Clothes for Toddlers
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Roomier Clothes & Diapers for 16 month Boy
May 2005We are having quite a time finding clothes and PJs for our 16 month old boy. He wears cotton diapers and that creates a big butt. Also he is not gonna be a tall guy. So, we are hoping to get some suggestions about where to get some pants and PJs (w/feet?) that can fit him and his cotton diapers. (At night we use inserts so he won't leek at that also makes for a big butt). We would really prefer not to get the camoflage fashion that seems to be a big item for boys clothes, too. Thanks in advance! Stu
I always had good luck with Hanna Andersson clothes for my son. The pajamas are not footed but they are what we use. We also bought big for his pajamas so that they would fit the night time diaper. We don't use cloth at night anymore but we still use Hanna zippers and stripes every night. Another nice bonus is that they don't have flame retardants on them. The website is hannaandersson.com Lisa
Hanna Andersson. A little pricey, but roomy and durable. Watch for sales. R.K.
Dress clothes for toddler boy
May 2004We are going to a wedding on May 29 in Danville (think HOT!). I am looking for a dress shirt, shorts, suspenders and a clip on bow tie for 24 mo-sized 1 year old. I do not want a spend a fortune as he will only wear this outfit once, but I don't want his clothes to look cheap. I have looked all over the internet and not found anything. Where can I go to find these things in or near Oakland? Lisa
I get almost all my 1 year old's clothes from e-bay and have had nothing but GREAT results. The clothes have all been in excellent condition, and are CHEAP (most recently a nice short sleeve shirt + 2 pairs of swim trunks for $7.50 including shipping). There are thousands of items for sale, and you don't have to fight the crowds. Most sellers will use USPS priority shipping (2 days) if you ask, but I've rarely waited more than a week for something. Alternatively, there are a few nice used clothing stores for kids, including Laura's Closet on College near Ashby, and Child's Play at the corner of College and Chabot. Star
Affordable toddler clothes with a good selection?
March 2004Perhaps you can help me find affordable clothes. We have graduated from the abundant variety of baby-to-24-month sizes and now I find so little selection in 3T clothes that I find myself stunned at the lack. I have twins so I have to keep my costs down, and I don't dress them alike so I do try to find some variety (although they share all their clothes). Since we don't have friends with older girls to hand-me-down to ours, up until now I have shopped the sales at Target, Penny's, Macy's, Mervyns, and Sears. Stores like Gymboree are just out of our price range. I notice too, that the Macy's section on Toddler girls is laughable. They carry about six items which resemble small versions of clothes for first-grade girls. Likewise, I find myself surprised in the price-hikes I see comparing how 24 month clothes were priced to how 3T are priced. Where do you shop and how do you keep your costs down? Should I concentrate on used clothing stores? If so, do you have recommendations? Thanks for your help. Anon mom of twin girls
We find terrific things at Old Navy, or on the sale racks at Baby Gap. Stacey
Kmart has great clothes for cheap. I buy all my sons clothes there and they are pretty sturdy clothes. They have all the characters the kids love like sesame street and disney. I found a whole short and top outfit for $5.00. They have a very wide variety for girls as well. Alex
I shop at 2nd hand stores & garage sales almost exclusively for kids clothes. It's garage sale season, so check out the Tribune on Fridays for listings that say kids clothes in the East Bay. For stores, the best deals can be found at: Cracker Jacks off Piedmont Ave. Child's Play on College Fashion After Passion on Webster in Alameda Bambinos Thrift Shop on College Silver Moon on Grand Goodwill on Lincoln in Alameda signed, Lucky Thrift Shopper
You don't mention Baby Gap or Old Navy. I only buy things on sale and they can have really great deals--the are also available on line.The clearance section of Old Navy is my favorite place to shop! Also, there are plenty of used kids clothing stores around. hannah's at the top of Solano ave. though the seletion is hit or miss. I don't shop at Laura's Closet on College for personal reasons but they have a huge selection. My favorite place to buy used clothes (and I say that hesitantly, as most of them are barely used...I've found even things with price tags still on them) is Lauren's Closet on Park Street in Alameda...it's worth the drive. shopoholic mom
ebay, ebay, ebay. I just got 9 matches for ''3T twin lot'', and 2187 matches for 3T lot. I tend to buy them in large lots of clothes; surf around till you find someone whose taste you like that's selling off the size of clothing you like. It's become a bit of a hobby (ok, maybe an addiction) and you can find great deals much cheaper than resale! Carrie
Most of my toddler's clothing is from Target, JC Penney, Mervyn's and Sears. So you've already looked in all the places I would recommend! (Oh, and some from the Carter's and Osh Kosh outlet stores in Vacaville -- we travel that way a few times a year and sometimes I persuade my husband to stop!) It is just a sad fact that there are fewer things to choose from in the toddler sizes than in the infant sizes. This seems to be true of any brand in any store. Used clothing is of course a good idea; garage sales get you the lowest prices, though quality will be more even in consignment stores and there's more selection available on eBay. Also worth a look: WebClothes, through Amazon (for some reason, the shipping charge is lower when you order through Amazon rather than directly from WebClothes.com), kidsurplus.com, and various other online discounters (try a search on Yahoo! Shopping); also Ross and Marshall's (small selection but good prices); and sale and clearance items at Old Navy, the Gap, the Children's Place and Gymboree (at stores or online, works especially well if you can predict what size you'll want *next* year, so that you can buy out of season). Holly
We head to Carters Outlet in Vacaville 3x a year to stock up on clothes for our soon-to-be four year old daughter. Stuff is pretty cheap (quality not the best either but that's OK because things get destroyed, etc. at preschool). We just came back from the outlets in Gilroy and were happy to find a Stride Rite outlet and we bought her next size of tennis shoes, dressy shoes and summer sandals at rock-bottome prices. Old Navy (stores and outlet) is another good source.
