Dressing our kids like adults now???

[delmar411]

I don't think Justice is trampy per say. But they do carry some trampy clothes. And it's guaranteed that my girls will want the trampy stuff! LOL I hate the suits they are offering this year and found some suits I like at Target. She needs tankinis for her height so I try to make sure she is getting suits that fit but are still good for camp.

But it's also hard to fit skinny girls who still like little girl clothes but not preschooler type clothes. It bothers me to buy YDD shorts that should fit her but when I see her running around in them, her bum is hanging out. Or she has to wear them rolled down to well below her belly button to keep them up. She's 7 not 17!

If I buy to fit her then she's not appropriately dressed. If I buy to cover her properly, she can't keep the shorts up. It's a no win situation with her. Obviously designers have to make clothes built for the average child, just sucks when yours isn't the average child!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Payless is where I had trouble finding shoes. And I have trouble finding clothes in every store...there are always more inappropriate clothes, with the few appropriate items hidden among them. Sometimes I dig for the appropriate stuff, but sometimes I get so fed up with the fact that I actually have to look for stuff for my 5 year old to wear so she doesn't look slutty that I end up walking out disgusted.

That's why I buy most of my girl's stuff on-line.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I have problems with this:
http://www.shopjustice.com/girls-clothing/skirts-skorts/denim-patch-skort/5061564

because when we tried it on is BARELY covered DD's cheeks and she is NOT tall.
All of the tees at justice are cut waay to narrowly for us. The right length and fit in the shouldres is SKIN tight, and desigfned to be that way.

put the short skirt and tight tee with shoes like these,
http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Ups-Lit...XA/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1300302331&sr=8-16
and you have the picture.
It is really about the combo a lot of the time!

I agree with this. Justice is up there with the worst of the worst in trying to make young children look like adults, plus they run 1 to 2 sizes small. Their clothes are tacky, over-priced and poorly made.

I was at Belk the other day, they had vintage Kiss and Ac/DC concert shirts available in the the little girls department and also some super cute hot pink capri pants with FOXY across the rear in rhinestones and sequins - that's appropriate for 4th grade right?

 

[woodkins]

I have problems with this:
http://www.shopjustice.com/girls-clothing/skirts-skorts/denim-patch-skort/5061564

because when we tried it on is BARELY covered DD's cheeks and she is NOT tall.
All of the tees at justice are cut waay to narrowly for us. The right length and fit in the shouldres is SKIN tight, and desigfned to be that way.

put the short skirt and tight tee with shoes like these,
http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Ups-Lit...XA/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1300302331&sr=8-16
and you have the picture.
It is really about the combo a lot of the time!

I just bought my daughter that denim skort. It hits mid thigh and has shorts attached. I don't know what kind of denim skirt an 8 yr old should be wearing, is baring the knees too daring It is longer than most of the shorts she wears. As for the shoes, those are communion or easter shoes, so for a special occassion, I don't think a 1" think heel is crazy for and 8+ yr old girl. My dd chose to wear ballet flats for her communion, but I wouldn't have a prob if she picked those (except I think they look cheap LOL).

We live on Long Island and all of the 8yr olds I know wear Abercrombie/Justice/skinny jeans/uggs/capri sweats and fitted tees. I don't think they look trampy at all. If I sent my daughter to school in Lands End, Gymboree or Hannah Anderson type clothing she would for sure be made fun of for being a baby. Even I think those clothes are only appropriate for kids up to maybe age 6. My dd is in 3rd grade and wouldn't even consider the style of clothes that they are selling. She is very into sporty trendy looks and I think the abercrombie sweats and fitted tees are adorable for her age.

 

[princessmom29]

I've never had problems at Justice either. My kids love to layer. That skort would look cute with leggings which is how my 10 yo likes to wear them. Looking at it though, I can't imagine how a rear would be hanging out of it. There are shorts attached and it doesn't look that short.

My 10yo doesn't fit that tapered style of shirt either. So we don't buy those ones. Not all of the shirts are cut like that. I also don't care if I have to buy a size up because of the cut. Why does this matter? What matters is that what I do buy fits and looks appropriate. Every store will carry different cuts of clothes; just choose the ones that actually fit or choose to shop elsewhere. It's really that simple. At any store we have to try on quite a few things to find the items that will suit us. This is true for kids and adults.

