My son just had another growth spurt it seems and all of his pants that fit in the waist are too short. His new size 5T pants fit perfectly in length but slide right down over his bottom. His jeans are fine because they had built in waist adjusters that I could adjust to tighten. Our issue is with the athletic style pants that have an elastic waist. I am afraid to use safety pins for fear they will open and stab him. Is there a gadget out there that I can buy for this issue. I know they have extenders because I remember some pregnant mama's using them to prolong their normal wardrobe before moving into maternity styles but I am not sure if there is something out there for the reverse issue.
Thanks in advance.
Edited to Add: Unfortunately I have no sewing skills :-( Thanks for your suggestions so far. I can look into seeing the costs of a seamstress adjusting them.
You don't need sewing skills. Just a needle, some thread, and some vague concept of how to sew 10 to 20 stitches in a somewhat straight line. You'll need to do this twice (once on each side of the waistband). It shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes. Really.
Dapper snappers ... Swear to God they are a lifesavers and EVERY penny worth it!
http://www.dappersnappers.com/
I put snaps into my DD's elastic waistband pants. A pair on each side, about an inch apart with the snappy parts facing out. Snap the to reduce the waist, open to increase. It does create a little "bulge" of fabric when they are snapped, but that doesn't bother DD when playing and at nap she just opens the snaps for more comfort.
Of course it's best to find pants that fit... But in a pinch this works for us.
I look for elastic pants that have either inside tighteners or a draw string. But even with that I have some pants that are too loose (or bulge up too much) for one of my kids.
I tried something called Dapper Snappers. They work best with belt loops, but they also make a clip to use for clothes without belt loops. I haven't tried the clip yet, but here is a link to a set:
http://www.amazon.com/Dapper-Snappers-Baby-Toddler-Clips/...
Shop around though as I didn't check if that is the cheapest price.
Oh, another thing I do, is I roll the waist band down once or twice. That can help if it's just a little loose. It may look a little weird, but it can be effective.
I also suggest sewing it. You can just pinch it, and sew it, totally easy..... and then it's totally easy to cut the sewed part out when you need too.
~I have 2 tall skinny sons (they have their daddy's long legs)and I LOVE the adjustable waist pants, whomever came up with that idea is a genius! I also make sure that his PE pants (as I call them) have drawstrings that can be tied!
My oldest tall son is now 18 and wears a 32in waist & 34in length, thank goodness for Levi's!!!
My 2nd tall son is 9 and could fit into a size 7 waist but needs a size 10 for length! Argh! Once again, thank goodness for Levi's...I am in love with Levi's 514 for the lil' guys, they are so cute and they have the waist and length sizes just like grown-up Levi's!!
-----After you edit-----------------
You don't need sewing skills to sew up some PE pants. You can tie a knot right? Thread the needle, pull the thread through and match up the 2 sides of the thread so they are the same length, tie a knot at the end and then push the needle through the inside of pants (the only important part is to make sure you start from the inside) pull it tight and then go back through a couple times...it only takes a few stitches. I have done this a million times...it's totally easy! You can do it, promise!
Sew it.
By hand or a sewing machine.
Just pinch it in, at the waistband... and then sew it. Then as he grows, if need be, you just take out and remove the stitches.
My Mom used to do that.
Or take your son's athletic pants to a seamstress
Kristen W. has one method that requires only a bit of sewing. Here's one that's nearly as easy and gives a nice finished look with flatter seams:
Find the seam that joins the waistband to itself, usually in the front or back center. Open about 1/2 inch of that seam on the inside, pinch the elastic and pull a few inches of it out. Double it over to a desired length, place a few stitches with needle and thread to hold this shorter length, and ease it back into the waistband (pull on the sides of the band to pop it back quickly).
Close the waistband with a few more stiches – it doesn't even have to be neat or even have matching thread to work beautifully.
ADDED: K,B.'s suggestion of Dapper Snappers is brilliant! I haven't seen those before – I'll suggest these to my daughter, because my skinny grandson has trouble keeping his pants up, too.
I can't sew, but I came up with a way to fold over the sides of the waist and crudely stitch by hand each side enough that it stays. It doesn't look in the least bit professional, but usually the shirts are worn out and cover any stitching. This only takes me a few minutes, but if I didn't do it, my kid wouldn't have any pants that fit. My kid has an amazingly small waist and rear, thank heavens I figured this out. I absolutely cannot operate a sewing machine.
This is where I buy them. http://www.etsy.com/shop/KaelKaed
They are just a mini belt with clips, that pulls the waist of the pants. We love ours!!
I love that this question was asked. My middle child who is 8 could probably still put size 4 pants on and have it fit him in the waist, although they would be way too short. Out of desperation one time when I had bought a suit for him to wear to a Bat Mitzvah, I winged it and used his mitten holders that have clips on either end to cinch in the back of his pants and keep them up. I never knew there was actually a product called dappersnappers or the other etsy creations. They look just like his mitten holders.
Welcome to the world of skinny kids. My first is so skinny I pretty much can only buy him jeans in slim with the waist band cinched.
There are a brand of elastic waist pants carried at Kohls that run smaller in the waist that worked for him for awhile - Jumping Beans. Non of the other brands at Kohls will work.
I have tried cinching the internal elastic but ended up finding out that they sewed vertical stitches in the elastic to keep it from slipping so that trick did not work.
Have also done the sewing machine method but I don't love the baggy butt look.
Pants with a tie work but I find boys to lazy to tie and untie so they tend to try and squeeze their butt through them everytime they go to the bathroom or they come home from school with their pants falling down.
I know wrangler atleast makes pants up to size six with sinchers. My little boy (5yrs old) went up and in I think lol. I have to have them. I pick em up at walmart which actually saves time and money too. Plus its a good sturdy brand!
Best of luck!
C.
Start looking at a different size pants. Look for a 5 slim instead. The 5 slim is basically a 4 around and a 5 length. Any chance you can return them or exchange them for a different size?
Is there a drawstring in the waist? Can you take them in at the waist? do you sew at all?
I have a long skinny son also. Now at 21 he wears a 30 waist and a 32 length. It's not easy.
