myfunnybunch Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 What do you do when boys outgrow child sizes? Dumb question, I know. But dh has always purchased his own pants, I don't have brothers, and so far only daughters who have grown into adult sizes. When I suggested that since dh knows how to buy men's pants, then he might take ds to buy jeans, he looked pretty panicked, so I said, "Never mind, honey, I'll figure it out." So....how does one go about finding men's pants that fit? Cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Uhh, the same way you do it for girls? If he had pants from say Levi's that fit well cutwise in child sizes I would look in that section in the men's sizes. Men's pants are easier IMO than women's which vary by brand, and sometimes within a brand, where a 4 somewhere will be a 10 somewhere else. Men's are labelled by measurement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Men's pants are by inseam and waist size. We got a couple of sizes in each style and tried them on since some cuts do fit a bit differently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamolina Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 You just need to measure his waist and his inseam and go from there. That is how all mens pants are sold. So he would be something like a 28x32, the waist measurement comes first. Hope that helps! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Some dept. stores sell young men's clothing similar to juniors for girls. I don't know how the pants sizes works though. My son only wears athletic style pants and I get them from the men's sports dept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I have the same problem! We usually shop for clothes in Target. Our store's boys jeans sizes go up to 16 Husky. Once the 14 Husky was too tight, I bought him a pair of 16 Husky but it was just right. I didn't fancy shopping for jeans again within a couple of months so we went to the men's section and he tried size 30. It was a good fit, slightly on the loose side but that's the best fit he could find in the men's section. He now has the boys' 16 Husky and the men's size 30 to mix and match or alternate when one is in the laundry. Hopefully, I won't have to take him jeans shopping for another 6 months at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Have your son try each pair on. Even if they are the same size and the same style number, they can vary, wildly, because of the way the material is cut and sewn. Many years ago, I worked for a company in Texas that made equipment sold to clothing manufacturers. They can put the material to cut for 50 or 100 garments into the machine, each time, before it cuts. It starts at the top and works down to the bottom. If the material moves, the pieces of material in the stack are *not* the same. I have, more than once, tried on 2 pairs of pants that should have been identical, but were considerably different in how they fit. My wife can put her elbow into the top of a pair of jeans, etc., make a fist, and she will know if the pants will fit her properly or not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thank you! That was exactly what I needed. It might seem really obvious if you've done this before, but I never have! I'll measure his waist and inseam and take him shopping! quark, we have a Target nearby, and I was thinking of taking him there to buy 1-2 pairs of jeans just to see how they fit. Which brand did you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 curious - some places (like target?) the boys sizes go up to an 18. My 16 yo's waist outgrew the biggest kid sizes we could find only about 2 years ago? he is a late bloomer, though. and . . i actually buy his pants mostly at walmart - seem to have a good variety of cheap pants that fit him. but yes, jeans are just by waist and length, length being inseam. My son is 5'7 and over 200 lb, he wears a . . .ugg, he cant remember. maybe 38 waist and 36 length? i dont know. but you really should bring your son with you to try them on. the brand doesnt make a huge difference except in subtleties of what shape your son is and what style he likes. you really need to try on a few sizes in a few brands. you just take him to the store, grab a few, have him try them on and tell you if its too tight, too loose, too long, too short, and go try another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I understand! I haven't done it before either. OK, I can't find the brand for the 16 Husky. I think I snipped the labels and tags off (he doesn't like those scratching him). The size 30 is a Denizen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Levi's are your friend. There are several different numbered cuts. Once you find the style that fits him right, you'll be golden. Example: ds wears 514s. Ever since we discovered that, jean shopping has been painless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 We buy Wrangler jeans at Target. You just need the waist and inseam measurements. We just pick a few pairs of different cutting, go home and try slowly than return those that dont fit well. Some jeans are more stiff and the cutting can be uncomfortable when bending or squatting but okay when standing. Waist of 28" or 29" is harder to find. 30" and onwards is easier. Also if your child don't mind the jeans end being folded up, you can buy jeans which are one inch longer. Pre-teens guys shoot up faster than their waist increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Pre-teens guys shoot up faster than their waist increase. I've found that this is not true with my tween. It used to be the way Arcadia describes it when he was younger, but once puberty hit, his waist started growing quickly (his appetite is mind bogglingly huge right now) too so now I have both length and width to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I've found that this is not true with my tween. It used to be the way Arcadia describes it when he was younger, but once puberty hit, his waist started growing quickly (his appetite is mind bogglingly huge right now) too so now I have both length and width to worry about. Then, you have my ds whose waist size has gone down as his length has gone up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I walked into Old Navy and told a guy that my son has outgrown boy 14's, and if he could point me to what would fit next. We tried men's size 28 and they fit well. A few months later DS had grown in height, so I kept the same 28 but bought it in size 30 length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Waist of 28" or 29" is harder to find. 30" and onwards is easier. True. I also had a devil of a time finding a 29" inseam. DS's size for his first pairs was 30" waist, 29" inseam. I had to order Levi's online because I couldn't find a single pair of any brand in that size locally. (But, interestingly, sizes like 38x29 were plentiful.) And, of course, he now seems to have lost a few pounds, so he is preferring the 14 Husky even though they're floods. :glare: I hate to admit it, but I find myself thinking, "Grow, Boy, grow! Grow faster!