Where Do You Shop for Kids Clothes?

I shop the consignment shops first...Community Aid, Once Upon a Child, Goodwill, etc. I love Community Aid because they have an awesome sale of 50% off all clothing every Wednesday. Sometimes, I end up standing in line on the sale day. But, to me, the amount of clothing I can get is worth it.

If I still can't find what I am after at the consignment shops, I shop at Kmart and Target.

I buy a lot of stuff at Once Upon a Child. That store is AMAZING. You can find great quality clothing for SO much less. I also am on their mailing list so I get an advance email about their sales. They also put coupons in the local Entertainment Book so I use these as well.

I shop Walmart first, then Kmart, then Target. I have 4 kids at home now and can't afford to be that picky. But in all actuality, I've heard so many talk about these other stores and how they lasted longer and what not and found it's just not true. When my triplets were babies I got a ton of baby and toddler clothes, and I mean a ton, that were used. There was everything in there from Children's Place, Baby Gap, you name it. Guess which clothes shrunk less and kept their shape the best. Walmart! Walmart carries the old brand name Garanimals. Some seasons they're not as cute as others but for $3 each you can't beat them, especially when they grow out of them so quickly. I bought my granddaughter a bunch of clothes at Walmart for this summer and they were very cute. Not all has the sayings on them. Some are simple solids and stripes.

What I do is start at the least expensive stores and pick things up, and work my way up. Watch for sales. And always swing by the clearance racks whenever you're in any store. I can pick up a top here and there for my 7 year old triplets (2 boys and 1 girl and boys in different sizes) for just a few dollars. And my teenager can get inexpensive clothes here and there on clearance too.

I guess I'm not that picky and my kids still walk around looking nice!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

I shop at:

Goodwill - you wouldn't believe some of the great GAP Jeans I get for my boys!!! At a fraction of the price!!

We have "The Closet" here - which helps people in need. Again - found some great things there!!

I also go to consignment shops that specialize in kids clothes. We have one here in Reston that is the BOMB!! I got a pair of ski pants that were still brand new WITH TAGS that were $192 in a store - for $12. Yes, TWELVE dollars.

Kids, nor do I, need brand new clothes. I can wash them or dry clean them. I got a Coach (authentic) purse for $45 at a consignment shop. It looked brand new.

I buy nearly all my kids clothes at Once Upon a Child. Its a kids consignment shop with all name brand gently used clothes and great prices. Check out their website maybe there is one close to you.

Crazy 8 (is to Gymboree as Old Navy is to Gap)

Thrift stores, and kids resale shops 1st. Kids grow out of things too fast to invest real money in them. If I can't find what I need, I go to the clearance sales at the mall. Letely I've been doing alot of it online. If you go to each depatment store online, they have a clearance section and usually free shipping.

Anymore I can't stand Kohl's...their clothes do not seem to last past one or two washes.

Did buy some super cute pants for my daughter their yesterday off the clearance rack. We'll see how they hold up.

Target, Old Navy are the big ones in our house. Mostly because my husband can't stand to see them wear sweat type outfits in public...drives hims nuts.

Tried JC Penny but the pants there seemed to Walmart to me...nothing against Walmart but the clothes just look cheap.

I don't do consignment...I don't have the time to dig around, search for things. I just want to go in and get and leave.

I refuse to spend a ton of money on clothes for my kids when they will grow out of them soon. I also have three kids to buy for so it gets expensive, even when I buy them on sale. Old Navy has cute clothes, I have bought a lot of their clothes from there. I happen to like Kohl's, but I also shop at Target, and JCPenney.

Oh sigh! Wait till your DD is out of toddler (T) sizing.
What a nightmare!
My favorite places are Carter's and Osh Kosh. I know they sell both brands at Kohl's-but only a few pieces and not at good prices.
Clearance rack at Baby Gap! Not so impressed w/ Kid Gap.
Completely agree w/ you about CP.
Now that my DD is in big kid sizes I like Crazy 8 for her.
I used to get such cute outfits for her at Target...hideous big kid clothes! =....(

I find good buys at TJ Maxx and especially Macy's (all boys- 9, 6, 5 & 3.5). For the younger boys, I get a lot of bottoms (not as many tops) at Children's Place. Also Old Navy and Gap Outlet (there is one 15 mins from my house).

