Gymboree - I don't get it!

[imthatgirl]

I never stated that polos and jeans were inappropriate little boys clothes! My problem (for my children only) is with t-shirts with inappropriate slogans on them! I won't allow it.

I don't think this thread was meant to be a fight between Gymbo lovers and haters! Fashion is a matter of personal taste! What a boring world it would be if we all wore the same thing!

Where else do you shop? I may be missing a great store. I love Lands End, Gap, and Gymbo for my young sons!

i assume you are asking everyone? well i have 2 boys and a girl. for my daughter we shop at limited too, target and well actually everywhere. she 8 so we pick up this and that.
my boys are 3 and 4. i love love love L.L.Bean and lands end. but i dont shop there as much as id like. we get alot at target and my new favorite kids clothing store is H&M. oh and i do a lot of gently used stores. i try to go every couple months, you never know what youll find there. i got a columbia jacket with the tags on for 30.00. which is a steal, in the stores it goes for 150.00!!!

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

i assume you are asking everyone? well i have 2 boys and a girl. for my daughter we shop at limited too, target and well actually everywhere. she 8 so we pick up this and that.
my boys are 3 and 4. i love love love L.L.Bean and lands end. but i dont shop there as much as id like. we get alot at target and my new favorite kids clothing store is H&M. oh and i do a lot of gently used stores. i try to go every couple months, you never know what youll find there. i got a columbia jacket with the tags on for 30.00. which is a steal, in the stores it goes for 150.00!!!

Oooh! H&M has some really cute kids' clothes!! I got DS a knight's armor shirt to wear at Disney. It was a huge hit with the princesses!!

We love Gap, obviously. Our Old Navy is way too messy and disorganized for me to shop in anymore. I love Babesta for vintage-y/rock tees and other fun items. I swear, I'm going to open a chain of boys' clothing stores!! Lots and lots of places for girls, but it seems like a hunt to find cute boys' things! I can usually get some great deals at Dillard's for RL. We're fans of the polo. Hehe! We hit Children's Place occasionally (usually when it's half off clearance + coupon!!) for basics...play jeans, silly tees, etc.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

That's the shirt from H&M. It was long sleeved, but I cut them off since we were going in May. He wore it with grey shorts, and Snow White just swooned for my little knight.

 

[angeleigh]

That's the shirt from H&M. It was long sleeved, but I cut them off since we were going in May. He wore it with grey shorts, and Snow White just swooned for my little knight.

I love that shirt. I wish we had an H&M here.

 

[madge]

P.S. I love that you're thinking resale, Madge!! I'm with ya! I'm able to resell Gap for pretty close to retail. Lots of young mommies at JBF.

I sell my Gap & Gymbo for a nice price, but not THAT nice! wow! I don't think people here would pay that much, though. I priced my clothes at or a little more than what I paid for it and sold all my Gymboree, with the exception of one dress. And I'm still not sure why it didn't sell But, in the end, my DD pretty much wore the clothes for free. LOLOL.

 

[dogluva]

who said that? guess i missed that
i did see where someone said they didnt like snap pants, but wimpy? youre just putting words in peoples mouths

No, I asked a question about why someone wouldn't want to put snap pants (or pastel blue ) on a BABY. My conclusion was they thought the child might grow up wimpy. It was a question. No words were ever put in anyone's mouth.

 

[imthatgirl]

No, I asked a question about why someone wouldn't want to put snap pants (or pastel blue ) on a BABY. My conclusion was they thought the child might grow up wimpy. It was a question. No words were ever put in anyone's mouth.

i dont see how you jumped from her not liking snap pants and pastel blue to children growing up wimpy thats a pretty far jumpo just because she said she didnt like them.

 

[Tiger926]

I'm going to agree with the "boy items are too babyish" group. DS3 is no longer a baby or a toddler, so I don't dress him like one. He's a "big boy," and he loves clothes!! :laughing:

I think the main difference among moms of boys here is their personal styles. I consider myself a young, hip mommy, so DS wears hip, trendy clothes. If he wore his clothes for longer than a year, I would buy more classic, mix and match items, but since he fits the clothes for about the length of the trend, it's not a big deal for us. For example, I fell in love with the little rock star line at Gap a couple years back, so we bought the entire load (except for a couple of jackets, I think). We try to wait until Friends and Family and use our coupons, too!! Of course, now that he has his own mind (and makes it heard) he picks out the flashing lights Cars tees and those talking shirts at Target, too. I will admit, though, Gap has put out some very fashionably questionable items in the recent seasons.

If I was a more traditional, classic mom, I may like Gymboree boy clothes.

