Where do you shop for your kids clothes?

[KELLY]

Ok me and Dh are in a diffrent financial place this year. I left my job to be a SAHM I love it but it has taken a adjustment on our spending habits. When I was working I was a total clothes brand snob. But my kids would rather go to Disney ever year and they don't care about there clothes they are to young. I'm not into walmart or target clothes because imo they don't wash well. I have always shopped retail gap and gymboree. My oldest DD is getting older and seems to like the clothes at The Childrens Place and the price is right for us. She likes the funky styles and they are cute. I like the fact that I can get jeans there for 11.00 a pair also. Basic gap jeans are around 30.00. I just figured after my 15% and my 10% rewards the girls should be looking pretty good for 500.00. That includes shoes and assecories.

So where do you shop?

 

[Nicolepa]

Well I always shop Gap & Gymboree, but I never pay retail. I pretty much only buy the baby Gymboree (he has a lot of hand me downs), but I never pay more than $5 an piece for them. All his Pj's I paid around $3 for. The key is to shop a year ahead. My older kids are Lands end and Gap I buy them at the end of season for next to nothing and then fill in a couple things here and there as needed.

 

[JGoin]

You have a DD3 and DD16mo? You really can still dress them cute... on a dime!

I dress my DD5 and DS8 from Gymbo, Gap, and Old Navy... way cheaply, though. Use the Gymbucks on top of discounted sales like Red Balloon, and keep an eye out at Old Navy for the weekly sales. Buy ahead for the next year. $11 for a pair of jeans? I can't see paying over $7-8/pair. I know that sounds terrible, but like I said, they still wear Gymbo/Gap/ON... ON runs a sale for jeans around $7 every year.

I buy new Gymbo for $2-$6 a piece, too. Just get those coupons in kids and parenting mags for 20% and use those when they have awesome sales, like the Red Balloon sale, and earn Gymbucks too.

You can shop on a dime, and they still can be dressed nicely! Do you have consignment sales where you are? I find that consignment stores are higher priced, as well.

I also go to yard sales--- we have a lot of nice neighborhoods around us. Everyone is into having them now, with the economy. I only buy nicer brands there, too. Then you can sell their outgrown clothes at the consignment sale... to buy more!

 

[HelenePA]

Crazy8.com its a sister store to Gymboree. I LOVE their jeans I can get them for under 8$ a piece most times between sales, codes and coupons (which are harder and harder to find!!). Last night I ordered 40 things (hey I got 4 kids!) and it was under 200$ It was ALL clothes no accessories. LOVE LOVE LOVE their clothes!! They hold up very good! Since they opened 2 years ago that's where I buy the bulk of the kids stuff. I also did a big order on the gap/old navy yesterday they have some tshirts for 5.99 and 7.99. Right now Old Navy is an extra 15% off I picked up some shorts for the girls and other various stuff that they really didn't need. Kids clothes are like crack to me.. its my addiction.

I also go to the outlets. Gap, Carters, Oshkosh with coupons again! Its cheaper to shop there than walmart.

 

[wshupnastar]

We have a local mall that is turning more and more into a place for outlet stores....so I have been finding some great deals there.

My youngest daughter is 12, and loves anything Tommy, and the mall has a Tommy Outlet, so we like to stop there and see what they have. I don't really understand outlet stores anymore. I was there this spring, they had plaid shorts for a little under $40. Not a month later, they were $6.99. Anyway, we bought them at $6.99! They often have coupons for additional money off, and sometimes a certain percentage off of the "sale" racks. (I got a $200 coat at the end of winter for $9.99!)

My older daughter likes Hot Topic and Aeropostle. Hot Topic is harder to find sales at, but Aero always has sale items, so we shop then!

I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart for clothes, I completely agree with you that the clothes don't wash as well. I also think they just fall apart easier. I didn't mind it so much when my kids were little...they would either ruin or outgrow stuff so quick, I wasn't spending much on clothes! Now that they are older, I will spend a bit more, but still don't really want to spend much!

