In the last year the Little Miss has outgrown toddler sizes and moved on to the dreaded girls sizes.
I say dreaded because I've been dreading this prospect since she was quite small. I've noticed a lot of stores have super cute infant and toddler clothes, but once you hit size 6, you leave cute behind.
I'm quite particular about the outfits LMS wears: they must be modest, age appropriate, and not plastered all over with characters or other "advertisements".
For some reason designers make clothes for 12 year olds, then just size them down to hit the range of sizes from 6 to 12/14. And the designs are frequently too old for 12 year olds, so why would we want to dress our 6 year olds in them?
This problem has been most obvious at Kohls and Target (my main sources of clothes for LMS), where I have previously been able to find really cute outfits for LMS. Now that she's in the bigger sizes, it's a lot harder and I've started looking at other stores for cute, affordable clothes for the Little Miss.
One store I've recently become enamored with is Crazy 8. It's owned by Gymboree, but is more affordable. When LMS was younger I found cute outfits there and occasionally even managed some good sale prices. Now that she's bigger, the outfits aren't as cute and even clearance prices aren't very good.
Awhile back I was at Gymboree, looking for spring/summer clothes for LMS. I was unsuccessful, but as I left, I noticed the Crazy 8 store across the way. I rarely go to the mall, so had never been in one at that point.
I was pleasantly surprised by both the selection (cuteness in LMS' size!) on the clearance rack and the prices. I found two dresses, two skirts, and two shirts, all priced under $7 a piece and perfect for warmer weather. At those prices, I couldn't resist buying more clothes than I usually do at one time. I usually buy a shirt here, a skirt there, and so on.
I've since been back and bought a few more items, though some of them are long sleeves that we'll save for cooler weather. I don't mind storing clothes till the next season if I find cute pieces at great prices.
Where do you find cute clothes once your little girl isn't in the toddler sizes?
I find things at Old Navy. Obviously there are limitations. I read something recently that suggested buying your daughter little boy shorts since right now you can only buy girl shorts with a 2 inch inseam.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were easier too.
Obviously, I'm not there yet...and at the rate E is growing, she'll be in toddler sizes until she's 10! :) I've always liked Children's Place for clothes--good prices, nice selection, very few "hoochy" outfits for children. Plus they sell uniforms there, including uniform shorts that are knee length. They always have some sort of sale/coupon code available and I've found that the clothes last a long time, too, making it an even better deal. I like Crazy 8 sometimes, too, but Children's Place and Old Navy are my go-to stores for both kids.
ReplyDeleteoh and lately I've found some nice tunic shirts at Fred Meyer for my little girl. I like the extra length to cover her belly, and she likes that it's like wearing a dress!
ReplyDeleteAs a father of 5 girls (yeah, 5!) I insist that they all wear age appropriate clothing. I have enough to worry about without adding that to the list. We tend to buy a lot from this site.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.twirlygirlshop.com/girls-maxi-dress