To expect summer school uniforms to fit

[Custardandnoodle]

My DD is starting school in September and we've been given a load of summer school uniforms by a friend (Matalan, Lidl, Next) none of them fit. She's very broad chested, poor thing, almost barrel chested (her ribs even flare out at the bottom). So we've gone and tried Morrisons, Asda, and Aldi. But absolutely all of them are too tight around the chest/underarms. She's not fat by any means, it's just her shape. Am I being unreasonable to expect kids uniforms to be more on the generous side, especially as mine never stops running around, climbing, cartwheels etc. Or is this just the new norm of mass manufacturing in China?

M+S do a plus fit for uniforms if that helps.

They'll fit for standard child measurements. If your child is bigger or broader then they will need to go up a size, just like children who are smaller will need to go down a size.

What's the problem?

Did you go up a size? One of my ds at 5 was wearing 7/8 uniform due to his height

Dd doesn’t fit standard sizes well. Sizing up or down doesn’t always work because of height. I’ve taken to just altering her clothes.

You'll need to buy bigger.
School uniform (indeed, kids clothes) needs to move on from "all 6 year olds are the same shape". For completely different reasons, but trousers us a nightmare for us. M&S extra long get us some way there, but my 10 year old wears age 8 extra long trousers, and age 6 shorts.

Yeah school uniform is a nightmare. We have M&S extra skinny slim fit long leg trousers for the bean pole boy. Dd also had uniform much bigger than her aged - she started school in 7-8 dresses aged just 4 as I recall. Also try different styles. Drop waisted ones looked hideous on dd because of her shape but true waisted ones were fine.
Most school starters I see have very long dresses too as that way they might fit at eat er otherwise they are only worn for a few weeks before it turns cold!

I saw the plus size ones, but an extra six inches will swamp her. She's 50th centile for height so moving up a size will look bloody ridiculous. Just checked she's 55th centile for weight so it really is her proportions, poor thing.

Have you tried the ones that are t-shirt like material on the top (usually white) and have some stretch in them, then have a gingham skirt attached for the bottom half?

My DD has her dad's broad back so I will he buying them for the next school year.

I found the zip pinafores v slim, the jersey pinafores were much better. and a large polo shirt is fine under a pinafore and easier to change from

I don't think they allow those ones at her school, they're quite strict. But I'll definitely check. Yes both of mine have inherited their father's 'great for rugby' upper body

I also think they shrink in the wash. I remember looking at my daughter in one, one day and thinking ‘blimey, that’s a bit short’ when she hadn't grown that much.
I think you’re better off getting the plus ones from M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Debenhams etc than just sizing up. They’re exactly the same design but just a little bit wider so she’ll be more comfy in them. You don’t want her feeling conscious that hers look a bit tight, or uncomfortable. Kids come in all shapes and sizes, just like we do.

I saw the plus size ones, but an extra six inches will swamp her. She's 50th centile for height so moving up a size will look bloody ridiculous.

My understanding of the “plus size” and “generous fit” dresses was that they were wider in the body, not longer in length. Have you tried any? Worth a go, I’d say.

@di11y shes only 4 so not great with buttons. I think it will be straight into winter uniform in September and then by the next summer hopefully she'll have cracked doing up buttons and I can explore other options!

You just need to buy according to chest, waist or height measurements to find the best size, not by age. I've had to pay more for longer length trousers for my 13 year old as the bigger age size are too big on the waist. Your choices would be a plus fit or a bigger size, or separates instead of a dress maybe? You could take the length up on a bigger size.

Some are a truly rubbish design, a friend's little girl was on the chubby side, but nothing terrible and again nothing fit. Not sure what she could've done if the kid had been genuinely big...

dd is rubbish with buttons too, buy it big and leave the top button undone. what is uniform?

School uniform goes right up to age 16! I'm sure she fits into a bigger size. We had the opposite issue, they made them massive on the waist so my DD's were forever in trouble for wearing skirts too short and couldn't wear trousers because to fit on the wait (even with the elastic adjustment) they didn't fit lengthwise.

I've found that the supermarket shorts and trousers are huge on the waist on my DS. I've had to buy M&S and now trousers in a longer length rather than a bigger size. So they can't just make everything a more generous fit when they are already too big for slimmer children. YABU to expect manufacturers to make uniforms that only fit children with a larger build, that's what the plus size is for.

You need my mum OP! Everything I buy for my dd aged 7 looks crap no matter how much i spend...my mum is amazing ...she takes it up or down, in or out and somehow makes my dd look respectable.Its my personal bug bear with school uniforms..the ones that never fit.Blazer arms dangling or trousers rouched up in the leg or dresses way too long for kids to grow into ....the kids look ridiculous and I bet every parent who has upsized to allow for growing room has to re purchase when the clothes are worn out way before the poor kids grows in to them any way....I love kids to look sharp and smart...I would be lost though too without my mum cos I am useless with altering things...

Get the ones that fit round her chest and take the hem up. She's very unlikely to get much broader, but she will get taller, so she'll be wearing those dresses for ages.

Buy what fits. When my then 4 yr old started he needed 6-7 for the waist. I took up the trousers (something I am use to only being a 5ft!) Tops wise he was in 5-6

DD1 has always needed skinny clothes. DD2 always needs to upsize for waist but has a short body. DD3 has to go up 3 years in size for length, but has to have adjustable waist because she's just tall. It's uniform life!

Dd was (is) a broad child. She was in age 7 dresses for school at the same age, although an age 3-4 skirt. I just bought big and turned up the length, although only let it down to charity shop it, as she got taller, but no less broad!

Yup, plus in M&S is a good bet, just wider. I need to get extra, super skinny long length for DS 2 and DS3 but have needed to get plus for DS1 due to his rugby thighs. Unfortunately these days his waist is super skinny so plus won't do. I'm leaving to his father- he can take him into town and trawl!

Plus and then wonderweb the hem?