To think no one should be buying new clothes for young kids?

I thought about this as I can often find nice stuff on vinted for my eldest but she loves to dress up and it is a nice day out for us to go to the shops and her pick out an outfit herself in person. Also, I often feel bad buying nice stuff for myself if she only has second hand as she probably gets more wear per item than I ever do! Lastly, we didn’t have much growing up so I want my kids to enjoy the luxury a bit too if it is something they enjoy.

My baby girl will be my only child and I’ll buy her whatever I want. Took me years to conceive and for years I wanted nothing more than to do “normal” parent things like going clothes shopping for a child I thought I could never have. I won’t be shamed for buying new clothes. I’ve given away all of her clothes for free that she’s already grown out of

And that is your privilege right there. Some people don’t HAVE an extra £1.10 per item. Some people don’t have family and friends to gift their child things.

Some people have multiple children and will buy new for the biggest one and then use the same clothes on their subsequent children.

Some people have children who have SEN or physical disabilities meaning only certain brands might suit their needs so the supply of second hand goods aren’t so readily available.

Some people have children who are very hard on their clothes meaning that second hand clothes won’t last them as long as they came with some wear already.

Some people were brought up in extreme poverty or neglect and didn’t have new things of their own growing up, so it matters deeply to them to provide that for their children.

If you want to buy secondhand for your children then you crack on. Personally I buy a mix of new and secondhand. But it is absolutely none of your business what others choose to do for their children.

I think a better target, would be better recycling of fabrics which are unusable in their current form, for example into Rayon. I live in a large city and can't find anywhere where you can do this.

Is your 4 year old your oldest child? If so then YABU. Come back when your child is 10 and let us know how many clothes you can pass down. My eldest is now 10 and often wears out clothes before he outgrows them these days. I often have to buy new joggers for his younger brother because the knees in them get worn out beyond repair.

I don’t think either of my children have outgrown something within 6 months since they were about 3, although I’m sure that’ll change with the teenage growth spurts. I usually size up when buying clothes so they have growing room.

My boys are adults now but I tried to do a mixture, at the time. Got sick and tired of buying second hand stuff online that smelled musty or of febreze or looked like rags, so gave up.

We did pass a lot of DS1's stuff down to DS2, though. Once he was a teenager in adult sizes, some of his clothes ended up being passed up to DH as longe wear!

I basically agree.

Facebook marketplace made it very possible for me to clothe mine for half nothing and friends gave me hand me downs. The clothes were lovely. I literally said to a friend today that if no new baby clothes were made for 10 years that there would be plenty to go round.

It's unbelievably wasteful and terrible for the planet but i am not sure too many people care.

I'm always amazed how anything for children gets on Vinted (unless an unwanted gift). I do buy on there myself, but usually by the time my eldest is done with it, it's unusable. Threadbare from "skidding" (or falling), stained, ripped... rarely it's just about acceptable enough for my younger one to use. But only within the family, I can't imagine anyone buying it off me. When clothes have gone through both children, they're indistinguishable from dusting rags. When I recieve the clothes from Vinted in the post, I always wonder about the children who wear the clothes... without getting paint on them or falling over?? Even with careful usage though, things wear out being washed...

I think second hand clothes hardly ever look as nice as new - assuming they’ve actually been worn a normal amount by first owner. Kids clothes normally need a fairly “good” wash cycle so get a bit faded / grey / bobbly / misshapen. (Exception being “occasion / party” clothes).

So we don’t even really keep first dd’s things to pass to second, except the odd dress or dressing up outfits. We don’t buy a huge amount of clothing though and I do give it to charity shops rather than throw away so someone may re-wear it.

I find that clothes on Vinted/eBay are a mixed bag really. Ofentimes people sell the clothes that have been worn the least and usually there’s a reason for that. An uncomfortable seam, wrong fabric, too difficult to get on/off. And most comfortable clothes gets to be worn to pieces and therefore is not sellable anymore. That being said I often shop for occasion clothes for my littles on vinted. Just makes sense. Plus we get a lot of hand me downs.

Seeing as I don't live in North Korea, China or (increasingly) the US, I get to choose how and where to purchase clothes from without enforced instruction.

No thanks. My DS has sensory issues and we buy very soft clothes that are well cared for. I wouldn't want to buy second hand, especially items that touch his skin.

Once DS outgrows his clothes we pass them on to our close friends with two younger boys, who make good use of them. They pass the clothes on after that too! We also donate to our local 'Acts of Kindness' group to needy mums. I have no guilt!

You haven’t thought this through. Buying new clothes whether adult or children’s wear should be thoughtful as to origin, and buy proper quality (not Shein etc), balanced with buying used clothing. But to say everyone should buy second-hand…not 100%.

It’s normally cheaper to buy new once you’ve paid postage on Vinted.

I buy the majority of my clothes from the charity
shop but for my kids they have mostly new. (mostly Asda,Morrisons, etc). I once bought a bundle on Vinted and they had shit stains on them. 🤢

If you can’t find a bundle then it works out expensive with the postage. The clothes are often shrunk so don’t last as long too.

I do buy some things from vinted and sell things on but I’d rather buy new (often in the sale so not particularly more expensive) to ensure it lasts longer.

In regards to the child slavery, I know unpopular opinion, but these poor children are working because they need the money in an unforgiving country, you take that away from them, what are their other options apart from prostitution?

Hmm, I can see your point, sort of. But the trouble is that “clothes just aren’t made how they used to be”. I’m still wearing some clothes that are 20 plus years old - but some of my toddlers clothes (even good quality brands like Frugi etc) can develop holes after 6 months of wear, not to mention stains etc - kids are hard on clothes. I’ve bought a fair few second hand things and had to pay to return them as they were a state. Not saying I wouldn’t welcome more quality kids second hand clothes shops where you could see the stuff in person though.

you do what you want but don't seek to impose or guilt trip others into doing something different

Fair. Blowouts are a thing. All three of my kids had poo on their shirts at one time or another.

Makes you wonder how bad it must have smelt before too

We don't buy second hand for our nephews (1 & 3). I like to know where something has come from and that it's clean. And that it can be taken back if unsuitable.

I think it's more of a decision for their mum and Dad to make, and the only second hand stuff they've had so far has been nearly-new baby hand-me-downs from close relatives.

They do pass everything on to friends, family or charity shops though. Nothing gets banned unless it's wrecked.

Thing is though, sometimes it's not that cheap! I was only saying to DH today that if I buy DD a multipack of say 5 pairs of shorts new I will be spending the same or less than getting her the same amount from several different buyers on vinted even with buying 2 in 1 listing (as there's not often suitable or plentiful bundles)
Rising postage and buyer protection costs have pushed up vinted prices.
And like others have said the second hand market is fuelled by others buying new!

I didn’t dress my son in faded clothes, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t care about boys clothes looking a bit faded and liking girls to look pristine. That’s a very strange view to have.

The used clothing market is full of clothing that is drenched in artificial fragrances. I can’t be anywhere near it because of a severe allergy and I wouldn’t want it near a young child either. People are obsessed with soaking clothes in scented fabric softeners and febreeze. It’s vile.

"Only worn twice" or "From a smoke-free/pet-free home" seem to be the biggest lies going from some sellers.