I also agree that the girls' clothes are pretty darn adorable!! We bought my DNiece6 about 3/4 of the horse line last year because she's started to take an interest in our horses and riding. The little girlie accessories are waaay too cute!! The dresses...where's the gushing, squealing, oh-so-cute smilie?!?!



P.S. I love that you're thinking resale, Madge!! I'm with ya! I'm able to resell Gap for pretty close to retail. Lots of young mommies at JBF.

Hmmm? From where I come from, a 3 year old is still a toddler, so not sure why he/she would even understand the concept of 'babyish' (I can't stand that word) unless he/she has heard it from parents or older siblings. Honestly, I think the whole concept of 'babyish' is a problem brought on by parents - most, if not all 2 or 3 year olds I know love animals, prints and nice colours, so Gymbo is right on the mark with this kind of theming. What in the world is so 'babyish' about Gymbo's clothes for 3 year olds? I guess I didn't realize 3 year olds were so mature nowadays. In my neck of the woods, 2 and 3 year olds don't shop and pay for their own clothes - LOL! By the way, I just saw a navy blue hoodie at Gymbo for an 8 year old boy the other day (all solid, no prints), not sure how that isn't age appropriate? My son has a Tommy Hilfiger and Gymbo shirt that are identical, so not sure what the deal is with this concept? Gymboree's clothes are more traditional and tasteful, IMHO, so perhaps this is what is at issue here?

It's fine to like whatever fashions we all chose, but it's silly, IMHO, to say that little baby children don't care for certain clothes - since when did 2 or 3 year old baby kids become so fashion discerning? I think it's the parents, and not the kids who don't care for Gymboree.

Good luck to all of you who have fashion issues in your homes, Tiger

 

[dogluva]

i dont see how you jumped from her not liking snap pants and pastel blue to children growing up wimpy thats a pretty far jumpo just because she said she didnt like them.

Ok, the wimpy part was probably off base. However, she stated that her husband forbade (forbid was the exact wording) to dress her son in snap pants after one year old and also wear pastel blue. HUH? I have six kids and the last time I heard, a one year old was a baby. What is the big rush to make a baby boy look like a "little Man". They are not men, little baby boys who should be given more than a year to look like a baby. My youngest is five and oldest (a boy) is now almost 20. Back in the late 80's, early 90's when he was growing up, there was not much to choose from, especially when you couldn't afford the expensive stores. I, honestly, didn't care that he wore blue bunny shirts and he didn't either. It wasn't until he was in first grade that he started to have a say in what he wore. Then it was all sports themed clothing.

I just know kids grow up very fast since I have one in college now (who is very much a man regardless of wearing a pastel shirt with a turtlle on it). They should look like little kids for more than a year IMO.

 

[imthatgirl]

Ok, the wimpy part was probably off base. However, she stated that her husband forbade (forbid was the exact wording) to dress her son in snap pants after one year old and also wear pastel blue. HUH? I have six kids and the last time I heard, a one year old was a baby. What is the big rush to make a baby boy look like a "little Man". They are not men, little baby boys who should be given more than a year to look like a baby. My youngest is five and oldest (a boy) is now almost 20. Back in the late 80's, early 90's when he was growing up, there was not much to choose from, especially when you couldn't afford the expensive stores. I, honestly, didn't care that he wore blue bunny shirts and he didn't either. It wasn't until he was in first grade that he started to have a say in what he wore. Then it was all sports themed clothing.

I just know kids grow up very fast since I have one in college now (who is very much a man regardless of wearing a pastel shirt with a turtlle on it). They should look like little kids for more than a year IMO.

im still missing why a baby needs to wear snap pants and pastel blue to look like a baby? my children have never worn snap pants. i hated them, i found them completely obnoxious. are you saying because of that my children have never looked like a baby? i dont see the correlation?

 

[Princess April]

OP.... I don't get it either.....

 

[neatokimmo]

I've not made it through the entire thread yet but All really takes the color out of clothes. I used some at my Father's on the kiddos clothes and in one washer load, boom, they looked like they were years old. I won't even use it on towels. Unfortunately that load had a lot of her gymbo tops in it and I had to replace them.

I must have purchased inferior quality clothes at Gymboree because they have faded after only handful of wearings! And they wrinkle like crazy! I wash them in my All small and mighty for my HE washer and I've only dried them in the dryer once. I'm regretting what I paid for them, that's for sure!

I'm really glad that no one else seems to have this issue though! Honestly! If I had a girl though, I admit, I'd have a REALLY huge problem staying out of there! The clothes are soooo cute!

