Clothes for children

[MaBelle]

My grandkids have toys out the wazoo so I'm thinking about getting them clothes for Christmas.  Three oldest are girls that love clothes and two youngest are too little to care.  I found some London Fog coats for kids but I'm not settled yet.   What are your favorite brands or stores?  Ages 7 to 1.

Edited November 14, 2019 by MaBelle

[HomeAgain]

Hanna Andersson has held up remarkably well here.  Everything we've bought has been sturdy, stain resistant, and finished properly so my kid didn't complain of itchy seams.

[alisoncooks]

1 minute ago, HomeAgain said:

Hanna Andersson has held up remarkably well here.  Everything we've bought has been sturdy, stain resistant, and finished properly so my kid didn't complain of itchy seams.

I loved HA when my girls were young. (Of course, all ours were thrift store or eBay finds, but the quality held up!)

Lands End has some cute stuff. My girls liked the LE dress ("fit and flare," I think) with leggings. 

[Calm37]

We shopped almost exclusively at Target when my girls were that age. Easy returns, too, if you are not local. I have found myself back there for my 7-month-old granddaughter. I have shopped at Kohl's, Walmart, and other stores, but I enjoy the selection/experience at Target the best.

 

[Beth S]

One Christmas, my in-laws bought matching fleece Gap hoodies for the kids.
It was fun for them to dress alike (about your grandkids' ages), and we could Hand-me-down them.

I would likely ask the parents to make sure you're filling a need.
I'm considering sewing hooded towels, with animal designs (DIY ideas on the internet).

[Rachel]

I really like LandsEnd jackets for my kids, they have lifetime warranty which I’ve used. The styles are semi-timeless so I can pass them between kids. However, ask the parents what brands they prefer.  My inlaws are wonderful people but the style of clothes they pick are not what I would pick for my kids even when they choose a brand I like. 
 

What I would have loved for my kids instead of toys when my kids were that age was a zoo or children’s museum membership. I definitely didn’t want more toys even though that’s what the kids wanted. 

[SamanthaCarter]

Ask the parents. 😊

[PeterPan]

Ooo, Hanna Annderson with the matching tights!!! But I love the beautiful coats idea too. Do they wear coats long in your area? That would be the thing. Around here coats would get worn less and *jackets* would get worn more. 

[wintermom]

Children's Place is my absolute favourite. Cute stuff, decent prices (for Canada), spans a lot of ages and tastes.

[Arcadia]

DS14 is sensory avoiding and would pick out the softest cotton onesies and tops from Carter’s and Oskgosh Bgosh as a under 2. He like the made in Egypt and made in Jordan ones. He would sit in his stroller, feel the material and pick the ones he feels are good enough like a quality control inspector. DS13 got all the hand me downs and they were great for his eczema prone skin. We bought some new baby clothes for DS13 when he was a toddler but got DS14 to do the “quality check”. 

We had a children’s museum annual membership for $150 which is for three adults and kids. My mom was helping me so the three adults option was great since my mom and/or my husband could come along. Names were on the card so we paid admission for my dad when he visited.

[Pen]

Ask the parents.  

And for the oldest ones, who would have an opinion, maybe also the kids themselves.  

 

For very young baby/toddler Under the Nile and Hanna Anderson.

For somewhat older we used LL Bean a great deal for jeans, T-necks, jackets, and snow/rain gear.  They held up well and had right fits.  I would have used that for dresses too if I’d had a daughter who wanted them. 

MEC (mountain equipment coop?) in Canada for organic short sleeve T-shirts and Hoodies that were favorite comfort clothes.  Worn more than anything else. I don’t know if the hoodies are still available.

 

 

Clothes that allowed movement and play got worn.  Special dress up clothes didn’t. 

Anything itchy and scratchy didn’t.  

[Clemsondana]

Hanna Andersson holds up really well.  We also had some things from Tea that were fun.  

[madteaparty]

Olive juice

miniboden 

[Momto6inIN]

Land's End

[domestic_engineer]

www.teacollection.com

[ChrisB]

I have a bunch of girls, and the youngest is 7.  DD7 loves to go to Once Upon A Child and pick her own complete outfits.  Then I get to see what she really likes and what brands fit.  Carter's is good quality, fit for a tall thinner body.  Love, love their pajamas.  I've found Target designs for a thinner body--Walmart and Children's Place for huskier.  HA is super comfie and holds up well.  DD10 has a HA dress that still looks new that we got used when DD15 was around 7.   DD7 also prefers leggings or footless tights over footed tights.

If you are looking for additional ideas especially for the older 3:

- half day out with Grandma where you do a fun brunch or lunch out and shopping for an outfit.

- experiences: zoo passes, science museum passes, trampoline park/climbing walls, pool passes for nice aquatic center, stage theater production, movie theater tickets+concessions (Frozen II is coming up!!)

- sunglasses

- fun ankle boots

- backpacks (Lands End)

- ballet shoes + leotard

- Claire's visit or GC: my girls love to pick out their favorite hair accessory or stuffed animal

- bathing suits (Lands End)

 

DD7 is a serious stuffed animal-aholic, affectionately referred to as our resident stuffie-aholic. 🤣  MIL got her (with our permission) a giant, 6ft long, stuffed caterpillar.  She LOVES it so much, and its permanent spot is in her bed.  All the cousins were super jealous that she got this.  The next year MIL got 1 cousin a caterpillar, another cousin the following year.  It's become something fun for the kids.  MIL has the original "Catty", DD7 has Catty Jr., cousin has Catty the 3rd, etc.

 

The gifts I appreciated the most from my MIL were quality coats, snow pants, snow boots, gloves. (We live where it snows.)  These are expensive items that they grow out of quickly.  Also, fun patterned rain boots they can easily wash and pull on to run outside.  

 

My mom gets the kids name personalized song CDs, Looney Tunes DVD collections, slippers, and various other items that I tell her they'd like.  She doesn't buy clothing or toys much.

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by ChrisB

[medawyn]

Hanna Anderson and Tea Collection have held up really well here and fit my aesthetic.  The clothes are pricey, but most of them have gone through at least three boys and four girls and by and large come out the other end still wearable/donatable.  This winter the only clothing item I bought for my three yo is the shirt he needed to "coordinate" for the big cousins/grandparents photo.  Everything else comes straight from the two above brands.

[Rachel]

7 hours ago, domestic_engineer said:

www.teacollection.com

Yes! Tea and Mini Boden are my splurge clothes for my daughter. I use to sew for her quite a bit but don’t really have the time as much now, instead I buy the occasional dress I would have liked to have made for her. They are very good quality but pricey. I am on Boden’s email list and they do offer 20% discounts regularly, I also shop clearance.  I can’t remember if Tea does discounts, I get their catalogs but not the emails. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Rachel