No need to criticize those who do shop at stores that you don't like. My kids do NOT dress trampy but basically you're saying that they do because I buy things at Justice.

ETA: The only thing I see wrong with those shoes is the type of heel. I don't want to risk my kids twisting their ankles. A much thicker heel and this would be a beautiful dress shoe and something similar to what I might have worn as a kid. When it comes to shoes my basic requirements involve safety. Lots of parents send their kids to school in flip flops or crocs with no backs but no way is my kid going to school without a back; that's a recipe for a twisted ankle or a shoe flying off and hitting somebody else.

Your kids must be shaped to fit that kind of cut, becuase everyone of D's friends have similar issues with the shirts at justice. No one is saying anyone's kids dress trampy, just that WE have had problems with specific items at Justice looking trampy when WE tried them on. Many kids and parents we know have a similar issue. It is not just us. DD has a few things from justice. She cannot wear the vast majority of it, and neither can most of her friends except the most rail thin. THEY look fine in the things they wear, but most girls we know have issues.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We live on Long Island and all of the 8yr olds I know wear Abercrombie/Justice/skinny jeans/uggs/capri sweats and fitted tees. I don't think they look trampy at all. If I sent my daughter to school in Lands End, Gymboree or Hannah Anderson type clothing she would for sure be made fun of for being a baby. Even I think those clothes are only appropriate for kids up to maybe age 6. My dd is in 3rd grade and wouldn't even consider the style of clothes that they are selling. She is very into sporty trendy looks and I think the abercrombie sweats and fitted tees are adorable for her age.

I do think, to a certain degree, that it is regional. I live in the South, in a upper middle class suburb of Montgomery, Alabama and I don't, personally, know anyone who let's their 8 year old wear Abercrombie - maybe middle school and above, not grade school. There really aren't a lot of young children around here wearing skinny jeans or uggs either. In fact, my 8 and 10 year daughters own one pair of jeans each, that's it. We live in an area where very traditional clothing is more common. My girls wore mostly smocked clothing until they were 8. My son wore smocked jon jon's until he was 4. A huge majority of the mom's I know get a lot of their kid's clothes from trunk shows like Kelly's Kids and Chez Ami because they go up to a 14/16. My girls only wear sweats and tees for play clothes. Trends vary from city to city and state to state. My aunt from up north thinks that it's weird that children here from the age of birth to about 8 don't wear shoes to church from spring through fall. I love it! All of their formal portraits were also always done without shoes. I think that's a southern thing also.

 

[NotUrsula]

I do think, to a certain degree, that it is regional. I live in the South, in a upper middle class suburb of Montgomery, Alabama and I don't, personally, know anyone who let's their 8 year old wear Abercrombie - maybe middle school and above, not grade school. There really aren't a lot of young children around here wearing skinny jeans or uggs either. In fact, my 8 and 10 year daughters own one pair of jeans each, that's it. We live in an area where very traditional clothing is more common. My girls wore mostly smocked clothing until they were 8. My son wore smocked jon jon's until he was 4. A huge majority of the mom's I know get a lot of their kid's clothes from trunk shows like Kelly's Kids and Chez Ami because they go up to a 14/16. My girls only wear sweats and tees for play clothes. Trends vary from city to city and state to state. My aunt from up north thinks that it's weird that children here from the age of birth to about 8 don't wear shoes to church from spring through fall. I love it! All of their formal portraits were also always done without shoes. I think that's a southern thing also.

Bare feet for church is strictly a Montgomery thing. I've never seen it anywhere else at all, not even in Birmingham or Huntsville. The "barefoot portrait" thing is a Southern conceit, though, you are right about that. (The kids in those photos always look like they've just gotten home from a wedding.)

As to "traditional" clothing, I think that the level of patience with kids' desires for trendiness tends to be higher in the Northeast and on the West Coast for younger kids. Elsewhere in the country we are more likely through grade school to say that if it fits and doesn't itch, you're wearing it whether you like it or not. I'm personally not very big on delicate things like organdy/smocking and suits on little boys; my kids wear fairly traditional clothes, but they're plainly made with simple lines that don't require much pressing. (Although both of them did their time in the obligatory sailor outfits.) My kids don't shop with me for their clothes; they just magically appear in their closets.