 

[HLDisney]

My DD is 7 1/2 and my favorite places to shop for her are Lands Ends overstock section online and Gymboree sale/clearance items in their stores. I tend to buy in advance so I can pick up larger sizes in whatever season and just store them until she can fit them. She has seven pairs of capris to wear for camp this summer and all of them were bought in previous years. And I just bought a few long sleeve tops for her on sale from Land End that she'll wear either next spring or the following fall. I used to buy several years in advance but I've found that her tastes change over the years (she used to love leggings but now complains that they're too tight and she won't wear jeans any more because they feel "rough") I've also started keeping an eye out for capris for her for next summer (hoping to take advantage of the summer clearance items) My general guideline is to not pay more than $10 per top or bottom (although occasionally, I'll go up to $12 for bottoms because she can only wear pants that have elastic waists or adjustable waists)

The other thing I do is that I don't do back to school shopping or buy a lot of clothes at once. I buy one or two items at a time as I see a good deal. I figure it's not the end of the world if she wears an outfit on the first day of school that she wore the previous school year or during the summer. So this way, I have more leeway in my shopping and don't have to worry about having enough clothes for the start of the school year.

I do have to qualify this by saying that I'm lucky in that my DD isn't very picky when it comes to her clothes. She'll pretty much wear whatever I buy her, as long as it's comfortable.

Helen

 

[princessmorgan]

I agree Gymboree and Gap have good sales and have markdowns pretty regularly. I mostly buy all my clothes from the Gap because I work there I'm a SAHM, too. But I work there one night a week for some sanity and so I can get 50% off all clothing for my family!

 

[VBAndrea]

I buy whereever I can get a good sale. I haven't had any issues with Target clothes not holding up well and get lots of shorts and t-shirts there. ON is probably the most frequent store I use for DS. They have great sales/clearance and I buy a year ahead. I have bought jeans at Walmart and they do not hold up quite as well, but ds keeps getting taller and taller so they last long enough for us to use.

DD has a lot of Gymboree clothes but most are outlet or things I bought off e-bay. I basically buy her anything with horses that is not tacky looking (hence numerous e-bay outfits as gymboree used to have a couple of horse lines).

The kids are at the age where they prefer comfy, knit clothes and don't care what they look like. I on the other hand like pristine clothes and coordinating outfits. So in the summer at home or weekends they wear what we call play clothes (t-shirts and knit shorts) but for school and outings it's always nicer outfits.

ETA I love Gap clothes as well, but only ever buy them if there is a good sale.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

I guess I must be really cheap b/c my eyes almost bugged out at spending $500 on two kids clothes .

I am also a SAHM, and most of my kids NEW clothes come from Walmart, and I've used them on both boys and never had anything not wash well or fall apart. When I do get name brands (Gap, Gymboree, Children's Place)...I get them at a large consignment sale that is twice a year around here. Name brands for less than $5. I think I rarely spend over $200 on clothes.

I will admit to buying off the super cheap discount rack at Gymboree when I have a good coupon .

Now don't get me started on shoes... I have a child who wears orthotics, so that is where my $$$ goes (those little New Balance shoes are expensive).

 

[TnTWalter]

I so wish I had shopped at Goodwill when my kids were smaller. Think of how barely worn the outfits are!! Oy. It's a GOLD MIN. I walk out of there with so many outfits for $25! Find a nice part of town and shop til you drop!!!

I'm now even shopping a little for myself and DH.

And all the tshirts that I made for Disney [thanks to CreativeDIS forum] I bought at GoodWill...much nicer quality and cheaper.

Trish

 

[momof1princess]

my DD11 is hard to fit (smaller on top than on bottom, lol) and i find jc penney clothes fit her very well. i also shop old navy and sears, and several local stores. her jeans are usually name brands from thrift stores (levi's, tommy, gap, etc.). we don't have A&F, hollister, limited too or anything like that around here. we have american eagle outfitters and aeropostale, but DD would rather get three jc penney outfits as opposed to one item at AEO or Aero.

 

[Juliet25]

Goodwill, Once Upon a Child, and Gap/Gymboree.

I buy my DD's jeans whenever I find a nice pair at GW, even if they're big she'll grow into them soon enough. At $2/pair, it's a cheap way to get basics. Old Navy has good clearance sales.

I like OUAC for outfits. They typically will price Gymboree outfits at $8.50. Being that I can resell the set the following year on eBay and get most or all of my money back (and maybe even make a profit), it's worth it.

I generally avoid Wal-Mart and Target b/c the quality is low and the resale value doesn't exist. I will buy basics there, though, and I think Target has a lot of cute stuff. It's just kind of expensive for the quality.

I like Gap too when it's on sale, but I consider those outfits my splurges. I do enjoy dressing my girls, so I probably spend more than most. I just try to get the most bang for my buck and put the time into selling them on eBay to get a lot of my money back

 

[HelenePA]

I guess I must be really cheap b/c my eyes almost bugged out at spending $500 on two kids clothes .

