I want to let you in on a little secret: Global Mamas Kids Clothes make THE BEST hand-me-downs! If you are a parent, a grandparent, or someone who has any children in your life that ever need an article of clothing, Global Mamas Kids Clothes are the gift that keeps on giving! I am a mom of 5, and I have been a customer of Global Mamas kids’ clothes for 14 years. I am also the creative director at Global Mamas, having worked in various capacities with this incredible organization for almost 20 years, so I know these products not only from a deeply personal perspective, but also a particularly technical and practical one. I’ll share more of the technical points later, because I geek out about that stuff and maybe you do too! But, first I want to share a bit about my personal experience of dressing my kids in the adorable and playful products Global Mamas has to offer. 

My kid crew is BUSY – they are silly, curious, and rambunctious! They are the kids that wear holes in the reinforced toes of tennis shoes and knees of pants. They want to climb the highest trees and dig the deepest ditches in the name of adventure and seeking treasures. My oldest daughter, who is now 12, is especially ALL-IN with whatever she is doing…but, she also always wanted to do it all in a dress. 

She was often gifted fancy dresses because everyone knew she loved them – the bigger and fluffier and “twirlier”, the better. I was always hesitant to let her really PLAY in those dresses because I knew they were expensive and I didn’t want grandma to come over and see them destroyed. Needless to say, those dresses got set aside for special occasions. Yet, the requests to constantly wear dresses persisted and I didn’t want to let my fashionable “paleo-ninja-neer” down (for those of you wondering – that is a combo paleontologist, ninja, and engineer. :P). The perfect solution came when she was three and I busted out the 3’s & 4’s hand-me-down box. Nestled within, I had two Global Mamas Sundresses that were passed on to us from a coworker’s daughter. 

I had been working for Global Mamas about eight years at this point and had bought or been gifted a handful of things (like the onesie my firstborn wore home from the hospital), and I don’t know why I hadn’t already thought of our dresses as the perfect solution. The Rose Sundress was the first in a parade of Global Mamas-clad adventures over many summers. Let me tell you – those dresses were a game changer!! The two second-hand dresses we unearthed saw so much action and I quickly ordered more in every style we have had. My daughter LIVED in these dresses. They survived water, mud, trees, rocks, food, paint, and more!

She wore her first batch for at least two summers – scrolling through my Instagram grid from those years is basically an ode to Global Mamas. Then we passed them along to a cousin, who handed them on to her cousins, and they came back to her younger sister. 

Ten years later, the dresses have circled back to our younger two daughters, who are now three. I just unpacked them from the hand-me-down box! I was so excited to see them, bringing a flood of memories. They have immediately been put back into the rotation, enjoying every moment from church adventures to repotting plants with zero concern about getting the dresses covered in dirt because they launder so well. I can’t wait to see what adventures they are taken on this summer!

Now, from a technical standpoint, our products are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. Organic cotton is one of the most sustainable fabrics from a farming and processing perspective, and it is also sustainable in terms of wash and wear. It’s a durable fabric that lasts. Our fabric is designed in-house by our design team and batiked by hand by Global Mamas artisans in small batches. The hand batiking process minimizes waste, and part of it involves boiling the fabric, so you don’t have to worry about our products shrinking while your kiddos are rapidly growing. Such a bonus! We also use fancy details like “French” seams in our sundress or a fully reversible lining in our Reversible Dress, giving it a beautiful and more durable finish for years of wear.  Did you know that our items with buttons have a spare button sewn inside? If a button does pop off, you have a backup. And according to my eldest (when she was 4), the Global Mamas Twirl Dress has the “Twirl Stamp of Approval”.

I know from firsthand experience that one of the most sustainable things you can do is wear clothes you already have. Having clothes that survive the wash, wear, and play of numerous years and kids is about as sustainable as it can get, in my opinion! As you can tell, I think Global Mamas kids’ clothes are a hidden gem, and I hope that you will consider them for all the mini-adventurers in your life!