Product Spotlight 7/14: Children's Clothes

SkilledSailor

Super slacking with the product spotlights! 

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed. 

For S+TMs: 

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:
• What you don't like about it, if anything:
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: 
• Additional thoughts on [children's clothes]?:

For FTMs

• [Children's clothes stores] you're interested in:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:

smsaulino

Favorite place to buy children's clothes: consignment shop. They have stood some test of time so you know they'll last for yours. 
Price is normally less than $5 each.
Only additional thoughts is that I want to try out those Target Cloud Island sleepers... heard they're some kind of magic for middle of night changing because they zip from bottom.

klj0228

@smsaulino I had completely let consignment shops slip my mind. Thanks for the reminder, especially since they go through clothes so fast in the early days. And I had not heard of the cloud island sleepers...commence googling now.

stothi

@klj0228 and @smsaulino for my first born we were broke as a joke and we hit up a consignment shop and spent like $15 on a sale day and bought him everything he needed to wear for the first month or so of his life. It was actually really fun just throwing every cute thing we saw into the cart without worrying about the price. Then we slowly as we had money and knew what we actually wanted for him started buying more stuff as we went along. A lot of times they wear the tiny baby stuff for like a day so you can find stuff at the shops that have only been worn once and frequently with the tags still on!

SkilledSailor

@smsaulino We've gotten a few of these ^ from Carter's. I'm hoping they make MOTN changes super easy! 

[Children's clothes stores] you're interested in: I've mostly been shopping at Carter's and TJ Maxx. I do feel like I need to branch out though because right now all of LO's clothes are grey or navy because anything with color on it at Carter's also have cheesy phrases on them like "Mommy's little gentleman". TJ Maxx does have some adorable boys rompers right now! I told H I would wait till after the shower to buy more clothes though. 
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): I've been trying to stay under $15/outfit so mostly catching sales. 
Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?: Where would you suggest getting dress clothes for babies and toddlers? We have a few weddings next year where we'd like him to be dressed a bit nicer than a onesie. Also, how many outfits per age group would you suggest? I don't want to over do it, but I also don't want to do laundry every day. 

smsaulino

@SkilledSailor we were given several of those. I like the fact that they have no snaps, make changing easy, could have same effect as a swaddle and last through a couple of age groups. We have several N-6 months, N-9 months ones. 

AdmiralKitty

@SkilledSailor Janie and Jack for ridiculously overpriced but SUPER cute wedding outfits. I usually raid their sale section. DS wore the cutest outfit from them to my sister’s wedding. 

nackie

For everyday clothes we usually stick to carters and target. I only shop from carters when they’re having a huge sale though. (Which seems to be just about every other week). 
We’ve been gifted a lot from Gymboree which is cute and nice but more than I want to spend typically. 
When DS was super little and going through multiple onsies a day, I actually hit up Goodwill. It was a dollar a piece and mostly carters brand in our area. 
If I need something dressy (like for a wedding or other event), I usually  go to Jack and Janie (or Janie and Jack, I can’t remember). It’s crazy expensive, but it’s the only place near us that actually has cute and dressy boy clothes without slogans or pictures. 

BostonBaby1

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]: ***At local small businesses.*** Also at some larger retailers like Ralph Lauren when they’re on major sale. My favorite for dress up clothes is Jacadi. They’re crazy expensive but have several 50% off sales each year.
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $$ to $$$
• What you like about it: Quality and supporting the local economy. 
• What you don't like about it, if anything: The expense. I do buy some Carter’s for rompers and such. Old Navy too. I like both places.
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: Children’s Place. The one near me smells terribly. 
• Additional thoughts on [children's clothes]?: If you are not into doing laundry, don’t purchase anything expensive. Also, dry clean only for babies is silly. Buttons up the back are only sensible for babies that can sit up on their own and have the patience/tolerance to let you do that. Get to know your kiddo first. Magnetic Me is awesome for nighttime. KicKee pants rock and will sometimes go on sale at Amazon or Zulily. Accept all the hand me downs. 

klj0228

AdmiralKitty said:

@SkilledSailor Janie and Jack for ridiculously overpriced but SUPER cute wedding outfits. I usually raid their sale section. DS wore the cutest outfit from them to my sister’s wedding. 

Was going to say the same thing! I used to buy my nephews outfits here when we had some family event coming up and I didn’t trust their parents taste. Now I look forward to an event where I need something from there for my little girl.