I am also a SAHM, and most of my kids NEW clothes come from Walmart, and I've used them on both boys and never had anything not wash well or fall apart. When I do get name brands (Gap, Gymboree, Children's Place)...I get them at a large consignment sale that is twice a year around here. Name brands for less than $5. I think I rarely spend over $200 on clothes.

I will admit to buying off the super cheap discount rack at Gymboree when I have a good coupon .

Now don't get me started on shoes... I have a child who wears orthotics, so that is where my $$$ goes (those little New Balance shoes are expensive).

if your paying $5 for name brands your still paying too much. Coupons are must. I rarely pay over 5$ for anything name brand. For shoes I buy from a local dealer who takes last years leftovers shoes and sells them. I get new balance shoes for 19$

 

[albertamommyof4]

Well i usually shop second hand or garage sales for name brand clothing. I usually wait for the 50% off sale there to so real cheap usually under 2 or 3 dollrs for seperates. But now i have a almost 12 year old boy that doesn't like second hand so i set a budget and he gets what he can in that budget( sometimes he don't get much lol) but i do sales shop at the childrens place as sometimes they have great deals and also gymboree on line but since we are in Canada we pay a arm and a leg for postage. I did buy gymboree on line on boxing day and it is for this christmas.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

Really, I will shop anywhere that is having a sale. A bargain is a bargain, and luckily none of my kids are picky so if it fits, I can buy it. I also have found some great items at Goodwill.....My kids love it because we go there every Halloween and they get some really fun items for costumes - my DS 8 got a real suede leather coat to wear as Indiana Jones for less than one of the cheap costumes in the drug stores would have cost!

 

[kydisneyfans]

It used to be Macys-they always had nice high quality clothing for boys at good sale prices. Their buyer must have changed as the clothing in the boys department now isn't even wearable now and is uninteresting to our child.

Many items have been coming from Penneys, their jeans/shorts fit well. Kohls is another option. Old Navy is another that we used to shop but don't very much anymore.

Our DS is a husky 10 year old.

 

[sksjasams]

Another vote for JC Penney and Kohl's. They almost always have sales. Very cute clothes, good quality and good prices.

 

[akenneson]

Clearance, Clearance, Clearance...we shop clearance at the end of a season and store the items for a whole year if needed. Kohls, Gap, Childrens Place, Old Navy, and I even have luck with Target. I have some luck with Macy's esp. for Carters. I don't care for Sears or JCPenney, the clothes brands there don't seem to fit my daughter very well. I do try and steer clear of WalMart because I find, as well, that they don't hold up. Unfortunately I don't have a Gymboree near me. If I find something that I really LOVE and it's not on sale, I definitely try to at least have a coupon. I don't think if I have EVER paid full price for clothing. And I hate paying full price for shoes. About a year ago we had a local shoe store that was going out of business. We bought at least 10 pairs of shoes, all for my daughter, all different sizes, all Nike, I think we paid about 12.50 a pair. We bought pretty much every pair of toddler girls shoes they had.

 

[PinkRhombus]

Really, I will shop anywhere that is having a sale. A bargain is a bargain

Yep. Just depends. I know how much I am willing to pay for a piece of clothing, and if it fits in there pricewise, it doesn't matter what the store is.

BUT....I love Children's Place. I bought probably 20 items of summer clothing there late spring for $3 or so per piece. They might have been last years, but they were still new and half off of whatever the clearance price was. The outlet stores always have a rack or two of 99-cent items.

Crazy 8 is great.

Target is good depending on what you're talking about. Any of the Genuine Kids (Osh Kosh) that is woven always lasts and lasts.

Wal-Mart is kind of the same.

Knit clothing is just crap most of the time.

Unless you get some with a little bit of spandex built in. Crazy 8's t-shirts have held up wonderfully.

ETA: I just went to Crazy8.com If you click on the sale...and look at the jeans....they have a TON of them for $6.99!!!! !!!!!!!!!

 

[MinnieForMe]

Lands End Overstocks or the end of the year clearance at Sears on Lands End.

Gymboree with 20% coupon, sales and GymBucks.

Walmart and Target for blank shirts I can embroider on (machine embroidery) to look upscale. I usually try to find a design similar to a new Gymbo line. The watermelon line was so easy for me to do!

New Balance Factory. They are made three towns over. You can't imagine the great deals!

I pay sales prices for Stride Rite but they are still expensive!