 

[angeleigh]

Ok, the wimpy part was probably off base. However, she stated that her husband forbade (forbid was the exact wording) to dress her son in snap pants after one year old and also wear pastel blue. HUH? I have six kids and the last time I heard, a one year old was a baby. What is the big rush to make a baby boy look like a "little Man". They are not men, little baby boys who should be given more than a year to look like a baby. My youngest is five and oldest (a boy) is now almost 20. Back in the late 80's, early 90's when he was growing up, there was not much to choose from, especially when you couldn't afford the expensive stores. I, honestly, didn't care that he wore blue bunny shirts and he didn't either. It wasn't until he was in first grade that he started to have a say in what he wore. Then it was all sports themed clothing.

I just know kids grow up very fast since I have one in college now (who is very much a man regardless of wearing a pastel shirt with a turtlle on it). They should look like little kids for more than a year IMO.

Sorry I started all of this. I never stated that we chose no pastels and no spaps because we would fear that he would be wimpy. We did not expect him to grow up after age one. I had a follow up post regarding the statement about my husband. Did you miss that one?
My personal chose is just that my personal choice. Nothing to do with my child's wimpyness (is that a word?)
Just because he didn't wear pastels or snaps does not mean he didn't look like a baby. He still looks like a baby and he is 4. After he turned about 2 I would dare anyone to call him a baby.
I guess I owe my 4 yo an apology because I didn't dress him in snap pants and pastels. I really hope that he forgives me for making him grow up too fast.

 

[Dr.Girlfriend]

I LOVE Gymboree, though I haven't dressed my son in anything yet...he's due in a little less than 3 weeks

However, the first time I walked in there, I balked at the prices. A good friend of mine went in and had no issues spending $50 for a shirt, pants and socks. I started looking through the sales racks and realized that a LOT of the items that are marked down aren't even marked down correctly; I would actually look at the clearance items online and go to the store and take the same item to the counter to see if they were correct. I got a LOT of stuff for super, super cheap. The first time I did this, I was looking at the dino stuff that came out last summer. In the store, they were marked down to $12.99 for a onesie, but online it would be $4.99. Taking it up to the register and asking them to check the price confirmed what I had thought...they just didn't put new marked down prices on them.

To top it off, when I started getting their clearance items, they had a sale for an additional 20% off clearance things. And then they started with the friends and family coupon, then the peel away coupons, etc.

I have purchased a TON of clothes from there, most of them are $3 or less. I mean...check this out. See the penguin outfit at the top of the pic?

The outfit retails for a little over $60, and I got the whole thing for $10. Super cute for Christmas. The alligator hat and onesie were $2 each. Etc., etc., etc.

If you spend the time looking for good deals (and not buying it IMMEDIATELY when it hits the sale rack), you can save a TON of money there. My friend finally learned

 

[npmommie]

I have never gotten much from there and only because it is at a mall which is not very close to me. But i do think the stuff is cute, and i prefer little boy cutesy clothes!
i just checked out online and i saw several things i want to order, i may make a trip to the mall though to check out the store.
i like the gymbucks thing too. oh and i also see there is an outlet in a reasonable distance from me too............is the outlet worth a trek to ?

 

[2diamonds&a~gem]

I will say this much-

My DD is now 5 and she has had 1 Gymbo outfit this year, now she wore ONLY Gymbo up until about 2 years ago and then I started finding other brands I like better because I didnt like her wearing the same thing as all the other kids. I used the coupons, shopped the sales, the Gymbucks and I even paid full price many, many times. Gymbo isnt her style and doesnt fit her personality anymore, tho I wish brands we buy now were in the Gymbo range.

My DS is 9.5 months and he has been in Gymbo layette since he was born, most I bought on Ebay NWT and was from the layette lines between 2004-2006, and even now I buy him the baby boy lines from 2004-2006 on ebay NWT as well because thats the lines I like and I am willing to pay for them. I did buy him a few tees from Childrens Place on sale for $3.99 about 2 months ago, one I washed and he wore 1 time, I washed it again after the wear and it had a tiny hole in the chest. The other I washed to be worn and it had a hole even prior to wearing- and I have never had an issue with Gymbo or our other boutique stuff doing that. Now as he is crawling he wears a mix of Gymbo, Baby Gap and boutique brands.

All brands are not equal, comparing Gymbo to Cp or Target is like comparing Gymbo to Hanna... now the Gymbo from 2005 and past was of a much high quality.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I LOVE Gymboree, though I haven't dressed my son in anything yet...he's due in a little less than 3 weeks

However, the first time I walked in there, I balked at the prices. A good friend of mine went in and had no issues spending $50 for a shirt, pants and socks. I started looking through the sales racks and realized that a LOT of the items that are marked down aren't even marked down correctly; I would actually look at the clearance items online and go to the store and take the same item to the counter to see if they were correct. I got a LOT of stuff for super, super cheap. The first time I did this, I was looking at the dino stuff that came out last summer. In the store, they were marked down to $12.99 for a onesie, but online it would be $4.99. Taking it up to the register and asking them to check the price confirmed what I had thought...they just didn't put new marked down prices on them.

