Cute colorful infant boy's clothes exist where exactly...?

[sarahsthreads]

I mean, I know they have to exist because I have received some as gifts, but I'm not finding anything all that appealing when I go shopping myself!

I was in Carters today, which is usually my go-to cute-baby-clothes store...and I was underwhelmed by the selection. Actually, scratch that. I wanted to cry.

They had some cute onesies, but the pants were all some variation of dark gray, darker gray or navy. The more colorful clothes tended to be more fussy, too - like polo collars and button-up shirts. Which I'd totally go for with a toddler, but are NMS for brand new babies. I just want cute, comfortable onesies and soft pants...preferably in bright, happy colors. Where can I look? (I've obviously been spoiled by the girls' clothing side of things for the past nine years, with all the bright colors and patterns. But I know cute boy stuff HAS to exist somewhere.)

I do really like a lot of the baby boy stuff on the gymboree website, but I can't justify spending that much on clothes that will be outgrown in a matter of weeks. (I didn't start buying gymboree for the girls until they were wearing a size for at least an entire season, kwim?) I mainly need some 0-3 month things - I have enough newborn-sized things, and received a decent amount of 6 month clothing, and everything after that can wait. :)

So hit me with your best suggestions - I live near a major mall so I have access to most stores.

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[kaharris83]

If you have an H&M nearby check them out. I just discovered their kids section and they have some really cute baby stuff. The organic cotton onesies are nice and soft and not expensive as well, but may not be the colors you're looking for. But they have some very cute sets that are nice and colorful. You can check their website too.

[mjs64]

I really like Crazy 8 as a cheaper alternative to Gymbo, especially stacking coupons with sales. I've found cute boy stuff at Old Navy too. Baby Gap as well but more expensive.

I hear you on the Carter's newborn baby boy pant assortment. Yuck!

[sarahsthreads]

Ack! So our H&M closed recently, and so did Baby Gap. :(

There is a Crazy 8 further afield, but I'm going to be somewhere in the vicinity later this week, so I'll try to get there and check it out - I do like what's on their website. Bonus, maybe I can find something for the girls to wear for their first day of school.

Maybe I'll drag DD1 to Old Navy tomorrow morning while DD2 is at her camp and see what we can find.

Glad it's not just me thinking those pants are so dull!

Sarah :)

[petesgirl]

I have found cute boy clothing at Old Navy as well, though I didn't start looking there until DS was about a year old.

[Simon]

Zutano (http://www.zutano.com/shop/category/baby-boy-one-piece/) is my favorite for bright and fun prints. The Jumping Beans (http://www.kohls.com/catalog/boys-jumping-beans-baby-clothing.jsp?CN=4294730817+4294874869+4294737914+4 294719810&cc=jumpingbeans-nav1.1-babyboy) line has some bright colors like the french terry or fleece pants, but it may take some digging.

[smilequeen]

Zutano is what I was going to say too. I ordered it from here...

http://www.comfykid.com/

It would melt my heart

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/180757_1895332668024_3824808_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/183201_1895346948381_1291256_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/197502_1952554938545_3315536_n.jpg

IDK, this is why I think it's MORE expensive to dress a boy well :) Looking through the old pictures I see Zutano, Gymboree, Janie and Jack, and Hanna. Boden, Polarn O Pyret. Maybe try Next http://www.nextdirect.com/us/en/home ? They can do some pretty colorful stuff sometimes.

[essnce629]

I'd second Crazy 8.

[crl]

Well, I am apparently about the only person on the planet who prefers boys clothes. All those dull colored pants are SO much easier to match up with t-shirts. I am sick of dd's zillion different shades of pink and purple and all those pants that can't just be plain colors but have to have embellishments so they don't coordinate with anything else. And compounded of course by having hand me downs where the whole outfit didn't survive and now I am trying to match that slightly peach shade of pink in the flowers on the jeans. . . . Plain grey or navy sounds awesome to me. ;)

Okay, rant over. How about American Apparel? Love their karate pants and they come in a zillion colors. Their stuff runs quite small IME. http://store.americanapparel.net/product/index.jsp?productId=4032. Not exactly cheap, but sweat shop free, comfortable and colorful, and not really expensive.

When dd was newborn to about four months old, she really just wore sleepers all the time. I had a lot of gender neutral stuff from The Children's Place (knits) and Carter's (fleece).

Hope that helps,
Catherine

[sarahsthreads]

I can see why Zutano would melt your heart! How sweet! :) I'm trying to avoid shopping online (I have no idea how big/small this baby is going to be and whether he'll arrive early enough to need a lot of short sleeve things or late enough that long sleeves will work, and I'm leaving the tags on most everything until I find out!) but I may break down and get some pieces from them.

I actually (after striking out at Old Navy - they had very little 3 month clothing at all, let alone what I was looking for) went to Gymboree. They had a very cute boy koala line so I picked up a couple of onesies and a couple of pairs of pants. I guess it's OK to splurge a little, right? I'm still planning on checking out Crazy 8 later in the week, and then there's a big consignment shop nearby so I'll see if there's anything gently used that's colorful and cute.

