Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think shops shouldn't charge for 'tiny baby' clothes

186 replies

hiss42 · 19/09/2011 17:59

Looking at baby clothes in boots today (i'm sure lots of other places do them). They had tiny tiny vests suitable for 3lb babies that they were charging £8 for! And it had a tag on them that said the front opening for hospital wires. Horrible.

I've just found them online and the hospital wires tag isn't on them, it's now described as:
"Low Birth Weight Jacket features a friendly bear print, a wrapover front and opens flat with soft velcro fastenings to the front and sleeves to make dressing the little chap much easier."

If you 3lb baby is so ill in hospital it has tubes and wires, It's criminal to charge £8 for something for them to wear!

OP posts:
BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 23:06

"Then petition the supermarkets to produce them."

I think that this is an excellent idea, actually.

Moominsarescary · 19/09/2011 23:07

I wish more places had clothes for tiny baby's , we could only find them in boots and tesco direct

HeadfirstForHalloween · 19/09/2011 23:07

They don't need the same amount of clothing as an average size baby either.

BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 23:10

"You're getting a little carried away in your support for the op, bupcakes.
We established several hundred posts back that noone has to buy any clothing at all 'for a prem baby in hospital. The hospital will provide all the clothing if the parents want. Actually friends of mine who've had premmies have also been able to borrow from the hospital clothes 'library' free of charge when the baby comes home."

Errrr, yet you have stated the importance of parents of premature babies being able to buy clothes for their premature babies. So why would they want to clothe their baby from clothes from a library of clothes, especially if the only reason might be because premature baby clothes are expensive?

So, you think that it is a Bad Thing to wish that parents of premature babies do not have the choice to not pay through the nose for clothing? Am I reading you right?

SurprisEs · 19/09/2011 23:14

momin mothercare have a small range that was created in partnership with BLISS if I'm correct. A little expensive but appears to be well made and to have taken a lot of thought during the process of designing it.

olddog · 19/09/2011 23:15

So should boots not charge for tiny clothes just because sainsburys don't make them? Boots aren't charging more for tiny clothes than bigger ones, they are just charging. In the grand scheme I don't see that having to buy clothes at the likes of boots and mothercare instead of supermarkets is that big a deal esp as NICU provide all clothes (if your baby is well enough to wear them) until the baby is discharged. The actual problem for most parents of Dcs on NICU is transport and parking, and having a very sick child, not that you have to pay and extra £5 for a pack of 3 sleepsuits.

usualsuspect · 19/09/2011 23:17

tesco do an early baby size ,its the same price as every other size

Moominsarescary · 19/09/2011 23:17

Tesco direct do a tiny baby range that is 3-5lb, has alot more choice and is cheaper than boots, allthough they dont have special openings in the front for wires.

The hospital supplied clothes until we were able to go out and get some but I was surprised at how few places stocked very tiny baby clothes, even then boots and mothercare only had vests

donthateme · 19/09/2011 23:17

Er ... No, you seem to have trouble reading anyone other than the op bupcakes. Which is quite an amazing feat really, since you manage to read the op so well that you rewrite her title to something she didn't say!

You said parents of premmies have 'no 'choice'' but to buy new clothes from boots. That is clearly incorrect. They don't have to. Nor does any parent have to buy anything new for their baby(and god knows most of us don't!) However, many parents want to buy perhaps one or two items personal to their child . That's it really.

ViviPru · 19/09/2011 23:18

For once and for all...

I design for the 3 largest children's clothing retailers in the UK. As the OP herself has acknowledged, the retail price is simply reflecting the increased unit cost. Believe me, if Boots could afford to adjust their price point to be more competitive, they absolutely would.

Its not unfair, insensitive, criminal, horrible, distasteful, a cash-cash in or profiteering. Its BUSINESS Hmm

donthateme · 19/09/2011 23:20

I don't get the snobbery about clothes libraries at all actually. I clothed my children in second hand and handmedowns. One or two items bought new, and personal to the child, but 99% of it wasn't.

BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 23:20

I didn't re-write. I assumed that she had missed a couple of words out of her title. I reached that conclusion by actually reading her post. She didn't say anywhere in her POST that tiny baby clothes should be free of charge. You're quite right though, what I should have done was attack her and call her stupid/ridiculous/a troll.

Hmm

I'll leave you lovely ladies to it. Too much foaminess in here for me.

Moominsarescary · 19/09/2011 23:21

( posted too soon) And sleepsuits in stock, mothercare did have some prem dresses as well

olddog · 19/09/2011 23:22

But boots aren't actually charging more, nor or mothercare (where its actually cheaper for prem sleepsuits than newborn) or tesco. It looks like they just absorb the cost, the same way they do when they charge the same for a 3yos dress as a 7yos or a pair of size 8 jeans as a size 22.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 19/09/2011 23:26

Am I fucking invisible?

JarethTheGoblinKing · 19/09/2011 23:27

Bunch of wankers looking for a fight, you lot..:

LadyBeagleEyes · 19/09/2011 23:30

I'vejust come off the Macdonald's thread Hiss.
My, you're busy talking crap tonight.
Who are you?

Feminine · 19/09/2011 23:30

Jareth, I saw that you understood op

Is that what you mean? :)

Moominsarescary · 19/09/2011 23:35

I don't know jareth I did sort of think that it read as the tag with openings for hospital wires was horrible (I assumed she was referring to the tag as horrible) when she went on to say on line they have taken the tag off.

I wouldn't flame her for it though, I can see how people might see a tag with that written on it as not nice, when you've had a prem baby though it just seemed like a sensible garment that catered to my baby's needs at that time

To me that is, maybe not to everyone

SurprisEs · 19/09/2011 23:42

Why would it be inconsiderate of a company to supply clothing which aloud for the necessary tubes to be threaded through as comfortably and with as easy access as possible? I think the opposite. Not only are the clothes the right size but also fit for purpose and practical.

I do think OP meant that if the company acknowledged these children were in any vulnerable the why not provide them for free? I think it would be unreasonable as they are bussinesses and not charities and need to think of making a profit of some sort.

startail · 19/09/2011 23:49

I've also bought real small baby grows for DDs dolls and they certainly ought to pay.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 20/09/2011 08:12

Never seen an OP backpeddle so much in all my life, changes the entire context of her OP oh and but the most of the facts that she has claimed about herself in recent threads were just a joke to stop an argument. Forgive me if I hide this thread because I think it's a load of bollocks.

CoffeeDog · 20/09/2011 08:18

One of my twin was a small chap - 4 1/2lb other was 7lb - I got half a bin bag of early baby clothes of ebay for a fiver.... he wore them for a bit then i freecycled them.

Our hospital had a cuboard full of early baby clothes we could help ourseleves htye had a local knitting circle. (i didnt as my chap was a healthy little chap and didnt need scbu) and the mums in their had too much to think about other than where to buy clothes ;)

porcamiseria · 20/09/2011 09:01

are you deluded? I think so

cory · 20/09/2011 09:02

As far as I can see, most shops do not charge more for a prem garment than for a comparable garment in the bigger sizes.