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I dread the day DS moves into jeans/pants from the mens department. The transition from boys to mens shoes was hard enough to figure out - trying on dozens of pairs. And, like Lanny said, jeans can vary from pair to pair. DH can take five pair of jeans - all same size/brand - and have them fit a bit differently. It is maddening. DS is 11 and transitioning into mens shirts. The shirts in the boys department scale up as they increase in size. DS is a bean pole and doesn't need the width, just the length. He now fits better in a mens, size small, than a boys XL. But - wow - the price doubles! I bought DS three new shirts yesterday and nearly fell over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 DS is 11 and transitioning into mens shirts. The shirts in the boys department scale up as they increase in size. DS is a bean pole and doesn't need the width, just the length. He now fits better in a mens, size small, than a boys XL. But - wow - the price doubles! I bought DS three new shirts yesterday and nearly fell over. Keep a lookout for men tall sizes for shirts. The leftover sizes do go on sale. I've got plenty of bean pole male cousins, nephews as well as my hubby. Their business suits were all tailored made because it was so hard to get a good fit. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 We are in a virtual no-man's land of clothing for DS2. He is almost out of boys' sizes and the smallest pickings in men's sizes are always GONE when we look. And I think DS1 shot thru this phase faster because he has so very few hand me downs that work, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof2cm Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Then, you have my ds whose waist size has gone down as his length has gone up... That is my son! It is so hard to find clothes for a teen like this. He needs larger pants for the length but still fits in a 14-16 waist wise. Grrr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 That is my son! It is so hard to find clothes for a teen like this. He needs larger pants for the length but still fits in a 14-16 waist wise. Grrr. :laugh: My ds started out on the huskier side, so waist size was never a problem! He is quite happy that as all other sizes have increased the waist has decreased. It has been a very good thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I just had to do this for my oldest. I found the 28-29 inch waist was easier to find at Old Navy than anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 My oldest is 28X30....hard to find size especially in dress pants. Bleh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbeym Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 For most of his teen years, my oldest wore a 28x32, which are almost impossible to find in a decent price range. I think he's up to a 30x34 now, which makes shopping a little bit easier. Youngest wears a 36x32 right now but I expect that to change soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becca211 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 My son is a 28X32 now and it is a nightmare to find. I got them at American Eagle 50% off. They put there jeans on sale pretty regularly, and if you catch it early you can find that size. I keep telling him he has to grow around before he can grow any taller because pants will be impossible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 you know you can order from old navy and from target on line to get the size you need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 For my tall and skinny ds, I buy from either GAP or Old Navy as the waists go down to 28 and we can get the longer sizes. I find mant of those sizes in the clearance rack as very few men are 29' waist and 32 or 33 length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 what you don't do is ask your Canadian DH for what pant size he thinks. He will get the boys to try on his pants and tell you get a size 32. You then travel to the shopping centre 100 km away and discover that of course all the pants are in metric here. So you walk around the shop until you find a skinny man and ask him if he could please tell you what size would a 32 be in metric. He will look at you in panic for a few seconds thinking you are a crazy woman, and then mumble a number and take off at high speed. After you buy the pants and take them home, you will find out that your boys had decided that they like having their pants loose, and when they had tried on DH's pants they put them on and took them off without bothering to undo the zip. :bored: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Yes, that was a tough transition. I couldn't find the small sizes anywhere locally, so I ordered multiple sizes and styles from J.C. Penney's and returned what didn't fit. There is a catalog desk near one of my monthly errands, so I just timed it for that and didn't pay shipping. Now he's 6' tall, and I still can't find his jeans locally because he is so skinny. So I still order for him. Thankfully the next one down is standard size, and likes Target. That one is easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I hear you all that have the tall skinny boys. I've been shopping for those elusive 28X36 for years because my brother is that lean buff man with no waist so to speak. Usually he has to go with a 29 and a belt because as others have said the 28s are impossible to find. My brother seems to like the pants at Gap lately. My brother always wants to know why they expect you to be short if you're that skinny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted September 26, 2021 Share Posted September 26, 2021 Why would someone join a homeschool board to resurrect an 8 yr old thread on pants sizes??? 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 26, 2021 Share Posted September 26, 2021 43 minutes ago, Solei said: I am have been wondering the same (for the person who said figuring out girls sizes is the same as boys--its absolutely not the same. As a woman and former girl, I have never had to measure my waist and inseam to figure out my size). Anyway, I think I have figured it out. My question now is, what does DH and DS mean? I think from the context the gist is that it's something husband and something son. Divorced Husband? Damn Son? I have been on the internet since it's conception and have never seen that before. Dear husband Desr son 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted September 26, 2021 Share Posted September 26, 2021 1 hour ago, Corraleno said: Why would someone join a homeschool board to resurrect an 8 yr old thread on pants sizes??? not to mention I don't believe Solei has been on the Internet as long as they claim since they don't understand DH and DS. I saw that back on alt.fan.pern long before the web boards became a thing. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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