for children? Please let us know and we will post the information for our readers. Please write to us at momtomom@athomemoms.com. We welcome your feedback!
Written By: Dawn Gottlieb, Please contact her with your comments or suggestions for future articles.
