Clothing "shift change"

[judecorp]

I spent a good chunk of time terrorizing my child today, making her try on all of the current pants in the drawer and then the new pants I bought for fall/school. I had to do this while talking to my aunt on the phone (who did not seem to get that the whining was not enhancing my phone experience, LOL) so it was fun on both ends, let me tell you. But we got it done and I got all of her pants tried on and I have learned something very interesting:

1. My kid is no longer super slim, either that or the Old Navy/Gap jeans get slimmer as they size up. When she wore 2T, they were trim but fit well. 3T was more form fitting but still okay. 4T/4 are TIGHT. Like, they actually fit her but they fit like I would have liked my jeans to fit in high school, which is to say they are not very conducive to climbing and squatting and playing. And Punk didn't like them, she complained they were too tight. Bleh. So there are a couple of pairs of jeans (which thankfully were hand-me-downs and I didn't buy them) that I doubt she will be wearing much, if at all.

2. I imagine I will be sending her to preschool in predominantly elastic-waist pants because they are easier for her to take down to go potty. She still struggles with pulling pants UP and no amount of coercing or encouraging seems to help, so I am going to leave that to preschool to teach. Honestly, after all of their crap, they should be teaching her three languages. But anyway, the bonus of the elastic-waist pants is that they fit forever, because they don't get tight. :)

3. Once again, Gymboree wins for the very generous (*cough* too generous) hip/waist sizing (ditto Hanna Anderssen) but thankfully they all have adjustable waist so I can pull them in a ton. Also, their pants are longer than all of the other pants. But it's funny that their "skinny jeans" are way less snug than the "regular fit" at Old Navy or Gap.

4. All of the issues with my kid's pants being too tight were really triggering for when I was a tween/teen and had a hard time squeezing into junior-sized clothes, and feeling like I was really super obese when in reality I just plain wasn't. But for a few minutes I had a heart-attack moment of "Oh no, is my kid getting fat?" and then I basically had to beat the crap out of myself.

Good times, people, good times. But once the 4T fall clothes are washed, the "shift change" is done. :)

Comments

[enchantedmagic.livejournal.com]

I did this yesterday too. It's my least favorite thing to do. I can't wait until she is older and I can get away with doing it twice a year. Now it's every 3 months. ARGH!

I see a real difference between old navy jeans and gap jeans. Gap are a just little bigger than old navy- children's place runs the smallest in my book. I don't love gymboree. I love love- Oshkosh. They have my all time favorite kids clothes. I have no clue why I went on this rant. They ARE making kids jeans tighter and tighter- it's trendy.

I meant to share that I had a similar oh shit moment- because we got mackenzie some winter boots size 7- and I tried them on yesterday- and they won't zip all the way up. They are nearly knee high and my baby's legs are too chunky. For a second, I also thought- my kid is getting fat- then I was like- WHAT?! Not- she really isn't. The boots are made too narrow. :-)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY. Why are they making "skinny jeans" for preschoolers who need to climb and jump and go in sandboxes and everything? INSANE! I hate it.

I'm going to be honest and put my addiction out there and say Gymboree is my favorite, because although it is priced up the wazoo, the clothing LASTS. It's sized bigger so it lasts longer, it washes better, it seems to dodge stains better, it doesn't pill/fray/split at seams. I have put Gymbo clothes on my kid that have been through three kids and you wouldn't know it. I am planning on selling most of my daughter's clothes.

Besides, they're so roomy that when I cinch up the waist a lot, I don't have that "oh crap, my kid is fatter than other kids" feeling. And that is worth it! :)

We don't have many Osh Kosh clothes now (did when she was younger) but I /did/ buy a pair of 4T Osh Kosh jeans and they weren't AS slim as Old Navy/Gap but pretty close. SAD. :(

[enchantedmagic.livejournal.com]

Yeah gymboree IS really great quality. I have an issue with their prints and their style- although this summer collection WAS beautiful. I really always loved Gap jeans it makes me so sad they are sacrificing comfort and sizing for trend. We have some that have gone through a few kids and they are still in great shape. A nice skinny jean is cute to make one outfit but for every day wear- yeah no.

