Well, if you ask me, Style.
We walked into Gymboree (*btw it’s Gymbucks redemption time) and my heart does a little flip flop when I opened the door.
Mommy. In. Lust.
I go straight to the swimsuit there on the bottom and Charlotte goes straight to the seat in the back to watch tv.
We both know our place.
And then I start to notice that all the really cute stuff in the line is ‘baby girl’. Now for Gymboree, ‘baby girl’ is size 5T and under, ‘kid girl’ is 3-12. I want my baby to still look like a little girl. I mean, she is a little girl. She just doesn’t fit those sizes anymore.
I hate that she has to wear the older styles just because she is a bigger kid. While some of the differences are slight in the shirts, in the swimsuits the difference is 1 to 2 pieces.
I don’t want her wearing a bikini.
Baby girl
Kid girl
See?
And in the dresses, the baby girl goes from like an easy step in and zip up, to a criss cross back that she cant figure out on her own. Those harder-to-get-on clothing frustrate her and she just wont like something as a result. Not that I blame her.
Not every child is the same size and just because they are a size 6, doesn’t mean they are 6.
Or 7.
Or 8.
Nonetheless, the stuff is adorable if you have a kid 5T and under.
(for the record, I felt like a criminal taking these pictures)
Of course when it comes down to it, no matter what I love, if Charlotte is with me, I let her pick her own things.
Although I tried to talk her into some other shorts…she stuck to her guns.
She settled on this giraffe shirt from the Glamor Safari line and matching khaki shorts and socks, and I would show you them, but she insists on wearing this tutu skirt every where we go (from Target, best $10 I ever spent)…so there ya have it.
Do you have a problem finding clothing that is not only the right size, but the right look for their age? Maybe I’m just a prude when it comes to my daughter.
And she isn’t dating till she’s married.
~Trisha
Thank you! Someone who gets it. We have 3 little girls, and it drives me nuts that so much clothing that is sold is so inappropriate. Girls grow up fast enough as it is. Can’t we just let them stay young? We found a site that sells beautiful, AGE APPROPRIATE clothing for girls. Here’s the link, if anyone is interested. http://www.twirlygirlshop.com
What a nice blog! I’m an Italian mom, blogger, too! I do agree with you in all. My daughter is quite 9 years old and I’m always struggling for not her wearing fashion from teenagers world!
I am right there with you on the clothes. I do not like 2 piece bathing suits and I find that there is more cute clothes in the 5T and under area. My daughter is 5 now and can just barely still fit 5T. I think kids are already growing up too fast.. what about modesty? Come one.. we need a clothing company to listen to our pleas and create a line of clothes that go up to like 12 yr olds that are easier to function and durable not to mention cute and covering! just my 2 cents.
I agree, little girls should not wear 2 pieces… My daughter is almost 7 but she it tiny so she still fits into 4T/5T clothing. Personally I feel most clothing for girls these days is inappropriate. Too short shorts, and tops that show too much skin…
Shopping for clothes is always hard for kids…sometimes I think it’s harder for kids growing up nowadays because I remember when I was little it was a lot more normal (?) to see a kid looking like a kid on TV nowadays (contrast CLARISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL with iCarly). Charlotte looks uber cute in her tutu though!
LOVE that giraffe print!!! LOVE.IT! Only $10 for that tutu? My oldest and youngest would love one…if I could only go shopping. Hmm…sounds like it’s time to go to target.com! lol
And to answer your question; yes, I have a problem finding anything for my daughter at one store in particular (ahem…*kohls*) because everything they have looks like they should have Bratz dolls modeling them. *gag* My oldest begs for their dresses, short skirts, shorts and tops but I’m not having it. I find that Wal-Mart and Target have some really cute and very decently priced kids lines that I love and so does she.
Yes, they are like mini pettiskirts..they are $9.99 at target. I bought this one like 2 months ago, but they are still on the shelves. They come in white, pink, purple, this dark peach, teal, and polka dot.
I went to Gymboree last weekend and saw that display. I really wish they had a couple of those things few sizes up – for me. Yeah I’m that short that I went to Gymboree to find shoes that fit my tiny feet. *sigh*
You know gymboree has a line past the kids, for teens. Its not in my area, but you may be able to find some clothes there for your size!
I agree with you. I love the baby girl one! We just bought Emily a “two” piece, but its a full length top with a separate bottom.
She looks so cute in that tutu. I found that as he gets older there just isn’t any cute boy clothes for him lol.
Just wait until she’s 14 and all the shirts are meant to show cleavage!!!
Do not get me started.
LOL When we went shopping for Shelby last week I had to buy half a dozen plain tank tops for her to wear under her “stylish” shirts because they were all cut with that LOW V collar!
Sabreena has always been very modest so we never had to worry. This year she wanted shorts, i mad sure to keep them at least 5′ inseam and longer. She still insists she doesn’t want a bikini, a tankini is fine but i still think her modesty is kicking in. We’ve been lucky with her, the little one on the other hand likes to dance like a stripper and lift her shirt in public.
It’s not just girls, it’s boys too. The leap form a 5T to a regular 5 and up is the difference between little boy clothes and big boy styles. I don’t want my gigantic 3 year old (he’s 3ft 7in) who is in size 6 shirts looking like a little skater. That’s just not my thing for every day wear for him – pictures maybe. I just don’t want my 3yo in skulls and cross bones (they seem to be the “in” thing for boys) all the time. I’ve found that OshKosh does a pretty good job at finding the balance and they carry bigger kid sizes – up to 10 or 12 I think. I got both boys lots of cute stuff at their outlet store last summer before school started for my oldest and I made note that their big kid sizes still had little kid appeal.
