So how are you clothing your children this Spring?

[Condessa]

The weather is changing, and it’s the time of year when we get out the summer clothes to see what still fits and buy what is needed for the kids’ warm weather wardrobes.  Our go-to for clothes are the resale stores, which are closed right now.  The Walmart in town is open, but they are not allowing returns of clothing and we aren’t supposed to send more than one household member to the store.  I can’t buy clothes for six kids that I can’t return if they don’t fit or if the child doesn’t like it.  There may likely be some stores over the state line open for business, but I don’t want to expose the kids to the germs.  One option is buying online from sellers with free returns, but that would be so much more expensive than our normal clothing budget.

So, how are you getting your kids’ clothes this spring?

[Arcadia]

 Mine are teens and they wear adult size. They are already in summer clothes since our weather is around the 80s for daytime. My kids summer classes are online so my kids don’t mind their well worn clothes. If their tennis recreational group lessons can resume in summer, they would still fit into their gently used T-shirts and shorts.

Is it possible for you to ask for hand me downs donations from your neighborhood? When DS14 outgrew his clothes rapidly, I would ask around to see if anyone needs gently used polo shirts and jeans before bringing to Goodwill. 

[Tap]

I almost always shop online for dds clothes....so, just the normal shopping here. I will pick up a few t-shirts at Target when I go there but otherwise, Amazon or Nordstrom Rack online. 

[CAJinBE]

My college kids had to come home early without much time to pack so they are very low on summer clothes. They ordered a few outfits online. Fortunately we know their sizes at a few of their favorite shops. Most of it fit okay. Since we still aren't going out of the house except to exercise, there hasn't been any issues yet.

[Ausmumof3]

It’s autumn here.  I need to get new boots for one kid which will involve an actual shopping trip because he needs orthotics so I have to fit them right.  Everything else will be online but we don’t need much anyway at this point.  Youngest two have a tonne of hand me downs and oldest did a massive growth spurt at the end of last winter then slowed down.  I anticipate another one at some point.

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

 Mine are teens and they wear adult size. They are already in summer clothes since our weather is around the 80s for daytime. My kids summer classes are online so my kids don’t mind their well worn clothes. If their tennis recreational group lessons can resume in summer, they would still fit into their gently used T-shirts and shorts.

Is it possible for you to ask for hand me downs donations from your neighborhood? When DS14 outgrew his clothes rapidly, I would ask around to see if anyone needs gently used polo shirts and jeans before bringing to Goodwill. 

This is an excellent idea.

i currently have a box of clothes sitting at my door that I can’t get rid of because the op shops are shut. 

[73349]

The consignment sale was canceled. If DS needed clothes right now, I'd use a coupon and buy online from Lands End. (Don't pay full price from them.)

I've never needed to return clothes for DS, though--I buy larger rather than smaller and stick to things he should like (such as solid t-shirts in his favorite colors). Only shoes need to be tried on.

[Soror]

The younger 2 girls had hand me downs they can make do with. My son still has shorts he can fit into (mens shorts are cut so much longer it doesn't matter if they are a bit shorter and he had plenty for wearing in PE this year at school). DD1 ordered a few things online but mostly is making do with with still fits (although things are getting tight and short), she cut off a pair of old workout pants for another pair of shorts. I also passed her a few things of mine as she is nearly my size. Staying home we don't need a lot. I won't mess with buying anything for ds until it is time for school. I need to take dd1 to the thrift stores and sales shopping to get her more when we can. I think the younger two girls are ok for the summer but really need to inventory but they both have plenty of play clothes for now that we're making do.

[Xahm]

I went to a consignment sale about a week before things started to hit, so we're good. I've noticed a lot of clothes giving/selling/trading on our local mom's Facebook group, so I guess that's what we'd do if I needed.