I never sell the clothes- although everything is in really fantastic shape- If I have 2 boys I will probably find someone in real need and give all of our clothes to her. It's my way of giving back to the universe.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

A lot of my kid's clothes have been handed down to me and I then hand them down to other people. I do re-sell some of her more expensive stuff (i.e. gymbo) if it hasn't been faded or stained, but never the handed down stuff - just the stuff I bought new. I would have saved them for #2 but alas it wasn't meant to be. :)

I've noticed that boys' pants are much more fuller cut so I always buy Punk at least 2-3 pairs of boys' pants (cargos or jeans) - usually at thrift stores - that become her hard core play pants. Thank goodness I did that because it means I have SOME things for #2. :)

[enchantedmagic.livejournal.com]

I buys a lot of boy stuff too. PJs and stuff- because sometimes the girl stuff is just too frilly for my taste- I also have some boy jeans- I've picked up in the gap clearance and such because well it doesn't really matter- they DO fit a whole lot better!! And a lot of it works for both boys and girls- I don't know why they insist in making girls clothes so much smaller- at that age- What is the difference!?! Makes me so mad.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I totally agree.

[childlight.livejournal.com]

Kids and sizes can be really crazy sometimes. I have found that I love Carter's clothes best. Luckily we have a outlet near us so we can still find sizes that go beyond 24 months.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I like some Carter's stuff but some of it seems to "cutesy" for me, if you know what I mean. I love their pajamas. I always go to the outlet to get the bigger sized pajamas, esp sleepers.

kids clothes

[(Anonymous)]

I think Childrens Place jeans are the bomb. They fit Morgan the best and longest. Oh and check out www.skinnykidz.com They make this really cool belt that basically turns pants into elastic waist...sorta! I sent Morgan to school today with one on and her CP jeans in size 4T that were way too big around the waist. She had no butt crack issues!! Plus she can do the potty thing without having to worry about fiddling with a belt!

Re: kids clothes

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh, I will have to look into that, thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

Girls clothes are small, small, small! I'll put it into perspective: My 3 year old son is wearing 3T shorts (heh, obvs ;p), my 7 year old daughter is wearing size 8 shorts. When I hold them up waist to waist, my sons shorts are LONGER (and I don't dress Avery like a hoochie...you've seen pics!) and the waist band on Chase's shorts are only slightly smaller than Avery's. It's disgusting how they make girls pants/shorts!

Cristin

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know!! I usually buy at least a couple of pairs of boys' shorts/pants for Punk (tan cargos or whatever) and they are always WAY roomier and longer. It's sick!!

[kaleidoscopeeye.livejournal.com]

I had to go buy Izzy jeans this weekend because I realized she has two pair of pants that fit her. Doh.

Izzy and Zach are a little on the short side and a little below 50th percentile and Gap/Old Navy fit them perfect right now. Although they are both in 3T so we shall see if I feel the same way when they move up a size.

And I agree with how well Gymboree holds up, but their pants don't work nearly as well for my kiddos. And I can't buy Izzy anything with elastic waists because she is too skinny and they fall right off of her. Bleh.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I can't buy the elastic waist at Gymbo, they are too big. I need to buy the regular pants with the adjustable waist thing, and then pull it out a lot. :) We have had luck with elastic waist at Target, Macy's clearance rack, stuff like that.

Kids clothes are HARD. I liked when she was a baby and everything just kind of fit. :)

[kaleidoscopeeye.livejournal.com]

I know, it is so tricky. I get the length to work but then the waist is gigantic. And the difference between sizes is HUGE, so they have a while where it looks like they are wearing floods or their pants are rolled and dragging on the ground.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that is where we are right now. 3T is a shade too small, 4T/4 is waaaay too long/wide. :)

[kaleidoscopeeye.livejournal.com]

*nods* That is where Izzy and Zach are too.

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I can relate to #4. Every fall it was a big scene with me mudder shrieking about how much bigger I had gotten and wasn't I a gargantuan disgusting moose. When I eventually grew 1. taller than her small-framed 5'2" 2. Grew bigger feet 3. Grew a bigger CHEST than she did, I was led to believe that I was going to end up like Walter Hudson and have to live in a bed and only sit on concrete blocks for the rest of my life.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I have nightmares about my grandmother threatening to buy me "boys' huskies" every single time we went school shopping. Barf barf barf.

