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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To really not like kids' tops with writing on them?

119 replies

CruCru · 11/03/2016 16:49

I was in the Moorgate branch of Next today and was having a nose through the kids' tops. At least half had some slogan or other form of writing on them, which tends to make them completely undesirable to me.

This sort of thing

and this

and this

and this

It might just be that this particular store finds it more profitable to stock tops with mottos on. However, if this is the case then I find it surprising. Once you've removed all the stuff with mottos on, there isn't all that much left to choose from. AIBU?

OP posts:
Chocolatteaddict1 · 12/03/2016 14:48

I can say I get worked up by children's t-shirts. Life is too short ...

originalmavis · 12/03/2016 14:50

True story - I saw a family of tourists (possibly Scandinavian or Germans) with 2 kids all looking likevtheys stepped out of a boden catalogue.

The daughter was about 11 of 12 and had a T-shirt with tbe slogan 'future porn star'. I assume something got lost in translation.

I saw a kid today (about 5 years) with 'MOI!' on it.

Didn't primark have ones with something like 'WAG in training' or something?

Original poster
CruCru · 13/03/2016 10:58

The stuff that was actually out was all sloganed though.

OP posts:
Mousefinkle · 13/03/2016 11:14

When DC were babies they had a few little green radicals and no added sugar baby grows that had slogans. I think one said free range, another was black and white striped like a prison jumpsuit and said "been inside for nine months." DS also had a shirt that said "I recycle my tantrums" when he was about two/three. But other than that, nah. None of the I love mummy/daddy stuff. I was extremely tempted by the dr Seuss 'thing 1/2/3' tops though. Oh they all had guns n roses tops when they were younger too.

I've never been a huge fan of next. Their clothes are very slim fitting. Not that my kids are fat Grin but they were big babies and they're quite broad and tall. Next clothes come up small IMO. Slogans are a bit naff but whatever, I can't get het up about it.

SoupDragon · 13/03/2016 11:16

YANBU to like whatever you like, and dislinke whatever you don't. It's all personal taste.

you would be unreasonable to think your taste is the only correct one though.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 13/03/2016 17:46

Funnily enough I was in town today and was looking for some new school trousers for my son. I went to the men's department in Next and had to pass through the kids to get there. A whole stand of "character type" t-shirts, some of which had writing on as well as graphics. The rest were either pictures (dinosaurs/trucks etc.) of which some had writing too or plain/stripy in individual or packs. Maybe not a representative sample as it's only one shop, but I didn't see any just slogan t-shirts. I didn't examine every stand btw and it was only the boys as the girls wasn't on the walkthrough from the stairs to the men's department. Maybe it depends on the buyer/store manager for each store?

RockUnit · 13/03/2016 18:50

I've been in several shops where the children's t-shirts all have pictures or slogans, and there are no plain ones to be seen.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 13/03/2016 19:25

Try Next Rock they had loads... :o

www.next.co.uk/shop/gender-olderboys-gender-youngerboys-productaffiliation-tops-0#8_2309

Yes, there are t-shirts with graphic prints and slogans, but there are loads of plain and stripy ones and there was plenty of them including the mulitipacks in our fairly small store.

RockUnit · 13/03/2016 20:58

Thanks OneMagnum, Next it is then Grin

RockUnit · 13/03/2016 21:27

Thank you! Smile

LovelyFriend · 13/03/2016 21:34

I've never bought clothing with anything written in it and I've never noticed a lack of options for DC because of this. There are so many clothes available out there.

This really is a made up "problem" isn't it?

H&M have loads of plaint tshirts, short and long sleeve, organic cotton and cheap too.

Marsaday · 13/03/2016 21:45

Even better than next slogans: my inlaws are French and buy ds and dd clothes from France which 90% of the time have a slogan in English. And that slogan is very often either complete nonsense, or had incorrect spellings. We've had a right laugh at some of them.

findingmyfeet12 · 13/03/2016 21:53

I'm expecting my first dc and have already asked my family not to buy anything with slogans or writing on it. (I just want to add that I'm not being presumptious as they've already started arguing over who gets to buy what).

Ordinarily I wouldn't care but it seems that clothes with writing on are everywhere so there's so much less to choose from for those of us who don't like it.

Sophia1984 · 13/03/2016 21:57

Next baby clothing is generally hideous IMO. Horribly, horrible gendered too.

Chocolatteaddict1 · 13/03/2016 22:12

Is it eck hideous!

I've had some lovely neutral stuff out of there before we knew what sex dd was.

Then I bought some adorable baby grows with little rose buds on

OneMagnumisneverenough · 13/03/2016 22:55

I agree chocolate and their babygros are really excellent quality
www.next.co.uk/g312556s9
www.next.co.uk/x57782s3
www.next.co.uk/x57782s6
www.next.co.uk/x572784s4
www.next.co.uk/x572784s3
www.next.co.uk/x57784s1
www.next.co.uk/g55840s6

All gender neutral and that's not including all the plain white etc.

Sophia1984 · 13/03/2016 23:06

I stand corrected - current collection online looks a lot nicer than what they were stocking in Newcastle a month ago! All of the boys stuff looked really 'macho', including a camouflage baby gro, which I personally found horrible.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 13/03/2016 23:12

They do have some stuff that I wouldn't put near my child, but once again, each to their own. I think the issue seems to be with what stores are holding in stock. If you go on-line they have a real mixture (including camouflage baby gros - designed for those times here you want to put your baby down in the countryside and not be able to find it again...)

It just takes a bit of filtering, but they definitely cater for the bright coloured stripy or plain people if that's what you are looking for. I always liked that they did winter jackets for kids in bright colours. It's dark and miserable here in the winter and I'd like my child to have some change of being seen and not run over as they are dressed in black/navy/grey.

GingerFoxInAT0phat · 13/03/2016 23:35

Next cater for a huge range of tastes, they have about 4 or 5 themes for each stage and gender of children's clothes.

I don't particularly like the options the op linked to but I'm sure there would be other t shirts I liked if I looked through the website.

And as someone who has designed sloganed t shirts for children I will say I rather like them :)

Cutecat78 · 13/03/2016 23:51

When DS was a baby his Auntie bought him a top which said "I'm too sexy for my nappy" (hes 18) he never wore it Hmm

novemberchild · 14/03/2016 00:06

When I was 15, I bought a boob tube that said 'Don't touch what you can't afford!'

I thought I was proper cool, but it mysteriously disappeared once my parents saw...

BertieBotts · 14/03/2016 00:27

I still don't really understand this idea that writing is automatically bad.

I understand the character hate - although I actually think that a lot of character clothing looks much nicer these days and not so tacky. It was almost always tacky in the 90s and 2000s.

I don't get the writing hate. Surely you look at what the writing says and make a decision based on that. It's bizarre to write off an entire category of designs for clothing.

Anyone desperate for plain/stripy, M&S often have multipacks which do fit that bill. Inamongst the Thomas and Peppa monstrosities Grin

LarrytheCucumber · 14/03/2016 06:09

Tricky when buying for foster children when everything has a Mummy or Daddy slogan on it.

exLtEveDallas · 14/03/2016 06:32

DD has a tshirt that says "Unicorns are REAL, dammit"
I like that one :)

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