Baby clothes that stand the test of time

[thenorthernluce]

My daughter is four months and so far, we've had lots of wonderful second hand clothes (mostly bodysuits and sleepsuits worn). However, the next age bracket seems to be slim pickings in terms of condition, as with age of baby comes mobility and therefore more wear and tear to clothing. For example, my daughter has a lot of second hand Next clothes that I buy in bundles off eBay and I've noticed that some have worn soles, frayed cuffs and even small holes/tears.

Are there any brands whose quality holds even for older babies? I can then look out for these brands second hand or even purchase new (gasp!) if I know they'll last!

Thank you mumsnet hive mind 😜

[ApplesTheHare]

Tbh DD didn't actually wear out any clothes until the age of 3 (trainers) due to growing so quickly. They start to show signs of wear and tear but nobody expects children to be pristine so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[Closetlibrarian]

Scandi stuff seems to last well (eg Polarn O Pyret). And DS currently wearing a John Lewis jumper that’s been through 3 kids before him and looks pretty much brand new!

[Gwlondon]

Polarn o pyret is great. Also a lot of their stuff works for girls and boys. I love dressing my daughter in her brothers stuff. I bought too much of the stripes it's not as uni sex. The cotton washes well and I have only had one t-shirt develop a hole.

[VileyRose]

I found next absolutely fine. Also John Lewis

[Timefor2]

John Lewis and cord trousers/dungarees/dresses from Jojo Maman Bebe - Frugi however looks fab but I find wears out way too fast and is ££ even second hand.

[minipie]

Yes JoJomaman stuff seems to last forever. I buy it in the charity shop and it looks almost new. Boden material lasts but doesn't look new (colours seem to fade quite easily), if you care about that - I actually prefer the colours a bit faded.

H&M does not last very well unfortunately.

[Acopyofacopy]

Polarn O Pyret and Boden are both nearly indestructible.

[Annwithnoe]

I’m just pondering whether it would be worth making little elasticated bands to slip over knees to give a bit of extra padding once you get to the crawling stage.

Food Stains were our biggest issue from about 6 months, and if you’re not overly precious about wearing clean but stained clothes you won’t get through as many clothes iyswim


I think people generally get 4 times the amt of clothes they need for newborns through a combination of over-buying and well meant gifts, hence the volume of good second hand clothes.

I know it doesn’t answer your question OP but I’ll just mention that as they get older you can get extra wear out of clothes, esp for girls: long dresses become short dresses, long leggings become cropped leggings, trousers become shorts, a big baggy T-shirt becomes a tighter fitting one etc.

Hth

[bonzo77]

I’m on DS3, so he’s wearing some things that have been worn by at least 2 other children (some more). Things that have lasted well: Gap, H&M. Garments made of polyester fleece, thick sweatshirting, wool, acrylic (though it pills).

Things with poppers have done badly at the fastenings, especially some John Lewis sleep suits. Denim jeans seem to go through at the knees well before joggers.

I would try to get hold of hand me downs from gap, and be religious about using a bib when weaning. If you have a very sicky Baby, you may find the acid ruins the neck lines of things, so bibs again.

Get a sewing machine: you can upcycle so much into smaller baby clothes in particular.

[Equimum]

For very little ones, GAP organic stuff is amazing, or at least was, when I bought it a few years ago. Both of my son’s lives in a rotation of six sets in size 3-6months and they still looked and felt like new when I passed them on.

As others have said, Jojo mamba bebe lasts really well (although i now avoid the navy, as that does fade a bit round seems etc.). Their coats also last far better than even very similar styles from similar companies. Again, we are passing these in after being heavily worn by two active boys. I’ve had pretty positive experiences with Kite too. As someone has already said, as lovely as Frugi looks, I’ve not found it lasts well, and tends to look old after just a couple of wears.