Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated; we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. This post is also sponsored in part by Bounce Mkt & Little Blueberry Kids. We only ever add brands & products we truly believe in. Thank you for supporting the brands who are making the fashion industry a better place!
A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE CHILDREN’S CLOTHING
Are you looking for ethical and sustainable children’s clothing? We’ve compiled a list of organic and eco-friendly childrenswear brands with excellent quality at all different price points. We also discuss shopping sustainably when you are on a budget, too!
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE FASHION FOR KIDS?
Typically, for a NEW garment to be considered ‘sustainable,’ it should be eco-friendly, ethically made, lasting, and accessible. Of course, we could make a long list of what a sustainable garment should be, but these are the key characteristics I look for when deciding on my purchase. There is a simple checklist to find at the end of this post here. In this post, you can learn much more about sustainable fashion and how you can participate in the movement. & of course, loving something you have or purchasing secondhand is a great way to become involved with sustainable fashion!
HOW TO FIND SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING FOR KIDS WHEN ON A BUDGET
As a mother, spending more than $30 on a t-shirt is something I don’t want to make a habit of doing when my son is growing like a weed. However, if I am purchasing a new garment for him (we are 80% secondhand), I want to pay a fair price and stay away from Target’s adorable kid’s section and their $5 tees. As a reference point, I’ve indicated the price of a t-shirt for all of these brands to make it easier for parents. If over $15 is too much for you to spend on a new t-shirt, I highly suggest signing up for the brand’s newsletters. This way, you can out when they have sales! As always, these brands listed here use ethical business practices within their supply chain and eco-friendly materials to care for the planet and your child’s health.
WHAT TYPES OF ECO-FRIENDLY FABRICS SHOULD WE CHOOSE FOR OUR KIDS?
Organic cotton is one of my favorites when shopping for my 4 year old. He likes to be comfortable, and nothing wears and washes better than cotton. We choose organic over conventional for many reasons, and you can learn about them in this post here. Of course, any natural fiber made without toxic dyes should be safe and healthy for your kids!
p.s. While there are a handful more organic children’s brands that create new clothing, I can’t find enough information on their manufacturing, and some have prices lower than $10, which makes me somewhat suspicious. If you want to pay those prices responsibly, your best bet is secondhand shopping (we’ve included a few secondhand type shops in this post, as well as a few more affordable brands we know, are great and have amazing sales). I love shopping for Elliott at Once Upon a Child. I can purchase t-shirts for $2.99 and pants for $5.99. While it’s hard to go in with something specific in mind (I feel like you never find it when you do, hah), it is one of the best ways to shop for kids. BUT, supporting small sustainable fashion brands is wonderful for the industry, and these 13 kid brands are an excellent start!
OUR FAVORITE ECO-FRIENDLY, SUSTAINABLE KIDS CLOTHING BRANDS:
1. Bounce Mkt
Boys, Girls, & Gender-Neutral, NB – 8 years
Bounce Mkt is a great place to shop for secondhand clothing for your little ones.
If you’re a fan of brands like Ralph Lauren, Boden, or Hanna Andersson but prefer not to buy new from them anymore, this is a great place to get your hands on like-new pieces from a variety of brands.
And let me tell you – they have a lot of REALLY cute clothes! When your kids grow out of them, you can sell your gently-used clothes back to Bounce Mkt (even if you originally got them somewhere else!).
This is a really great way to increase the circularity of clothes, keep more apparel out of landfills, and make sustainable children’s clothing more affordable.