Let boys have clothes!!!!!!!!

[slushy]

Okay ladies I have started a mumsnet campaign a lot of ladies complain about the inequality of children's clothes. You know the fact that you go in ASDA to see 10 lines of girls clothes one line of boys clothes. Because boys don't really need clothes.

I personally would also like to see some trousers other than jeans. Post your idea and complains ladies, and perhaps if we get enough support Mumsnet will help out.

[mrspear]

Please, please, please can we have more choice?!

I am so fed up already and my DS is in size 6 - 9 months.

More colour please!

I went into Jo Jo's in Kingston and 90% of the shop was for girls - it was maddness when you see the choice on the web.

[slushy]

I agree ds loves the dinosaur/monkey/monster tops, and I don't really mind the skull tops. So maybe we should canvass for more clothes and more choice not just boring colours and cargo trousers and jeans but a bit more variety?

[majafa]

Yep Im with you,
neither of my 2 are into sport, I personally am not into skulls etc so would not buy that sort of stuff.
I know what I like, and belive me if I had the money and marketing/retail experiance etc etc which I assume you need, I would love to open a chain of stores just for boys

[TurtleAnn]

animal pictures, dinosaur pictures, pictures of the inner workings of car engines (cogs and gears), pictures of clocks, musical instruments, sports like tennis, baseball (more than just footie), paintbrushes and colour pots (inspire my boy rather than pigeon hole him)

Not denim, camoflage, skulls, daggers or anything else that wouldn't appear on CBeebies.

[makeupmummy]

I agree! Have only this week been searching for clothes for my v big two year old. Noticed that the choice for toddler boys is even less than for baby boys and bigger ones. Did get some in H&M, agree about them, and also tk maxx. Have also got some good stuff Zara before, thou not nearly so much as for dd. I also LOATHE those slogan T shirts, and the cutesy puppy baby blue type things. Am ashamed to say that relented in tesco tho when ds pleaded for quite hideous fire engine top But he shouldn't have access to such monstrosities in normal stores. And I was desperate for something in which to clothe him; chilly up in these parts. O, I also have a rule that he and dd can wear awful lurid TV/film type things only as jammies or underwear: hate all those too. Good call for campaign, I say,

[SnowieBear]

Couldn't agree more, you have my full support!

I find myself "hunting" for the right clothes and buying a t-shirt from here, and a pair of trousers from there for my DS... it's a real operation to get him sufficient clothes that are suitable. More choice, please!

Mind you, very glad I don't have to shop for a DD at present - the sea of pink just makes me dizzy.

[OrmRenewed]

Mostly DS#2 would prefer not to bother thanks, and as I posted yesterday DS'2 quite likes womens' clothes

I find boys clothes much easier to find than girls - well now they are older that is. I did find it hard when DS#1 reached 2 not to be able to buy colours other than navy, khaki, brown and Caterpilla orange.

[oneortwo]

I don't find clothes a problem for DS, but SHOES! everywhere seems to have a rectangular children's shoe section where 3 sides of the rectangle are girls and one (narrow one) is boys. Sometimes there isn't even anything in his size yet there is the choice of 3 or 4 pink bow types ones in his size on the other sides.

[LadyBiscuit]

Also, when you do find something nice, the chances of there being any stock in an age 2-4 is slim to none. I virtually stand outside M&S/JL at the beginning of the season, waiting to race in and get the only decent clothes they make for boys that will fit. Do they order about 100 for the UK or something?

[Timbachick]

I'm in too.
I absolutely hate the mini-football kits and don't want to see DS in them (he hates football so we're on the same hymn-sheet there).
I also don't want to see him in shades of blue or camoflague ... all the time
Places like ASDA et al are awful - as they are full to the rafters with girls stuff but very little for boys. Even H&M, GAP and the like are quite biased - the girls stuff is lovely and colourful whilst the boys have blue, grey and marroon!!! I hate marroon
I tend to find the lines such as Hilfiger, Diesel, Polo, Timberland, a bit more varied and try to buy there in the sales in an effort to get a bit of variety in colour, style and from him wearing the same as EVERYONE else - however, the price prohibits buying at normal prices, most of the time.

[DomesticGoddessInTraining]

Another who loathes slogans!

I get really annoyed with stores who stock so much more girls clothes than boys clothes. They can still sell camo/skulls/slogans etc just increase their stock to give more choice, more bright colours and slogan free tops!

[RuthieCohen]

You can have my support, ranges for boys are unpleasant.

And while we're at it, now that so many babies are in cloth nappies, how about retailers and designers start making trousers that fit over big cloth bums? I

[LifeOfKate]

I'm in. DS is 7 months old and whilst baby stuff is not too bad (I have ended up buying a lot of unisex stuff just to get away from baby blue), I can see myself having trouble next year.

Wrt girls clothes though, the past season hasn't been too bad, whenever I've been in tesco/asda recently, the girls section is less pink and there are a lot of lovely oranges/reds/dark purples/browns/greens there.

