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- As millennials are starting to have kids, the startups they love are adapting to meet their needs as parents.
- Popular companies like Quip, Rent the Runway, Allbirds, and Away are now making pint-sized products for little ones.
- Keep reading for more of the smartest (and cutest) kids' versions of our favorite grown-up products.
There's no denying that the low prices of the direct-to-consumer startup boom combined with the ultimate convenience of Amazon Prime have completely colored how millennials shop. Where malls with large department stores were once considered sacred ground, millennials now tend to prefer a more personalized online shopping experience — preferably one that also includes free and fast delivery.
We've turned instead to smaller startups to satisfy our need for originality and discovery. Yet even when those startups get big enough to not feel like startups anymore, we're still continuing to shop from them — just not exclusively for ourselves.
As millennials age into parents, many of us are turning to those same startups we once "discovered" for ourselves to instead buy clothes, sheets, and even suitcases for our own kids. Brands like Brooklinen— whose most loyal fans tend to be young adults who just bought their first or second set of nice sheets— understand that as their customer base grows up, they need to find ways to keep them coming back, and in the process, are beginning to cultivate the next generation of customers.
Below, you'll find a list of some of our favorite startups that are now making (very cute) items for children and babies:
1. Brooklinen
Shop the Brooklittles Collection at Brooklinen, from $32
It's no surprise that Brooklinen, arguably the internet's favorite bedding brand, is now making baby sheets and blankets in similar styles to their playfully patterned offerings for adults. Sweetly named "Brooklittles," the collection for tiny ones includes cozy blankets, quilts, crib sheets, toddler sheet sets, and swaddling blankets in ultra-soft materials like sateen and muslin cotton.
Read our full review of Brooklinen sheets.
2. Allbirds
Shop Smallbirds Wool Runners at Allbirds, $55
Allbirds, the internet's favorite sneaker startup and maker of the comfiest pairs on earth, aptly named its kids' collection "Smallbirds" (we know — it gets us every time!). Toddlers and kids can run around comfortably in the company's original Wool Runners made from sustainable (and super soft) merino wool. Though the shoes have laces, there's also an elastic band underneath the tongue on kids' pairs so they slip on easily but won't slip off. Plus, parents can clean them up easily in the washing machine.
Read our full review of the Allbirds Wool Runners.
3. Bombas
Shop kids socks at Bombas, from $15
Recognizing that socks are one of the most requested but least received items in homeless shelters, Bombas was founded with a mission to provide socks to those who need them while selling socks to those who want them. The company has now donated over 10 million pairs. Their kids' socks are designed with grippy bottoms so they can run freely around the house without slipping, sliding, or crashing into walls (as kids are wont to do).
Read our full review of Bombas.
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