A few weeks ago, in the waiting room for my diabetes test, I overheard a woman explaining to her husband all that she SLOW FASHION had procured and all that she still needed to procure for the arrival of the baby. And it was there, pregnant with my second daughter, in front of my sweet orange juice, that it hit me.
Terms of consumption
I realized that I have greatly evolved in terms of consumption. I was probably that woman, a year, and a half ago, standing on the list after list of things to shop for the arrival of a baby. Some things are essential, but let’s face it, this is not the case for all objects, clothes, and the like.
In the end, the baby needs love, skin-to-skin, and milk. In short, my awareness at that time was quite intense. To the point where I said to myself that finally, I don’t need anything more for the arrival of a little girl, apart from what I already have (obviously, having two daughters makes it a little easier)! But also, to the point where I said to myself that maybe I even had too much and that I had to purify.
Children’s clothing
So, I started thinking about my children’s clothing consumption habits over the past year. I present some advice to help you in your journey and, reduce your environmental impact, in terms of the consumption of children’s boutique.
First, I can’t tell you enough, that the second-hand world is a world of possibilities. As much for toys as for books, clothes, baby accessories… You can find just about anything you are looking for. Plus, it’s less expensive than buying new. Also, considering that many moms have planned much more than the essentials for the baby, many of these items have hardly ever been used! So, the first good habit to adopt when making a purchase is don’t hesitate to look at used sales sites such as Kijiji and the marketplace (Facebook).
Mode et Marmaille
Some thrift stores are also available online. I like the thrift stores, Second life thrift store, and Bebe Meghan. Pascale also recently discovered Mode et Marmaille, which sells new and used items online (this company also favors Quebec brands…). The habit of buying second-hand is easy to adopt when you observe the savings you can make, but also when you become aware of the environmental impact of the textile industry…
Then I realized that I’ve greatly embraced the concept of grow-with-me clothes. I love it. A piece that can be worn for over a year is joy. Especially at the crazy speed at which babies grow! For example, my daughter’s 3–12-month pants still fit her, and she is 13 months old. I think it’s a very good investment. In addition, evolutionary pants, with washable diapers, it’s just perfect.
clothing styles
There are many shops in Quebec that offer this type of product and therefore, by the same token, I allow myself to encourage someone from my region. Since these are pieces that are a little more expensive, and knowing that I wanted other children, I bet on neutral colors, which will match perfectly well, as much for a girl as for a boy, but which fit together more easily.
Then I noticed that we don’t need as many pieces of clothing as I thought. The more people there are at home, the faster the basket of dirty baby girl dresses goes up, and therefore, the more often I do loads of laundry during the week.
Purifying the clothes
So, I think that ecologically, but also economically, we must reassess the amount of clothing that we get for our children. To be quite honest, I am not yet perfect at this level, but I am working very hard on it. To give you an idea, I am far from having reached my goal of purifying the clothes. With the number of washes, I do during the week and the small daily messes, I aim to limit myself to 7 sets of clothes per size, per season for my 13-month-old daughter. Also, small, some pieces are not suitable for all stages of a baby’s development, especially dresses when the baby crawls and crawls. It’s very pretty but very impractical.
Good choices
In the end, I remembered how, pregnant with my first daughter, I was bombarded with information, but also with lists of things to plan for her arrival. I knew nothing about it, and I let myself be influenced. Sometimes they were good choices, sometimes not so good choices. In hindsight, I should have cared simply about being healthy during my pregnancy. and feeling ready to live this beautiful and great new role in my life.
Feeling ready to be a mom is not about having a full wardrobe or an overflowing toy box, but about having lots of love and time to give to this little human being. I’m certainly not the first person to tell you this but having a lot of objects clutters our minds and forces us to take time to put everything away so we end up wasting precious time. Short, every little bit counts. Just find the little gesture that makes sense to you. Do not hesitate to share them with us!