[Sherry in OH]

Oldest ds is in men's sizes.  His waist-size hasn't changed so he will wear last summer's wardrobe.   Younger ds had outgrown most of his shorts and his summer pajamas by the end of last summer..  I donated almost all of them expecting to buy more this spring.   In March I ordered some shorts from Old Navy.  They fit well enough. Son has plenty of t-shirts and can sleep in his underwear for now.   I'll worry about summer-weight sleepwear if/when scout camping resumes.  

Many online stores are having sales.  Use the store's sizing charts to determine your children's sizes.  Be prepared to wait for items.  I ordered my son's shorts in March.  They arrived last week.

 

[Momto6inIN]

The weekend as it was all starting to snowball here I took a big trip to town by myself and and went to Once Upon a Child with a big list. Everything I couldn't find there I ordered online.

For shoes, I outlined their feet on cardboard and cut them out and took them with me to the store.

I hear Children's Place is having a good sale right now. 

[mmasc]

I was just talking to my oldest about this yesterday! My other two have enough hand me downs to last until we can go to stores and buy a couple of needed items. But my oldest has no shorts at all, so I decided on ordering from Old Navy. Have you looked online there? I know six kids is a lot to buy for, but overall I find their prices decent if the stuff is on sale. If you have a local store, you can return things in person there usually (not sure exactly what’s going on with that right now, but I assume I can return at some point)

[JustEm]

6 hours ago, kand said:

I usually shop the consignment store, but I expect to make do with last year’s clothes and hand me downs. I don’t know how many hand me downs I have in the right sizes, but they can wear a little big or small if necessary. it’s only my three younger kids that are still growing. The tricky one will be my son. He’s the only boy and he’s growing a ton right now, so there might not be much he can still wear from last year, and likely not much in the way of hand me downs. I’ll order from Amazon or somewhere to fill in as needed. 

The kids don't seem to mind that they're wearing things a bit small or big. They understand the large consignment sales are all cancelled. The older two likely need a few more tshirts. I'll order those if they need them

[Jentrovert]

22 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

The weekend as it was all starting to snowball here I took a big trip to town by myself and and went to Once Upon a Child with a big list. Everything I couldn't find there I ordered online.

Same, except small independent consignment store. Both kids had completely outgrown last year's summer clothes (and winter's) and had few clothes of any kind that fit. 

I normally would have had to buy a few things online, but since we're not going anywhere all I've needed to do online is underwear.

[MercyA]

Children's Place always has free shipping, and some of their prices are as low as consignment sales and shops.

I found a good deal on jeans at Target. If you apply for a Red Card, you can get free shipping and 5% off.

I've bought a few things on eBay and ThredUp. 

Amazon often offers free returns for clothes.

I feel for you! The one thing I'm really missing right now is the start of garage sale season!

[theelfqueen]

My youngest has grown several inches in the last six months... his shorts fit his waist but are shorter than he would prefer. Hes doing ok on tees as we mostly still wear short sleeves in winter. ... And he is in need of a new Gi. I've done a bit of online looking but havent tackled it yet. 

We have never really had hand me downs (my kids are far apart in age - keeping hand me downs for 4 or 5 years isn't practical plus they're all three really different builds. So fit would be an issue) 

[Jann in TX]

Clothing a 4 month old and 18 yr old...

The 18 yr old is thankfully the same size she was last year as she LOVES clothes-- so she is making due without issue.  If she gets to go off to college this fall we will invest in some new clothes for her at that point.  She has started going through her closet and is taking out items she does not expect to wear again-- she will give a few friends (most have younger sisters) 'first pick' then we will donate the rest.  I think it would be a nightmare to have to shop without trying items on for her!

The 4 month old is another story-- he is now wearing 12 month size.  We were blessed with LOTS of new and gently used baby clothes-- but the majority were up to 9 months.  We were also spoiled because many of the gift clothes were CUTE sets.  I just ordered 3 jammies, 3 T-shirts and 4-shorts (inexpensive Garamimals mix and match) from Walmart.com.  I know they will fit and should keep him clothed for a few months.  (We do have some other T-shirts and pants from the gently used pile as well as our last trip to Walmart in March)... We just do a LOT of baby laundry!  And the best part is he could care less what he wears!

