I’m now 3.5 years into being a Mum and I can finally say that I’ve found the best online clothing brand for kids.
A bold claim – but hear me out.
After making my way through many an eye-watering expensive brand, and sampling cheaper more affordable options, I’m now an expert in online kids’ clothing.
A few years ago, I discovered the brilliant brand Kidly – and with it their own eco-conscious Kidly Label. Designed to offer quality clothing, shoes and accessories without the premium pricetag, the Kidly Label has been the ideal online kids’ clothing brand for my (fast) growing three-year old and her cousin, Henry.
Clothes that will endure the everyday wear-and-tear of life as a small child, the Kidly Label is thoughtfully designed and thoroughly tested, ensuring that its key staples will not only look great, but last.
Below is a full review of why I think the Kidly Label is the best online clothing brand for kids in 2024.
Who are Kidly?
Kidly were formed in 2016, when founder James Hart left ASOS to build his own child-friendly version of the market-space.
Noticing that there was a distinct lack of online destinations selling multiple children’s clothing labels, James launched Kidly to sell a ‘trusted edit of the world’s best brands’, alongside the Kidly Label, aimed at children between 0-5 years old.
Aiming for both style and substance, Kidly brings together the best children’s clothing and accessory brands from around the world (think Scandiborn, Little Dutch, Djeco, and Mimi and Lula), to make online shopping as a parent that little bit easier.
As a Mum who tries to consider sustainability when buying for my daughter, I love the fact that Kidly also advocate for eco brands. Their eco shop includes brands such as Little Green Radicals, Oli and Carol (brilliant for toys), Janod and Liewood.
The Parent Test
One of my favourite things about the Kidly brand is that they test all of their products on ‘real life’ parents first. Kidly will send parents products to trial, asking for their brutal honesty, before adding them to their inventory.
Knowing that the product I’ve purchased has been pre-approved by parents (and kids alike), and has survived the daily whirlwind of life, makes me far more confident to buy from Kidly.
Anyone can apply to be a Parent Tester, and you can apply here.
Kidly Label
As well as sourcing quality kid’s brands from around the world, Kidly also produce their own brilliant label = which we’ve been huge fans of since our children were born.
Below are a just a few reasons why we think the Kidly Label is the best online clothing brand for kids.
Designed in the UK
First up, the Kidly brand is not made up of pre-designed garments bought off the shelf. Instead, all of the Kidly Label brand is designed in the UK and the team have a pretty thorough process when it comes to bringing this piece to life.
One thing I’ve noticed about the Kidly brand is that all of the products are designed to work with one another. I often struggle buying clothes for Olive that ‘match’, and end up dressing her in a rainbow of colours and styles. Kidly, thankfully, have solved this issue, making sure that all their Kidly Label garments work well together.
This is huge timesaver and makes me feel like a Mum who has got it together when my child walks out of the door each morning.
Sustainable Fabrics
The Kidly Label focuses on using sustainable products. However, if any of their products can’t be recycled, Kidly will ensure that the material will, at the very least, be long-lasting and durable.
Although I’m keen to invest in sustainable brands, I understand sometimes this isn’t possible and I’m happy with Kidly’s approach to sustainability. Furthermore, I ensure I donate Olive’s clothes once she’s grown out of them and know the Kidly Label will last for another child (or even several more) to come.
Read more – What Goes into the Kidly Label?
No Nasties and Organic
All of Kidly Label’s material is OEKO-TEX certified, meaning no harmful chemicals are used to dye them. Furthermore, all of the daywear or sleepwear is GOTS-certified organic cotton, making it super cosy.
Eco Packaging
All of the Kidly packaging is designed with the environment in mind, and are compostable and recyclable. You can read more on Kidly’s ‘Going Green‘ ambition, and how they’ve revaluated their packaging and made radical changes in just the last year.
The Mum Test: What Makes Kidly the Best Online Store for Kids?
1. Price
For the quality and sustainability of the Kidly Label, I think it’s incredibly well priced. Forget cheap t-shirts that will need throwing away after a few wears, Kidly garments are designed to stick-around.
I would liken the price similar to that of Marks and Spencer, or Next, but with the added sustainability angle and ‘real life’ parent testing to ensure the products actually work “in the wild”.
Kidly also often have great sales on, meaning you can snap up products for even better prices throughout the year (some some prices up to 50% off).
2. Comfort
For comfort, I don’t think you’ll find another brand that kids enjoy wearing more than the Kidly Label – making it an obvious contender for the best online clothing brand for kids. As parents of a toddler/young child knows, getting your kid to actually wear any clothes can often be a battle (and don’t get me started on hats).
The Kidly Label is designed to be soft, flexible and comfortable for little bodies, thus reducing the chances of meltdowns and tantrums.
A statement all parents of young children want to hear.