Southern children DO generally get to wear sandals in situations where kids in other regions are not allowed in them, however, and often are allowed shorts or tank tops in school as well, provided that they are otherwise modestly cut. I was shocked when I moved up North and encountered universal sandal bans in schools -- my kids go barefoot or wear sandals at home year round, and only wear their sneakers for school; they won't put them on for any other reason. On weekends in winter they are more likely to wear something like Jungle Mocs than sneakers.

 

[disfan07]

I think that being trendy at younger ages is definitley a regional thing. Northeast and West coast especially.

In Northern Virginia and out here in California the most popular stores even in elemenatry school are:
Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister and skinny jeans, uggs, etc are all very popular as well. But the kicker is, that i've seen very few elementary aged girls who I would say look "trampy". I think the big thing is that in the Northeast and out in SoCal, in general, we are definitley not as conservative or traditional as people are in the south when it comes to clothes (or many things in general). I don't think that means that the children in these areas are trampy or dress trampy, I just think it means that style, fashion and trends are of more importance in these areas and begin at a younger age. That's not a bad thing and definiltey does not mean that the children are dressing inappropriately.

 

[mrsabbott]

I have 3 girls ages 6, 4, and almost 3. So far, clothes shopping for them hasn't been a big issue. They do wear alot of hand me downs and we mainly shop at Walmart, Kohl's, and sometimes Target and JC Penneys.

As DD6 gets older, I can see where it will be difficult to find clothes that still look "little girl" but thankfully she'll be wearing a uniform to school when she starts 1st grade and that will alleviate some of the issue.

DD4 is very tall and thin. She is tiny around the waist but has long arms and legs and a long torso. I have a hard time finding pants that fit her around the waist and don't end up looking like capris. And I have to get her shirts a size larger so that they don't look like crop tops!

My girls wear those Twinkle Toe shoes, regular Nike tennis shoes, flip flops, sandals without heels, and they have either mary janes or ballet flats for church. They only wear 1 piece bathing suits and I avoid any clothing with words on them (although they have a few that were given to them but the sayings are all neutral. DD6 has a shirt that says "girl rule". I let that one slide.

I don't have an issue with sleeveless tops or dresses, as long as they are long enough. Nothing too tight or form fitting. My girls don't have their ears pierced (they can get them done on their 13th birthday) and they will not wear any makeup other then clear chapstick in the winter. They also don't wear nail polish.

I limit what they are allowed to watch on TV (or movies) or what music they can listen to. Alot of people think that DH and I go overboard, but we feel like it's our job to let our little girls be little girls for as long as we can. It is our job to protect their innocence and to teach them what is important. It works for us.

 

[princessmom29]

I do think, to a certain degree, that it is regional. I live in the South, in a upper middle class suburb of Montgomery, Alabama and I don't, personally, know anyone who let's their 8 year old wear Abercrombie - maybe middle school and above, not grade school. There really aren't a lot of young children around here wearing skinny jeans or uggs either. In fact, my 8 and 10 year daughters own one pair of jeans each, that's it. We live in an area where very traditional clothing is more common. My girls wore mostly smocked clothing until they were 8. My son wore smocked jon jon's until he was 4. A huge majority of the mom's I know get a lot of their kid's clothes from trunk shows like Kelly's Kids and Chez Ami because they go up to a 14/16. My girls only wear sweats and tees for play clothes. Trends vary from city to city and state to state. My aunt from up north thinks that it's weird that children here from the age of birth to about 8 don't wear shoes to church from spring through fall. I love it! All of their formal portraits were also always done without shoes. I think that's a southern thing also.