AdmiralKitty

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]: Target (Cat&Jack), Gap and Old Navy. Occasionally Carter’s but I dislike clothes that say things and that’s hard to avoid at Carter’s 
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): Try to keep it under $20ish for a full outfit. I NEVER buy full priced items from Gap/ON because they always have 40% off sales. I do their subscription box as well for fun but often end up returning most of it. 
• What you like about it: I stock up on solid colored/striped basics that mix and match well. There are lots of options for those items at all the places above. $5t-shirts at Target are my jam. When DS was younger I tried to do as many one-piece romper-type outfits as possible for less laundry/ease. 
• What you don't like about it, if anything: The full prices at Gap are ridiculous, especially when they have massive sales basically every other week. 
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: I want to love Rosie Pope clothes so much (from zulily) but the sizing was always way off (extremely small). I had a bunch but I always ended up getting them too late and DS would grow out of them quickly. I saved them for DD but need to remember to use them earlier for her! 
• Additional thoughts on [children's clothes]?: Never buy full priced items unless they’re super cheap. Kids clothes go on sale all the damn time!

Lcardinal04

For S+TMs: 

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]: I’m big on Carters because of their coupons and they have so many sales. They generally have huge clearance sections too. Same with osh kosh. I go old navy and gap for sales and their clearance sections at the end of a season. Oh and someone just clued me into H&M having cheap items. Honestly I don’t recall if it’s just toddlers or babies too, but I found sundresses for $5. 
• I know shoes are different but highly recommend checking the children sections of local outlet stores. Nike outlets have toddler clearance sections. I’ve found it to be hit or miss, but recently I picked up 3 pairs of sneakers for DD in various sizes to grow into for 11.99 and 12.99 a pair!! I was so excited. 
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): I don’t know how to rank it but I don’t like to spend a lot and every piece has to have multiple options. 
• What you like about it: I like that carters I can get same style in multiple colors and know they will fit DD. 
• What you don't like about it, if anything:
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: I’m not a target fan, just because I don’t find their prices on normal clothes competitive once I add in coupons to carters or where ever else. I don’t hate it, I just rarely find a deal. 
• 
  

AdmiralKitty

Oh yes! I second H&M for cheap and cute basics! 

Patience7150

I'll have a more elaborate post later, but wanted to give a shout out to primary.com. It is kind of spendy and rarely goes on sale, but the stuff is bulletproof. If you're planning to have multiple kids to pass stuff down to, this stuff wears so nicely, is super color fast (I've never noticed any fading or piling and have done nothing special to wash it) and has awesome basics. I generally start there, and then add cuter, more fashionable stuff from target, Carter's, children's place, old navy and then consignment shops.

smsaulino

@Patience7150 primary.com is having a $7 and under sale right now. 

arcticseal-2

For S+TMs:  Disclaimer:  Small town Canadian here!

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]:  The consignment store when we had one.  In the city, Carters and Costco as dependable decent quality and not all about the Disney, etc character.  For shoes, Joe Fresh over Walmart pretty much any day.  Better quality as no character branding.  I also like Emma and Jack which I think is from Sears.
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:  See above
• What you don't like about it, if anything: See above
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: Walmart tends to have too much character branded stuff which I don't necessarily like to put my girls in and Children's Place seems to be cheaper quality and more made to look like teenager stuff so I don't really like that either.
• Additional thoughts on [children's clothes]?:  
• 
  
• -White for toddlers and down is a disaster. It just stains and makes laundry harder. 
• -Second hand stuff is totally fine! 
• - For me with girls, they didn't start wearing holes in things until about 5.  
• -Also, with the three girls, #1 is overloaded with things, #2 has enough and is usually in sandal size when I have a pair of winter boots of that size, #3 needs replacements but some of the hand-me-downs make it.  
• -they all have a different style.  Stuff #1 wore once, #2 will wear all the time.  #3 isn't big enough to pick her own clothes yet but I'm pretty sure they'll be different main choices than #1 and #2.
• -for me, if you are team green, when I found out my oldest was a girl (at birth) there was no way I was going to put my girl in blue or neutrals as a baby (or even older, frankly).  Thankfully I had a friend with both boy and girl newborn things I could borrow from.  I recommend this.  
• -I recommend a special outfit to wear home from the hospital (and for us a first Sunday outfit). The hospital outfit has a lot of photos taken in it and ends up basically being their first clothes and, for me, potentially a keepsake.  The first Sunday outfit is the first real time baby gets taken out to "show off" to everybody and, for us, gender is revealed, and a cute special outfit again is fun... 

