Is adaptive clothing actually more expensive than standard children's clothing?

Here at SpecialKids.Company HQ, we like our weekly instalments to be all about giving back to the community in any way we can. This is typically through top tips and advice for parents to help make life with a child with complex needs that little bit smoother and happier for everyone in the household.

This week, we thought we would do something a little bit different with our blog posts. We’d like to address the common question we see floating around the community: “Is adaptive clothing actually more expensive than standard children's clothing? 

We can only speak for ourselves and not larger corporations, but one thing we can assure you the answer is not is “to turn a profit.” When you turn to a smaller supplier such as us, you can guarantee that the clothing you buy for your little one is designed as if it was for our own child. 

We are a special needs clothing and products supplier, and so everything we stock has specifically been chosen because it caters directly to the special needs market.

We believe we stock cost-effective product/garment which are the best of the best; which is exactly what your child deserves. 

Here’s what makes adaptive clothing that little bit extra special:

Attention to detail is paramount

For one thing, our clothing range isn’t mass produced. We have the luxury of working closely with our designers paying particular attention to detail to create bespoke items. We consider every element; from the fabric we choose, to the way the garments are put together, and even the factories that we work with.

Being selective over every step in the manufacturing process has allowed us to create tailored, better quality garments that have been designed with the child/teen in mind. We appreciate that children with complex needs might have a slightly different shape to other children and are often not anatomically the same and hence need additional help such as those that have feeding tubes. We took this on board and made sure our garments puts the needs of both the wearer and the parents/carer first.

We continually look for ways to improve our garments in any way we can to make your life easier. Our purple popper is just one example!

Although we include some features that aren't sensory driven, we believe that the extra coverage our garments provide can give your child that overall sensory feel they crave. Regardless of if they wear their adaptive clothing as an undergarment or a standalone product.

We handpick our suppliers

We scouted for the best suppliers that knew and understood the importance of sensory needs to create practical and long-lasting clothing that makes your child feel comfortable in his or her own skin. It was important to us the factories putting clothing and products together didn’t need reminding not to use labels or scratchy attachments. Our suppliers share our philosophies and put the wearer first throughout the manufacturing process. We also had to find suppliers that could cover the unusual age range of our clothing, and make them look age appropriate regardless of body shape, gender, or age.

Our clothes are built to last

We know that when it comes to children with special needs, sometimes there are a few extra unplanned washing cycles needed and so we make sure that all our fabrics and products are durable; meaning that they won't fade, shrink, or distort as quickly as standard fabrics will. We also ensured all the seams are top-stitched to prevent curling from those extra washes and comfortable when worn under other clothing.

We also factor age into the design

Typically, children grow at an alarmingly fast rate. Understandably, parents prefer to keep costs down where they can, so that buying a brand new wardrobe to match growth spurts and ever-changing interests every few months doesn’t equate to the price of a small mortgage. Our range helps you save money buying your child with special needs new clothing.

How? Our clothes are designed with age in mind, and so you won’t need to replace your garments as regularly as a standard collection. We factored this into the design by considering the size range between ages and creating a garment that grows with your child and covers a two year age span.

Most mass-produced adaptive clothing ranges are only designed for younger wearers, leaving young people and adults without much age-appropriate choice. With SpecialKids.Company, our range grows with your child into adulthood and so they’ll always enjoy a pleasant dressing experience.

We may be a smaller company, but we’ve gone that extra mile to cater for your child and that’s what makes our products so bespoke and comfortable. We are passionate about giving individuals the dignity and luxury that they deserve. When you factor all the features of the garments and the bespokeness of them and the longevity you get out of them, the answer to the question is ‘NO’: Adaptive clothing isn’t actually more expensive than standard children’s clothing.

We’d love to hear from you. If you ever have any suggestions on how to make our Specialkids.Company range better or if you would like some help and advice on products, do not hesitate to contact us.