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

Oh god, you too? I had one of my brothers always weighing in (no pun intended) on my supposed "weight problem" (I weighed like, 75 pounds when I was 9, and that was somehow JUST DISGUSTING): "YOU KNOW WHAT A HUSKY IS? A BIG FAT DOG THAT PULLS SLEDS. YOU ARE GONNA BE MUSHED AROUND."

Fuckin' fat shaming, how does it work? Oh, I could write reams.

*hug* You are Jude sized. I am Siannan sized. Punk is Punk sized, and quite the healthy and beautiful Punk :) We are all what we are.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

It's true. I hope I don't ever become "that parent." I would like my kid to be healthy and eat less junk than I did, and I hope she gets as much exercise/outdoor play as I did. I was in excellent shape. Too bad I thought I was fat all the time. Bleh. xo

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

And now you look back at pics of yourself and boggle how cute and healthy and normal you looked and wonder why no one ever called you nice things, right? Cause I know I do. Or I would, if I owned any childhood pics of myself.

[enchantedmagic.livejournal.com]

I gotta chime in and say-- I went throught the same stuff and worry ALL the time that I will become like that. I particularly loved the comment that said that punk is punk sized- etc. I wish I would have seen it that way when I was a kid. Now it's kinda our duty to make sure our kids do!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah I don't really have any but I remember the size of my clothes and boggle about how huge I thought I was compared to my teeny tiny friends.

[bloomchen.livejournal.com]

I grew up at a time when designer jeans were in, and while I was by no means chunky, I remember I could only wear a couple of the brands that were trendy then. It didn't help that my brother inherited the Norwegian tall/blonde/skinny genes and left me the German stout/sturdy genes. My mom said my grandmother talked about her "childbearing" hips. Ironic that my grandmother and I only had one kid each. At this point in my life I've accepted it, but it's hard when my brother still is 6 feet and maybe 160 pounds, and I am definitely not. My kiddo takes after my brother very much so I try not to obsess over what he eats, but I do encourage him to make good food choices. Fortunately he has a very good sense of when he's full so that helps. Raising kids is tough!

[stapynam.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking to myself TODAY "oh, no, it's time to do the clothes switch again."

Jeb is a peanut; he potty trained 2 weeks ago, and is now back in 18 MONTHS shorts since he's got no diaper to hold up the 2T, even though he'll be 3 YEARS old in a few months! Except, 18 month pants look like major high waters. Boo.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I think they should make "fits" for kids' pants like they do for women. Like there should be a size that has a wider waist and shorter legs, etc. Different kinds.

[bloomchen.livejournal.com]

One thing that I noticed is that if something is a 4T or 5T vs a 4/5/etc. is that T stands for toddler which also means diaper. A friend and I had this discussion years ago that the clothing gets a lot slimmer after 3T because kids are trending out of diapers and don't need the extra room anymore.

And I love Gap jeans for exactly that reason - no matter what size they are, they fit skinny kids. For girls there are a LOT more choices if your kids is on the slim side - leggings, dresses, etc. But for boys it's pretty much jeans or pants or sweats once they're in boys sizes. I was thrilled when they started to put those tabs inside jeans to cinch them in - at age 11 J can still wear size 8 shorts because his waist is so small, but for jeans I have to get size 10 slim and cinch them in to fit his waist and still have them long enough. Sweatpants with just elastic are a nightmare - we have to have a drawstring or they're obscene. And for older kid sizes, the jeans do come in different fits, even for boys - boot cut, cargo, painter's pants - whereas in the little kid range it's pretty much the same fit.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Some places use the T = toddler = diaper = more room in the butt but I don't think they all do - only the places that separate 4T/5T from 4/5. I know that Gap and Old Navy only have the T sizes and not a comparable number size. And I was talking with a friend and it definitely seems like boys' clothes, even in toddler sizes, run significantly bigger/wider than girls' clothes, which is kind of sick when we're talking about toddlers and preschoolers.

I know that it is as hard to shop for super skinny kids as it is for bigger kids, but one would think the clothing manufacturers would be on top of that. If they can make different "cuts" for older kids, they can make a couple for the littles, too. They would make money. Otherwise someone would have to size up forever and chop of a million inches on the legs.

Also, diapers are so trim and thin these days that there isn't all that much difference between a diaper and underwear sometimes. When Punk was wearing cloth diapers, it was REALLY hard to find jeans, even baby/toddler jeans.