How we bring up our children has always been subject to public scrutiny and never more so than recently with the media hype surrounding childhood obesity and the pressure that children seem to be facing from an increasingly young age with regards to school tests and evaluations. When it comes to how they are dressed, you would think that would be simple - surely you just choose hard wearing, comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather, things they can run around and enjoy life in! However, it seems that even with something as simple as clothing there are more complex issues lurking beneath the surface.

Consumer pressure drives sales

A survey commissioned by the BBC Money Programme in March 2007 identified the key costs of bringing up children as Childcare, Toys, Clothes and helping the child through University. When it came to clothing, the survey revealed that 65% of parents admitted spending more on their children's clothes than on their own. This survey was not alone in its findings. It would appear the increasing obsession with celebrity culture and consumer pressure is driving many parents to give into the 'urge to splurge' and spend more than ever before on designer labels for their children to wear. This is particularly true in our current cash rich, time poor age where parents often spend on their children to alleviate their own feelings of guilt or frustration at not spending the time they would like to with their children.

Parental influence is key

Research undertaken by Vox Pops International into licensing and young children identified that many parents admitted that it was their own tendency to choose merchandised goods that was contributing to their children's desires for licensed toys and branded goods. Many parents even confessed to choosing characterised goods before their children were born, such as products for the nursery, bedding, or the first baby clothes. Undoubtedly the merchandisers have a role to play here with their relentless advertising encouraging consumerism, peer pressure and pester power, but maybe as parents we also need to stop and think about what we are doing and what more we could be doing to avoid this type of consumer pressure or at least help our children understand it.

Encourage independent thinking

As parents we are responsible for our children's development and should encourage independent thinking. Can we make them more aware, and better capable of meeting, the influences that they are exposed to? This may be as simple as avoiding or limiting exposure to commercial television stations. When commercial television is on, or advertising is around, point it out and help children understand that the main goal of advertising is to make them buy things-often things they don't need, and didn't even know they wanted until they've seen the ad in the first place! If you can laugh at how ridiculous this is together you will be on the way to helping them distinguish between what they really need/want, and what they think they need/want. All of this will help encourage non-commercial values in our children by getting them to put shopping into perspective and see it as an activity we undertake when we need something, rather than an engaging pastime or hobby.

Strike a balance

As with everything in life it is, of course, important to strike a sensible balance. So, with children's clothing, is there an alternative to the extremes, on the one hand, of expensive designer clothing which can almost turn your child into a mini adult, a walking bill board or adult accessory, and, on the other hand, of the cheap and often badly manufactured clothing at the other end of the market? The good news is that as a parent you can choose and find quality, design led clothing without the logos which will still leave your child looking as a child and which is available at affordable prices. What is more, if you spend time with your child helping encourage these non-commercial values you can be sure you are giving them what they really want and need - more time with you rather than more consumer goods!

By Malene Stanley

Kids Should be Kids

Children's designer clothes without the logos