3. Durability
From crawling across dirty soft plays, to throwing paint down themselves, kids are not interested in looking after their clothing. It’s important that their clothing is therefore built to withstand the relentlessness of a child’s day.
Having tested the Kidly Label for a number of years now, I can safely say that the garments I’ve purchased last far longer than other brands, despite endless staining, stretching, washing and drying.
4. Style
Although I’m not particularly looking to dress Olive like a mini-model, I do attempt to at least make her outfits look somewhat coordinated. As mentioned above, Kidly Label have intentionally made their garments work well together, without having to buying a specific ‘outfit’.
I’ve found this to be true when buying clothing from the Kidly Label, and all the items naturally work well together – and look pretty fantastic.
This makes dressing Olive, an ordeal in itself, far easier.
Our Top Summer Picks of Kidly Label Clothing
As I mentioned earlier in our review of the best online clothing brand for kids, one of my favourite things about the Kidly Label is they make it so easy to put a fab outfit together.
This summer, I was looking for an easy outfit for Olive that was durable, comfortable and that would work whether she was busy playing at home or away on holiday.
Below is the outfit I decided to pick, choosing her favourite colour – purple – and a splash of denim for cooler days.
Girls Clothing Picks – Claire’s Picks for Olive
1. Quilted Shacket (£40)
First on my list for Olive’s summer wardrobe was a light-weight jacket for her to wear on cooler days (i.e. everyday in the UK). I picked up the Kidly Label Quilted Shacket.
My only grumble about it is that it doesn’t come in an adult size.
Incredibly soft, yet fully lined, this jacket still has plenty of flexibility for Olive move around in. It’s popper front also makes it a stress-free coat to get on a wriggling 3-year old, and means Olive can easily unbutton it if she needs to.
2. Towelling Short Sleave Sweatshirt (£16)
The 100% organic towelling sweatshirt is the ideal top to pack as part of a toddler/kid’s holiday wardrobe. Easy to wear, with a wide neck for making it easy to put over a swimsuit, this is a holiday essential.
3. Towelling Shorts (£14)
The towelling shorts are equally as easy to throw on as the t-shirt and offer the very-much needed elasticated waistband when dressing a small child. As Olive is a little on the small side, I always look for shorts with a tied waistband, to easily tighten them up. I also love the fact the shorts have pockets – one of Olive’s favourite things (like most women).
4. Floppy Sun Hat (£18)
In my opinion, Kidly do the best sunhats for toddlers/kids and her new purple sunhat has lived up to this expectation. With a broad rim that isn’t annoyingly floppy, the 100% cotton hat covers Olive face and back of neck. It is also soft and light, meaning she’s happy to wear it for long periods (unheard of with other hats).
5. Jelly Sandal
No summer wardrobe for a toddler would be complete without a jelly sandal. Olive loves jelly sandals as she finds them easier to put on herself.
Picking up a pair of the Kidly Label jellies was therefore a no brainer for our upcoming holiday. Designed to get wet, these jelly sandals are ideal for splashing around in the sea (or currently in our case, our village river).
The Kidly Label jellies are something of a viral sensation, so make sure you pick up a pair quickly.
Boys Clothing Picks – Laura’s Picks for Henry
1. Recycled Swim Shorts (£16 currently on sale for £10)
Made from recycled polyester, these board shorts are super soft and are incredibly comfy for little tummies. As Henry is also on the smaller side, having a draw string (that actually works) is incredibly useful.
He lived in these swim shorts during a recent holiday and they’ve washed well, despite numerous ice cream spillages on them.
2. Quilted Shacket (£40)
I also picked the Quilted Shacket for Henry and it works just as well with his outfits as Olive’s. This was the perfect jacket for the cooler nights on holiday and Henry was happy to wear it (which is huge for a 3-year old) for the whole evening.
3. Colour Block Cap (£18 in sale for £9)
The most successful buy from the Kidly Label for Henry has been the Colour Block Cap. I’ve struggled to get a hat on Henry, but he seems much happier wearing a cap and we had no issues keeping it on him.
3. Sandals (£20 on sale for £12)
Another key essential for a 3-year old’s summer holiday wardrobe is a pair of sandals. As Kidly explains, these sandals are ‘lightweight but sturdy,’ making them ideal for a young child who is on the go.
I like the fact the Velcro straps allow you to get a better fit of sandal and the sole is extra grippy (ideal for rock-pooling on holiday).
4. Tipped Tea (£10)
No summer holiday wardrobe for a toddler would be complete without a comfy t-shirt. Made from super soft organic cotton, I’ve actually ended up buying a big batch of these t-shirts, as they are so easy to throw-on Henry during the summer months. The t-shirts are designed to stretch or twist, (which I’ve found so many other brands don’t do), and despite plenty of washing, the t-shirt has kept it’s shape.