Let’s keep it simple – adaptive clothing is clothing for everyone. When it comes to baby clothes, those adorable outfits should make their lives (and your life) better, not harder.
Adaptive clothing means you no longer need to struggle with getting your baby’s head through the tiny (impossible) hole of a traditional onesie or struggling with difficult snaps. You can almost sum up adaptive clothing in a handful of words: simple and accessible.
Take a look at how adaptive clothing can help improve the lives of everyone at every stage and age (and not just your baby).
What Is Adaptive Clothing?
Adaptive clothing refers to the fact that it is manageable and accessible for both the able-bodied and the disabled. If you have a little one who lives with a disability, you are learning to navigate the world differently than other parents — and that can feel both lonely and like a gift, all at once.
But adaptive apparel can make life that much easier for everyone involved. It’s one less thing to worry about or, for that matter, even think about. Things like hooks, zippers, and poorly-placed snaps can make dressing difficult. Adaptive clothing removes those obstacles, making it much easier for wearers to retain their independence and style.
At Tabeeze, we care about creating baby clothes that are adaptive and accessible (oh, and also adorable). With a thoughtful design (read: no impossible-to-snap clasps at the crotch), adaptive clothing enables any member of the family and beyond to get involved in the tender, loving care of a baby.After all, dressing your baby shouldn’t be a stress-inducing event.
Adaptive clothing is hitting the runway: Inclusivity is a must and here to stay.
Who Might Need Adaptive Baby Clothing?
Now that we’ve given you a quick overview of adaptive baby clothing, let’s dive a little further into who might need adaptive clothing options and why. While adaptive clothing is a boon for any little one, it is especially helpful for some in particular.
Literally Anyone
Dressing a baby shouldn’t cause tears — in either of you. It’s unnecessary and can make the day begin on a downer. Let’s change that, shall we?
Adaptive clothing lines make life easier for everyone involved by design. Best of all, you can’t typically tell the difference between easy to put on and just as easy to take off adaptive baby clothes. Gone are the too-small head holes and tricky snaps found in most baby clothes. The only difference is often the lack of a diaper change struggle.
Easy-on, adaptive baby clothes can still give you that same precious, endearing look as other baby clothes — they just don’t call for the dexterity of a sleight-of-hand magician to work the closures.
Babies With Gastric Feeding Tubes
Babies might have gastric feeding tubes for several reasons. If you are a parent who has a little one with a gastric feeding tube, you know the frustration of baby clothing not meeting either of your needs.
Some styles make access almost impossible, while others don’t allow for the bulk. Either way, it might involve breaking the #1 rule of parenting: Never wake a sleeping baby unless you have to.
Typical clothes don’t always play nice with feeding tubes. Adaptive clothing makes access to a feeding tube easier. You don’t have all the hoops to jump through, which means more time spent enjoying your baby and less time spent on changing. Dressing and undressing your baby takes no time at all.
Happy parents, happy baby.
Babies With Sensory Sensitivities
If your little one has sensory sensitivities, clothing is suddenly not so simple. Between the buckles, bows, zippers, ties, and buttons of too many baby clothes, typical baby clothes can feel like a non-stop struggle and a sensory nightmare.
Adaptive clothing can create that ultimate comfort for a little one who doesn’t want the extra feels of those frilly, fancy onesies – yet still, look every bit as precious.
Look for clothing with the Global Organic Textile Standard certification so that you know that you’re dressing your child in clothing that not only feels good but is also good for the planet. Organic cotton and manufacturing is one of the best options available.
We’re about a fast outfit change, not fast fashion.
Parent’s Living With Disabilities
Adaptive fashion isn’t just a perk on the baby side of things. Whether you have arthritis, are an amputee, or have motor skills challenges, adaptive clothing can make dressing and undressing your kiddo feel more accessible and realistic for you – as it should.
Take Tabeeze finger tab snaps. Even a half-asleep parent or someone suffering from arthritis can quickly locate the snaps so everyone can go back to sleep much sooner. Gone are the days of snapping and re-snapping a baby jumpsuit because you can’t get the fasteners to line up, what with a wiggling body and kicky legs in the way and all.