Sarah :)

[megs4413]

gymboree and zutano would be my two suggestions. gymbo actually started a promo today with 30% off the whole store's regularly priced merch and then 20% all markdowns. you can combine it with a 20% coupon ( family fun magazine has them) to make it a pretty good deal. if you paid full price for ANYTHING in the last 7 days, take your receipt back and get a price adjustment for the difference. :)

[sarahsthreads]

Well, I am apparently about the only person on the planet who prefers boys clothes. All those dull colored pants are SO much easier to match up with t-shirts. I am sick of dd's zillion different shades of pink and purple and all those pants that can't just be plain colors but have to have embellishments so they don't coordinate with anything else. And compounded of course by having hand me downs where the whole outfit didn't survive and now I am trying to match that slightly peach shade of pink in the flowers on the jeans. . . . Plain grey or navy sounds awesome to me. ;)

I TOTALLY hear you on the hand-me-downs. DD2 looks like she got dressed out of the bottom of the goodwill barrel most days. ;)

But I have to say - those pants did *not* go with everything. There was a two-pack of blue pants (light-ish blue and navy) and they clashed HORRIBLY with the blues in the pack of turtle-themed onesies. You could only pair the gray and dark gray with those. The gray and dark gray pants did not match the grays in the elephant-themed onesies. So...I don't believe for one minute that boys clothes are going to be any easier to mix and match! (At least there are no skirts and dresses and leggings and bike shorts and tights and hair clippies and knee socks to manage. Just pants and shirts!)

Sarah :)

[sarahsthreads]

Oh! I did get the 30% off (because it was a full-price line). I wasn't planning on going there, and of course I have the coupon somewhere in my family fun magazine instead of handily in my purse. :p

But I think there's also one for Crazy 8 in there, so I'll just make sure I put that in my purse now! If I head back to the mall I'll ask for the price adjustment at Gymboree, but I'm starting to be very, very slow and not feel terribly well if I do a lot of shopping - hello, braxton-hicks - so I'm willing to forego the $7 or so that I would have saved not to go back there. I have NO idea how I'm going to get any back-to-school shopping done for the girls. I at least want them to have a couple of nice new things to start the year with. Maybe I'll send my mom with my credit card. ;)

Sarah :)

[citymama]

--Zutano
--Hanna Andersson (such cute onesies/wiggle pants and fleece jackets!)
--Pepper Toes (boy line of Baby Lulu - I bought their clothes for my DD1 and handed down to DD2 because I preferred the gender neutral stuff to the incessant pinks!)
--Tea Collection
--baby Boden
--baby Gap

I loved Under the Nile and Petit Bateau boys/gender neutral clothes for my kids, but they're more muted colors. Soooo soft. If you have a Costco, the Hanna zippers are adorable and cheaper than at the store.

ETA Hmm, maybe I should list these on BBB swap. Does anybody use that list any more?

[Tenasparkl]

--Zutano
--Hanna Andersson (such cute onesies/wiggle pants and fleece jackets!)
--Pepper Toes (boy line of Baby Lulu - I bought their clothes for my DD1 and handed down to DD2 because I preferred the gender neutral stuff to the incessant pinks!)
--Tea Collection
--baby Boden
--baby Gap

I loved Under the Nile and Petit Bateau boys/gender neutral clothes for my kids, but they're more muted colors. Soooo soft. If you have a Costco, the Hanna zippers are adorable and cheaper than at the store.


Yes to all of this! If you do have a nearby Costco, the sets of carters stuff are usually pretty cute and some have nice bright colors. There are sets with two onesies (usually a long sleeve and a short sleeve) and pants and then other sets with a sleep & play, a onesie, pants and a hat or bib. Great prices.

[psimpson3-5]

Yes to all of this! If you do have a nearby Costco, the sets of carters stuff are usually pretty cute and some have nice bright colors. There are sets with two onesies (usually a long sleeve and a short sleeve) and pants and then other sets with a sleep & play, a onesie, pants and a hat or bib. Great prices.

Yes the Carter's sets are Costco are awesome. Cheap and cute! Lots of color options - girls, boys, and unisex.

I am partial to Baby Gap. DH and I are not sports fans. Much of the available clothing for boys is sports themed, so I really struggle to find stuff for DS. I just love Baby Gap. The clothes are well made IMO and they are usually having a good sale. I don't ever pay full price. I love shopping at Gap online, but I do have luck in the store as well. The online selection is great! Plus there's ALWAYS a 30-40% discount. Just sign up for their emails.

I also like Old Navy, but I find the in store selection very frustrating. The boys section is small and always very picked over.

[essnce629]

Another vote for Costco and the Hanna Zippers!!!!