To top it off, when I started getting their clearance items, they had a sale for an additional 20% off clearance things. And then they started with the friends and family coupon, then the peel away coupons, etc.

I have purchased a TON of clothes from there, most of them are $3 or less. I mean...check this out. See the penguin outfit at the top of the pic?

The outfit retails for a little over $60, and I got the whole thing for $10. Super cute for Christmas. The alligator hat and onesie were $2 each. Etc., etc., etc.

If you spend the time looking for good deals (and not buying it IMMEDIATELY when it hits the sale rack), you can save a TON of money there. My friend finally learned

Exactly. That is why I shop at Gymboree. Between the incorrect markdowns that ring up much cheaper (easy to find once you know which lines should be marked waaaay down), the extra 20% off sales, the additional coupons, and the extra 5% off for using the Gymboree visa, I pay $2-$3 per item. Once my kids outgrow the stuff I Ebay it or resell it on gymbofriends for at least what I paid for it.

 

[mickeymousemom]

I'm with the OP. I don't get it and never have. When my two oldest were younger, there wasn't a Gymboree around--besides the fact that we couldn't afford it. Now that we are in a better position, I still don't get it. I wander in there every so often and head straight to the clearancer racks. I still think the prices are too high. My 5 yo is my youngest and my last. I have no one to hand them down to and no desire to spend that kind of money. She outgrows clothes before she has a chance to wear them out. I suppose I MIGHT understand how someone with smaller kids would buy them IF the quality is very superior, so that they can be handed down, but otherwise, IMO Gymboree is a huge waste of money.
Same goes with The Childrens Place. Though I do believe the quality there sorta stinks. I will buy clothes off the clearance racks or do a "twofer" something occasionally, but o/w I can go to Kohl's, Penney's, etc and get good clothes extremely cheap.

 

[Laneychris]

I agree I don't think the quality is all that great!

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I sell my Gap & Gymbo for a nice price, but not THAT nice! wow! I don't think people here would pay that much, though. I priced my clothes at or a little more than what I paid for it and sold all my Gymboree, with the exception of one dress. And I'm still not sure why it didn't sell But, in the end, my DD pretty much wore the clothes for free. LOLOL.

Way to go!! I should be getting my check in the next couple of days, and I am dropping off for sale #2 today!!

Hmmm? From where I come from, a 3 year old is still a toddler, so not sure why he/she would even understand the concept of 'babyish' (I can't stand that word) unless he/she has heard it from parents or older siblings. Honestly, I think the whole concept of 'babyish' is a problem brought on by parents - most, if not all 2 or 3 year olds I know love animals, prints and nice colours, so Gymbo is right on the mark with this kind of theming. What in the world is so 'babyish' about Gymbo's clothes for 3 year olds? I guess I didn't realize 3 year olds were so mature nowadays. In my neck of the woods, 2 and 3 year olds don't shop and pay for their own clothes - LOL! By the way, I just saw a navy blue hoodie at Gymbo for an 8 year old boy the other day (all solid, no prints), not sure how that isn't age appropriate? My son has a Tommy Hilfiger and Gymbo shirt that are identical, so not sure what the deal is with this concept? Gymboree's clothes are more traditional and tasteful, IMHO, so perhaps this is what is at issue here?

It's fine to like whatever fashions we all chose, but it's silly, IMHO, to say that little baby children don't care for certain clothes - since when did 2 or 3 year old baby kids become so fashion discerning? I think it's the parents, and not the kids who don't care for Gymboree.

Good luck to all of you who have fashion issues in your homes, Tiger

I didn't see anyone say their kids didn't like Gymboree.

Do you think other brands aren't tasteful? Give me some examples.

Again, I said it's a matter of style. You like older, traditional styles, I prefer hip, modern clothes. Neither choice is better than the other. I think a lot of Gymboree's boy lines are BABYISH, in the style that one would dress a baby. I'm not into that. Not a big deal.

I'm in the early childhood/elementary ed. field, and, technically, toddlers are 12-36 months. We're past 36 months. Maybe "where you come from" is a little behind where I come from?? Two and three year olds are not "babies," and I'm not sure what a "baby kid" is. DS just happens to be quite independent and knows what he likes. I'm very proud of that fact.

Good luck to you, too, since you seem to be so concerned about those with "fashion issues."