pourmeanothermocktail

Garage sales, consignment shops, friends, Goodwill-all my favorites. Team green for the second time, and my family bought a ton of neutral stuff in tiny sizes for my son-so we're set there. It probably isn't until maybe the 9 or 12 month sizes that I'll have to find some options if this one is a girl, because that's the size my friend started giving me all her son's adorable plaid button down shirts. But I totally prefer to spend $10 on a Walmart bag full of one size/season/gender and maybe pick up 2-4 things to supplement that with from TJ Max, Goodwill, or Target. 

We have a few weddings next year, so I'll shop for those, and maybe one super cute outfit for birthday and Christmas every year bought at a "real" store. My son is actually very into what he wears, so I do have fun picking out that one special outfit that's new and fun just for him!

knitknitread

For S+TMs: 

• Favorite [place to buy children's clothes]: For first 18 months, I love Carters. After that I like catching sales at Children's Place.
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $-$$
• What you like about it: I really like the onesies at Carter's. The snaps are sturdy and they hold up really well. They also fit really well on my bean pole child.
• What you don't like about it, if anything: I can't think of anything at the moment.  
• Is there a [store] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: I never had good luck with Walmart and Gerber. Their onesies are always more short and stocky.
• Additional thoughts on [children's clothes]?: Don't spend a ton of money unless it's a special event thing. They are going to get messy. They are going to be outgrown quickly. 

          Also, after about 2T, boy clothes are bigger than girls clothes. So, if you want some longer, looser fitting shorts for your daughter then consider that. 

Two piece pajama sets will forever fit weird (I'm talking like...after 9m?). Yes, they are made to be tight but to get them to not fit ridiculously, I will usually go up a size. 

MandyMost

First, for babies and toddlers I don’t pay attention to which department the clothes are in. My daughter has plenty of “boy clothes”...especially some overalls, longer shorts and swimsuit bottoms, and simple sneakers. 

The feel/fabric of the clothes and the functionality are critical. I once bought a long sleeve sweater one-piece/romper thing with buttons (not snaps). She never wore it. Buttons?!?! You’ve got to be kidding. I also had a few adorable rompers in a polyester fabric that looked cute but was just terrible...you don’t want to hold/snuggle that!

I basically divide up the stores into “cheap stores” and “expensive stores” and make sure I’m only buying really special things at the expensive stores. I also sign up for the emails and only buy on sale. It took until my daughter was about 1 to realize how often and how good the sales on kids clothes are! 

I’m used to looking fit “good quality” clothes fit myself, and it took me some time to realize there’s no point in paying for quality in baby clothes. Who cares if it’s falling apart in 3 months, baby has outgrown it anyway! I do care about the feel of the fabric, though, as I mentioned above.

Anyway, my usual stores:
Carters—wait for at least 40-50% off. Great for simple everyday clothes, but you’ll see kids in the sane clothes EVERYWHERE. 

Childrens Place—wait for at least 60% off. Styles change here regularly, so check back every few months. Way too many slogans and stuff for me right now! Good for “fun outfits”.

Target—I like the Cat & Jack brand, but I like to always buy in person at Target so I can feel the stuff.

Hannah Anderson—even 40% off the stuff is still pretty pricey, but the fabric feels sooooo good. Lots of bright colors and fun but not tacky patterns. If I was rich I’d shop here a lot more.

Primary.com—also a little pricey, but great feel to the fabric. I like to mix-and-match all these super-simple basics with the crazy stuff you find at Carters or Children’s place.

Nordstrom—for an occasional special outfit I’ll shop Nordstrom online (like a dress for birthday photos). 

The in-laws often buy stuff at Walmart, and my mom from Sears. Honestly the Walmart stuff is terrible..poor feeling fabric, poorly sized, and not cute. The Sears stuff is sometimes oddly trendy and fun for super cheap! 

MandyMost

@knitknitread that’s funny about the two-piece pajamas. My daughter is really tall and skinny and they fit her great! Wat better than regular clothes LOL

pourmeanothermocktail

knitknitread said: *snipped*

Two piece pajama sets will forever fit weird (I'm talking like...after 9m?). Yes, they are made to be tight but to get them to not fit ridiculously, I will usually go up a size. 