I shop at Walmart on the clearance rack mostly. Sometimes I'll go to Target. I usually buy 1-2 seasons/years ahead, especially if the stuff is REALLY marked down. I've gotten tons of shirts and pants for a buck each. Now that my son is 5, he wears out the clothes playing so hard, I'm not going to buy expensive clothes.

If I am near an outlet mall, I'll go to Old Navy, Gap, Children's Place, and Carter's. I just got 5 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, a pair of shorts, and a few pajama pants for $31 from a Gap outlet last month. All are sizes 6-7 so he can wear them this fall and next year.

gymboree.. I made 2 trips to gymboree this winter.. they had a huge 30% off sale in novermber and some other big sale. each child got 6 or 7 shirts.. for about $6 each shirt. I cant buy pants there as both kids are slim. and gymobree slims are not slim enough.

jcpenny has lots of slim pants.. I bought every color they had for my girl this year. (like 5 new pair of pants)

target cute summer stuff.. love the colorful yoga pants sets they have for girls.

resale stores.. hit or miss.. but I have found many things there for great prices..

EBAY! I LOVE Ebay for my L. ones clothes & shoes. Once I find a brand that we like and that fits her well I scour Ebay for her size. Its so easy and I always get great stuff. Lots of it looks like it was never even worn.

For me, it goes in this order:

Old Navy (they always have sales, this is 90% of my kids' clothes)
The Children's Place
Target
Gap

I like some children's place stuff boy more than girl, the girl stuff can look like a tie dye machine threw up.

Can't afford gap/gymboree even on sale.

some good luck at department stores like Macy's or JC Penny's

Target very occassionally, Their adult clothes seem very cheaplymade to me so i don't often think to shop there for the kids.

And speaking of cheap, anytime i walk through old navy it seems like the stuff on the racks would fall apart after one wash, yet when I find old navy stuff at consigments, i like it and it seems ok for the value, but for some reason I can never find anything New that i like at that store.

my dd is super into dressing all in one color head to toe, that coupled with i'm bad at putting together outfits from separate pieces, i think i need to find a store where i can afford to just buy 8 entire outfits. She is 7 now and it's hard to find plain but coordinating pieces.

I have great success at JCPenney's. Love that place!
I use to shop at Target for children's clothes. However, I am a L. upset at the boys section at Target, and of all the places I shop, Target's clothes are the cheapest in quality. They shrink horribly and lose their color quickly.
I have found that Kmart has great play clothes for a great price. As for the really nice clothes (for church or special occasions) I shop mainly at Belks.
I have found that I can get better deals by shopping for next year's clothes at the end of the season. Seriously, it's cheaper than buying consignment. I bought a $60 faux fur hooded coat for my daughter for next year for $8 at JCPenney- brand new. I already have her wardrobe for this summer which I bought last year. Each piece was clearanced for no more than $2-$3. This is why I never get the mom's that go all crazy for consignment!
Anyway, hope this helps!

Once Upon a Child. It's a second-hand store with several locations in Pittsburgh. I love it - high quality brand name clothes for almost nothing.

I buy a lot of Gap. Shop clearance. Cheaper than resale.

HATE Kohls kids clothes!

Target, Old Navy, Gap outlet. Gymboree for my son, I dont like Gymboree girls clothes.

I shop at:
Gordmas -Hurley and Puma
Younkers- Nike, puma, woolrich, oshgosh
zappos.com, has cute quicksilver, hurley, nike etc.
Herbergers, Love the dkny jeans.
Kohls I do shop there for carter, but have not had ANY luck this season for spring items
I an a sahm so my kids were puma or nike suits/ shorts and T's a lot otherwise hurley shorts and t's or jeans and button up or zip up if we are out and about

I only shop sales.
Mainly from Old Navy or The Children's Place.
Online.

