name brand clothes for young kids
By poppoppop111
@poppoppop111 (5731)
Canada
July 10, 2007 6:47pm CST
do you need to put brand new name brand clothes on your kids all the time? my daughter has some nice clothes but some stuff i've gotten second hand. some is even name brand that i got second hand. my mother just stopped in. she asked if my 4 year old needed new clothes for school this fall. i said no i have lots that people have given me and i might just need a few pants that i will just buy at a very nice consignment store around here. anyway my mother gets so mad. she's like no i'll go buy all new stuff at old navy and gap and so on. i don't get why a 4 year old needs such nice things for school in her eyes. she has really nice clothes that came from wal mart and such but to my mother it's like dressing her up in rags.
2 people like this
17 responses
@camar_lyn (1028)
• Singapore
11 Jul 07
Hi poppoppop111, i know exactly what you are going through. When i was young, my mother never allowed me to buy my own clothes. She prefers the branded ones even though is was uncomfortable for me.
On the other hand, maybe as a grandmother, she wants her grandchildren to dress in branded ones so that she feels the pride of having bought them those clothes.
If you want to keep the peace, let her buy those branded clothes and you can let them wear it on days you go out on family outings. Definitely not for school. Imagine the paint, food gravy, sauce that will stain those brand name ones. - Lyn
@poppoppop111 (5731)
• Canada
11 Jul 07
no i won't stop her, if she wants to spend the money then go for it but i don't feel a need to waste my money on brand new name brand.
but this is who my mother is and always was and will be. she is very big on appearences and thinks everyone is judged on appearence so i don't want her teaching my daughter this
@camar_lyn (1028)
• Singapore
11 Jul 07
I do agree with you there. My mother is the same - HUGE on appearances. She is not working, but she has a whole lot more clothes in her wardrobe compared to me.
I definitely do not buy the retail store branded clothes for my kids because first and foremost it is a waste of money. When i do buy for them those branded clothes, i buy from the factory outlets which is way cheaper and i don't even mind if they get soiled. - Lyn
1 person likes this
@4cuteboys (4099)
• United States
11 Jul 07
Hm most of the time I do. The junkiest we probably own is from Old Navy. I dont like spending money on cheaper stuff because I have found it falls apart really fast and with 4 boys and 1 on the way I need stuff that lasts. The gap and stuff I buy looks new still after 3 of my boys wearing it. For school though I do let them wear nicer stuff. The only thing I avoid is white shirts as my 5 year old and 7 year old spill food still and paint and what not. I have had stuff from walmart fall apart after a couple of wash/wear cycles, not worth it to me.
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
11 Jul 07
I think that so long as the clothes are clean and in good condition, there isn't a problem. If your mother feels differently about this then you do, that's okay - it's your child, and you'll do what you think is the best and most practical. Some people do think that name brand clothes are better, and that's fine, but just because THEY think that is no reason the rest of the world has to agree.
1 person likes this
@mom2chriskel (1060)
• United States
11 Jul 07
Not all the time, no. My kids do have Ralph Lauren clothes but trust me, Walmart is my friend too...LOL I buy a lot of summer clothes there and stretch pants for winter and stuff. Then I'm not upset when they get stained...with kids, clothes are always stained and it doesn't matter if you spend 50.00 or 10.00 on a pair of pants....a grass stain is a grass stain!
In fact, my son's school just went to a new dress code with no logos or anything so I can't really buy name brand clothes for him because they all have logos on them.
1 person likes this
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
11 Jul 07
it is not practical for you to splurge on designer clothes for kids. besides, your daughter is just 4 years old. she won't know the difference between an ordinary get-up and an expensive designer get-up. well, i can't also blame your mom... perhaps she just wants her granddaughter to look the best. well, if your mom spends on the clothes your daughter wears, let her be... =)
1 person likes this
@s_pterry (50)
• United States
11 Jul 07
I wonder if your mom dressed you in new brand name clothes when you were 4? It's nice to dress your children as well as you can and there is nothing wrong with getting those clothes secondhand. When my children were younger, there was a thrift store around the corner and we were there constantly! At that age they're growing so fast - too fast to really wear out the clothes. So good for you! Buy your children's clothes wherever you choose and tell your mom if she's so intent on spending the money, just give you the cash and you can invest it in your child's future.
Another benefit to what you're doing is that you're aiding the environment by reusing these clothes (recycling) and that is a wonderful lesson to be teaching your children.