[chottumommy]

Apart from everything suggested above try Polarn O pyret. Seriously their clothes are awesome and fit forever. DS2 wore the same onesie from 6 months til now (2.5 years). They are slimmer fitting than Hanna but like Hanna fit forever and last as long. I have pants that fit for 3 seasons for DS1 and were still brand new for DS2. They have leggings with leg covers which roll up and last atleast 6-8 months even on a newborn. The leggings are thin so they work in summer, fall and also winter with some socks on. Awesome, awesome clothes.

http://www.polarnopyretusa.com/index/page/product/product_id/5535/category_id/35/product_name/NEWBORN+ECO+PULL+ON+PANTS+WITH+BUILT-IN+FEET
.http://www.polarnopyretusa.com/index/page/product/product_id/5573/category_id/3/product_name/ZOO+STRIPE+SLEEVELESS+SUMMER+ROMPER with layers would work in fall too

[sarahsthreads]

No Costco, though I did see some Hanna dresses at our BJs (unfortunately not in sizes or colors my girls would wear :( ) earlier this summer, so maybe I should go and look there.

And I JUST got Gymboree coupons in the mail this afternoon. So now I have MORE coupons I could have used and didn't. Guess I'll just have to go back...and buy more. (They're good for several more weeks, so I'll wait until another line I love comes out and buy some bigger sizes.)

Sarah :)

[Simon]

Do you have a TJ Max or Marshalls? Vitamins Baby is a brand I've found there and we have several brighter items from them. Also, Zutano is sold in local stores many times, just not the mall, though YMMV of course.

[MontrealMum]

Most of the Zutano I had for DS came from Winner's, not a specialty store. (That's our version of TJMaxx). Just be warned, it runs small. Kushies is pretty bright too, but very wide in the body. Do you guys have Zara there? They do some cute baby things. Like everyone else, we also did a lot of Hanna and Gymboree.

[mommylamb]

By far my favorite baby boy clothes are Next. Great if you like more colorful things.

[mikala]

I can see why Zutano would melt your heart! How sweet! :) I'm trying to avoid shopping online (I have no idea how big/small this baby is going to be and whether he'll arrive early enough to need a lot of short sleeve things or late enough that long sleeves will work, and I'm leaving the tags on most everything until I find out!) but I may break down and get some pieces from them.



Fwiw I had good luck with Gap/old Navy free online returns by mail. It seemed easier to drop the bag at the nearest ups box than to haul the kids to the mall for returns.

Re:seasons I got a lot of mileage out of cute short sleeved shirts for my late summer baby. In warm weather I layered them over a shirt sleeved onesie or with a romper and in cooler weather I layered over plain long sleeved onesies with pants.

You might also check local consignment sales. Ours are usually overstocked with the small sizes for cheap and some of the previous seasons have cuter designs than the current new lines.

[BabyBearsMom]

Crazy8 and Next Direct have cute boy things

[hellokitty]

I bought a ton of zutano when I had ds3 and was completely disgusted with boy clothes in general after the third boy. Lots of colorful options instead of the typical blue stuff.

[Nooknookmom]

Ack! So our H&M closed recently, and so did Baby Gap. :(

There is a Crazy 8 further afield, but I'm going to be somewhere in the vicinity later this week, so I'll try to get there and check it out - I do like what's on their website. Bonus, maybe I can find something for the girls to wear for their first day of school.

Maybe I'll drag DD1 to Old Navy tomorrow morning while DD2 is at her camp and see what we can find.

Glad it's not just me thinking those pants are so dull!

Sarah :)

Wait for gymbo sales - they r great. With all the washing u will do the onsies, little pants and tees will wear great.

[Melaine]

I'm pretty sure I started this exact SAME thread when I was pregnant with DS!! Has anyone mentioned Naartjie? It's a little hit or miss but some of their lines are nice.

[sarahsthreads]

Wait for gymbo sales - they r great. With all the washing u will do the onsies, little pants and tees will wear great.

I just went back to Gymboree (to get this dress (http://www.gymboree.com/shop/dept_item.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446028864&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374306231096&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395917465&bmUID=1375123153465&productSizeSelected=0&fit_type=) for DD2 for the first day of kindergarten) and they had a bunch of new tiny baby stuff on their sale racks. Hard to argue with onesies marked at $3.99 and $4.99 with an additional 20% off sale items and then a 20% off coupon on top of that. So I think I might be set for 0-3 month clothes now. (Having 8 year old DD1 with me shoving more lion-themed onesies and pants and sleepers in my arms - "but Mommy, they're *all* so cute, why not get them all?!?" - didn't help.)


I'm pretty sure I started this exact SAME thread when I was pregnant with DS!! Has anyone mentioned Naartjie? It's a little hit or miss but some of their lines are nice.

I've shopped Naartjie for the girls, but have found their lines definitely hit or miss for us. I will certainly keep checking them out. In general, it seems like there are cuter things for boys in bigger sizes - once they're walking and you're not looking for just soft, comfy things that work for sleep or awake times.

Sarah :)