Once upon a time, kids were lucky to be dressed in hand-me-downs and a clean diaper. (Or was that just us?)

Now, well-heeled parents are paying personal shoppers a small fortune to select mini designer togs for their precious tots, the Daily Mail reports.

Naomi Greenaway, a reporter at the UK paper, took her one-year-old daughter Mia to a number of high-end British department stores to investigate the trend after a friend revealed that she used the service to "identify the style gems of the season."

At Harvey Nichols department store in Edinburgh, Greenaway says a stylist admitted that children consult the personal shopping department on a near-daily basis.

"Even when they're as young as three, they often have a strong opinion on their style -- especially the girls," a Harvey Nichols personal shopper told her.

"And the mums we see often end up spending more on their babies than on themselves. The clothes are just so irresistible."

At the luxury Harrods department store's personal shopping department, which the paper reports is booked through Christmas and insists upon a £2,500 minimum shopping bill, regardless of age, splurging on designer children's apparel is part of the game.

"One client recently came in for her baby daughter and left with an £8,000 wardrobe," a Harrods personal shopper told Greenaway.

Among the hot-ticket baby items Greenaway and Mia encountered: a £279 pink Dior blazer (for those all-important business meetings down at day care); a £579 Cavalli dress (sure to wow the boys in the sandbox); and an £800 rabbit fur coat from Bonpoint (what all the kids at Mommy & Me are buzzing about).

Suri Cruise, you've got some explaining to do...

Do you think you're never too young to appreciate fashion? Or do these designer-obsessed parents need to get a grip? Leave a comment below with your take on this tot trend!

If you thought expensive clothes for babies were objectionable, wait 'til you get a load of these nipple tassel tees for tots.