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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to put DS in girls' school trousers?

27 replies

CamperFan · 10/08/2011 19:22

DS starts school in September and I really want to get him the M&S "Skinkind" school trousers as they're the only (affordable) cotton trousers I have seen and he has eczema on his legs. However, they are perpetually out of stock. But I've just checked the girls' ones and they are in stock in all sizes. How do school trousers for the sexes differ? Would any 4-5 year olds notice?? Shall I just get one pair while I wait for the boys' to come into stock?

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 10/08/2011 19:23

i think the cut would look all wrong!!

SquidgyBiscuits · 10/08/2011 19:26

I agree. The cut will be different, and I imagine will look odd.

M&S have an ordering service - can you not just order them?

greycircles · 10/08/2011 19:27

The cut will be wrong and he will look funny. I looked into getting girls' trousers for my DS becuase he is so skinny but they are very differently cut.

scotgirl · 10/08/2011 19:28

Tesco have Fairtrade cotton blend school trousers. Okay, not all cotton (50%) but no Teflon or anything like that. Might be worth a try. You can order them online. They look like normal school trousers.

The Skinkind ones on the other hand don't. I ordered some boys aged 6 earlier in the summer and took them back. They are really shiney and a big baggy fit on my skinny DS.

DontCallMeBaby · 10/08/2011 19:32

Girls' school trousers are usually pretty horrible, and don't look very good even on girls - and the Skinkind ones look VERY odd on the website.

LordOfTheFlies · 10/08/2011 19:34

Don't put the poor little soul in girls' trousers.
Boys tend to be very sensitive about these things. If someone at school notices he will get ribbed.

Try John Lewis (online if not near you) or as SquidgyBiscuits said, preorder.
They will most likely have them by Sept.

(Speaks as the mother of a skinny DS who when he started Reception had to have age 3 extra long.And I had to sew his label in so that no-one could see he wore 3 yo trousers)

joric · 10/08/2011 19:37

Girls trousers are all skinny at the thigh and blotchy - they are horrible. Look for cotton ones- they do exist despite all the flammable polyester the shops prefer.

joric · 10/08/2011 19:38

Blotchy? That's bootcut in predicted text!

chicletteeth · 10/08/2011 19:47

M&S have an ordering service.

IF they're out of stock, order them in his size. Takes a few days.

I bought my DS girls trousers in error, the cut is all wrong. He is very, very thin and so he didn't look too bad in them because at 6 years old, they don't look that different. But when I realised, I took back the pair he wore and exchanged it for a boys pair.

chicletteeth · 10/08/2011 19:48

he didn't wear

Original poster
CamperFan · 10/08/2011 19:48

Thanks very much, I suspected that might be the case.

I haven't seen the pre-order option on the website and I did email them about stock, and they didn't mention pre-ordering, so that's weird, will investigate further.

Thanks joric, funnily enough I looked at that site and must have completely missed those trousers. £11.50 is not too bad I guess - the other ones I saw were over £20...

scotgirl, that is interesting about the trousers and I will try Tescos.

OP posts:
Original poster
CamperFan · 10/08/2011 19:50

oh, the Thomas Moore ones start at age 8, argh

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joric · 10/08/2011 19:51

The second link cotton comfort ones are £20+ :(
try the £11.50 ones on first link- good luck :)

joric · 10/08/2011 19:52

X post- :( will keep looking as I'm doing same for DD - will let you know if I find some!

scotgirl · 10/08/2011 19:59

It is very very difficult to find affordable cotton school trousers - I have looked all summer. My DS is also skinny and it proved to be impossible.

THe Tesco cotton blend ones here have sold out in all but 3/4 or 7/8 though. Only £5 and I'm sure they will get more stock - worth a try at that price! My DSs excema is mild so I have decided to go for fit -ended up with big standard M&S trousers but they are skinny and they actually fit him. Fingers crossed that his skin is ok....

Original poster
CamperFan · 10/08/2011 20:07

I just don't get it - I know the others probably wash a bit better, but who wants to wear a pair of polyester trousers all day long, especially after some sweaty playing at break time!? Practically all other kids trousers are cotton, right? Same with the horrible sweater he's going to have to wear. Loads of kids have eczema these days so you'd think a few more companies would do it.

Excuse the rant - it's taking my mind off the rioting!

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Original poster
CamperFan · 10/08/2011 20:10

I think 50% cotton must be a bit more breathable than 100% polyester and viscose?

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schroeder · 10/08/2011 20:29

Of course your child might have much more severe eczema than mine, but the ordinary school trousers don't seem to make dds any worse. We had asda 100% cotton trousers for a while (they don't do them any more Confused) but didn't find they made much difference.

The other thing you could do is buy a couple of pairs of shorts that he can wear at the beginning of term. Then by the middle of September I expect it will be much easier to get the cotton trousers.

joric · 10/08/2011 20:57

Are they too casual?

tyler80 · 10/08/2011 21:00

I wouldn't have any problems with putting a boy in school trousers that are meant for girls, in fact thinking about it I probably have. Although can't comment on the particular trousers you're thinking of but I don't really think girls and boys are hugely different shapewise at that age.

My brother grew up wearing hand me down school uniform from me and my sister. Didn't seem to do him any harm, he can even do his shirts up on the wrong side now Grin

spiderpig8 · 10/08/2011 21:27

Don't do it unless you want 7 vbells kicked out of hi m .Have you seen this
eczema school clothing

Original poster
CamperFan · 10/08/2011 22:02

They look nice joric, but I need dark grey, and I think they need to look a bit more like school trousers iyswim. Thanks schroeder, I had thought of shorts at first. His eczema is not really bad, just that it's his legs that are affected. But perhaps it won't make it any worse at all.

Thanks spiderpig, I think I would get these as a last resort, if his eczema got worse as they're over £20, and I'm assuming they get pretty trashed!

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