Yesterday I packed up a HUGE bag of baby clothes 0-9 months.  I'm hoping to find someone local who can use them-- or I'll donate them to my church or the local Catholic church (both take donations).

[Miss Tick]

When I grocery shop every 3rd week or so, I go to Aldi and Meijer. Meijer, like Walmart has clothes. I picked up a pair of shorts and a shirt for each of my dc. Hopefully they also have something that for from last year, but I figured this way everybody would have at least one outfit. They are all old enough to keep tabs on their own clothes, so I've told them (but will need to remind them) that is they need more, let me know.

[hippiemamato3]

I ordered a bunch of stuff from Abercrombie Kids for my daughter a couple weeks ago. I hope it arrives this week. My son wears same stuff year round so didn't need or want anything.

[BlsdMama]

I'm one of those "rubbermaid containers with age/sex" on them.  We broke out all the containers and dug out everything for summer.  This may actually change how I shop forever.  The next plan is to go through and see what staples I need to make full outfits.  Normally I'm a Goodwill / Consignment girl so I pick up things I like according to what is there when I go.  This much more structured/planned method is attractive to me.  I suspect I will really only need a few staples and then a wardrobe for our youngest boy.  After five girls in a row, we didn't save the middle son's clothes.  I tend to be namebrand picky, so I think I'll do Ebay for a lot most likely.

[SKL]

I very rarely buy clothes for spring.  I might buy shorts for summer if my bigger kid's butt has grown.  Jeans (only worn by 1 kid) I will buy as needed, 1 or 2 pairs at a time, kuz fit is important.

Even if I did buy clothes in the spring other years, it hasn't even crossed my mind this year because nobody's really going anywhere.  We did start discussing their upcoming high school wardrobe, but I will wait on that since they might grow.

[Condessa]

My difficulty is compounded by a few things.  One is that, to control the laundry monster, I have tended towards the minimalist side of things with kids’ clothes in the past so as to have less stuff to manage and to make myself stay on top of washing and folding frequently—so my kids tend to wear out most of their clothes each year, as they wear them a lot.  One is that my foster girls’ previous foster mom really goes in for tight-fitting styles on little girls, so almost none of their stuff still fits.  Also, my older girls are picky about their shorts length, and won’t wear shorts that don’t come down far enough.  Another is that several of my kids have difficult-to-fit body types (looking at you, three-year-old!  After much trying in the Fall I finally figured out that while she was the height measurement of a four-year-old and had the waist measurement for 5T pants, her thighs were 6T.  I searched high and low for 6T girls capris with adjustable waistbands for her to wear as pants.)

Okay, enough whining.  You all are making some good suggestions, and I will look more online, but I wish it had occurred to me earlier that I might need to budget significantly more for our clothes this season.

[PeterPan]

10 hours ago, Michelle Conde said:

 Our go-to for clothes are the resale stores, which are closed right now.

Maybe if you put out feelers with local churches or homeschooling groups someone will connect with you? I sell my ds' clothes to someone whose boy is the next size down. 

[BusyMom5]

I've been through clothes the last few weeks- 6 kids- we do keep the Rubbermaid tubs of clothes, but I haven't had a lot of nice stuff to hand down.

Oldest- needs nothing in particular

2nd- ordered dresses from Kohls and Target.  She only wears knit dresses and all the ones left over are about 3 years old now.  They look awful!

3rd/4th- twins, need to order shorts from Kohl's at the next sale.  I am ordering 4 of the next size up, same brand.  Shirts, will be okay.  I ordered shoes before everything got too crazy- one pr fit, but I probably would have sized up if I had gone to a store. 

5th- needs a LOT.   I've ordered shorts from Kohls- next size up from.last year.  Tops, needs 14/16 and I've ordered from Kohls znd Target.  Ordered knit dresses from Target, and play sandals from Target.  I also picked up some of the knit dresses at Walmart.

