Please help me with clothes for my skinny 15 month old!

[MoJo]

My 15 month old DD is 75th percentile for height. . . and 8th for weight. For the summer, we just let her wear pants that were too short or no pants at all.

But now she's in daycare, and it's getting cool. I have been putting her in overalls. . . except yesterday she managed to get a button off, and now they don't want me sending her in anything with buttons.

She doesn't have any overalls without buttons. She doesn't have any full-length pants that will stay up when she's active (which is always . . . that's a big part of why she's so skinny!). Her one pair of adjustable-waist pants has buttons and don't seem comfortable when they're all scrunched in.

She can't wear her shoes with her footed pajamas, and they do take the kids outside. I suggested tights, but they thought those would make her too warm when she's inside.

She has two (thrift store finds) Okie-Dokie outfits that are a one piece that looks like two, but they are the next size up and aren't a material that I can roll the pants legs and get them to stay up. (They don't have feet, so she will be able to wear those with socks and shoes when she's a little taller)

My only thoughts are to 1) Hand-sew the overalls closed where the buttons are, and hope she can still get into them by pulling them over her head since they open fully at the bottom with snaps and 2) Google to see if Okie-Dokie still makes any one-piece outfits like the ones we've found.

There is no budget for this. I've spent the last six weeks making sure that the girls would have stuff that was appropriate for their centers and now Ha's stuff isn't acceptable.

Oh, and thankfully today is a day off. Because I need a minimum of four outfits by tomorrow, and could need as many as six by Friday.

I understand the need, but I don't know what to do, and neither of the teachers had any ideas except to say one other child (who I didn't see) had one outfit that would work, but they didn't know what it was or where her parents bought it.)

Do any of you wise mamas have any suggestions?

[nmosur]

DD was skinny but not as tall as your DD so I dressed her in smaller sized clothes. How about doing leggings with bodysuits??? Gymboree's velour leggings usually run smaller and if it is short for her use them as capris and put socks on her. Gap also has a lot of stuff that runs smaller in the toddler section - so hat might work.

[TwinFoxes]

My girls are skinny too. Can she not wear leggings? I think Kohl's stuff runs smaller than most, as does Tea Collection, which you might be able to find on consignment. You could buy leggings that fit her waist, and if they're short, put her in taller socks to bridge the gap between shoe/legging. You might also try drawstring pants from Old Navy. Most of DD's pants have snaps, not buttons btw, so I don't think you'll have too hard a time finding buttonless pants.

I don't understand why tights would be too warm, but pants aren't? What about footless tights?

[MoJo]

Thanks for the fast replies!

Apparently JCPenney is the only one who sells the Okie Dokie brand. Online, they still have "coveralls" which would work, but I'm only seeing them up to 9 months in the baby section or starting at 2T in the toddler section. Is there a term for 12-month and 18-month sizes?

Most of Ha's pants don't have buttons or snaps, they are just elastic. The problem is that the ones that fit her in the waist are 6-9 months and not anywhere near long enough, except the one pair of adjustable waist pants, which have buttons and are too scrunched to be comfortable for her.

I haven't seen any baby socks that are higher than ankle length (in stores or on kids).

I'll check Old Navy & Kohl's when they open in a few hours; the closest Gap is over 40 minutes away and the closest Gymboree is over an hour.

I haven't seen leggings in the store or on the kids in Ha's class in her size, but that is definitely my go-to for her older sister, who is the one who can actually wear some of the 12- and 18-month sized pants (also as capris of course) But she's always been at least 25th percentile for weight and never had too much trouble keeping her pants up!

[dukie41181]

You can get rollover socks at Children's Place and those you can pull up to practically the knee. They are just regular crew socks but in lots of colors. Do you have a Children's Place nearby? I would also be trying the leggings with socks thing. I have felt like Gap and Old Navy tend to small in the waist and somewhat long but I'm afraid you may need more than a bit and somewhat. Good luck finding some suitable outfits!

[BabyBearsMom]

I would say leggins. I found the ones from Old Navy to be really tiny with a ton of stretch so they stay on really well.

[crl]

Can you ask if they will let you use things with buttons if you reinforce them? Can she usually pull buttons off or was that a fluke?

Catherine

[ohiomom1121]

Have you checked Target? I bought my niece a bunch of longer tunic tops and leggings there last year. I thought the leggings ran narrow and sized up for her.

[MoJo]

This is the first time she's pulled off a button, and the first time in 16 years her teacher had to look for one.

The Children's Place is at the same mall with the Gap, about 45 minutes from here. That mall requires my double stroller which requires the car my husband needs for work, so it will have to wait for the weekend.

[crl]

I think I would ask if you did some extra stitching on the buttons if she could keep wearing those clothes. It seems like such a waste.

Catherine