Are all girls' clothes this tight?

[InMediasRes]

My DD just turned one, but she is pretty big. She fits in a lot of 2T girls' stuff, but mostly about 18-24mo size.

I'm not super picky about her clothes. I don't want really girly stuff and I'm not opposed to her wearing some of her brother's hand me downs. What I'm finding is that the shirts that are 2T made for girls fit her so much tighter than the 2T shirts made for boys. Is this true across the board? I don't mind her having clothes that are more feminine, but I want them to be comfy. She looks the most comfy in her brother's old shirts and sweatpants, but I'd like for her not to look really "boy" either and most of his stuff is pretty masculine (mostly solids and stripes, but very bold colors). Don't even get me started on pants.

If I just buy stuff a size up, it gets funky, like the shoulders are too wide or the sleeves are too long (which I guess is no big deal).

I'm not sure what I'm asking. Just lamenting about girl's clothing again, I guess. Anyone find a solution?

[mamazee]

I have for years wondered why little girls' clothes are made slimmer than little boys' clothes when little girls are not slimmer than little boys.

Hannah Andersen is one option, but it's a bit pricey. Though their prices aren't as bad as they used to be.

I did just buy at least pants in the boys section for a long time, but my now 8-year-old dd can tell the difference and won't wear them anymore. It was great for a while though.

Wait until you see how slim (and how low the rise is) of pants for 8-year-old girls, if you think it's bad for 2-year-old girls. *sigh*

[lasciate]

Originally Posted by mamazee

I have for years wondered why little girls' clothes are made slimmer than little boys' clothes when little girls are not slimmer than little boys.

On average, little girls are slimmer than little boys.

[Baby_Cakes]

I think it depends on the cut. Like generic t-shirts in 2T size are pretty big on my DD, she could wear them as a nightshirt. But in Circo/Carter's girl shirts, a 2T fits her just perfect.

[MJB]

That's funny, I've often bought girls' shirts for my boys because I think the boys' shirts are baggy and unflattering. Girls' clothes are more fitted and look better in general. I have slim boys so we've gone to the girls' section for both pants and shirts because of this (although we figured out that Gap kids makes great skinny jeans for boys). And with shorts, we just buy several sizes too small (my 7 yr. old was wearing size 4 and 5 shorts last summer) because the boys' shorts in their size will hang down past their knees looking like clown pants.

[lyterae]

With DD when she was that size we would purchase boys pants/shorts for her (old navy was our preference). I had good luck on shirts for her at Kohls (jumping bean brand).

[Polliwog]

Gymboree tends to run pretty wide in their toddler girl sizes. More than other stores that I've tried. They run great sales.

[NYCVeg]

What brands are you buying. My dd is short, so we do have problems with some brands being too snug when they're the right length. We buy a lot of Hanna Andersson (er, well, the grandparents buy it at our request ), Gap, and Old Navy, all of which fit her pretty well. I also really like Mini Boden, but they are UBER pricey. We've had a tougher time with trendier brands--stuff like Tea collection and a lot of higher-end department store brands that seem to run pretty slim. My ILs buy dd a lot of stuff from Nordstrom, and we have to return most of it because it's just cut too slim.

[alfabetsoup]

Agree with Gymboree stuff being quite wide. I find Gap & ON (esp ON) tshirts fit small and always size up--I don't like tight tshirts either. I look for a-line, babydoll or smock cuts, they never look too tight and are girly and sweet.

FWIW mini boden is cut REALLY skinny. I love their trousers on skinny but long-legged DD1, they're actually comfortable, they stay up and look nice.

[Jessy1019]

Originally Posted by MJB

That's funny, I've often bought girls' shirts for my boys because I think the boys' shirts are baggy and unflattering. Girls' clothes are more fitted and look better in general. I have slim boys so we've gone to the girls' section for both pants and shirts because of this (although we figured out that Gap kids makes great skinny jeans for boys). And with shorts, we just buy several sizes too small (my 7 yr. old was wearing size 4 and 5 shorts last summer) because the boys' shorts in their size will hang down past their knees looking like clown pants.

I've noticed the same thing. My son looks so much better in his sister's handmedown jeans than he does in the baggy cuts they sell as Children's Place, and the same goes for shirts that are more fitted. I did find him some good, straight leg jeans at Old Navy last fall.

I think it's just a matter of style preference. I like dressing my kids in things that match the styles their dad and I wear (once they were big enough to walk, anyway . . . babies always look silly in "real" clothes to me).

[NYCVeg]

Originally Posted by alfabetsoup

FWIW mini boden is cut REALLY skinny. I love their trousers on skinny but long-legged DD1, they're actually comfortable, they stay up and look nice.

You think? Dd has a size 3 shirt that still fits her fine, and she normally wears 4T. We've never tried their pants, though--just shirts and dresses.