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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think they make kids clothes far to big

146 replies

WhyDoesItAlways · 12/08/2019 15:41

I have a 3 year old DS and I struggle to get him trousers that actually fit him in both length and waist. Clothes for his age range fit perfectly in the length but literally fall off him at the waist. Smaller age clothes fit on the waist but are too short. I have some that you can tie up but he struggles to get them down to use the toilet which is not ideal when potty training.

I thought it was just that he's a skinny little boy but having spoken to some friends and many are having the same problem.

DS literally came home from nursery the other day wearing some of their spare clothes after messy play which I thought were long shorts but were actually 6-9 month trousers that whilst obviously not fitting as trousers for length were perfect round the waist.

Anybody got any recommendations for children's clothes that are slimmer in the waist?

OP posts:
antipodeansun · 12/08/2019 15:45

Yes, same with my son. Zara boys' clothes fitted best, lots of slim cut trousers.

swashbucklecheer · 12/08/2019 15:45

I have to look for the adjustable waists. Usually m&s pretty good for them. Anything with an elasticated waist or a decorative tie on the front is a no no.

Camomila · 12/08/2019 15:45

Lurking.

All of DSs age 2-3 tracksuits are swinging around his ankles but age 3-4 fall down. He's nearly 3 and a half.

Lots of the more expensive brands do adjustable waist jeans/cords but they are not the comfiest for nursery.

LightsInOtherPeoplesHouses · 12/08/2019 15:46

Look for ones with the buttons inside that can be made smaller?

DS is tall for his age but very slim so I have this problem a lot. Also so many childrens clothes have fake drawstrings it drives me nuts, if possible I sometimes cut the fake ones off, cut holes in the waistband and thread a cord through.

TheInvestigator · 12/08/2019 15:47

My son was 6 in May. He wears clothes for age 7-8 so for us, they aren't made big enough!

Neptunesgiraffe · 12/08/2019 15:50

I still have problems finding clothes slim enough on the waist for my 8 year old. He has always had the waist on the smallest button. But I agree that Zara tend to do quite slim clothes. And also Bennetton.

mumderland · 12/08/2019 15:52

Yep I have this problem with 5yo DS! They either fit the leg and not the waist or the other way round. I try to find one with the elastic in the waist but not many places have them. His school trousers are 3-4 bless him

mintandcoral · 12/08/2019 15:52

Don't know if this is much help but I'm having similar problems with dd (although she is only 10 months) and I found French sizing is smaller (purely by chance as we were sent some French baby clothes by a relative). I've also managed to find French and I think Australian branded clothes in TKMaxx that has better sizing.

Butterymuffin · 12/08/2019 15:57

Asda are terrible for this, massive waists. Morrisons, Next and Gap are a bit better.

PantsyMcPantsface · 12/08/2019 16:00

Don't think they make clothes too big - but they make kids clothes for a standard body type and if you've got a kid who is tall with all their height in their legs (DD1 is like all legs) it can be much harder to buy clothes than if you've got a kid who is longer in the body but more normal length in the legs (DD2 is tall as well but her height is longer bodied so we don't have the problems with her). Bit easier with girls where you can put them in leggings which are more forgiving, or dresses where a decent waist fit isn't as vital but yeah - it's a pain and I find I buy a lot of items with the adjustable waist buttons inside and for uniform trousers I go for Asda's longer leg variations.

mintandcoral · 12/08/2019 16:00

was going to say Asda are one of the worst for large/odd sizes @butterymuffin ! Our dd is still fitting in some 3-6 month stuff from there

Invisimamma · 12/08/2019 16:01

Yes! I have a tall lean 8 year old, he needs age 10-11 for length (he's 150cm tall). But they are always ridiculously baggy on the waist and bum, even with the adjustable waists.

Sports wear and football shorts are okay but jeans and school trousers are very difficult to find to fit properly!

Sparklypurpleunicornsaremyfav · 12/08/2019 16:02

Sorry, doesn't get much easier... My dd3 has just turned 9 and luckily most stuff fits her, dd2 is 10 and is a skinny minnie, she needs at least age 8/9 for length but size 4-5 fit her waist, so we need lots of adjustable waist, unfortunately that means a lot of bunching up. My son is 14, around 5ft8, his waist is still tiny size so a lot of trackies for him that have drawstrings, thankfully he's very sporty so prefers wearing them anyway

DeanImpala67 · 12/08/2019 16:02

Same issue here with both my children, even now when one is coming up to being 11.
They need the leg length for their age but then everything is so baggy and huge round the waist it looks ridiculous!
We have resorted to adjustable waists where possible, and Nike tracksuit bottoms as they seem small in the waist, also Boden baggies shorts have a proper drawcord and can be sized down without looking too short so the they don't need too much winching in!
As for getting jeans to fit nicely, we're still looking for the perfect pair!

Mrsfrumble · 12/08/2019 16:05

I love summer, because my leggy, whippet-like children can just wear shorts and we can avoid this problem. Seriously, right now DD (nearly 7) is wearing age 3-4 shorts and DS (nearly 9) is in age 5. In winter H&M super skinny jeans with the adjustable waistbands cinched in will just about do. It’s a pain in the arse though.

Skinnychip · 12/08/2019 16:05

My DS was quite chubby/sturdy til he was about 5 or 6 (and much chunkier than most of his peers the same height or taller) and i used to find most things too big for him when he was 3 or 4 so was always wondering how the mums of his slimmer friendsfound things to fit.

Iggly · 12/08/2019 16:06

Vertbaudet do trousers with various widths. Fabulous for my skinny daughter. They have loads of sales so never pay full price.

FlorencesHunger · 12/08/2019 16:06

Yanbu I have this trouble now still and my dd is 9. Went school clothes shopping and the scales of sizes went from age 5 to 8yrs of age on items of clothes to fit

5yrs was a top from the boys section whereas in girls she wears 7-8 with room.

I've resigned myself that it will never change but your judgment skills on clothes to fit will improve through time and experience.

She rarely wears trousers as she has a skinny waist and lanky legs.

EssentialHummus · 12/08/2019 16:10

Asda terrible. Gap just wildly inconsistent imo.

galaxybrain · 12/08/2019 16:11

I have this. Next make slimmer cut jogging bottoms.

Pinkout · 12/08/2019 16:13

Trousers and jeans all have the little elastic band thing in with a button so you can adjust the waist. I buy from all kinds of stores and they all have these.

Boobindoops · 12/08/2019 16:13

I had this with both of mine and who are now teens. Had to get adjustable waists in everything. Funnily enough as soon as dd hit 12/13 and could fit into adult size 4 we had no further problems. Kids aged 12 jeans are actually larger than an adult size 4. They are catering for the fact that many kids are overweight these days.

duvetfan · 12/08/2019 16:13

My DS is nearly 5 and due to start school. Today he is wearing age 2-3 trousers. He keeps pulling them up. They would be too short if they weren't so big that they fall down at the waist. Uniform shopping has been nightmare.

CoffeeRunner · 12/08/2019 16:14

I found the same with both of my DSs and had to try to find trousers with adjustable waists or drawstrings.

For DD though, I find the opposite problem. Girls’ clothes do seem to be cut smaller. She is average sized 8 year old but has to wear either 9-10 or 10-11 in most brands.

duvetfan · 12/08/2019 16:15

I should add that this is even with adjustable waistbands.