Nurserywear Opportunities in nurserywear
With the government expanding funded nursery places and childcare hours, nurseries and preschools continue to spring up and expand. Sara McDonnell looks at the kinds of clothes that might be needed by these potential printwear clients
make life easier than their child wearing their normal clothes. For nurseries, branded clothing gives an increased identity and can provide additional assistance to care workers taking children outside of the nursery setting. Children’s garments are available from many suppliers, and in ever smaller sizes. The Mini range of clothes from Mantis World, for example, offers T shirts, polo shirts, hoodies and long-sleeved T shirts from age two upwards. Its baby range offers hoodies and sweatshirts for infants aged six months to three years. Kids Wholesale Clothing offers T shirts, polos, hoodies and a wide range of other baby and kidswear from newborn upwards. Gildan, Fruit of the Loom and Hanes also offer T shirts for toddlers. Hanes’ infant toddler tee caters for six months onwards.
Fruit of the Loom Kids Sofspun T T
increase and that increase is set to continue. According to the latest data from market researchers LaingBuisson, the total number of children attending nurseries was up 6.5% between the years 2012/13 and 2013/14. The nursery market in the UK overall was worth £4.9bn in 2013/14, an increase of 4% in real terms on the previous year. This significant increase is hardly
surprising, seeing as the government has been expanding its funding of free childcare for under-fives. Currently, all three to four year olds in England can get 570 hours of free childcare per year, which usually works out as 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year (i.e. during term time). The government plans to start rolling out 30 hours of free childcare per week for three to four year olds from 2016. Along with this we have also seen over
the last few decades, an increase in the number of schools adopting uniforms. In recently published guidelines for school uniforms, the Department for Education said it ‘strongly encourages schools to have a uniform as it can play a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of a school and setting an appropriate tone.’ This rise in popularity has filtered down to
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he number of under-fives attending nursery or some form of daycare is on the
nurseries, and many schools now have a nursery version of their uniforms in the form of a polo shirt, sweatshirt or T shirt.
Get covered in paint However, it’s not just nurseries attached
to schools that can adopt a uniform. Many private nurseries are starting to adopt their own branded nurserywear for children, even if it’s only a branded T shirt to stop their normal clothes from getting dirty. While there are some who object to the
idea of their child wearing a uniform at such a young age, there are advantages for parents and nurseries. For parents, a recognisable T shirt that they don’t have to spend hours negotiating with their toddler in the morning about putting on, and which can get covered in paint without it mattering too much, can actually
Durability is important Apart from age-appropriate sizing, what other things are nurseries likely to look for when sourcing clothes for their children? While price will of course be a key factor; durability is very important. A nursery’s image will suffer if the branded clothing it sells to parents falls apart or fades after the first wash. Some brands offer extra protection against shrinkage – which will go down well with the parent of a growing child. Hanes’ Authentic Tagless Kids Cotton T-shirt, for example, is preshrunk to avoid shrinkage, is tag-free and has the seams at the neck covered, with shoulder-to-shoulder taping, to reinforce the seams. Many other brands offer similar features. Safety will be paramount; a nursery would be deemed irresponsible if the clothing is dangerous in any way. Plus, with many young children prone to allergies, nurseries may be particularly mindful of avoiding any harsh chemicals used in the dyeing process, or be keen to use organic materials where possible.
they don’t have to spend hours negotiating with their toddler in the morning about putting on, and which can get covered in paint without it mattering too much, can actually make life easier than their child wearing their normal clothes.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk For parents, a recognisable T shirt that
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