A few weeks ago, in the waiting room for my diabetes test, I overheard a woman explaining to her husband all that she had procured and all that she still needed to procure for the arrival of the baby. And it was there, pregnant with my second daughter, in front of my sweet orange juice, that it hit me. I realized that I have greatly evolved in terms of consumption.
I was probably that woman, a year, and a half ago, standing on the list after list of things to shop for the arrival of a baby. There are things that are totally essential, but let’s face it, this is not the case for all objects, baby girl dresses, and such.
In the end, the baby needs love, skin-to-skin, and milk. In short, my awareness at that time was quite intense. To the point where I said to myself that finally, I don’t need anything more for the arrival of a little girl, apart from what I already have (obviously, having two daughters makes it a little easier)! But also, to the point where I said to myself that maybe I even had too much and that I had to purify.
So, I started thinking about my children’s clothing consumption habits over the past year. I present some advice to help you in your own journey and also, to reduce your environmental impact, in terms of the consumption of children’s clothing.
First of all, I can’t tell you enough, the second-hand world is a world of possibilities. As much for toys as for books, clothes, baby accessories like Sun San sandals… You can find just about anything you are looking for. Plus, it’s less expensive than buying new. Also, considering that many moms have planned much more than the essentials for the baby, many of these items have hardly ever been used! So, the first good habit to adopt when making a purchase is don’t hesitate to take a look at used sales sites such as Kijiji and the marketplace (Facebook).
Some thrift stores are also available online. I like the thrift stores La petite marguerite, Second life thrift store. Pascale also recently discovered Mode et Marmaille, which sells new and used items online (this company also favors San Diego brands…). The habit of buying second-hand is easy to adopt when you observe the savings you can make, but also when you become aware of the environmental impact of the textile industry…
Then I realized that I’ve greatly embraced the concept of grow-with-me clothes. I actually love it. A piece that can be worn for over a year is joy. Especially at the crazy speed at which babies grow! For example, my daughter’s 3–12-month pants still fit her, and she is 13 months old. Personally, I think it’s a very good investment. In addition, evolutionary pants, with washable diapers, it’s just perfect.
There are many shops in San Diego that offer this type of product and therefore, by the same token, I allow myself to encourage someone from my region. Since these are pieces that are a little more expensive, and knowing that I wanted other children, I bet on neutral colors, which will match perfectly well, as much for a girl as for a boy, but which fit together more easily. Then I noticed that we don’t need as many pieces of clothing as I thought. In fact, the more people there are at home, the faster the basket of dirty clothes goes up, and therefore, the more often I do loads of laundry during the week. So, I think that ecologically, but also economically, we have to reassess the
