‘A sad moment for a well-known high street name’. Those are the words of administrators appointed to oversee the closure of Mothercare after almost 60 years trading.
And I couldn’t agree more.
As a mum of three I can’t tell you the number of items bearing Mothercare labels there are in our house, and with baby number four on the way I fully expected to be able to shop there again too.
For me Mothercare has been a go-to for everything from pottys and toilet training seats to Christmas presents and new clothes, and the thought of it not being there any more really does make me sad.
Why I’m sorry to say goodbye to Mothercare
My very first maternity and nursing clothes came from Mothercare, along with all manner of baby gear and equipment we still use today. One of the kids’ best-loved toys, played with by all three, is a red teapot house with a family of mice inside, along with too many other toys to mention.
My favourite and most sentimental baby clothes include Jools Oliver’s Little Bird range, exclusive to Mothercare, which was simply too good to resist and worn by all three.
And our imprints of tiny baby feet, taken in Mothercare, are among my most treasured possessions.
We even own vintage Mothercare from our own childhoods, handed down by grandparents – original 1980s labels and all (no idea what modal is!) – which we still use today. And if that isn’t value for money then I don’t know what is.
As I write Misery Guts’s childhood pillowcase is currently on the middle one’s bunk bed, and he loves it.
But all that said – presumably like many of us – I haven’t been into a Mothercare since our local store closed a couple of years ago. And therein lies the problem.
If you no longer have a physical shop to go into, the only option is to shop online. And the trouble is other people are selling the same thing for less and delivered faster. So, I’m not surprised to learn of Mothercare’s demise, but as a mum with a nostalgic affinity to a household name I am sorry. It really is a sad moment for a well-known high street name.
What do you think? Do you have parenting memories associated with Mothercare? Will you be sad to see it go too? I’d love to hear your point of view!
I totally agree. I have bought many items and spent many hours in Mothercare. Although since our local store closed I only visit on occasion to the larger store a bit further away. I will really miss Mothercare, whilst it was a little pricey it was excellent value for great quality products that really did last. #KCACOLS
I am also sad to see Mothercare go, we lost the local store quite a while ago #kcacols@_karendenbid199@gmail is
Very sad to see it go too! We’ve had so many things from there over the years. Both of mine have various clothing from the Jools Oliver’s Little Bird range too. It’s adorable! x
I feel like Mothercare was part of my childhood and baby years. so sad #KCACOLS
I have only been in the UK for 3 years so don’t have the same fond memories of Mothercare as yourself. However it is so sad to see so many of these long term notworthy shops closing down. I walk down the high street and I swear another big name shop closes every week. Sad times! #KCACO
It is the problem for retail. Too much competion online and it is def a matter of use it or lose it…#KCACOLS
Like you, I bought so much from Mothercare, and it was the first place that I felt it was good to go when I was pregnant. I will miss Little Bird, but felt that a lot of the other things can be bought so much cheaper elsewhere. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
I remember buying outfits for my first niece there and for all the babies that arrived since, in our family, but I’ve not been in recently, as I had no gifts to buy. It was a definite go to. Sorry to see it disappear. #mmbc
I’ve been really conscious lately to shop at local vendors, even if their online site, instead of things like Amazon. I’m dismayed at the number of companies who have closed up due to big takeovers by a handful of giant companies. It’s very sad. #DreamTeam
With my first son, I chose to shop in places like Next and Mothercare. With my next son, I chose to be a stay at home mum and ultimately with the purse strings tightened I found myself shopping in places such as Primark. I imagine that many other Mums did a similar thing which is really quite sad. #KCACOLS
I felt exactly the same as you 🙁 My local Mothercare was huge, apart from selling everything under one roof it also had a Costa coffee and softplay, so as you can imagine it was a go to on days where there wasn’t much else to do. I was pregnant with baby no. 3 when I heard they where closing, totally gutted x