6th- everything left over is too small, but I put it in her drawers anyway.   I've bought knit dresses from Walmart and ordered some from Target, too.  I had already bought sandals on deep clearance last year, $2-3 pr!  

 

Over all I picked to order from Kohls and Target.  Kohl's says on their website that returns will be accepted 30 days from the time their stores open back up.  I have a stack of things to return,  but most fit about as I expected.   Target usually has easy returns, and I'm familiar with their sizes.  I am 2 hours from either store, but there arent any options closer besides Walmart!  

[bolt.]

I'm using last year's clothes, and washing laundry more frequently. It seems sufficient for now, especially because no one cares how we look or how much variety we have in our day-to-day wardrobes.

If we run into issues of actual comfort or coverage (and if I can't solve the issue by keeping whatever items are still good clean and ready more frequently) I'll take measurements to a store, measure the items I'm considering. I'll also send photos by text to the kid I'm buying for if there are any choices of style etc. I'll also expect them to wear whatever I can find (if it fits comfortably) regardless of whether or not they "like" it. If something I buy turns out to be a flop, I'll consider it normal to sometimes make a mistake or two that wastes a little money. It feels bad, but it's not the end of the world.

For me, it's that my young teen daughter needs new bras. So far, I've picked up what's available when I go for groceries. So far, that's an uncomfortably tight sports bra and another style that she will need to grow into, but no success. Next time I will get the size up of the sports bras and see if that works. If not, I'll just have to take her to walmart with me. (The rule here is "if possible" one person per household. So I'm trying all that is "possible" to bra shop for someone else, but I'll bring her if I need to.)

They will also need shoes. My plan is to trace their feet onto cardboard to test shoes without bringing them with me -- like I did when they were toddlers.

[mlktwins]

Since we aren't planning to go anywhere nice all summer, I'm not getting nice khaki shorts or polo type shirts.

I have twins, but one likes his shorts to be a little looser around his waist.  So...one boy is getting all the hand me down athletic shorts (he is fine with that) and the other boy is getting new athletic shorts.  Both have a ton of t-shirts that fit well or are a bit big.  They have moved into smaller men's sizes, but are growing like crazy.  

 

[SereneHome]

I just don't buy a lot of clothes for my kids. I didn't grow up in US, so this idea of changing an outfit every day is not something I subscribe to. And since they are only going outside in our yard or riding bikes in our neighborhood, it's even easier.

I don't usually buy stuff on-line bc I need to look at the tag and see where it was made - we don't buy "made in China" clothes, never have.

So....I'll wait.

I do hope they won't need any new footwear. Although two youngest ones already been running around  barefoot. But if I have to, I usually order from Sierra Trading Post.

ETA: wow, just looked on-line and Sierra is not shipping anything right now! Let's hope my kids don't need any sandals any time soon!

Edited April 26, 2020 by SereneHome

[Emba]

I had not even thought about clothes for the kids. All they’re doing is playing outside, and no one sees us, so I’m not going to worry about it until things open up again. What they have fits well enough. All they would do with new clothes is tear them up and get them dirty playing.

[mommyoffive]

We haven't needed to buy anything.   We have saved everything to pass down to the next kid so the younger ones don't need anything.  They also got a lot of things at Christmas.  Honestly we should be getting rid of tons right now.  Shoes I stock up on sizes when there are great sales.  So no need there.  

[athena1277]

My 17yo dd has stopped growing, so she doesn’t need anything right now.  12yo ds had a crazy growth spurt just as it got cold in the fall.  I had to buy him a whole new wardrobe.  It included some short sleeved shirts and athletic shorts.  The shorts are looking too short, but he can get by for now and he would rather wear jeans most of the time anyways.

