Buying clothes in advance

amother

Honeydew

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 9:41 am

I'm looking at the winter clearance and seeing some very good deals. I can't decide if I should buy for next year.

For the first year, sizes were pretty predictable, but after she hit a year, she stayed the same size for a looong time. Now, she's 1.5 and wears 18 mo. pants and 24 mo. tops (Carters). 18-24 size fits just perfectly.

Should I take a risk and buy for next year? We live in Israel, so clothes overall are more expensive, but if I end up w/ lots of clothes I can't use and then have to buy more, that will also be expensive. (I have a wedding soon and will be in the US.)

I also can't figure out what size to buy. My guess is a Carters 2T (but 3T sweaters) and other brands, a 3T. Does that make sense?

ra_mom

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 9:44 am

I found that it gets very unpredictable and often the clothes bought in advance get wasted because of sizing.
Sometimes I'll buy one piece here and there like a special dress. Or a robe which is usually expensive and can be hemmed if necessary. Or long sleeve t shirts for older kids once they need long sleeves in the summer.

youngishbear

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 10:34 am

I agree with ra mom that it gets very annoying and wasteful. I only recomend buying ahead for mothers of a few kids who know their growth patterns. Although that still leads to some mistakes.

By now I know I need full size up. In my experience sweaters are more forgiving than pants so I'd rather buy cute tops on sale. Leggings are not an issue a size up or down. Coats rather oversized than too well-fitting.

And so on...

MorahGee

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 10:50 am

I find that I end up with too much clothing and clothing that doesnt fit right so I just stopped buying ahead. I guess if I see something for an amazing deal that I think is worth it I would get it but not too much

amother

Honeydew

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 11:46 am

Thanks!

Feeling better that I'm not the only one. I messed up a little bit this winter. By now, everything fits pretty well besides pants, but in the beginning of the season, I could have used more 18 mos. winter stuff. (Aside from sweaters and sweatshirts, some I even wish I had in a 2T.)

I'm thinking summer should be okay to guess b/c everything is short. I already have shorts and capris from summer clearance (bought very cheaply, some under a dollar!) I just need to find some matching t-shirts and maybe a couple of rompers/dresses.

Winter is really the dillema. I have a feeling everything is significantly more expensive over here (Israel), but clothes that don't fit and can't be returned aren't worth very much either. This past season, I bought leggings over here and paid around 30 shekel each. Not bad. But, that was on sale. I have no idea what sweaters would cost.

I guess I'll try to buy minimally. Her pants from this yr and possibly shirts might still fit. I'm pretty sure she will need new sweatshirts and sweaters, so I probably should get those. Am I crazy to buy a 3T. She'll be 2.5 next Jan iy'H. I don't want crazy big, but I want there to be room.

EBY

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 11:50 am

It's very different if you live in Israel. If your sizing is off or you have extra you can resell - maybe even for a profit. It is totally worth buying in advance from America if you can. Tops and dresses are fine if they are a bit big and if you get stretchy pants or elastic waist it is likely that you can make it work. Some people just order from next but I have found the quality is not as good as carters, childrens place etc.

amother

Honeydew

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 11:51 am

amother wrote:

Lol 3T for 2.5 year old is big??

My 2.5 year old DD is a size 5T. Okay she's off the charts but still.

Never say never...

Wow, k"H! She was huge when she was younger, but evened out once she weaned.

Considering, she is wearing a Carter's 24 mos and 18 mos. pants (or 18-24 mos.), 3T sounds rather big to me! I guess it does make sense, except for the fact that w/ that theory, she should be wearing a 2T now and she isn't. (Although, I haven't looked that closely at the difference btw 24 mos. and 2T)

amother

Azure

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 11:52 am

Interesting. I disagree with all the above. It was very rare that I bought something and couldn't use because of size. I did have once or twice something that just didn't look right by the next season (for example I bought my son a pair of very short pans for summer and then saw I didn't like him with such short shorts ...) but otherwise everything fit. I have two kids who are true to size so I buy them whatever size would go with their age ( I also usually buy from shops I know so I know their sizing- european brands I buy bigger, american smaller), one kid was always a size smaller so I bought him a size smaller until recently he started wearing his size. Also I find that the seasons are so long- if something is too big in the begning of season Ill use it towards the end of season.

amother

Honeydew

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 11:58 am

EBY wrote:

I thought about reselling, but it's a big headache and my winter clothes were not so cheap. I bought them in the summer b/c that was when I was able. I doubted I would be able to mark them up enough to make it worth the headache. I did sell 2 pairs of pants to my SIL at cost price.

Agree about the tops and dresses, although, the necks were a bit of an issue at the beginning of the season. (Want her warm and a huge neck meant less coverage) Pants, even w/ the elastic (that's the type I usually buy), they drooped and she was tripping over them! Didn't stay rolled up either. I guess a better solution would be to buy leggings b/c those are more likely to work.

amother

Wine

Sun, Jan 17 2016, 12:11 pm

amother wrote:

It depends on the company. Some make the T sizes smaller in the crotch area as the months sizes are generally meant for kids still in diapers.

So basically you may go from 24 months straight to 3, or not. Not all brands sell both sizes, either.

amother

Honeydew

Mon, Jan 18 2016, 4:33 am

What about coats?

I found this. http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/.....53022

Can't say I love the color, but 30% off of $14.97 sounds pretty good! We don't live in such a cold climate, so it doesn't have to be super warm. I do like a hood. Free shipping if you spend $25.00, which I think I can manage!

Now, which size? I'm guessing 3T, but maybe 4T? She is usually wearing a sweatshirt on top of her shirt underneath. Although, her current coat is 18 mos., but seems to run pretty big. (Some random company.)