I do get frustrated by a lack of 'basic' clothes for kids. Why does everything have to have pictures/tags/random buttons/slogans etc etc on? Do the manufacturers not think people would buy plain clothes in bright colours? Because I most definitely would!!

[omnishambles]

I find the boys clothes easier to buy than the girls and why do we want them to care about clothes so much - isnt it enough that we girls are obsessed without having to turn our little boys into rampant consumers of clothes as well?

I really dont want my little boy to be obsessed with how he looks - he can put on whatever is nearest and cleanest and be off outside into the mud...

[Nelvana]

I'd join in! I like clothes shopping and would love to have an easier time finding non-skulls, non-sports stuff for DS. It is driving me nuts. (I didn't even realize Monsoon had boy's clothes! Always just passed them by? )

It is sad is that the boys stuff is often so dark and dreary -- as someone said above, light blue gives way to navy. And brown, black with skulls, etc for everything from socks to shoes to outerwear.

Was looking for a non-navy swimsuit for DS for ages, who wants to wear a dark coloured UV suit on an hot and sunny day?? I had to look in several shops before getting a garish aqua blue one at M&S.

Not jealous of the girls' ones mind you as they were generally hideous shades of dayglo pink. At least girls can get away with wearing a lot of boy's stuff though, not so easy the other way around.

[fluffyanimal]

I'll join the campaign too! This has been driving me mad for a while.

[domesticsluttery]

Totally agree with you omnishambles.

The boys don't really care what they wear, they just want it to serve a purpose. DS1 has colours which he prefers (he really likes green, which isn't the easiest colour to get hold of) but DS2 honestly doesn't care.

[EightiesChick]

I'm in. The slogans about little monsters, monkeys etc are all awful. Camouflage and football cliched. Plus purple has now been annexed by girls' clothing! DS looks good in maroon (has a nice Gap t-shirt that I have bought in the next size up too) and I would like to buy more purple stuff as a change from blue, but apparently purple is now the alternative/accent colour for girls to go alongside pink, so boys' clothes can't be purple.
I like Gap best, but it is expensive...fortunately they have a sale every 3 days, like Debenhams. But the choice at Asda etc is poor.

[BertieBotts]

Funny though how the shops which did have lovely bright simple clothes for boys (Adams and Mini Mode - sold in Boots) have closed down

H&M are quite good, I think? I've got loads of clothes for DS there and not one of them is maroon, grey or brown!

[aarghhelp]

I buy from boden and Frugi and Joules and John Lewis and Marks( all in the sales).

My son aged 2 has a huge selection of varied clothes in different colours. Blue, red, orange, purple, green etc.

When he was a baby I bought big bundles of barely worn designer clothes off Ebay for pence. It was quick and easy for me as I was working till a late stage of pregnancy and wasn't sure how much to buy, so I just bought lots, very very cheaply.

I resisted skulls and cross bones at first, but he likes pirates now, so he can have them in a pirate context.

I have not found lack of choice to be a particular problem.

[DomesticGoddessInTraining]

Mini mode has a big sale on in Boots stores just now to clear all the stock. I understand from my sis who works in Boots that there will be a replacement range in the future...

[BornToFolk]

I don't get it.

DS is 2.9. I've never had much trouble buying him clothes. I don't like all the little monkey type slogans either, so I don't buy them. I'm not that keen on characters either (though DS does a few Thomas/Mr Men things) so...I don't buy them.

I don't spend a lot of money either. I usually get clothes in Tesco/M&S/H&M and the Gap sale.

DS has got a t-shirts in a range of colours including orange, yellow and purple that all came from the high street or supermarkets.

Maybe I'm just not fussy enough about clothes for DS but as long as he's dressed appropriately for the weather, I'm not that bothered, and neither is he.

[EightiesChick]

Omnishambles I agree I don't want my DS to be clothes conscious - but I do think by the same token it is nice for me and my DH to be able to choose nice things for him.

I wouldn't want a daughter to be clothes-obsessed either, but I would like there to be decent choice for her. While I agree with someone's comment earlier about the sea of cheap and nasty pink stuff for girls, you can generally find more other stuff too.

I have lots of 'bee' themed things for my DS - the name plate on his room and so on. Saw a lovely black and yellow stripy top in Debenhams last year with 'Bumble bee' on it - then it turned out it was a girls' top. Matching jeans with a bee stitched on, also for girls. Why is yellow a girls' colour and a bee a girly creature? That's the sort of thing that annoys me. Meanwhile the boy t-shirts have dogs or dinosaurs on AGAIN.

[GoldenGreen]

same here aarghhelp - I have a four year old ds and never had a problem - Boden sales are particularly good!. H&M also good, and cheap. He has never worn camouflage, slogan t-shirts, skulls, and has very little in blue.

I really don't see this as a campaign issue. It's not like any of our children are going unclothed (unless by choice!). I wouldn't want to devalue Let Girls be Girls, tbh.