Get 'em young

So the poo monkey has had a bit of a growth spurt and is now just shy of twelve kilos. Her lovely rounded chubby baby features are a delight to behold...however her inability to fit into her clothes is not.

Last Friday afternoon involved a panic shop whilst my girl was having a nap. Silly me, I thought that it would be a simple matter of purchasing some basic t-shirts and pants for little miss to comfortably crawl around in.

I was very, very wrong.

Upon entering the Department Store That Shall Not be Named I was confronted by rack upon rack of the very latest in toddler wear. Bootleg cut denim jeans with waists. Glittery, stretchy fitted tops bearing slogans such as "Princess". Tiny little skirts that would barely cover a bottom.

In other words, the type of tarty crap that teenage girls like to wear.

Bewildered by this display of mini me adult clothing, I browsed through the racks of clothes designated for baby. They all looked so comfortable, soft roomy tops and pants, cute pastel colours and innocent fluffy bunny type motifs. In other words, clothes suitable for a little person not quite twelve months old.

However, two things became abundantly clear:

1. 'Baby' clothes are only available in sizes suitable up to about nine months of age, and
2. There was no way I was going to be able to find pants to accommodate a perfectly normal on-the-verge-of-toddlerhood tummy.

To me there is something a little bit sad, sick and twisted about trying to dress our young 'uns in adult clothes, especially since the clothes available seem to be shaped to only fit those children with slim legs and arms, and no tummy. In other words, the adult ideal body. How long until we see a two or three year old girl with an eating disorder?

Maybe I am simply clinging to my daughter's last 'official' days of infancy (probably a byproduct of the reasonably challenging journey to have her. I digress). But what's the rush?

I guess in time it will be the poo monkey herself who, upon casting a critical eye over her baby photos, is the judge.

For now I will cling to whatever cute, comfortable and just plain babyish clothes I can find for my girl, fashion be damned. Sadly we'll have to deal with that crap soon enough as it is.