Guide to Ethical Children Clothing: Sustainable & Realistic

You’ve already embraced an eco-friendly wardrobe, but how can you adopt the same approach with your kids or that baby on the way?

It might feel like a losing game because your favourite fair trade brands haven’t got an ethical children clothing range and because—the elephant in the room—babies and kids grow out of theirs so fast! Who can afford to buy lots of organic and higher-quality (and therefore more expensive) garments?!

We promise: there is a way. Even better? Lots of options.

So, in this guide to ethical children clothing, we’ll show you what to focus on and how to overcome those challenges.

Benefits of choosing sustainable kids clothing to dress your babies or children

• Avoiding dangerous chemicals – An investigation found that 1 in 5 fast fashion garments contained toxic chemicals! Their health dangers range from developmental disorders to asthma and higher risks of cancer (and more). Since babies and children are even more likely to absorb harmful substances through their skin, do you really want to wrap yours in fast fashion items full of toxic chemicals and dyes?

• Helping the planet – Fast fashion has a dreadful environmental impact because these brands churn out clothes without taking the planet into consideration. Instead, by choosing sustainable children clothing, you’ll reduce it and bring up your kids with an eco-conscious mindset
• Not supporting sweatshops – Unfortunately, they’re still a thing, and they hide behind major household names, too. As well as underpaid and exploited garment workers trapped in modern slavery conditions, they often involve child labour. And we doubt you’d want to dress your kids in clothes made by other children
• Supporting ethical children clothing brands – These brands are trying really hard to bring about positive change, but they’re usually small, with a limited budget, and—since they don’t use shortcuts like cheap but polluting materials or toxic dyes—lower margins. So, your support will make a huge difference!

What to focus on when buying sustainable clothes for children and babies

• Eco-friendly materials – Consider certified organic cotton (traditional cotton is actually terrible for the planet and full of pesticides!), bamboo, hemp, and linen. As for synthetic options like polyester, try looking for recycled ones to reduce their environmental footprint 
• Transparency – Has this brand’s website got a Sustainability page? Do they tell you who makes their clothes and how (eco-friendly materials are a great start, but the rest of their supply chain and production makes a big difference, too)? If they don’t, that’s bad news
• Certifications – Unfortunately, not all ethical children clothing brands can afford them, but for extra peace of mind, you could also look for third-party certificates, especially those guaranteeing the absence of harmful chemicals (like OEKOTEX or Bluesign) 

How you can overcome the most common challenges with ethical children clothing

“It’s expensive to invest in new sustainable kids clothes every few years or months. They grow out of them so quickly!”

We understand that, in some cases, it’s a privilege to afford ethical children clothing.

However, if your situation allows it, you can consider:

• Buying less, and making your kids rewear those clothes more. So, instead of purchasing dozens of cute fast fashion clothes every few weeks, create a versatile capsule wardrobe, prioritising pieces that’ll work with different outfits 
• Choosing adjustable or grow-with-me clothes for babies (yes, they’re a thing!)
• Asking your family and friends to please NOT buy any fast fashion garments for your baby or kid. Instead, if they definitely want to contribute to their wardrobe, recommend your favourite ethical children clothing brands (we’ll show you some soon), explaining you’d rather have one sustainable and non-toxic piece than lots of cheaper fast fashion clothes
• Prioritising gender-neutral clothes so that you can keep them for their siblings
• Buying them second-hand (although, unfortunately, you probably won’t get to check if they’re free from toxic chemicals)
• Renting sustainable kids clothes instead of buying new ones every time (in the Netherlands, we have Hulaaloop and Tiny Library, and we’ve heard of The Little Loop and Bundlee in the UK, but if you live elsewhere, try and google it!)
• Swapping them with fellow eco-conscious parents in your community or local Facebook groups
• Reselling the clothes you no longer need to make some of that money back

“But my children will ruin those ethical clothes straight away!”

Sure, stains and tears can happen, but you can still:

• Save the best sustainable kids clothes for special occasions or stay-at-home days, opting for cheaper and more practical ones when your children are more likely to get messy
• Repair them if they’re damaged, or get creative with fun patches 
• Address stains immediately 
• Take care of your children’s clothes to help them last longer (for example, by always washing them at the right temperature) 

“But I have no clue where to find sustainable children’s clothing!”

That’s an easy one: right here!

At Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fair trade brands in one place and added filters to simplify your choices. Of course, that includes plenty of sustainable kids clothing!

So, you can either start browsing (and if budget is your main concern, use our Price filter to find the most affordable sustainable baby clothes and children clothes) or check out some of our favourites brands.

Some of the best ethical kids clothing brands 

• Cora Happywear – Short for “courage” in Italian, this ethical children clothing brand offers a huge range of beautiful items, but what I love the most about them? They came up with stretchy jumpsuits that can be worn for the first TWO YEARS, not just a few months
• Matona – This family business focuses on sustainable kids clothing while offering a few options for parents too, all made in Portugal in GOTS-certified factories (so, no nasty chemicals)
• Snurk – Dutch for “snore”, this brand specialises in sustainable kids pyjamas and loungewear
• Ina Swim – This swimwear brand is perfect for their first sustainable holiday (and beyond!)

Find more sustainable kids clothes on Project Cece. 

We hope our guide to ethical children clothing was useful.

Dressing your babies and kids in sustainable and non-toxic garments does come with additional challenges, but there are also lots of ways to do that without breaking the bank!