My just turned 4yo dd is a crazy story.  We went to my mom’s to visit and scatter my dad’s ashes in Feb.  While we were there, she asked us to help go through a closet full of my dad’s stuff.  Not clothes, but all kinds of things he had collected over the years.  Mom says there’s 2 boxes in the top of the closet that she can’t lift down that are mine.  I know nothing about these boxes, so I figure they are more of Dad’s stuff, just in boxes I once used.  When we got them down and opened them, we were shocked to find they were full of little girl clothes!  When oldest (remember, she’s now 17) was little, I would get hand me downs from my aunt, because her girls were only a few years older.  This was a box of clothes intended for oldest that for some reason was put in that closet until I could get them and forgotten.  The clothes were size 4 and 5, which is what little dd was just starting to wear.  Some of it is a little dated, but who cares when we are stuck at home anyways?  It was a blessing we didn’t know we would need.

[prairiewindmomma]

We went through the hand me down tubs to see what could work, and made a list of what was needed. I placed an Old Navy order. With the sales they have been running, prices were cheaper than Target.

I have been offering up our too-small sized stuff to friends. Ask around—a lot of people have thrift store donation bags stacked up in their houses.

[RootAnn]

Am I the only one who saw the title if this thread & thought something along the lines of "Unfashionably?"

I've actually got two trash bags worth of clothes that I filled from our gender/size Rubbermaid totes to be donated.

So far since our weather is still spring -and-not-summer, I've been able to get by with buying shoes/sandals online. (Shoes.com has a large variety & is shipping. Look for a coupon code!)

I'm mostly going to have to deal with ds#1 & ds#2. Actually, ds#2 will likely be my biggest problem. I'll probably have to buy online & send back what doesn't fit.

[rebcoola]

Facebook marketplace place or groups.

Online theft stores like swap.com and schoola.com

 Online sales and clearance.

[historically accurate]

I have 3 teen girls, so clothes are important here. I don't expect that we will be seeing anyone though, so they agreed to go minimalist this summer. I am doing laundry every day currently, so really we could get through with 2-3 outfits. I think they will have about 3-5 shorts/shirts and 1-2 dresses.

Oldest said she could use a tee or two. I will probably just get a couple of Walmart shirts to get her through.

Middle didn't have any shorts at all that fit her. She has to wear really, really hot compression tights, so she prefers really light-weight shorts. Oldest's shorts are all jean shorts (they're pretty close to the same size). I ordered 3 pair from Justice.

Youngest can get by for the meantime with a couple of hand me downs from the bin and 2 shirts that still fit from last year.

[Carrie12345]

17 hours ago, Michelle Conde said:

Walmart in town is open, but they are not allowing returns of clothing and we aren’t supposed to send more than one household member to the store

Walmart’s online store takes returns. I’m guessing not for grocery/other household necessities, but I returned other stuff last week.

I haven’t gone through clothes yet, but my kids have nowhere to go, so they can deal. When they have places to go, I figure we’ll be able to shop relatively normal.

 

[Kassia]

42 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Walmart’s online store takes returns. I’m guessing not for grocery/other household necessities, but I returned other stuff last week.

 

 

Our Walmart will not take returns for walmart.com apparel until restrictions are lifted.  I just called yesterday to check on this.

[kiwik]

It is late autumn here.  I wear the same 2 pairs of trousers year round and add thermals or jackets to my summer tops.  Ds13 will need some short sleeved thermals for under his uniform polo when he goes back to school and I will probably order online.  He claims he is going to wear Keen sandals all winter but when we have shops again I will get him some winter shoes.  DS10 needs a new sweatshirt.  Given unlike when I was a kid we have an automatic washing machine and a dryer I just turn the machine on when it gets full.

[Tanaqui]

Mine are now done growing, I think, but if they weren't we'd either embrace naturalism or embrace home sewing. Could go either way!

It's clothing them for next winter that'd be the problem....

Edited April 27, 2020 by Tanaqui

[Carrie12345]

9 hours ago, Kassia said:

 

Our Walmart will not take returns for walmart.com apparel until restrictions are lifted.  I just called yesterday to check on this.

Sorry, I meant shipped back, not in-store returns.

