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New moms in stitches over old baby clothes
By Xu Wei |
May 27, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
XIAO Chen, a new mother who will give birth to her baby in August, now has a sweet problem - what to do with the bags of old infant clothes and toys sent by friends.
Since babies grow out of their clothes fast, Xiao's friends said there was no need to buy so many new clothes.
Xiao appreciates their kindness and knows it would be good to save some money. The problem is her parents are strongly against the idea of used clothes.
"My parents asked me to give all this old stuff back to my friends as they want only new things for the baby," Xiao says. "They think the clothes might not be clean. They even think it inappropriate to send old things as gifts."
It's not easy for Xiao to persuade her parents that there is nothing wrong with the used clothes. However, decades ago when money was tight, it was normal for newborn babies to use items worn by older brothers and sisters, or even children in the neighborhood.
There is also a traditional Chinese belief that babies wearing bai jia yi (literally "a hundred families clothes"), which is made of colorful cloth strips offered by various families, can avoid bad fortune in life.
"I don't care if I receive old clothes or toys as gifts," says Voila Liu, whose is expecting a baby boy in two months. "I trust my friends. They have good fashion sense and they take good care of their children."
She adds that compared with new clothes, old ones can be softer after being washed many times. She thinks they will be safer for a newborn baby as the fabric will have less smell and chemical toxins.
It is estimated there will be more than 180,000 newborn babies in Shanghai in 2012 - the Year of the Dragon. The rapid increase of used baby items has become another emerging problem for the environment.
However, used infant clothes and other items are not well-received by all new mothers. Claire Ni, a white-collar worker who has a six-month-old baby daughter, says she would be embarrassed if her kid was wearing old clothes.
"My daughter will probably be my only child," Ni says. "Dressing her as a princess is one way for me to enjoy her baby years. I can afford it. Why should I be mean to her?"
Meanwhile, grandparents, some of whom have gone through tough times when they were young, often hope to give their grandchildren the best to make up for the things they never had.
"I know it is not right to spoil the child, but I can't help buying new clothes and toys for my granddaughter from time to time," says Xu Ziyan, a 60-something retired teacher. "I don't live with my son and I can't see the baby every day. It is a way to express my love."
According to Yao Mingzhu, an expert in child health care from Shanghai No. 1 Maternity and Children's Health Hospital, the tradition of wearing "a hundred families clothes" goes back a long way.
"But the old clothes should be carefully washed and dried in the sun," Yao says. "Cotton is good for infant clothes as it is soft, absorbent and gentle on a baby's skin."
As babies grow, many mothers are reluctant to throw away old items as they can make for great keepsakes to recall these cherished years. There are also few options for parents who want to recycle these items or donate them to less-fortunate children.
"China is not a rich country," says Zhou Bei, mother of a five-year-old boy. "I am willing to donate the clothes and other stuff to children in remote areas. However, we still haven't seen many social donation platforms for that."
According to Shanghai Charity Foundation, residents can donate old baby clothes to the neighborhood community committee office.
Since babies grow out of their clothes fast, Xiao's friends said there was no need to buy so many new clothes.
Xiao appreciates their kindness and knows it would be good to save some money. The problem is her parents are strongly against the idea of used clothes.
"My parents asked me to give all this old stuff back to my friends as they want only new things for the baby," Xiao says. "They think the clothes might not be clean. They even think it inappropriate to send old things as gifts."
It's not easy for Xiao to persuade her parents that there is nothing wrong with the used clothes. However, decades ago when money was tight, it was normal for newborn babies to use items worn by older brothers and sisters, or even children in the neighborhood.
There is also a traditional Chinese belief that babies wearing bai jia yi (literally "a hundred families clothes"), which is made of colorful cloth strips offered by various families, can avoid bad fortune in life.
"I don't care if I receive old clothes or toys as gifts," says Voila Liu, whose is expecting a baby boy in two months. "I trust my friends. They have good fashion sense and they take good care of their children."
She adds that compared with new clothes, old ones can be softer after being washed many times. She thinks they will be safer for a newborn baby as the fabric will have less smell and chemical toxins.
It is estimated there will be more than 180,000 newborn babies in Shanghai in 2012 - the Year of the Dragon. The rapid increase of used baby items has become another emerging problem for the environment.
However, used infant clothes and other items are not well-received by all new mothers. Claire Ni, a white-collar worker who has a six-month-old baby daughter, says she would be embarrassed if her kid was wearing old clothes.
"My daughter will probably be my only child," Ni says. "Dressing her as a princess is one way for me to enjoy her baby years. I can afford it. Why should I be mean to her?"
Meanwhile, grandparents, some of whom have gone through tough times when they were young, often hope to give their grandchildren the best to make up for the things they never had.
"I know it is not right to spoil the child, but I can't help buying new clothes and toys for my granddaughter from time to time," says Xu Ziyan, a 60-something retired teacher. "I don't live with my son and I can't see the baby every day. It is a way to express my love."
According to Yao Mingzhu, an expert in child health care from Shanghai No. 1 Maternity and Children's Health Hospital, the tradition of wearing "a hundred families clothes" goes back a long way.
"But the old clothes should be carefully washed and dried in the sun," Yao says. "Cotton is good for infant clothes as it is soft, absorbent and gentle on a baby's skin."
As babies grow, many mothers are reluctant to throw away old items as they can make for great keepsakes to recall these cherished years. There are also few options for parents who want to recycle these items or donate them to less-fortunate children.
"China is not a rich country," says Zhou Bei, mother of a five-year-old boy. "I am willing to donate the clothes and other stuff to children in remote areas. However, we still haven't seen many social donation platforms for that."
According to Shanghai Charity Foundation, residents can donate old baby clothes to the neighborhood community committee office.
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