What would you be happy buying baby items that are hand made? What would you buy, or steer clear of? How much would you be willing to pay for items that you would buy?

[CrumbsInBed]

I thought I’d come on the parenting thread to ask the very experts on babies 🙂.

I have started sewing little things here and there, and was advised that baby items were the way to go if I wanted to sell anything.

I’ve tried, and seemingly failed, with tag blankets as understandably, parents are very fussy about things that go in a baby’s mouth.

What would you be happy buying handmade for your baby (if it was well made of course), and what would you steer clear of?
Also, how much would you spend on certain handmade items?
Your help is appreciated, so I don’t waste too much fabric 😂.
Thank you.

*Sorry, the word what should not have been there at the beginning.

For newish babies I would buy knitted or crochet blankets, jumpers and cardigans.
For older babies (6 months onwards) I would buy all of the above and summer dresses, pinnafores, summer hat, maybe a small patchwork quilt type thing for pram/pushchair.
I do love a good chunky homeknit jumper though 😁

What about morrck style blankets to fit prams and car seats?
I would be more likely to buy a higher priced item from a small business than small items like a tag blanket as if feel I could pick these up everywhere

@Ploppymoodypants.
Thank you. The problem is, I can’t knit.
I do have a trusty sewing machine, though...

Oh money, I am afraid I wouldnt spend much. £10 max for a dress or jumper really.
In our local area there are masses of country shows with many many people selling these clothes in stalls. I always love them but they are usually around the £15-£20 mark for a dress which I am afraid is outside my budget when Sainsbury’s and Zara do nice things which you can pick up in the sale for not very much.
But that’s just me and I may not be your target market.

Oh I agree with whymust.
Clothes get outgrown far too quickly but the blanket you get years of use from.
Also the clothes for children under 5 might sell better as you can sometimes get 2 summers wear out of a dress by the time they are 3 or 4.

Simply designed dresses & T shirts in different patterns.

Thanks @Whymustyoubringinthebirds.
I need that honesty 🙂

I made the tag blankets from advice, and gave one to my great nephew.
He loves it so much, he has now ended up with three on stock rotation.

I'd look at things like patchwork blankets (personalised?) And room decor like bunting ( again personalised?). Bibs and maybe take orders for toys made out of favourite outgrown clothes?

There's a lady local to me who makes memory quilts from outgrown baby clothes, they are lovely. I would be prepared to spend £££ on something like that but not for individual items of clothing, as previous posters have said they grow so quickly and small kids are so mucky it's not worth it.

@Reaa and @Ploppymoodypants.
Simple clothes are the way to go then.
I’ve never made any, only new to the sewing game.
Something new to learn. Pram blankets are something I need to learn then.

Personalised items are always good for gifts. Also keep an eye out for whatever is in fashion, a while ago it was cutsie hair bands for baby girls. Whatever Prince George is wearing is popular.

Look at the popular buggies. We had trouble getting items (blankets, footmuffs, bags that hang on the handles) for ours that fit (ordinary baby blankets all too big) without buying the official ones. Have a wander around a pushchair shop and look at the different makes (and colourways, they bring out limited editions etc) you may be inspired! If you put a “fits a Bugaboo Cameleon” label on, it would attract attention I’m sure!

Are your items CE marked? You can get in trouble if they arent (I've considered making crochet toys but a lot of work goes into the conformance so only make gifts)

There is a great fb group called CE marked soft toy support network who are super helpful

Bibs are a good idea, simple enough to make, I think @derekthe1adyhamster.

I don’t know how to go about taking orders from parents with favourite outgrown clothes . It’s a great idea, do I advertise?
I have plenty of material to use up, though.

Oh yes. Simple T shirts and dresses with different designs. Try to appeal to a cross section rather than pink fairy’s for girls and blue trains for boys.
Definitely personalised letter bunting, everyone loves a bit of bunting.
I guess it also depends if you are town or country and who your target market is. No good doing to fit a Cossatto pushchair if you live in rural Devon. Likewise probably less call for a phil and teds tractor themed blanket in Essex 😊 terrible stereotyping there, but just trying to say, know you market.
Good luck, exciting adventure.
I think Facebook and EBay and Christmas markets are you initial go to sell places. Could try a few Christmas themed things.

I buy handmade clothes on Etsy, mostly dungarees and leggings. Shops I’ve purchased from are Monochrome Mum, Cotton Barn, and My Mama Makes. Leggings are about £10 and dungarees are about £20. I purchase handmade because the colours and patterns are so much nicer than what’s available in the shops.

Thanks @Theweasleytwins, no, but I’m not selling at the moment.
I’ll have a look at the CE marked soft toy support group, thank you.

Ok, so there brings another question: what can I make that is safe enough without requiring CE, if anything?
That doesn’t mean to say I won’t look into getting that sorted though.

If you are new to sewing, I’d start with bunting. Easy to make and always popular.
Depending on quality/material type I’d pay between £10-25 for a string of bunting. (At the upper end it would have to be amazing - see the type of bunting Suzie Watson sells)

@Ploppymoodypants, thank you, very helpful re unisex clothing. Town and countryside here, spoilt with a bit of both (foothills of Lancashire, not far from Manchester ), May end up being a busy lady....
Is it just toys that need CE approval?

Thank you @Enidblyton1, I’ll look into bunting, and Suzie Watson.

I saved baby and toddler clothes to make memory blankets but have never got around to it, so if I saw someone advertising that they could do it for me, with a nice photo of one they'd made earlier, I'd probably go for it.
I cannot stress though, how important the photo would be to my decision. If it looked the slightest bit crap, it would put me off.

@Strugglingtodomybest, understandable about the photo part.

Memory blankets are now n my list, alongside bunting.

Don't want to put a downer on ideas but bibs are legally required to undergo a lot of testing, after all they go around a baby's neck. You are looking at spending a considerable amount on testing alone. Plus any items for babies made with a sewing machine you need to show needle control policy, full due diligence on any fabrics used to ensure REACH compliance etc.

I think decorative items such as bunting are a much safer bet or personalised fabric organisers etc

@mypoosmellsofroses, hmm, yes, after that, I think Ill go with the bunting idea.

I’ve just been watching how to make bunting on Youtube and it looks easy enough, I think I’ll stick to that....

@mypoosmellsofroses, but thank you, I appreciate the advice 🙂.