Getting your child ready for their Communion can be a stressful time.
And shopping for the right dress or suit for your child can be the most stressful of all.
With a large number of children unable to find clothing to fit in general high street stores, many are forced to shop in stores which specialise in plus-size wear.
One of the main places that provides just that is The Sisters shop in Tallaght, County Dublin.
The shop caters for chest sizes up to 48 inches for girls and waist sizes up to 36 inches for boys.
Manager of the shop, David Healy told The Independent: “There is a big, big demand for the plus-size for boys and girls."
However, after the Easter break the shop now has quite a few alterations to do.
"We had a large amount of kids who came in to retry their suits - but their trousers were too tight. Easter is a major problem. We would have sold them fitting perfectly, but the kids put on weight." he said.
The shop prides itself on its ability to cater to children of all sizes.
"I had a few with 15 and 15.5-inch shirts, but that would be the upper end. A lot of them would be fitting into aged 13-14 suits." David said.
After a long history of stocking plus-size formal wear and it being very popular, this year has seen a drop in that demand.
Sales assistant Ann Kennedy said: "This year we have more of the bigger dresses left than normal, but we did sell a lot of the 48 and 46s as well."
However, Kathryn O’Driscoll, owner of Kids Stuff Boutique in Newbridge, County Kildare has seen her sales improve in recent years.
And both stores reiterated that parent’s will not necessarily have to pay more if they are in the position where they must buy larger sizes.