[DawnM]

Our neighborhood sites (our immediate neighborhood and Next-door, and Marketplace) are all "open."   So much stuff on there right now as people are cleaning out and have no where to take things.

[maize]

We're supposed to clothe them?!?

Truthfully, at this point, I'm just letting them wear ill-fitting clothes with holes in the knees. It's not like we are going anywhere...

I did order a new pair of leggings off of Amazon for one child who seems to have no pants without holes. I suppose I need to evaluate the rest. Fortunately my kids are generally happy with t-shirts and shorts or leggings with elastic waistbands, so exact fit isn't super important.

[Condessa]

It’s not really a problem yet for them to be wearing their winter clothes, still.  But these lovely Spring temperatures have arrived this last week or two—meaning we have about three weeks until it will be uncomfortably hot during the day.  (It’s still weird to me that Spring and Fall weather is so short here, and the rest of the time is roasting or freezing).

[alisoncooks]

Meh, we're still plugging along with the winter clothes. When it warms up, youngest DD will just swap out her jogging pants for her mesh shorts from last year. T-Shirts are a constant. 

(But my girls are old enough that they're not rapidly outgrowing clothes by the season.)

Edited April 27, 2020 by alisoncooks

[catz]

I have teens but if they need anything it's all going to be online easy to fit knits and t-shirts.  And I am on board with unfashionably.  Character pajama pants are big here right now.  😂

[TechWife]

Does your neighborhood have a Facebook page? Can you put a request on there for gently used hand-me-downs, either donations or for pay? Other sources might be home school groups or church groups.

[Storygirl]

DD14 thinks she will need new shorts, because she has grown. She also needs a new swimming suit, which I don't consider a priority (when is she going to swim??), but she does.

DD18 does not need anything (though she would want new things, always) and is actually culling her wardrobe in advance of (hopefully) moving to a college dorm this fall. But she does want a white dress to wear under her white graduation gown. Her school's graduation has been postponed until an unknown date late in the summer (very tiny school --15 kids in her class -- so they may be able to have some kind of gathering in person, instead of a completely virtual one). But her school and our church are both having a car parade celebration in mid-May, and she will wear her cap and gown for those.

Our retail stores can open up mid-May, but I WON'T be going to the mall then. So we will do online ordering for the things we need soon. I have been limiting my online ordering, because I feel badly for warehouse and delivery workers being at risk, so I will try to combine as many things into as few orders as possible, in order to minimize packaging.

[ktgrok]

I shop online, Children's place and Old Navy. 

[ktgrok]

9 hours ago, maize said:

We're supposed to clothe them?!?

Truthfully, at this point, I'm just letting them wear ill-fitting clothes with holes in the knees. It's not like we are going anywhere...

I did order a new pair of leggings off of Amazon for one child who seems to have no pants without holes. I suppose I need to evaluate the rest. Fortunately my kids are generally happy with t-shirts and shorts or leggings with elastic waistbands, so exact fit isn't super important.

This is a good point! 

If you stick to elastic waist stuff, you can get by with out a perfect fit - either ordering online or going into the store without them. 

[Shoeless]

I'm ordering online from Target. We don't plan on going many places (anywhere?) this summer, so we'll make do with what we've got.

I did go through kiddo's clothes right before Covid hit the fan, and bought new underwear and socks for him.  He has plenty of shirts, and a "good enough" selection of shorts. He's not a clothes horse and doesn't care what's in the drawer as long as it's clean. 

[BusyMom5]

I thought I should update how my orders turned out.  

2 year old- ordered 2 dresses- both look a bit big but I'll keep both for now.

9 year old- ordered 4 dresses from Target- all the same size.  All are too big, but 3 are wearable.   She says they have plenty of room.  Who cares.  I also bought 2 prs of sandals- same size.  1 pair fits, the others are ridiculously big.  Overall I'll just return 1 dress and 1 pr of shoes.

15 year old- can fit in the dresses for the 9 year old, lol!  She got 2 dresses.  I dont really like either,  but one will work so I'll just return 1.