Wow, things vray widely in a small geographic area, or within different suburbs I think, because in Mobile it is about 50/50 traditional vs trendy, and the same child may wear some of both for different occasions. Exclusive suburbs like Hoover are the only places I have been to where "everyone" dresses like you are describing, but "everyone" also lives in a half million dollar home in and area where the median home price is $150,000, and makes 3 times what we do. Around here, Church tends to be more traditional. We all wear uniforms to school, so that is what they tell us to wear. Birthday parties tend to be more trendy clothes as with playdates ect. Some wear nothing but Kelly's Kids, Hannah ect all the time, but those tened to be people from the wealthier old money parts of town. Most of us "normal people" only use that stuff for "dress up" occasions. I have never seen anyone not put shoes on a child for church except for an infant although the photos without shoes are popular for babies and toddlers. In Mobile at least, dressing your Kids in Kelly's Kids, Strausburg Children, Castles and Crowns, ect all the time is more about saying "look at me. I have money and status", and less about kids bieng kids. I have seen Springhill moms in the park have and absolute fit when thier child's $100 smocked dress ended up dirty or ripped.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Wow, things vray widely in a small geographic area, or within different suburbs I think, because in Mobile it is about 50/50 traditional vs trendy, and the same child may wear some of both for different occasions. Exclusive suburbs like Hoover are the only places I have been to where "everyone" dresses like you are describing, but "everyone" also lives in a half million dollar home in and area where the median home price is $150,000, and makes 3 times what we do. Around here, Church tends to be more traditional. We all wear uniforms to school, so that is what they tell us to wear. Birthday parties tend to be more trendy clothes as with playdates ect. Some wear nothing but Kelly's Kids, Hannah ect all the time, but those tened to be people from the wealthier old money parts of town. Most of us "normal people" only use that stuff for "dress up" occasions. I have never seen anyone not put shoes on a child for church except for an infant although the photos without shoes are popular for babies and toddlers. In Mobile at least, dressing your Kids in Kelly's Kids, Strausburg Children, Castles and Crowns, ect all the time is more about saying "look at me. I have money and status", and less about kids bieng kids. I have seen Springhill moms in the park have and absolute fit when thier child's $100 smocked dress ended up dirty or ripped.

We have many friends in Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham and they tend to dress their kids the way I dress my kids. We live a comfortable lifestyle, but I don't dress my kids in traditional clothes to project money or status, I dress them in traditional clothes because I love the way it looks - precious, sweet and innocent. We are almost completely out of the traditional clothes phase now and it's breaking my heart. I just want something in between smocked and trendy, I guess, and that seems to be hard to find.

 

[kmedina]

Heels aren't painful for all adult women so I'd assume the same to be true for girls. My 9yo DD would have lived in heels at 3-4-5-6 when she was in her princess phase. She was just that into the girly-girl thing. My problem with heels for kids, on everyday footwear like sandals, boots, and casual shoes, is that it limits how a child can play. That's much too young to be sending the message that fashion is more important than being able to run, jump, and climb.

I let my girly-girl enjoy her heels in her pretend play/dress up chest and when picking out one-time-wear holiday shoes, but insisted on practical, comfortable styles for daily wear.

There are seriously women who wear heels without pain! I honestly do not know anyone like that. Now, I'm jealous of the fact that some of you not only get a daughter when I do not, but also get to wear heels when I cannot. How is that fair? My podiatrist says feet are not meant to bend that way, which is why my feet cannot handle heels without pain. I am going to be even more jealous if the next few posters profess that their feet are also capable of unnatural bending without pain.

 

[princessmom29]

We have many friends in Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham and they tend to dress their kids the way I dress my kids. We live a comfortable lifestyle, but I don't dress my kids in traditional clothes to project money or status, I dress them in traditional clothes because I love the way it looks - precious, sweet and innocent. We are almost completely out of the traditional clothes phase now and it's breaking my heart. I just want something in between smocked and trendy, I guess, and that seems to be hard to find.

We have girls is DD's school who came to preschool every day in smocked dresses. These are the same kids who are always decked out in Kelly's kids or Castles and Crowns these days. Moms compete to have the best, newest for thier kids, and none of them would dream of having thier kids wear last year's stuff or buying at the end of a season for next year. The rest of us have to deal with the thinly veiled disapproval when we don't live up to spending $500-$1000 a season on kids clothes. I simply cannot afford to play keep up. Add into the mix that they look down from thier Labd Rover on my CR-V and you have a pretty good picture of what I am talking about. It requires serious money to keep a kid in "traditional" clothes, so we go another route. If you asked any of them they would likely say what you are saying, but they are also not asking kids not in thier "cricle" to play dates or birthday parties. I grew up here, and it has been this way for as long as I can remember with so many things, not just the clothes. If you are a part of that world, you don't even realize what is going on a lot of the time. There is a definite inherent class structure here.

 

[QVCshopper]

What size do you buy in Hanna Anderson? YDD is 54" so I guess that's 4'6" but she is skinny enough to wear sz 5. I want to get her some of the play dresses but can't quite figure out measurements w/o trying them on her.

I think I got her 130s, they are leggings from Costco--great deal! I bet the Hanna website has more info.; my DD is 52" and she's usually in 8 or 9s right now, but some are too wide. She's thin, but nothing size 5 would fit her lengthwise... very long legs and torso. Try LL Bean's dresses... got my DD a size 8 and it fit her great.

