Store to Sell Plus-Size Clothes for 3-Year-Olds

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - It was bound to happen – “plus-size” clothes for tots.

With the World Health Organization placing childhood obesity at epidemic numbers with more than 22 million children under 5 overweight worldwide , it’s no wonder there’s a demand.

Now, there’s also a supply.

The popular Marks and Spencer clothing purveyor in Britain has announced a trial run of new “plus fit” apparel for children as young as 3 , reports the Daily Telegraph.

For parents of chunky preschoolers, it’s sure to be a welcome relief. No more hemming size six pants, or making due with clothing that’s obviously too small.

But not everyone is happy.

"It is an absolutely tragic illustration of the terrible obesity problem this country faces, and how early in life it starts,” says Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum. “People used to dismiss obesity as a problem of the lower classes, but the decision by M&S shows just how widespread the problem is.”

Already an estimated 2 percent to 7 percent of health-care costs are directly attributable to obesity in several developed countries, the WHO reports.

British research has shown that daughters of obese mothers were 10 times more likely to become obese. Sons of obese men were six times as likely to become obese , according to the research.

Plus-sized clothing for children is nothing new in the United States. Sears has long carried a line of “husky” clothing for the heavier school-age child, while online retailers such as Jeenybeans also carry clothing for “plus-sized” youth.

But the decision by M&S marks the first time an upscale retailer has targeted children under 6. A spokesman for the retailer says the decision came in response to demand, according to the Telegraph .

The move could become permanent, depending on customer response, an M&S spokesman said.