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

[Roxietrees]

With apps like vinted etc there really is no reason for parents to be buying new clothes for, say, under 8s. They wear them for about 5 minutes before they outgrow them, and there is SO much choice on vinted, even if you care about specific brands and style, you can get anything you want super cheap and in great condition. New clothes for kids is SO wasteful, and fast fashion, especially is massively contributing to the destruction of the planet. Not to mention forced child labour. AIBU to think new clothes for children under a certain age should be banned? (as if that’ll ever happen though). If more specifically children’s second-hand clothing shops started popping up I think it’d really help

https://www.just-style.com/analyst-comment/ethical-dilemma-shopping-primark/?cf-view

If someone is selling a used primark item for £1 plus postage I’m going to buy a new one instead when some of the t shirts are £1.50. I’ve never had to throw them away after a few washes. Tesco also had some great deals in the sale recently. 4 pairs of leggings/trousers for baby at £3. I don’t mind second hand but it has to be cheaper than new or I won’t bother.

My kids have never worn anything second hand at all. Do you think shopping second hand somehow makes you superior?

Apparently, there is now enough clothing on Earth to last 7 generations. I'm not sure how they define "last", i.e. does it mean until it falls apart or until it appears noticeably shabby and worn? I find the same, that good brands (not really posh ones, just good mid-standard, Frugi, Boden, Next, Fat Face etc.) can go through multiple children, as they grow so fast that they don't wear them much. A lot of stuff I buy on Vinted and then sell on there when DD outgrows it.

My bad. Doesn’t make it ethical though. Primark has an awful track record on workers’ rights abuses, animal welfare concerns, and doesn’t give a shit about climate change. But if a £1.50 t shirt is more important to you than all that, you go for it

Yes I do 😆

You’re coming at this from a place of huge privilege. Mocking people needing to buy cheap clothes isn’t a good look.

I think it’s good to have a mix.

I have bought a couple of outfits for my Dgc recently. Dcs tend to use Vinted a lot or charity shops.

Good point

1. You've given the seller money to go towards what they've spent on child slavery, haven't you?
2. If there were to be no new clothes for children, what's on Vinted (which not everybody has access to, anyway) would be massively more expensive - simple supply and demand in action.

“Huge privilege” 😂😂 I’m not in any way privileged money-wise! I’m a single parent on the breadline. I just have my priorities in order. I would rather spend 20 min scrolling through vinted and getting good a bunch of quality second-hand clothing for, occasionally 50p-£1 more than Primark than contribute to the shit show that is the fast fashion industry. It’s not a good look to say that “people needing to buy new clothes” are so ignorant and uneducated that they’re unable to make any other choice

Yeah I’m gonna dress my kids who need specific clothing for their sports and one who needs specific clothing due to a disability, clothes off Vinted I have to wait 10 days for and arrive not being able to fit and smelling of fags. Great idea. Cheers

I'd love to know how many parents who insist their DC must wear second hand clothes, accept regular phone upgrades.

We have 2 huge rails boys/girls of clothes. All in great condition and really lovely but very few people ever bother to buy anything. It's such a shame and in the end they just get ragged which is almost unforgivable.

I’m not contributing to fast fashion. I buy new clothes so my children look their best. Then I sell them on Vinted to self righteous dogooders who think they are somehow superior to me. I then take that money to buy my children new clothes. It’s a perfect cycle.

I think this is a very middle class, Guardian-reading point of view that only holds water if you can buy qualityy, ethically sourced clothing in the first place. I think the supermarkets are doing for kids clothes what Zara did for adults and both have helped to democratise fashion. Why shouldn't everyone be able to access attractive and stylish clothing if they want to? I'm sure we'd all like to select expensive, top of the range items, but for most that will never be possible. Lack of money should never stop anyone from looking good and making the most of themselves. It's enormously empowering to do so.

They all spend hours scrolling the internet and get their second hand purchases delivered by diesel powered vans. Great way to reduce that carbon footprint

One of the reasons for this will be the multitude of local Facebook groups where people give things away for free.

There are absolutely loads for my (high poverty) area. You can get anything from clothes to fridges, freezers, beds, TVs, shoes and just about anything else.

It was cheaper when I had DD. I couldn’t afford Monsoon, Laura Ashley etc. unless it was from a charity shop.

I don’t shop in Primark.

I tend to buy in the Next sales, and think about what DD might need later on and get bigger sizes if possible. Doesn't work out much more expensive that way and you can often get some good things and smoke nice brands.

Then I pass them onto my friends, or my cousin who has a girl a couple of years younger than mine. Or give them to nursery as spares. Or occasionally when there's a big clear out, I'll give them to local people free.

I tried Vinted, and the hassle of selling when I have a million and one other things to do isn't worth the tenner I made across a month. I also bought a few things but they were never good enough quality.

I also am very aware that I'm in a privileged position of being able to afford to buy new and pass on without needing the money to come back. So it is a way I do some good for my friends, family and community.

What animal welfare concerns are there?

Yep, again privileged. There are families on the breadline using food banks, school funding their children’s school uniform. They don’t have the money to use Vinted.

also can you link a shirt for child on Vinted that costs less than £1.50, because postage is more than that.

I’ve used car boot sales,eBay and Facebook marketplace for years to get second hand clothes for my children.Always check for good quality items.I have had some decent stuff and some bargains.

I voted YABU because your view is very skewed. My daughter was still in 3-6 months when she was 9-12
her shoe size is below average for her age, so I tend to stick to what I know will fit her in terms of shops etc. Now however, we have the problem of she has a bit of a tummy so her age doesn’t fit, but to size up means trousers and other bottoms are often too long in the leg. She doesn’t have a weight issue, she eats very healthily and correct portion size, but she has a bloated tummy due to having cerebral palsy. It’s a bit of a minefield and I really feel for her - she’s at an age now where she notices it 😢