Lol, seriously!!!! We started getting those in 2T when my son was in 12m or 18m daytime clothes-because I need to be able to get them on him. Would rather legs and sleeves be 4" too long than have his limbs look like sausage links and him be unable to bend those joints. 

nackie

@knitknitread I did not know that about boy clothes being longer once your hit 2T. I might have to start shopping for DS in the girls department. He is so short for his age that all his shorts look like pants that are just a tiny bit too short. 

knitknitread

@nackie I should have been a bit more clear. It is more like, my daughter wears a 5T in girls department but if I go to the boys department then she wears a 4T.

But he might have good luck with the Bermuda shorts in the girls department. Though, girls clothes do tend towards being tighter fit? Which bugs the crap out of me.

nackie

@knitknitread ahh, that doesn’t sound like it would solve our problem. His 2T pants fit perfectly at the waist. Poor kid. 

knitknitread

@pourmeamocktail Seriously! DD will not wear them when they get to sausage arm stage. And if you buy them in her "size" then it's instant.

@MandyMost It is so amazing how different people can have different experiences with that! My daughter has always been more long and lean but the pajamas never fit right!

Patience7150

Tight fitting, non flame retardant (resistant?) Pjs are like a freaking sausage casing after bath time, no matter one piece or two.

**fixes typo

BostonBaby1

Patience7150 said:

Tight fitting, non flame retardant (resistant?) Pjs ata like a freaking sausage casing after bath time, no matter one piece or two.

Especially if you use lotion first!!! So hard to stuff!!! 

lisac113

• [Children's clothes stores] you're interested in: We have been incredibly lucky to have friends gift us with hand me downs.  She already has a ton of 6-9 and 9-12 month items.  We have also two really nice consignment stores that are local and do a fantastic job of vetting what comes in and out of their stores and I have yet to pay more than 3 or 4 dollars for anything.  We have bought her a few new things and my mom is all about buying her "her going home outfit" which is great for me!
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:  An impossible one.   I know it is completely dependent on each child, but should I cautiously hold back on how many newborn/0-3 month things she has?  My mom seems to think that she will go right into 3 or 3-6 month things but I don't know how much I believe her.  I am not a tall person nor is my husband. I know width will also matter, and who knows on that?  The last ultrasound we had was at 20 weeks and she was average, 50-55% on everything.  Anyone have any estimates on how much I should buy for 0-3 month things?  Also, September is weird where I live (in the Midwest) it could be tank top weather or sweatshirt weather, so I feel like I might need a few of both?  Am I completely wrong?

Thanks for the info on other stores/websites I didn't know about such as primary.com 

MandyMost

knitknitread said:

@pourmeamocktail Seriously! DD will not wear them when they get to sausage arm stage. And if you buy them in her "size" then it's instant.

@MandyMost It is so amazing how different people can have different experiences with that! My daughter has always been more long and lean but the pajamas never fit right!

My kid is fairly extreme...she’s 2 now and since she was born she’s been consistent on the growth charts at 40th-50th percentile for weight and 90th-99th percentile for height. Everyone guesses she’s 3.5 or so even though she’s only 2! So we clearly have no problem with how tight-fitting girls clothes are, but a major problem with how short stuff is! I never thought about how the PJs are probably too tight in most kids! 

It definitely affects which which brands fit best...some clothes are fit really wide and just look ridiculous on her. I don’t know where you buy “Geranimals” or something like that—a super-cheap mix-and-match brand—maybe Walmart—but she has a bunch from the in laws we don’t even bother with. It’s all sooo wide.

I find Primary.com runs a little small/tight (good for us!), Carter’s and Children’s Place are pretty true-to-size/average, and Hannah Anderson runs big. 

Wishilivedinflorida

@lisac1017 I didn’t get much NB size because everyone told me DS would probably fit right into 0-3 right away. Not so! He was 7lbs 11oz and 20 inches and remained in NB size for a month. We had to make an emergency Carter’s run for NB essentials! I definitely think going right to 3-6 is a little unrealistic for an average-sized newborn. I think a solid set of about 10 practical outfits is reasonable for each size if you don’t want to constantly be doing laundry. 