But my favorite place for deals is babygap.com. At least once a month I look for basic types of things (tshirts (both long and shortsleeves) as well as nicer blouses. Things go on sale fairly quickly. The cost of shipping is worth the hassle of tearing through the stores, IMO. When sales are really good I buy classic items in larger items for the future. This fall/winter, my daughter wore Gap cardigan sweaters I purchased last season for $19 a piece (regular prices were close to $40). Loves little girl clothes
Well, I happen to be a big fan of Mervyn's and Macy's for toddler clothes -- with their never-ending sales, it seems like you can always find clothing at a good price. Perhaps you should try a different, larger Macy's -- in my experience, their selection is pretty large! sale shopper
I buy my preschool daughter new clothes only after checking my two favorite second-hand stores -- Thrift Town in El Sobrante and the new Goodwill at Barrett and San Pablo. And when she does need new clothes I get them at Target; cotton leggings, for example, are hard to find second-hand because the knees wear out. Another idea, if your daughters go to preschool, ask the director if you could organize a clothes-exchange day among the other parents. LC
Hi, Try bumping up to 4T, my (17 month old, only 24 lbs) baby fits (surprisingly) in many 4T tops and bottoms, i just adapt a little. For tanks I tie a knot in the straps, and she can wear pants that were meant to be capri as long pants and i figure she can wear these clothes for over a year or more! I shop Target and Old Navy...because 4T is in the ''girls'' section, i never thought to look there... Good luck cheap! fashionista momma
Try Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com). Suzanne
2 months before my daughter turned 3 she had opinions about what she would wear. I had bought clothes for my daughter from the previous year on sale, only to find she wouldn't wear them. After much angst, she finally was able to convince me that everyone wouldn't know that she was a princess unless she was wearing a dress (and NOT DENIM DRESSES EITHER MOMA!) So I sucumed to her wishes and bought her a bunch of pink dresses when I figured out her style(I couldn't keep washing the one she would wear everyday) I put myself in her shoes and thought about how I would feel if I were made to wear any of the clothes my mother-in-law buys me. I decided it was important enough to her to buy her a few things she was happy in. When she turned 4 she became much more flexible about clothes. I didn't see your orignal post, so I don't know the age of your daughter. I'm just throwing another possible wrench into buying your daughter clothes. It doesn't matter the price if she won't wear them (typical of age 3 and finding their idenity) Some girls won't wear dresses at all. I couldn't predict which direction my daughter was going to go in, but it turned out to be ''pink, pink, pink.''
The other posters were right on with Ebay-great deals. Target also has great prices- buy big because they run small. Also for dresses I've always bought my daughter the size larger and she can often where it the next year as well.
Good Luck! Pink Dress Buying Moma
Try Sweet Potatoes on Solano in Albany. They have the most adorable girls outfits I've ever seen. You won't be disappointed. Sweet Potatoes fan
Girl's Stretch Pants/Pull-on Pants
2001Try Cotton Kids on Rose near Shattuck in North Berkeley. They have very good quality cotton clothing that includes simple close fitting stretch pants in solids and great prints. They cost $16 I think, but occasionaly run specials if you buy two or three. We have been very happy with our purchases there. Sonya
Check out ecobaby.com. They sell organic cotton leggings in several cute colors for only $11.95 a pair. They're not leggings in the usual sense of being tight like bike shorts...they're nice and loose and comfy, more like sweatpants, in a slightly-ribbed, stretchy fabric. My 2-year-old pulls her up and down easily. And they're well-made, and have held up beautifully in the wash. Elise
We have gotten many pairs of this type of pants for my daughter at Target. If you are lucky, you can get them on sale for $5-6. They are usually under their own brand, Honors or Circco. I have also gotten some on sale from Hanna Anderson (check out their website for sale items) in the $10 range, which I was willing to pay for their higher quality. Happy shopping! Claire
I saw these at Target earlier this year, but I don't know if they're seasonal. I believe you can order them from the JCPenney big catalogue year-round. Cathy
I found some for my 2-year-old at Nordstrom's in Walnut Creek. I don't know if they have them for older girls as well, but you could try. S. Martin
try Target (Walnut Creek on Ygnacio Valley Blvd, two blocks off Route 24, is best local store, but they're also in Pinole on I-80 and San Leandro on 880) or target.com Laura