Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger. My kid is two and I feel clothing rarely ever “just fits” or it doesn’t do so very long. I buy big then suddenly he hits a growth spurt and is wearing belly shirts. If he starts showing preferences I will adjust.

This. I've made the mistake of buying "just fit" and then by midway through the season they are belly shirts and the shorts look like underwear briefs. Always, always size up with kids. Even for older kids who grow slower -- they'll go through these rapid growth spurts and you'll be glad you did.

I buy size up for almost everything. Like a PP said, sometimes kids have sudden growth spurts and then you are stuck with clothes that barely or never got worn. Even for dressy clothes for a special occasion, I buy a size up. What this means is that at any given time, we usually have some dressy items that fit perfectly (because I bought them last year) and some that are a little big. This means we always have something that fits just right for photos, but also say we are going to a wedding -- we also have something for the rehearsal dinner that might be a bit roomy but is close enough.

Also I look for good quality fabrics that will encourage multiple years of use For my DD, we have these hand-me-down knit dresses from several very good quality brands (Hanna, Petite Bateau, Máman) and she actually wore them for several years because they are so cozy and stretchy that they felt comfy even when they were loose and fell to her knees, but still feel good now that they fit a little snug because the fabric is soft and stretchy. She will likely outgrow the style before she technically outgrows the dresses. So I look for clothes like that a lot -- good quality knit fabrics that bounce back and are forgiving.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger.
I also would not allow a 4yo to dictate what clothes she’s not wearing. Pants especially can be passed down. Maybe buy him more gender neutral stuff.
My kid is 11 and 90% of her clothes are hand me downs of thrift stores clothes. She doesn’t care. She came with me last week and got 3 pairs of jeans for less that what I paid for one pair at Old Navy last winter.

My 4yo was made fun of in preschool for wearing “boys clothes-“ I would dress her in jeans to avoid getting skinned knees on the playground. I should have just let my daughter wear what she wanted to wear instead of making her wear less girly clothes and seeing her get made fun of by other bossy 4yo girls. When little girls wear clothes for little girls it expresses their gender identity. I would never make a girl wear boys clothes to save money if she obviously doesn’t want to wear them.

Well then the kids at that preschool sucked. If a girl wants to wear a dinosaur shirt or one with a train on the front why are other 4 year olds saying that’s boy clothing……. Whole different thread but that’s why we have kids thinking they want to switch genders.

I buy bigger. My kid is two and I feel clothing rarely ever “just fits” or it doesn’t do so very long. I buy big then suddenly he hits a growth spurt and is wearing belly shirts. If he starts showing preferences I will adjust.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger.
I also would not allow a 4yo to dictate what clothes she’s not wearing. Pants especially can be passed down. Maybe buy him more gender neutral stuff.
My kid is 11 and 90% of her clothes are hand me downs of thrift stores clothes. She doesn’t care. She came with me last week and got 3 pairs of jeans for less that what I paid for one pair at Old Navy last winter.

My 4yo was made fun of in preschool for wearing “boys clothes-“ I would dress her in jeans to avoid getting skinned knees on the playground. I should have just let my daughter wear what she wanted to wear instead of making her wear less girly clothes and seeing her get made fun of by other bossy 4yo girls. When little girls wear clothes for little girls it expresses their gender identity. I would never make a girl wear boys clothes to save money if she obviously doesn’t want to wear them.

Wth is wrong with your preschool that they didn’t shut that down immediately?! I shop for both my young kids in the “boys” and “girls” sides of the store and I think it’s totally ridiculous to gender clothes for toddlers anyway. My 4yo daughter and 2yo son almost always prefer leggings and a t shirt to any other clothing option.

And to OP’s question, I buy a little big although I’m buying closer to size now that my older isn’t going through more than one size a season any more.

Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger.
I also would not allow a 4yo to dictate what clothes she’s not wearing. Pants especially can be passed down. Maybe buy him more gender neutral stuff.
My kid is 11 and 90% of her clothes are hand me downs of thrift stores clothes. She doesn’t care. She came with me last week and got 3 pairs of jeans for less that what I paid for one pair at Old Navy last winter.

Same. We buy some of the older kid's clothes with the younger in mind from the outset. Then passing down items is less of an issue. Sweaters, jackets and jeans in particular all have a lot of gender neutral options.

Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger.
I also would not allow a 4yo to dictate what clothes she’s not wearing. Pants especially can be passed down. Maybe buy him more gender neutral stuff.
My kid is 11 and 90% of her clothes are hand me downs of thrift stores clothes. She doesn’t care. She came with me last week and got 3 pairs of jeans for less that what I paid for one pair at Old Navy last winter.

My 4yo was made fun of in preschool for wearing “boys clothes-“ I would dress her in jeans to avoid getting skinned knees on the playground. I should have just let my daughter wear what she wanted to wear instead of making her wear less girly clothes and seeing her get made fun of by other bossy 4yo girls. When little girls wear clothes for little girls it expresses their gender identity. I would never make a girl wear boys clothes to save money if she obviously doesn’t want to wear them.

I buy bigger.
I also would not allow a 4yo to dictate what clothes she’s not wearing. Pants especially can be passed down. Maybe buy him more gender neutral stuff.
My kid is 11 and 90% of her clothes are hand me downs of thrift stores clothes. She doesn’t care. She came with me last week and got 3 pairs of jeans for less that what I paid for one pair at Old Navy last winter.

Anonymous wrote:I buy clothes that fit but I have no issue buying the next size when they no longer fit. I dont like when little kids wear giant clothes it looks so sloppy.

+1

Same

If it just fits when new, it will be small after I dry it. But kids grow all the time and I don't think you can really plan a whole season of clothes.

1 coat at a time, 1 or 2 pairs of shoes. Dresses become shirts when they're small. But beyond that, buy secondhand so you can afford more outfits as needed.

I buy clothes that fit but I have no issue buying the next size when they no longer fit. I dont like when little kids wear giant clothes it looks so sloppy.

Anonymous wrote:I buy bigger to give room to grow. You never know when a kid is going to have a growth spurt and I don’t want to buy two sets of clothes for one season.

For holiday, photo shoot, or fancy clothes, I buy their exact size so they don’t look too big.

+1.

Don’t make your kids wear things that “just fit” they look tight, are too short, show underwear lines really quickly and yes other kids notice. Do laundry more often. If a kid spills good on their clothes, they sit for a week?

I buy bigger to give room to grow. You never know when a kid is going to have a growth spurt and I don’t want to buy two sets of clothes for one season.

For holiday, photo shoot, or fancy clothes, I buy their exact size so they don’t look too big.

DD4 is skinny and tall. Her pants are in size 5 or 5T, just fit. I shop for 5T for all her tops and dresses to hope last for one more season.

DS8 is skinny. Size 8 shirts are all too big, but I get him size 8 for hoodies and jacket to last for one more season. The same for his pants, I go for size 8 even though size 7 fits better.

We have no pass down, so we buy everything as new. Little sister is resiatant to wear her brother's clothing. We only do laundry once a week, so they each have at least 8 sets of clothing from top to bottom. I am busy, and I can't do laundry twice a week. Do you buy anything just fit or a bit bigger in size?