More parents splurging on designer pajamas for their children

LOS ANGELES: The days of summer are coming to an end and parents around the world are scrambling to find those last elusive back-to-school necessities for their children before the first school bell rings. But the coolest backpack or the must-have accessories for that all-important first-day outfit aren't the only luxury items parents are splurging on. Proud moms and dads are now shelling out their hard-earned cash for clothing that likely won't even see the light of day - premium pajamas.

As an increase in two-income families means working parents leaving earlier and getting home later, it comes as no surprise that for the few precious hours they get to spend with their children, they want to see them wearing clothing that is attractive. And with more women waiting longer to have children and returning to the work force before their kids are up and walking, they often have more disposable income to spend on their adored offspring.

Many working mothers "get home just in time to put their kids to bed. The children are already fed, bathed and in their PJs," says Amy Lassalle, the owner of two Parisian stores called Le Marchand d'Etoiles ( or "The Sandman") that specialize in quality sleepwear for children. "It is normal then that they want to see them in something charming as well as comfortable."

It's a wonder that the market for luxury pajamas hasn't taken off sooner, as the very successful designer daywear market for children seems to have hit a saturation point. Unlike the daytime clothing, however, designer pajamas are still an affordable luxury, with prices starting at under $50. So parents looking for new ways to spend their money are no longer limiting that pursuit to the time when their children are awake.

"Raising children these days is very different from years past," says Françoise Shirley, the owner of Sleepyheads.com, the premium pajama resource for Hollywood moms and luxury PJ aficionados. For parents, "the expectations appear to be higher than ever for your child to achieve academically, socially, athletically starting at a very young age. So we as parents want to give them all the tools necessary to do that, so that may include piano lessons at 2, dance lessons at 3, soccer at 4 and along the way the best of the best in everything from food to clothing."

Shirley has seen an increase in sales of about 20 percent each year for the past two years in her luxury children's pajamas and believes this category will continue to grow significantly.

But buying luxury pajamas isn't only about giving children the best of everything. Parents are buying high-end sleepwear as much for themselves as for their kids. Stylish moms and dads are now looking for a continuation of the cool attire they have purchased for their children to wear to school.

This means seasonal sleepwear collections that follow more closely the trends seen on the fashion catwalks. Color palettes and styles that are reminiscent of those that might be worn by a fashion-savvy mother. And even the perennial parental fashion favorite of matching outfits for multiple children has evolved into luxury pajamas styles that can be worn by the whole family, from infant to grandparent.

"When you are invited to spend the weekend at someone's house or they have a sleepover you want them to look good, you want to show them off," says Sheena de Boisgelin, the managing director of the four-year-old children's clothing brand Douce that carries both luxury pajamas and daywear.

The world of luxury sleepwear is not just becoming more stylish; it is also going through a major transformation. The change can already be seen in brands like Le Marchand d'Etoiles and Douce, which have started to tap into the next important phase in the children's sleepwear market. In their most recent collections these two brands showed how the line between sleepwear and loungewear has started to blur. As children spend nearly half of every day wearing their pajamas, this transition to more sophisticated sleepwear that can double as loungewear looks to be the future of luxury children's pajamas.

While almost every parent has cringed with regret on seeing a brand-new outfit come home from school looking tattered and worn, the more forgiving world of luxury sleepwear means that buying beautiful and stylish pajamas might just be the better investment. And nothing beats that all-important "ah" moment when the children are trotted out to say goodnight wearing sweet and stylish sleepwear.

"Now that my kids are old enough to stay up I love having them meet people we have over for dinner," says Tina Lignell, a public relations consultant and mother of 2-year-old twin girls. "My guests always go wild about the PJs."