How big of a job is wardrobing your family?

amother

Smokey

Sat, Jul 17 2021, 11:17 pm

Not sure why the fact that I’m busy with it and it occupies brain space means I love it and I’m obsessed with it.
I hate it.
But BH the kids grow and need clothing. Not sure how people avoid that part of child-rearing. If you’re lucky enough to get hand-me-downs, well then that’s a way of “cheating the system”. I still gotta do what I gotta do.
At the end of the day; I want the clothing to look nice according to my taste (it doesn’t cost more money to like the clothes) and my kids’ taste, they should fit well and fit in my budget. And the shopping itself takes up time and energy. Either figuring out how to get to stores and trying on to return next day. Or busy with online shopping and returns.
If you can figure out a way to get that all done and not spend time and energy- PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Thanks.

Teomima

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 6:20 am

Where's your option for "I don't"?
I don't buy my kids seasonal wardrobes. I get them what they need, as needed, which usually means buying a few articles of clothing a few times a year for my oldest children and the rest wearing hand-me-downs. Shoes as needed, though even some of those are hand-me-downs.

ETA: What's with the hug?

Last edited by Teomima on Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:43 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Chestnut

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 6:44 am

I have zero patience to shop. But I have teens and preteens and I need to replace their skirts and dresses every season because they outgrow the length. Bh.
So whether we like it or not, we gotta go shop.

DrMom

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 8:04 am

Teomima wrote:

I think this is the reply I can relate to most easily.

As in, "Oh, Shlomi's pants are getting short. Let me see if I can pull out something from the stored hand-me-downs that will fit him."

Or, "Oh, Moishe's pants are getting short. He's the oldest, so no hand-me-downs. Next time I am in town, let me see if I can find him something in the next size up."

mommy3b2c

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 8:30 am

wiki wrote:

I'm curious if I'm normal or if I'm an outlier on this.

For moms with kids at home, how much of your mental space do you devote to shopping and planning and buying and getting deals on clothes for the next season for your kid/s?

I spend a lot of time shopping , but never on getting deals. I like to shop the new seasons styles.

amother

Honey

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 8:42 am

Depends how many kids and their ages. Theres no one size fits all answer.
Teens and preteens have sudden growth spurts. Kids are shaped differently and not everything can just be passed down.

Does that mean I think about it a lot? I don't think so, usually when the season changes I look for bargains online at the same few stores where returns are easy or I know what I'm getting so I won't have to return. Or I buy locally the same items in a size larger.

It's not fun for me but neither is it a stress except when a child is in between sizes. My 12 year old daughter is too big for children's sizes and too small for women's sizes. There's a lot of trial and error for her with different brands.

I do love to see my kids in beautiful new clothing because I never had that when I was a child. I'm grateful that my kids will not know how that feels.

Oh when pesach is still cold and tishrei is still warm, it helps to shop afterwards. My kids have a habit of growing in those seasons and I learned my lesson after needing to buy again a few weeks later. Also everything is marked down by then so it's a smarter way to shop.

imaima

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 9:33 am

Crookshanks wrote:

I love shopping mine takes a few weeks in dribs and drabs and then I spend the rest of the season using all my self control to not buy every last cute outfit I see in the stores 😂
I don't have kids yet but when I do I'll probably spend even longer on them and enjoy every minute of it.

LOL
You will!!
I am the same. I browse clothes in my spare time.
With my kids, they don't always match, but I don't buy whatever. I need to like an item. I don't get people who buy random things for kids (or themselves), I definitely put thought into it.

imaima

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 9:38 am

Teomima wrote:

This is kinda what I do too. Most of my kids always have something to wear I just fill up on missing items.

flmommy

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:05 am

I usually buy each kid a few new things before pesach and then before summer camp. The rest of the time they mainly wear school uniforms so unless a DD or DS tells me they are outgrowing their pants etc we don’t do any shopping.

amother

Smokey

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:05 am

DrMom wrote:

In Israel you don’t have the seasonal differences that we do on the NE coast of the US. We have super cold winters and super hot summers. Some of the clothing that they didn’t grow out of can be worn in the next season but it’s not realistic to wear the same Shabbos outfit in June as in January.

amother

Saddlebrown

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:12 am

Wow we are women and so many here dont enjoy shopping??
I love shopping for my kids and I love seeing them look adorable in adorable matching clothes. I think about it before the season officially starts I want to get the cutest clothes before they sell out

moonstone

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:28 am

DrMom wrote:

Yeah, same here. I really can't imagine anyone who thinks about this constantly, like a hobby. Seriously??

amother

Ruby

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:49 am

I have my stores I know have cheap prices and big selection.

I go early in the season and outfit my girls and little boy. I try to do it in one trip. Sometimes one for weekday one for Shabbos. That is it 1-2 trip and done!

Big boys is one trip for shirts and a new tie. Suit if they need.

Shoes - big boys bike themselves to one store.

Girls and little kids for shoes are harder. I don’t like paying full price.

I have 6 kids k’aH 15 and under.
I like them to look nice and clean but style and trend aren’t super important to me.
My main goal is they should feel good and confident about themselves. And that feeling shouldn’t come from having new Stuff or being top of the styles.

amother

Hibiscus

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 10:51 am

I will start by saying I only have boys, so in a way that makes things simpler (though I still have the eternal problem of pants for very tall but very skinny guys). I don't find the actual shopping to be a big deal, I do it mostly online, we try things on at home and send them back if they don't fit.

The part that really makes me miserable is taking inventory. I have to go through the clothes and weed out what's unusable (young boys can really destroy their clothes). I have to keep track of sizes, so if something is good enough to pass to the next brother, it has to go to his drawer. And then I just generally have to keep track of what we don't have enough of. Pants? Shirts? Shabbos? Winter? Bathing suits? Etc. Buying the stuff isn't a big deal, it's the process of figuring out what I need to buy.

amother

Cobalt

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 11:44 am

amother [ Lightcoral ] wrote:

When I have the money, shopping for the new season is fun! When I don't, it just becomes stressful.

Exactly this! I thought it would me most peoples number one concern, but it seems to be the least important factor here.

amother

Smokey

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 11:49 am

moonstone wrote:

Yeah, same here. I really can't imagine anyone who thinks about this constantly, like a hobby. Seriously??

Seriously?? You really can’t imagine that there are people for whom this is a hobby? Why-ever not? There are all types of people who enjoy all sorts of things. I am sure there are people who think that the hobbies that you have are unenjoyable and wouldn’t engage in them even if paid. The tone comes across as if it’s a moral failing to enjoy shopping. I happen to hate it but whoever enjoys should enjoy!

Iymnok

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 12:27 pm

For boys I get their pants, undershirts and white shirts from next.com. Their shirts usually come from Leader, four shirts, twice a year and socks/underwear from Bazaar Strauss.
Shoes from the neighborhood shoe store.
Little girls is pretty similar.
Big girls is a headache and a half. DD13 has not had normal Shabbos shoes for nearly a year. She is too big for girls clothes and the wrong proportion before ladies. And the rest she doesn’t like or they don’t look right on her frame.

amother

Chestnut

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 12:33 pm

amother [ Saddlebrown ] wrote:

Wait till you have teens lol Wink

Crookshanks

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 1:40 pm

moonstone wrote:

Yeah, same here. I really can't imagine anyone who thinks about this constantly, like a hobby. Seriously??

Hello Moonstone! I love shopping and here I am.
Is there something wrong with my hobby?