If you only had enough money to shop for yourself or your child this season, who would you buy for? Your child, of course. This is why, even during times of economic distress, sales of children’s clothes remain fairly consistent. If even those sales start slipping, something is going seriously wrong.

Gap and Old Navy announced that baby and children’s clothes sales softened this past quarter, meaning that parents aren’t giving up on new children’s clothes yet, but their belts are getting tighter. And this isn’t a sign that parents are simply opting for cheaper clothes, considering how Gap and Old Navy tend to be popular with mid- to low-income families.