Each Tortoise ubugi is 100% cotton and made from tenugui cloths - a traditonal multi-purpose cloth hand-dyed by master craftspeople. Due to the excellent material and method of dyeing used, the fabric only gets softer and more lovely with each wash. Your baby and toddler's skin feels great in this breathable, comfortable material. 13 month old Owen looks adorable wearing one of our favorite prints below. Owen's mom says he loves moving around in his kimono!
Some of our ubugi's are made with traditional prints like the one below. This particular print is known as 'hemp', like the plant - and the meaning behind this pattern is 'strength'. Because hemp is considered the strongest textile material in nature, parents who want their babies to grow up strong and resilient will often choose a hemp print to transfer that energy to their children.
Ubugis not only age well in terms of their fabric, they also grow with your baby. Our ubugis are designed to be worn from newborn age to 2 years old (and often older). We've even heard of 5 year olds still wearing our ubugis! When a newborn wears an ubugi, it will often extend to their toes so they can be worn as a robe. As your baby gets older and they're able to walk, the ubugi gets a little shorter to make it easier for them to move. But the real secret behind the longevity is the hidden stitches in the shoulders that you cut to release the arm sleeves so they extend! This extends the life of your ubugi so it can be worn as a shirt as the toddler grows. Newborn baby, Bronson, grew up wearing his owl print ubugi seen below, and now loves wearing it to the park at 20 months!
Our ubugis are unisex and all one size, so all you have to do is choose the pattern that best fits your baby or baby friend. Many of our patterns reflect seasons and nature, so that the child always stays close to the natural world.
We hope you enjoyed learning all about our ubugis - the miracle clothing for babies! View all of our patterns on our website here - and please send us photos of your little ones wearing them so we can share them with others!