I dont have much to add to the above recs except that I find good deals at Kohls all the time. Their Jumping Beans brand is decent and runs reasonably true to size (though DS has been ahead in sizing since about 3 months old). I usually don’t buy unless I have a coupon, either. 

nackie

@lisac1017 my mom convinced me that DS would go right into 0-3 month clothes. Even though he was almost 9 lbs, he was still in NB for a good three weeks. We were doing laundry every day since we only had like 4 nb outfits. 

lisac113

@nackie and @Wishilivedinflorida thank you very much for the feedback, that helps!  It helps to know that I will need a few weeks of newborn clothes and to keep my eye out for sale things.   I have said this before, I am such a logistics person, tell me how many    so hearing the number of weeks/outfits gives me some clarity.  
@nackie I told my mom, I don't want to be stuck doing laundry everyday or having to buy full price newborn things because I am scrambling when I could have picked them up at a consignment store beforehand. I realize I am not going to be locked in my house, but gosh, to be a little prepared with everything else I am unprepared for will help.  

Patience7150

@lisac1017 also echoing going to 3-6 is probably not likely. 0-3 is possible though. DD was 8lbs 11oz and went straight to 0-3. Still, I have a stash of nb to get us through the first few weeks until i know. 

I'm in MN and we also have volatile September weather. I don't see myself dressing LO in sleeveless gear, so I'm mostly planning short sleeves and long sleeves. 

arcticseal-2

@lisac1017 I have a friend who's babies grow really quickly but she still needs newborn, 0-3, etc. clothes.   You don't know how fast your baby will grow too.  Until baby comes you won't know basically what size they'll need when...  Also, babies do need to be dressed a bit warmer than adults so I wouldn't focus on the short sleeve t-shirts. 

SkilledSailor

nackie said:

@lisac1017 my mom convinced me that DS would go right into 0-3 month clothes. Even though he was almost 9 lbs, he was still in NB for a good three weeks. We were doing laundry every day since we only had like 4 nb outfits. 

Thank you for sharing this! We only have 3 or 4 newborn outfits because we're guessing LO will be around 8.5lbs. I wasn't thinking about how they lose weight at first. 

BostonBaby1

I like a going home outfit for newborns but aside from special occasion, footed onesies are life. Also, they’re so squishy at first. Most kids will wear NB for at least a couple of weeks but 0-3 is pretty standard. 

knitknitread

BostonBaby1 said:

I like a going home outfit for newborns but aside from special occasion, footed onesies are life. Also, they’re so squishy at first. Most kids will wear NB for at least a couple of weeks but 0-3 is pretty standard. 

Yes! Pajamas all the time!

jhjocelyn

Ssoo, dd was a special snowflake, and wore newborn for 6 months, 0-3 for the next 6 months, and at a year finally moved up. 

Sometimes ya just don’t know what to expect! 

AdmiralKitty

DS was 9lbs2oz and was in newborn sized things for at least a month. I panicked in the few days in between my due date and his arrival and bought a handful of things at Carters in newborn size and was SO glad I did!

Sdeux

Favourite brands for kids: 
Gap (sales or outlet store), Old Navy, H&M, Target, Crazy 8, Carter’s/Osh Kosh, Joe Fresh (we are Canadian),
Abercrombie Kids when you get to size 3/4 and up.

Gently Used: Once upon a child, Facebook
Moms groups, Mom to Mom Sales. 

Least Favourite brands: Childrens Place, Walmart

With our son we really started seeing him wear out clothes starting at 2T and up. Specifically knees in pants and stains. Look for reinforced knees, stores that will guarantee their product etc. 

We we have mixed seasonal clothes for newborn sizes being a September 1st due date, if we are inside then it will be mostly sleepers. Zipper sleepers are the best! Probably had son in newborn for approx a month or so. Born at 7lbs 15 oz. 

Found he jumped sizes that were double his age. So by 3 months he was wearing clothes labelled 6-9
months, 6 months old wearing 9-12 months etc. Found that very accurate until we hit toddler sizing.

 

[Deleted User]

Can the going home "outfit" just be a footed sleeper, too?

We are still Team Green for our families, and as much as I have been oogling the cute gendered outfits online, and trying to justify spending the money, I'm also afraid that too much of an effort there might be a give-away that we accidentally did find out ahead, and I'd rather keep the mystery.  Plus maybe have a little headband ready, "just in case"?  But I know a sleeper is not exactly an, "outfit." :/