 

[mjkacmom]

There are seriously women who wear heels without pain! I honestly do not know anyone like that. Now, I'm jealous of the fact that some of you not only get a daughter when I do not, but also get to wear heels when I cannot. How is that fair? My podiatrist says feet are not meant to bend that way, which is why my feet cannot handle heels without pain. I am going to be even more jealous if the next few posters profess that their feet are also capable of unnatural bending without pain.

I have a friend who has a hard time walking in sneakers, because she lives in heels. Seriously, she was asked to play in a charity volleyball game, and she had to buy sneakers. She's in her mid-40's. Me, give me flats.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We have girls is DD's school who came to preschool every day in smocked dresses. These are the same kids who are always decked out in Kelly's kids or Castles and Crowns these days. Moms compete to have the best, newest for thier kids, and none of them would dream of having thier kids wear last year's stuff or buying at the end of a season for next year. The rest of us have to deal with the thinly veiled disapproval when we don't live up to spending $500-$1000 a season on kids clothes. I simply cannot afford to play keep up. Add into the mix that they look down from thier Labd Rover on my CR-V and you have a pretty good picture of what I am talking about. It requires serious money to keep a kid in "traditional" clothes, so we go another route. If you asked any of them they would likely say what you are saying, but they are also not asking kids not in thier "cricle" to play dates or birthday parties. I grew up here, and it has been this way for as long as I can remember with so many things, not just the clothes. If you are a part of that world, you don't even realize what is going on a lot of the time. There is a definite inherent class structure here.

It does not require "serious" money to dress your children in traditional clothing. I told you exactly how I do it and I do not spend "serious' money. I'm not looking down on anyone else and I, nor my children, exclude anyone. I'm the mom who invites the entire class to all birthday parties and even includes siblings. Our oldest daughter has Asperger's and has been bullied and ridiculed by many, many people over the years and our family is highly sensitive about the way we treat other people. I'm not some isolated, spoiled suburanite who doesn't realize how the rest of the world lives. Just this week, while our kids have been on Spring Break, we spent two days serving meals and handing out toiletries and clothing at a housing project and at the Salvation Army in Montgomery.

I've seen many of your rants on threads about private schools, play dates, PTOs/PTAs and even Vera Bradley about how you and your daughter have been excluded by the "snobs" in your community. Everyone who is familiar with your posts knows you will agrue with a brick wall, so I'm probably wasting my breath, but it would seem you have let some incidents that have happened to you cloud your judgment about every situation. It sounds like you have the exact nasty attitude that you accuse all those other people in your community of having. Saying that I'm part of some elitist world that is excluding you is simply ridiculous.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Some parents see trendy kid clothes and think skank, some parents see smocked dresses and think snob.

 

[cheshireqt]

If I buy to fit her then she's not appropriately dressed. If I buy to cover her properly, she can't keep the shorts up. It's a no win situation with her. Obviously designers have to make clothes built for the average child, just sucks when yours isn't the average child!

I am right there with you. DD is tall and thin. Most shirts quickly become belly baring shirts or she swims in them, so started buying her size XS from Aeropostale. Shorts and Jeans have to be slim AND have the internal tabs to tighten them, I buy those on-line or at JC Penney (they sometimes have a decent selection). Or she wears a belt.

The time I had heart failure over kids clothes was when I tried to find a swim suit for her when she was 6...Don't know what was up with 2006 but could not find a single suit without PADDING in the top area! Finally found Speedo tankinis at Costco and even now snap them up as soon as they appear every year! FYI they have them out right now. Just bought her a suit on Sunday. Once she was 9 I also started getting her suits at Justice as well, some of them are very cute.

 

[maxiesmom]

There are seriously women who wear heels without pain! I honestly do not know anyone like that. Now, I'm jealous of the fact that some of you not only get a daughter when I do not, but also get to wear heels when I cannot. How is that fair? My podiatrist says feet are not meant to bend that way, which is why my feet cannot handle heels without pain. I am going to be even more jealous if the next few posters profess that their feet are also capable of unnatural bending without pain.

One of the women I work with only wears heels. And I'm not talking little bitty ones either. We work retail, so we are constantly walking, and I can't even imagine wearing heels for an hour let along all day. But she says her legs have shrunk into that position, so she can't wear flats.