[Stormster]

Not that childrens clothes have to last forever but I do like things to hold together be soft and wash well and then I love to give things away so...

We have a lot of GAP around here and a lot of RL (gifts mostly). I splurge on something called Tea Collection (high end fabrics and very well made) but yesterday we went to the mall and Talbots Kids were having a sale...they have really great quality stuff I thought! We bought two pair of great shorts, some summer PJ's and I'm very impressed with the quality of the cotton etc....

Which leads me to believe we're missing out on some other good (hopefully less expensive) brands! What do you think is the best quality brand for the money?

[DPline]

I love Gymboree. I won't buy full price, but unless you have to have a particular line, that isn't a big deal. You can go through the rounders during sales and get plenty of things at half off and more.

I do really like Talbot Kids too, but like Gymboree it has to be a good sale.

Happy shopping!

[finallyamom0310]

We have Old Navy and Gymboree. We tend to just buy on sale items from Babies R Us or Walmart as we know DD is going to grow out of them so quickly and or destroy them with dirt and stains.

[Vogi2002]

I personally like Children's Place. It doesn't fade, is still not as expensive as other places (we buy from the outlet) & it has the fun young styles in it.

I find that Gymboree is good but I can't stand thier "trends" they get on. If you hate one particular line the whole season is out. Plus I think thier stuff has a tendency to fade a little...some of it more so than others.

I actually have found that quality is laughable with kids because they wear it so little. Of course I will NOT buy carter's because I think thier stuff fades & shrinks something awful!

I'm just thankful for my oxyclean to get stains out...three of my girlfriends almost went into shock when they found out I didn't know how to soak! LOL

[Stormster]

Somehow I also get all the stains out of his clothes too. We use the Dreft spray stain remover.

[court5505]

Originally Posted by Vogi2002

I personally like Children's Place. It doesn't fade, is still not as expensive as other places (we buy from the outlet) & it has the fun young styles in it.

I actually have found that quality is laughable with kids because they wear it so little. Of course I will NOT buy carter's because I think thier stuff fades & shrinks something awful!

This is funny because I was just getting ready to post that I think Carter's is great quality and Children's Place fades and shrinks! I guess everyone has different experiences!

As for fading and shrinking, in my experience Old Navy is the worst. I think GAP and Gymboree are the best, but for less expensive stuff I like Carter's. Just my opinion though.

[Vogi2002]

LOL...I have heard other's say that about Carter's too...I just must have the worse luck with them!

I also notice a HUGE difference when I use Clorox Bleach for colors. It really makes clothes more brilliant in my opinion. I use it for ALL the kids stuff. Plus I never dry all the way.

[Lovebug]

In general, I love anything GAP. I have things from DS1, who is 4.5 that DS2, who is 18mos, wears and it still looks brand new. neither one of my boys are hard on their clothes yet...no major staining issues, etc. But their GAP things always seem to be in fashion and don't have that "hand me down" look. As far as worst, Walmart or Target store brand names have been the worst for me. I have a few "Circo" and "Kids Connections" things for DS2 that look like 12 children have worn them and they were only washed once. We use Ivory Snow for their clothes.


In terms of shopping in general, I never pay full price. If you shop the mall'ish stores, you will see that what is full price this week is on sale the next. Like at the end of Jan/early Feb, I bought winter clothes on clearance for next winter at the GAP very cheaply....2.99-4.99 for tops. I find that's the only way I can dress them in name brands and not break the bank. With my boys, they have pretty much stayed "true to size" so that makes it a little easier to guess on what size they will be. But that can get tricky.

--Renee

[munketoes]

We buy jeans from Sears with their kid vantage program... If you have more than one, it really works out best. Sears will replace jeans that you bought there if they put a hole in the knee or wear out. Same size replacement only. We replace the worn out ones when outgrown and save them for the next one.

[MNStarr]

We love love love Hanna Andersson! Quality wise it washes great, never stains, never pills or looses its shape. The stuff is spendy but luckily we live near the outlet so we stock up when its on sale. Their sizing is European and seems to fit much longer that others, Olivia is still wearing stuff I bought last Easter. Other than that I love Carters fleece pajamas in the winter, the more you wash them the softer they get and they don't pill up like other fleece. Not a huge fan of Childrens Place or Gymboree for everyday clothes. She has a few nice Gymboree outfits but I have to iron them every time after they are washed.

[Stormster]

Oh look at little Olivia! She's darling.

[Tiffanni]

Zutano...definitely. They have the funnest prints and softest cottons.

I hope it's ok to post a link here:
Little Love Closet - Brands

[jennandsteve]

Lands End. We order tshirts and cotton dresses and go to the inlet. Great stuff.

[aclee]

Love Landsend, Gymboree, Gap (their t-shirts for boy hold up great!) and Hanna Anderson.

I buy a lot at Wooden Solider too if I need anything special for pictures, or parties. Their girls stuff is adorable and I get stuff for my nieces there all the time. We have an outlet though.

I buy the rock bottom priced Children's Place stuff from the outlet too.

I don't dry any of Tyler's stuff (or my own, and only some of DH) it makes a huge difference. Even if you don't get a stain the first time through the stain isn't set in from the dryer.

[mommy3]

When our dd was little, Zutano, Gap and Baby Lulu (esp. if I could get Baby Lulu on ebay); now that she's two, I've moved to Naartjie and Gap as the brands that fit her best and wear so well. I use Oxyclean spray for stains -- it even gets out paint, yipee! I love it that Gap and Naartjie have great sales and wonderful online sites, as we live in a small town with not much available in person. susan