Oh, yuck. I could see how skull and crossbones would NOT be the fashion you want on your 5 year old boy. I do see a lack in boys clothes period. You would think there would be a huge market for cute, in style, classic boys clothing.
This is why I started sewing again- because my daughter is tall she’s a size ahead of where she should be so we can get enough LENGTH to properly cover her!
My MIL has a childrens clothing shop and she does so well because she carries the ‘old fashioned’, ie covered up, clothes that everyone is looking for. Shes had to tell supplies firm NOS on some dresses that would look more approp on a hooker than a 10 yr old for Easter!
I gues it’s the influence of pop culture and lack of the old fashion rules, but I’m sorry, my baby is gonna look like what she is- a small child, NOT a hooker (7 yr olds with JUICY on their butts? UH UH not gonna happen!)
FYI- I said the same about swimsuits, but potty training led me to Childrens place and one step beyond and their sun tankinis with boyshorts really DO cover nicely and are easier for little hands to get down in a hurry. Once we nicely over that stage (next year), we’ll go back to the one pieces.
It’s funny, I always swore “no two pieces until middle school” and then my second came along, and she was all with the “I have to go!” every forty eight seconds while potty training, and the tankini became a matter of survival. Hers, that is. Because seriously, she was not gonna survive to age three if I had to keep pulling a wet suit on and off of her ten times an hour.
So, we switched to tankinis and have never looked back. They make life so much easier. My holy grail are the ones that have a matching “rash guard” for extra sun coverage (Gymboree is great for those, and Children’s Place usually has at least one cute one a year) and at that point, they’re basically wearing a tee shirt so you actually have more covered up than a one-piece!
Anyway, when it REALLY gets bad is when you hit the dreaded 7-16 size range. I have no idea who thought that 7-year-olds and TEENAGERS WHO CAN DRIVE should possibly be wearing the exact same clothes, but there you have it.
You are so not alone! My daughter isn’t fat an is even losing all her baby chub at age 7 but is still the size of a child 1-2 years older. I do NOT like the offerings in a size 8-10 for her.
As far as bikini’s I can deal with no triangle top kinds but hubby is a protective daddy and wants her in a swim dress. I compromise and get her tankinis.
LOL. Melinda and I were the same with our daughter when she was younger. We were very strict on what she wore but they again at age 6,7,8 they aren’t old enough to make decisions on cloths. Now at 14 our daughter makes decisions on cloths but we have the final say. Now Shae is 2 almost 3 so we have to go through this all again. Great. LOL. Also, we shop at Children’s Place, Target and WalMart for Shae. We are cheap
I don’t understand the whole I’m-like-5-years old-but-I-dress-like-a-cougar thing going on in kids fashion. I blame Britney Spears and Bratz Dolls. My 3 year old is going to have the same trouble as your five year old. Madeline is only 3 but she’s already a fashionista. My almost two year old could care less…but give her a year and I am sure I will have my hands full lol. So not a fan of two pieces on little girls.
The CLothing makers still have not figured this out!! Even with my daughter who is 9 THere are so many things I NO WAY in H-e Double hockey sticks let her wear. Sometimes it just makes me scratch my head and wonder if they have daughters of their OWN> HELLO?!!!! ARE YOU READING THIS? Hoping they get a clue sooner than later.
I have no clue how to sew but there were many times I wish I could add material to some of the baby girl sizes so they fit my daughter
Adorable
I love Gymboree way too much, and this year they have so many cute things!
As a mom to two boys, I don’t really have this issue-but I still notice as I am very girly and love all things fashion so of course I notice that the little girl clothes keeping getting more and more grown up. What gives? Why the rush?
My friends and I were just talking about this earlier today on Facebook. All of our daughters are like size 6/7 and we want them to look like LITTLE girls (not even baby) instead of…. well, not little girls. And it is hard. It is especially hard to find things that are AFFORDABLE. I was thinking about doing a post about this later this week with the places that I go. But now I don’t want to look like a copy cat.
You wont! blog about it and share here if you want. Its sad that we have to battle so many things that are grown up and now our little girls still have to wear big girl clothing. I just want something to still have characters and sweet bows and stuff on it. I mean she is only 5…
trisha
I have the opposite problem for my older daughter. She is tiny, but she is still 9. she doesn’t want shirts with Dora or Barbie on them. She doesn’t want shoes with velcro. I had the hardest tim trying to find her a white dress shoe that didn’t look like a “baby shoe” for her First Communion. i remember when she first started walking and I couldn’t find shoes for her that weren’t crib shoes. She was still wearing an infant size 1. even now, almost at the end of third grade and I still have to scan the toddler section for her shoes. She wears a 12. The upside for you is that sizes 8, 10, 12, etc. in the little girl styles don’t sell as well and yu will be able to get a bargain on them! Good luck in the hunt!
I see what you mean. It goes both ways! I have that problem for me personally. I am just over 5 foot tall and I shop a lot in what are considered teen shops…I wont want to, its just that all the short girl clothes are there. LOL I always look like the mom that tries to be 18 again I think.
Amen sister!!!
This is why when I go shopping at target, I always buy her a size a bit bigger so shorts arent incredibly short and so on.
Yeah, I love target!
I was looking for a swimsuit for my 2-year old and there were an awful lot of 2-pieces even for her size. I also hate the really short shorts for her age too.
Im so not into 2 pieces. I mean, ill look at them if they have a long top piece (good for diapers, going potty, etc) but no way in hell if they have a triangle top.