Disappointing clothes for DS

[SJ mom]

Does anyone else feel as though there really is not much out there for DS???
What lines have you like for DS? I find the clothes go from cute pastel blue and green from BabyGap to skater boy, sportsy themed clothes only.

Any recommendations?

Thanks
Diane

[almostamom]

I'm convinced that most of the clothing manufacturers are out there having a contest to see who can make the most awful clothes for little boys. DS lives in a lot of Polo and Tommy (I like navy blue and red - though sometimes it's hard to find pieces that aren't plastered with a logo!) I tend to like stripes and solids but no cartoon characters or sporting logos - that makes it a little harder. Gymbo and Gap had stuff I really liked a few years ago when I was buying clothes for my nephews. Luckily I inherited those hand-me-downs and found a great resale shop in town that usually has some as well. I've also purchased a lot off of e-bay, but that's getting harder and harder (I lost out on two Hanna rompers just today - DRATS!!) Good luck and let us mamas of boys know if/when you find something FABULOUS!!

Take care,
~Linda~
DS 11/04

[knaidel]

I agree...it's hard to find stuff without cartoon characters or logos. I've had luck at babygap, less luck at old navy (but still have a few things there. Zutano is pretty cute, but there's only so many times you feel like dressing him in stripes.

[audball]

A gal who is on here has an on-line store with adorable stuff - www.mylittleducks. com (no spaces). Great variety with a little of everything.

I generally don't mind sporty/skate-boardy if they are a little retro..I found some cute Charlie Rocket stuff for DS on sale at babystyle now. And I also discovered childishclothing.com - her sale page has these super-cute martian-themed retro shirts...

Usually I invest in one nice pair of jeans, one pair of cords/khakis, and two shorts. Since I tell myself it's only one or two of each, I'll get pricier (for me anyway) stuff in the $18-$24 range - but these last 2 seasons or more. Then I'll layer pieces from Hanna outlet, babystyle long-sleeve tees, Tea Collection, etc. My latest thing is dressing DS up in a long-sleeve with a fun T-shirt on top (cartoony, skate-boardy, whatever) or a short-sleeve button down. It looks put together but still "boy"/"kid". I don't like seeing 2-year olds dressed as 14 year-olds, you know ;)?

ETA: Oh my gosh, I forgot that I'll buy basics and anything else appealing at Target - my favorite store! :)

[amp]

Yes, I sympathize completely! I have a harder and harder time finding stuff I like for my little guy. I dont' think I've enjoyed dressing him or buying clothes for him since he was about 9 mths old and out of layette stuff.

[June Mommy]

A lot depends on your son's age and your personal style. I agree it is much harder once they get older. Luckily, my DS is still little enough I can find cute things for him. He wears a lot of Gymboree, and a lot of boutique and home show brands, like Bailey Boys, Kelly's Kids, etc. (I look for bargains on ebay, enc-of-season sales or consignment sales, I don't pay full price!) In general, I try to stay away from licensed characters and super sporty or cartoony styles. I prefer a more classic look, that still looks like a baby.

[jk3]

It can be challenging. My DS wears a lot of Mulberribush and Janie and Jack. Currently, I also like the new Gymboree line but this is not always the case.

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[milesmom]

Depends, how old is he?

Michelle

Mom to Miles 6/2/02
#2 Due 7/28/05

[bluestar2]

I have DS/DD twins and can sympathize. Her side of the closet is full of colorful clothes in various styles and his is...well, a little lacking to say the least. I have a hard time finding cute boy clothes as well. Usually I buy a favorite item here and there and he has enough to get by. There are a few things from Gymboree, many from J&J and a handful of European clothing my relatives sent me from abroad as gifts. Sorry, not much help!

[VClute]

I hear ya, sistah! My DS has lots of smocked bubbles for summertime (but I'm in the South, so they're not hard to find or considered too girly for a boy) and we're big fans of jon-jons. For fall, I've been purchasing long-alls and rompers with long legs. I like only one-piece dressing for any child that's going to be picked up because I can't STAND the way a shirt rides up. I also hate to pull off pants for diaper changes. SO, until DS is potty-trainable, I opt for one-piece things. You can find these in a variety of colors and themes. I like Kelly's Kids and Bailey Boys - esp the reversible ones! - for casual items and Orient Expressed and Beaux et Belles for fancy things. And I do most of my purchasing at consignment sales or Ebay. I ain't too proud to dress DS in used clothes.

Amy in NC
mom to Dixon, born 2/14/05

[reyn74]

I guess I'm lucky because I don't have much taste, LOL, I like a lot of different styles for my baby. I like jon-jons (my fave is a very classic Talbots one from 7 tears back at least), and Hanna always, but I also like some of the skater look. I love the skater jeans from Lands End and the striped double sleeve shirt too (I want him to match his big brothers'). I like tractors and Wild West, and animals and construction.

I don't like anything really dressy like with a tie or suspenders, and I don't much like sports until the kids are into them (so I buy soccer shirts for my 5yo who plays soccer). Oh and I was completely against stripes for a year or two, but there have been some at LE that I really like recently (plus I've always done HA stripes).

I feel like my baby doesn't have a consistent style, but I always think he looks cute (of course).

-Sarah and boys

[pamela mom of 3]

After having 2 girls i was surprised at the effort needed to find cute boys things.

Really i have find you have to be very open, brand wise..usually it's impossible to find everything in one place and requires checking multiple stores to find "cute" items.

I shop from HannaAndersson, LandsEnd, Gap, Gymboree, odd time OldNavy, ChilrensPlace, Roots.