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
22 Jul 07
Why would a 4 year old need all those name brand clothes? They outgrow them so fast- My daughter wore alot of Old Navy- they are cheap-- but Gap-- I'd think that is extreme- My daughter is 10 and yes she wears mostly all name brand clothing- Limited Too, Gap, Old Navy-- this year she is moving on to Aero, Hollister, Limited Too again- but I shop sales and get coupons online for the stuff- At 10 people judge more on what you wear than they do at 4- I don't mind buying this type of clothing either- it seems to last longer- better quality- But not at 4
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
11 Jul 07
The only name brand my kids wear is stuff that we get second hand also. my oldest is 4. I like to go to yard sales for clothes. you can usually find a lot of nice clothes for under $1. And like you said, walmart usually has complete outfits for pretty cheap. She'll start preschool this fall also and I don't plan on buying her any new stuff, she has plenty of clothes.
1 person likes this
@creematee (2810)
• United States
11 Jul 07
Well, your mother just wants to spoil her granddaughter. We'll just leave it at that. ;P
I don't understand spending a lot of money on children's clothing. For two major reasons...
1) they PLAY in these clothes. Where do they play? Outside, in the dirt, they eat and spill, staining clothes.
2) Kids grow so fast, that even if they managed to wear them without staining or tearing them, they only wear them for about 6 months. It's just not econimical to buy 3 or 4 outfits at $30 apiece when you can buy 15 at walmart for less than $100!
My children wear hand-me-downs, twice or even third time hand-me-downs. They have homemade clothes, and thrift shop clothes. Garage sale finds are the best! Yes, they get new clothes, but like stated before, they are cheap department store clothes from Walmart or Dollar General.
@princessmom1011 (719)
• United States
23 Jul 07
The one thing i defintely splurge on is clothes and shoes for my kids my daughter i can settle for any type of brand as long as it is CUTE but my son they rarely make "cute" things for boys so i go all out on him and buy nothing but pricy name brand items.
@mari_skye (1637)
• Philippines
11 Jul 07
I agree with you in that. There is no need to dress kids in designer clothes, they will not be appreciated by the kid anyways. And considering that kids grow up very fast, it won't be long for the child to 'overgrow' his/her clothings. And if these are designer clothes, then it would be such a waste. Better to save the money on their other needs, and I'm quite sure there are a lot of things that children need even if I don't have one of my own yet:P
1 person likes this
@mari_skye (1637)
• Philippines
11 Jul 07
I agree with you in that. There is no need to dress kids in designer clothes, they will not be appreciated by the kid anyways. And considering that kids grow up very fast, it won't be long for the child to 'overgrow' his/her clothings. And if these are designer clothes, then it would be such a waste. Better to save the money for their other needs, and I'm quite sure there are a lot of things that children need even if I don't have one of my own yet:P
1 person likes this
@bowtieguy (5915)
• United States
12 Jul 07
No I don't need to, I choose to because I like my sons to be able to look their best just like their dear old dad.
@JOLINAR1073 (88)
• United States
22 Jul 07
Now, I ask you, why should it matter to your Mom what your kids are wearing, when they aren't hers? My Mom was the total opposite. She shopped at garage sales most of my childhood and bought stuff that we could afford. And actually found lots of designer stuff too. I did the same thing when I had my son. I happily accepted hand me downs and second hand. It was all I could afford as a single parent. Kids grow so fast, it's actually smarter to shop second hand or at garage sales when they are small. There's nothing wrong with letting her spoil them a little bit, though, as they are her grandkids, but what'd I'd do if you decide to let her...when the kids outgrow the stuff, take all of it to a consignment shop and get some money for it, then go and buy them more stuff that they'll need. There is nothing wrong with WalMart either, my 12 year old loves that store and he's a boy. The funny thing is that Matt also goes Garage Saling with me, and has no objection to getting second hand clothes, he knows that money is tight or whatever and appreciates whatever he gets. Maybe tell your Mom that if she wants to be helpful for the school year, to buy that mountain of school supplies that the kids are going to need.:) Good luck!
@tredale (1309)
• Australia
11 Jul 07
great discussion poppoppop11 I totally agree, I have a 3, 5, 14 and 15 year old trust me save your dollars and cents why you can because there will come a time when they will demand the labels. I'm not one for name brands at all. I like nice clothes but I dont give a rats were they come from. My sister in law on the other hand use to refuse second hand then things become really tough for her and my brother and she was force into second hand. It nearly broke her heart. But she did find she could save a fortune on second hand items for her two boys and they were practicly brand new. Her boys are 1 and 9 and they couldnt careless. Infact they can at least play outside with her not going spare all the time now.
@wilynn (751)
• Singapore
11 Jul 07
Sometimes its the peer pressure. No need for real branded but it has to be of a little brand sometimes. Or else, maybe the other kids in school will be discussing it. If you or your husband goes to Asia, then you can grab some clothes for them cheaper. THey have some local brands but they do produce cute and nice looking children's clothes. Or else, they also have stores that sells stocklot, which you can get really dirt cheap prices for old navy type of brands.