Adaptive Clothing Makes Changing Diapers Easier
Adaptive clothes are made for diaper changes that don’t result in… shall we say, unpleasantness.
A good example of thoughtful design is oh-so-obvious with the Tabeeze Bottom-Up Baby Bodysuit. This baby bodysuit provides accessibility for both babies and parents thanks to patented shoulder flaps and fumble-free snap alignment. This style makes preventing messes easier for diaper changers everywhere.
What Are Some Common Features of Adaptive Clothing?
The type of adaptive clothing you need may vary, but in general, here are a few things to look for, so you know you’re getting the real deal.
Abdominal Access/Diaper Friendly
Easy access to the abdomen through conveniently placed snaps or flaps for a quick, fuss-free approach to a baby’s belly is a good starting point when figuring out what is and isn’t adaptive clothing. These openings can offer more comfortable access to feeding tubes or other medical devices without the intrusion.
It’s not about random gaps or weird sizing. These clothes should be stylish yet fulfill a specific purpose. Procedures and feedings are hard enough. Generally speaking, clothing that is accessible to the abdominal area will be accessible in terms of diaper changes, too – because everything should be that simple.
Easy Dressing
Dressing your little one should be a snap. Adaptive clothing is all about taking what you know about typical clothes and then turning that notion upside down. And we mean that literally in the case of Tabeeze Bottom-Up Baby Bodysuit, where you slide on the onesie feet first, with shoulder snaps to make the process as painless as possible.
Other great features can include larger neck openings, easy-to-maneuver designs, and finger tab snaps (like those on Tabeeze) that can make dressing and undressing your baby a heck of a lot easier. Make changing time tears a thing of the past with onesies you can access without the hassle.
The options only get wider as your baby grows — your baby will have lots of fantastic adaptive apparel choices as they age. Adaptive fashion might include t-shirts or hoodies with magnetic closures. Adaptive pants often feature velcro or elastic waists. Easy-on shoes might rock a side zipper or hook and loop closures.
Sensory-Friendly
Certain types of clothing can feel too much to a little one with sensory issues. Sensory-friendly clothes might be tagless or created with the same breathable fabric. These clothes often include flat, external, or nonexistent seams and cause little to no skin irritation.
At Tabezee, we print our tags right onto our onesies so that the tags can never irritate your baby’s skin. Plus, then you don’t have to worry about losing the washing instructions when you cut the tag out. We also rely on flat seams for a onesie that’s as comfortable as luxury pajamas.
In short, adaptive clothes are the kind of clothes that your little one won’t mind wearing. They are also the kind of clothes you won’t mind your little one wearing because the best adaptive designs blend right in with typical (hard to put on) baby clothes.
Comfy While Seated
A higher or covered waistline on a baby or kiddo clothing covers a diaper or bandage, creates room for prosthetics or casts, and may include hidden leg openings. No matter what your baby needs, adaptive clothing helps give you peace of mind.
Comfort is a top priority. Sitting or standing, adaptive clothes stay comfy and in place (even on that long car ride).
Adaptive Clothing for Everyone
Although adaptive clothing is often marketed toward parents and kiddos living with disabilities, these comfort-focused, innovative designs might prove helpful to everyone, especially when a squirming diaper change is involved.
Not every brand creates clothing to meet multiple needs or bothers to consider how the clothes feel. Sensory issues or not, everyone deserves that comfy, cozy feeling — and it’s all the more important for a baby. Getting your baby ready should be easy for all – not for one. It’s all about snuggles, not struggles, over here.
Sources:
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) | familydoctor.org
Gastrostomy Tube Care, G-Tube Instructions & Tips | Cincinnati Children’s
Parenting Young Kids When You Have Arthritis: 24 Tips to Make the Day-to-Day a Little Easier
Adaptive Fashion Is in the Spotlight at Runway of Dreams in Los Angeles | Vogue