[kcimato]

As a Grand Mom to 3 grandsons all under 2, I can sympathize with you. I love buying my grandchildren clothes and my 2 1/2 year old grand daughter has tons of Naartjie, Hanna, Hedgehog ,and Janie and Jack that I have bought her. I have started to buy the 2 week old some of the Naartjie layette but I don't care for the skater stuff for the other two. I have recently had good luck with Talbots Kids. It's rather simple but some of the stuff is really cute. I only buy that on sale b/c $$$$
Sometimes I just buy the shirts from Gymbo and let the moms pair it with their denin and khaki shorts.

[milesmom]

Not cheap but ...

I mix this stuff in with Gap and on occassion Gymboree (not so HA now that he is 3).

http://www.petit-bateau.com/ (French, great for basics)
http://www.oilily-world.com/ (Dutch, interesting, fun, colorful)

More boy focused clothes:
Spudz (he loves the car, truck, etc. themed shirts and sweatshirts)
http://www.wesandwilly.com/

[Little Ladybug]

I have found that while it is possible to find cute boys' clothes, (1) it takes a lot of hunting; and (2) it can be pretty expensive! I love classic clothes for little boys, so my DS wears lots of jon-jons with appliques and smocking at this point, with some regular overalls and rompers thrown in as well. For more casual occasions I like Rags Land, Kelly's Kids, Hannah Kate (trunk show brand out of Birmingham), Bailey Boys, Funtasia, Mulberry Street, Janie & Jack, and Hanna Andersson. For church, portraits, and dressy occasions, I like Beaux et Belles, Orient Expressed, Strasburg Children, Anavini, and Gordon & Co. (sailor suits). I've had a surprising amount of fun dressing my son, but it has been a lot of work! :)

[nov02mom]

I am totally with you!!! I never buy Jacob character/sporty stuff...he's 2 for goodness sakes! I bought a ton of shirts for next year from Gymbo....almost all stripes or solids with ring necks. I like very plain clothes. I can't do Old Navy because they put their freaking name on everything!!!! Drives me insane!!!

[tigalig]

We stick with basic polos from Gap year in and year out. Then I'm running into the "problem" that he's starting to dress himself now (almost four) and choosed sports jerseys every morning. Seriously, my reply does not belong on RL, but I find that dressing a boy can be very "plain jane"-ish and I am close to giving up. We have lots of tees from Talbots and bottoms (shorts/pants) from Hanna, but he really does look very generic most of the time. Then there's dd . . .

[younhiekim]

Hi,
I don't have a boy, but I have a nephew that I usually buy clothes for presents. I absolutely love Janie and Jack for boys; I honestly like the boys' line more at times than the girls'. However, they are fairly pricy and they only go up to 4T (although they'll go up to 5T sometime this month or next?). Hanna Andersson is also a great place for boys for basics. Garnet Hill seems to also be okay. CWD Kids has some cute clothes for boys too. Sometimes Gymboree, but I've stopped going there b/c I've had quality issues w/ them lately. There's also a place called Grow, but it looks like they're discontinuing their clothes line. However, they have some t-shirts left. Here's their website:
www.growgrowgrow.com

HTH!
-- YounHie

[Tracey]

I have a daughter, but I've come across some cute boy clothes along the way that I've stored in the memory banks. Here are a few that I didn't see mentioned:
Boys n Berries
Wally & Willy
Letop
Kitestrings
Pepper Toes
Chicken Noodle
Sweet Potatoes (Two Turtle Doves)
Imp Originals
Jacadi
Mulberribush

[Melanie]

Oh yes...3 1/2 years of disappointment. LOL. No, actually, I found a lot I liked in the infant sizes, but once Ds hit the toddler sizes it was very hard. I like Hanna Andersson, Mini Boden (sometimes), Gap & Gymboree for plain basics (I don't care for characters, monster trucks or creepy bugs).

[mlewis]

I think Osh Kosh can have some cute things. I like to check there occasionally. Their new fall lines just came out and they have some cowboy items that seemed cute online. I haven't seen them IRL yet.

[tina-t]

Have to buy clothes on a budget, so I am not that picky. We have survived on Gymboree, Baby Gap, Naartjie, Old Navy, Target, Kohl's brand, and Mervyn's. I just avoid clothes with big logos and characters on it.

[SJ mom]

Thanks.
ITs comforting to know there are sisters out there shaking their heads too about the lack of clothes. I agree with all of you ladies in choice of clothes. Thanks for the tip on the different brands. If I run into anything...

Diane

[C99]

>there's only so many times you feel like dressing him in
>stripes.

I have a feeling that's something we're all going to have to get over. It's a stripey world out there for boys! The other options are usually solid colors or an icon on the front. I also won't dress Nate in logos (except a Steelers t-shirt I bought him) or characters, but I will put him in iconic shirts.

[KBecks]

I don't have a lot of time to shop, but now as Alek is getting older, my main objective is to keep him in COLOR while he is young, and not go to drab colors until he is much older.

[writeleigh]

Absolutely! I keep finding myself wondering why everything for non-infant boys has to be sports-themed and/or super heros. It does tend to get a bit pricey when I find cute boy's clothing. Now and then I do well on ebay though. European brands (especially French) tend to be much cuter for boys. I've had luck with these brands:

LeTop
Baby Rhinos
Petit Patapon
Catimini
Marese
Jean Bourget

[MOSh513]

I checked out the growgrowgrow website. Cute stuff! I signed up for their newsletter and they emailed me a $6 off coupon