Mums of very thin reception girls, pls help!

[kisaki333]

I have ordered (and mostly returned) at least £300 worth of school trousers in the last month I can't find a single one that looks ok and fits.
Some of the ones with adjustable waist can be adjusted to fit the waist but they look like she did a big poo in her nappy (she obviously doesn't wear one! )
To make it worse, all the adjustable waist ones are polyester. ALL the cotton pull ones I found don't have an adjustable waist. Whyyyyy???
So far we tried:
Next (best results so far but still bad)
M&S
ASDA found one slim fit that has really bad reviews saying it's much too slim lol. This one is ok, but feels poor quality.
Sainsbury's
Various Amazon brands with 0 success

Anyone managed to find something that actually looks ok on a slim petite 4.5yo and with good quaility? Preferably cotton?

And before you say about dresses, i don't want her in dresses, she is very active and a climber, she won't be able to do everything she wants in a dress.

In day to day she lives in leggings but the school won't accept those (how crazy is that, why not?!)

That's what I'd take a playsuit to be.
I don't have girls but they sound so impractical to me.

Polo & shorts would be a better combination than a playsuit.

Someone said skirts impede ability to play- tell that to the female tennis, netball and hockey players. I think they might take offence.

I note you've picked non-contact sports played standing up. Played in very short skirts so they don't get in the way, probably with solid undies or shorts underneath for comfort and decency. Now go do an obstacle course in a knee length gingham dress.

Well as long as thd skirt of it is fairly full them it should be fine

Bollocks, nobody does obstacle courses in knee long dresses. It's not that it's impossible - when women were first allowed to join in some sports they did it in ankle length skirts because that was what was socially permitted - but there's a more practical choice and OP is perfectly reasonable to want to choose it. Slim fit trousers exist, the parents of slim boys manage to find them.

Dress with cycling shorts under.
Sorted.
You're welcome x

As long as the dress has enough fabric / pleats in it, it should be fine.
Nobody is suggesting putting a 5yo in a straight skirt requiring baby steps to move.

I think you are confusing "it is possible to do x in y clothing" with "y clothing is optimal for doing x". It is possible to play tennis in ankle length skirts. It may be possible to do an obstacle course in a knee length gingham dress. But: Tennis players no longer wear ankle length skirts because they aren't the most practical clothing for playing tennis. People don't do obstacle courses in gingham dresses because trousers or leggings are better for that job.

Why shouldn't OP consider the most practical outfit for the job of being a busy reception child? The gingham frocks thing seems so old fashioned. Clearly it is possible for skinny children to find trousers that work, because all the boys do.

Tennis, netball and hockey are played in skorts - tiny shorts with a decorative and very short piece of fabric on top. There are plenty of discussions on the reasons why male players are wearing shorts that cover them comfortably and female players pretty much in pants with a tiny skirt. It is not because of better performance.

That of course is another question - whether fashion or league rules or sponsors demands are still influencing sportswear in a direction that is not the most comfortable for the job. Albeit clearly they can move freely.

@thirdfiddle they can move freely because the skirt part is extremely short (crotch length, not knee length), and because they stand up, I yet have to see gymnasts, climbers, or even hockey players in knee length skirts! Also they wear skorts, not skirts or dresses that on skinny kids basically expose everything up to the chest when upside down. I’ve seen more than one girl being trapped by the body of their dress going over their armpits when upside down.
I see year 5 upwards wearing shorts plus shirt in summer now, and more and more younger kids as well. 2-piece playsuits are becoming popular as well, I don’t think i’ve ever actually seen a child in a 1-piece playsuit in real life.

We're definitely on the same page here herewego. And don't start me on gymnasts uniforms - they may be able to move freely but who really wants to wear uniform that requires waxing and possibly gluing in place to avoid accidental exposure. When my DC did rec gym their club had some high level gymnasts and all the teens liked little tight overshorts for understandable reasons.