Little Boy Jeans-HELP!

[Noah's mommy]

My son will be 4 in April and he is going through jeans like there is no tomorrow! I think that since September he's probably gotten a hole in the knees of 4 pairs of jeans that were all brand new. He's not particularly rough but we do go outside quite a bit and he's always climbing, playing pirates and knights, football, etc....wearing the knees quite a bit. I know that I can patch them, but I'm also interested in finding quality jeans that will last more than 2 months. Any recommendations? We've always bought Old Navy in the past as they seem to fit him very well but I'm not married to the brand. I would love to know if anyone has found quality jeans that will last a season. TIA!

[sarasprings]

That's the age when my son started wearing out jeans, too. Old Navy clothes are not made to last. They are really one of the brands that I avoid for jeans and sweats. Sears has a program called Kid Advantage or something like that and if a pair of pants wears out, they will replace them. I've never used their program since I buy used, but if you're buying new, I would expect it would save you money.

[catholicmama]

LL BEan's jeans rock!! A bit on the expensive side, but totally worth it. And they are 100% guaranteed I think.

[ustasmom]

I think that LandsEnd jeans would carry the same guarantee as LLBean.

Now I only buy 3 brands of clothing for my children: Hanna Andersson, LLBean and Lands End. I was so tired of clothing that fell apart and wasn't constructed properly.

[tinybutterfly]

I'll second Sears if you buy new. My mom used to get some kind of jeans for my brother at Sears that had reinforced knees and if they wore out, they'd replace them for free.

My boys weren't quite so hard on their clothes, and I got them Rustlers or Wranglers for a long time and had good luck with those brands.

Good luck!

[rsps]

I just patch the boys pants when they get holes in the knees. I took the pair that was the worst, and cut it up for patches for the others. I have even had to patch the patches on occasion.

I save one pair of "presentable" pants for when they need to look better, but most of the time play clothes/patches are fine.

[normajean]

We've always used ON for DS, because when DS was little he was so skinny that ON adjustable waist was all that would fit him. He wore through the first hole in a knee this week, but it wasn't an ON pair of jeans.

I second the vote for Sears, they will replace clothes that wear out with a similar item in the same size.

[KariM]

There was a brand at Sears that wore like iron! I can't recall, but it was one of their store brands.

The bonus with their clothing, too, is that it has a guarantee to last until your child outgrows them. If they wear out, you can exchange them for another pair.

[KimProbable]

When DS was a toddler I used to buy his pants from Please Mum because the knees were reinforced and actually lasted (and because they make slim fit which would stay on his skinny waist!).

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I love Please Mum clothes too. Ds has a pair of cords that have been through two other rough little boys and still look good.

[organic-momma]

I LOVE Gymboree! If you get the jeans with the reinforced knees they are practically bullet proof

[normajean]

Originally Posted by organic-momma

I LOVE Gymboree! If you get the jeans with the reinforced knees they are practically bullet proof

My kids have never worn out a single item of Gymboree clothing. In fact, they still looked like new by the time they outgrew them. Love Gymboree.

[lmonter]

Do you have a Shopko near you?

They have a little thing they don't really advertise called their "Kid Tough Promise." You can return (or exchange, they may have changed the policy in the last few years) items your child has worn through for the exact same thing - size-wise at least - or something similar. Just keep the receipt and tag (makes it *so* much easier for the service desk people, I promise). When kiddo kills the jeans, wash 'em and take them back (yes, people brought in mud-stained pants half the time - ick). The company counts on customers either forgetting about the kid tough thing or the kid outgrowing the clothing before they rip 'em to shreds.

I had one customer who'd bought a pair of pants for her boy that he still hadn't grown out of in 2 years, where he finally wore a hole in the knee and she just got another pair. It was *so* nice when she had the receipt still.

[tarheelbaby]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

I'll second Sears if you buy new. My mom used to get some kind of jeans for my brother at Sears that had reinforced knees and if they wore out, they'd replace them for free.

Originally Posted by KariM

There was a brand at Sears that wore like iron! I can't recall, but it was one of their store brands.

The bonus with their clothing, too, is that it has a guarantee to last until your child outgrows them. If they wear out, you can exchange them for another pair.

I've seen those jeans y'all are talking about. I believe the name brand is ToughSkins.

*

Currently DS is wearing jeans from Old Navy and The Children's Place. He has a couple of pairs of Gap jeans too, I think.
Have noticed some fading on the ON jeans, but my favorites are TCP. No fading, no holes, no knees wearing out!

[jennlyn]

The Toughskins at Sears are great. They have the double knees and if I recall correctly, were less than 20.00 a pair, maybe 15.00. They are backed by the Kidvantage program, but if you buy name brand jeans at Sears that are also sold elsewhere, such as Levis, make sure you save the receipts as they don't replace all name brands without having the receipt. They do replace the brands they sell exclusively. I never had a problem with replacing jeans there, but after a conversation with the clerk, I learned that there are people who shamelessly take advantage of the program ( such as returning one pair of jeans three times in order to have jeans for the next youngest child.) You do have to get the same size when you get things replaced. My boys were slim and the Toughskins fit them well.

[sarasprings]

I was at a target in a neighboring in town and walked through the boys section. Right now, they have levis with adjustable waists for 75% off (just under $4, I think).

[holidaymama]

I have to agree that Gymboree has awesome clothes...I have purchased both new and used. Even when they are used, they usually still look pretty new and last forever...or until the boys grow out of them!

As far as The Childrens Place goes, I love to buy the boys shirts there, but with jeans I am not a fan at all...when my son was four and going through that whole in the knee phase, I think we went through about 4 pairs in a season...all had holes in the knees.

If I buy new and I want something nice, I will spend the money at Old Navy or Gap...HOWEVER, if you have Kohls near by, they ROCK! Never ever ever buy anything full price (although, I think everything is always on "sale") but their clearance sales ROCK!!!

My MIL bought my oldest son all his summer clothes for next year. Bless her heart! But she bought shorts and t-shirts in the fall...the shorts were only 2.75 a pair!!! And they are nice too!

I have bought a lot of odds and end t-shirts and jammies for the boys there as well and never pay more than like $2-3 for something.

They have the Wrangler and Sonoma and Lee and Oshgosh brand for boys...we have had really good luck with their jeans and they all have adjustable waistbands.

[Poddi]

We always buy those "double trouble" pants for our boys. The reinforced knees really help. We also change their pants into sweatpants at home. Their jeans get less wear and sweats are cheaper and more comfortable. I change into sweats at home, too. I don't like clothes that are even slightly uncomfortable for home wear.