Featured photo courtesy of Frugi
Best eco-friendly clothing to fit on cloth bums
I utterly adore cloth nappies, they are fab for the environment, they look adorable and they are great for the bums of my little people… I mean what’s not to like… Well finding eco clothing that fits over them, now that can be frustrating and expensive, but for me, I can’t use something that is positive for the environment and then cover it over with something that is working against it, that just doesn’t make sense to me. So after a while, I have found what works for us and I want to share it with you. Here are my top tips for how and with what to kit out your cloth bum babies.
Buy Second Hand
I know it sounds obvious, but buying second hand is one of the most eco ways to buy clothing. Any brand when bought second hand can be eco, but I personally go for the more eco-friendly brands, so they are even more environmentally friendly… It just gives me the warm fuzzies. I’m a big fan of eBay for this as I also resell items my youngest has now grown out of. So I have often bought second-hand clothes for my oldest, then used them for my youngest and after that, I’ve then sold them back on eBay for not much of a loss. It’s pretty fab really. Other places to buy are the Facebook marketplace, there are groups for specific brands and companies, like Babipur, I sometimes find you can get them cheaper looking on the generic sales pages, but there are some great items on the specialist ones. Depop is another option, but honestly… I’ve not really bought many clothes from my little ones on here yet, just for me. Just make sure you use a trusted buyer as you would with any other platform.
Buy from small independent manufacturers or WAHMs
There are some fab small independent manufacturers and Work at home mums making lovely clothes out there. You can find them on Facebook, Etsy and Instagram. They are often a little cheaper as they have fewer overheads, plus are trying to get a footing in the market. A big bonus is that they are more likely to use small cuts of fabric up and not let it go to waste. Some of the ones I have found and love are – Snug a Doug, Rockin’ Reds, Handmade by Em and Talula Little
Look for the Sales
Most of the organic brands and their stockists have amazing seasonal sales as the new styles come in. I buy A LOT of my kids’ clothes either second hand or in sales. Some of my fave sales are at Frugi, Little Green Radical and Babipur. You have to be fairly quick if there is something you really want… But if not, hold on as there are normally further reductions as the items start to sell out. Babipur seems to have an almost constant children’s clothing sale on, clearing out some of the older prints… I don’t know about you but I couldn’t care less if a design is from 2 seasons or 10 ago, so long as it’s eco and fits well (they are all pretty gorgeous anyway).
Go without
I don’t mean don’t buy anything (but I guess you could)… What I mean is show off those cloth bums. Around the house and in warmer weather, there is often no need for much clothing, so why bother. So long as your little ones are comfy with the temperature why not get their gorgeous cloth bums out on display?!
Top Brands
OK, so here are my favourite brands, plus a few more I feel I should mention. I’ll give you a bit of info on each one and you can see what’s right for you and your little ones.
Frugi
We LOVE Frugi in our house, The designs, the bright colours, the soft organic material. We also love the mix up of colours, our little people have pink and yellow socks with cars and tractors on, so although some of their clothing colours do seem to stick to gender recognised colours, they don’t separate it into girls and boys, so your little people can feel free to chose whatever shouts out to them if you like to get them involved. Our particular favourites for cloth bums are their parsnip pants, which have so much room for nappies, look fab, they also last whilst your little one grows as they have fold-down ankle cuffs and waist. We also love their bodysuits which are purposely made with room for cloth bums, their romper suits which are fab for nighttime and easily fit night nappy options and finally their joggers, whilst not as roomy as the parsnip pants, they still easily fit in cloth bums and are hardwearing (snuggle version and normal style).
Duns of Sweden
These are a newer addition to our collection and I’m a bit gutted I didn’t go for them earlier. Duns have amazing bright patterns in a very “Scandi” style as would be expected, plus they are super soft and quite light. The clothing is super roomy, so you’ll need to figure out what works for you. But I got a couple of the Lap Neck suits and even though they were big, we just rolled up the legs a bit and they fit fine, pls have loads of growing room. They have been a great nighttime suit and work well for little ones for daytimes too. The dungarees, bodies and baggies are also fab for cloth bums. The patterns can be quite quirky, but that is what we love about them. We pick up ours from Babipur and managed to get some items super reduced in a sale.
Maxomorra and Meyadey
I love Maxomorra designs so much I even have a few t-shirts myself. Maxomorra and its sister company Meyadey are another typically “Scandi” company. I have found the clothing to be slimmer than Duns, but just as long (apparently they make them tall and thin in Scandinavia). My chunky monkeys fill out the bodies width ways, though not uncomfortable, with room to spare for nappies, which works great, especially when layering. They bring out new patterns each season so usually, the patterns from the one before are put on sale, which is always good for a bargain. The colours are normally bright and cheery, plus pretty gender-neutral.
Piccalilly
A lovely British organic company with some really lovely items. I love that they do adults clothing too, a definite win for me. Some of our faves are their super roomy bodies which make them so fab for cloth bums, plus their gorgeous dungarees (I’m a sucker for cute dungarees) are lovely and cloth friendly. Their warm winter gear is so snuggly too! Lots of bright colours and beautiful patterns which is always a winner with me, plus the fact they use organic cotton and are also fair-trade.
Little Green Radicals
LGR are very different in style from the ones previously mentioned. Their colours are more natural, but this doesn’t make them any less lovely. Similarly to Maxomorra, we find them a slimmer fit and the bums on their trousers aren’t hugely roomy for my very chunky wee ones, but we have just sized up and found them a great fit. They are really well thought out and last really well. The patterns have a more traditional or nostalgic style to them, which we absolutely love. We especially like their star joggers and their ribbed/striped bodies and tops. Another organic and fair-trade make, so high on the ethics. A FAB British brand.
Kite Organic Clothing
We’ve picked up a few Kite items along the way, mostly second hand and have found them really good quality. They have a similar style to Frugi with some bright colours and rainbows. They do still seem to separate clothing into boys and girls… This is not a problem in itself, but I am definitely moving towards giving little people the choice in what they want to wear and trying to remove the pressure of “this is for girls” or “ this is for boys”. Another UK brand which is always lovely to see. We really like their rompers, especially the knitted ones (which are a little warmer), plus their dungarees. Great long-lasting items.
Pigeon Organics
Pidgeon organics have a lovely muted “Scandi” style, with some gorgeous colours, which are fab if you are not wanting super bright. A lot of their items also have a beautiful kimono style which looks like they are wrapped around rather than the standard button/popper straight down the middle. A really big bonus is if you look into them as a company, not only are they organic, but they support some amazing charities including Refugee Support and Baby Bank Network. We really like their bloomers and their continuous rompers.
Eco-friendly brands I haven’t tried yet, but look lovely!
Alba of Denmark
Toby Tiger
Moromini
Summary
So many options… maybe I should have cut it down a bit more 😀 The main thing is that you will find what works for you and hopefully the info above will give you a good start rather than having to scroll through the endless options on the internet. One item I would say is a must in all cloth bum wardrobes is the Frugi Parsnip pants, they are just the best!
f you know of any fab eco brands you want to shout about, send me a quick email or message with the info and I will look into them, and potentially add to here. If I try out any of the other brands, I’ll add to the detail above.
Happy eco shopping!