They both have sales ALL the time.

I'm completely with you on this one. I don't want my son or daughter wearing t-shirst with sayings that are sarcastic or non-age appropriate. We were in Target the other day and their St. Patrick's Day shirt says "Lucky I'm not your kid". Yikes.

Having said that, I have good luck at:
- Old Navy (when they have sales)
- Target
- TJ Maxx
- Marshalls

We always do well at consignment sales. Three of them are coming up soon (Sunflower Sprouts, MOPS at CCGF and L. Lamb), then the big one (JBF) in May. I've been very pleased with stuff found at JC Penneys. My son is hard on clothes, especially pants and socks, and theirs hold up well.

If the sorting through thousands of clothes and waiting in line for 2 hours is about Snugglebugs consignment - you may want to give the others a shot. Especially JBF, super organized, things are sorted for you as if you're shopping in a store, I've never waited longer than 15mins and I've been to 6 of them.

I've had gift certificates for other places like Gap, Crazy 8, 77Kids, etc and found some cute things.

Old Navy. I love that their jeans have adjustable waists because my girls are skinny minnies. Sign up for e-mails to find out when they are having % off sales. If you have a old navy card, you always get 10% off on Tuesdays in-store.

I get a bunch of my daughter's clothes at Costco. They get Hanna Anderson, Carters, Oshkosh, Levi, Baby Lulu, London Fog and all sorts of other great names. The prices are great for such nice brands.
We also shop Target and Children's Place. Rarely we'll go to Walmart but I don't like the one by us at all so it's mostly if we go to one that's further away because we're in the area. We also shop Disney Store, especially when they have sales. We're a family of huge Disney fans. Janie and Jack have nice things but they are stupid expensive unless you hit their clearance racks when it goes on sale in addition to the clearance price, otherwise they are too expensive for my taste. Old Navy has nice stuff and we'll shop there sometimes.
Check and see if you have a Children's Orchard resale shop near you. They are my favorite! I wish the one by us has not closed. I was getting some seriously high end brands there for cheap. My favorite find was a $75 dress for $15 for my daughter's first birthday!

I like nice things for cheap! I shop at target, a value village store in a really rich part of town, and at several consignment stores. I've found designer clothes, brand new clothes, even shoes for bargain prices. And my kids are always dressed really cute! Occasionally I shop clearance or sale events and with coupons at Gymboree and the gap. Gap is my absolute fave but I just can't justify it anymore.

Osh Kosh B'Gosh outlets - adorable and affordable.

I have 3 kids, 2 boys ages 8 & 6 and a girl age 4...I shop at:

Target
JC Penny
Macy's (Quicksilver stuff for me boys, LOVE their jeans)
Nordstroms Rack
Old Navy

Sometimes:
The Childrens Place
Gymboree

ll bean is a great place to get pants and some shirts. I am partial to carters and osh kosh, but not from some of the side stores with L. choice. I do get some from childrens place, but they are not as sturdy as carters or osh kosh. LL bean is probably the best for quality and price if you can't get to an osh kosh or carters outlet. Macy's and Bonton sometimes have things. But I really prefer the comfort of the pants from llbean. Not that i am wearing it, but that is what I look for my kids, comfort and durability. I hate walmart and kohls, when I purchased clothing from them for my kids they either fell apart quickly or had problems right from the start like buttons not snapping closed. I have not done target, but I have not seem much selection at our local one. I will likely stick with ll bean from now on, and supplement with some carters and osh kosh.

I shop at the following

1. OshKosh
2. Gap Outlet ( cheaper prices )
3. JCPennys
4. Carters
5. Crazy 8 ( google it its amazing )
6. The childrens place
7. Target - But fades quickly. I only buy certain things there.

These are all places I have great success at for my almost 6 year olds.

Love love old navy for kids clothes, but i try and buy stuff on clearance for the next season because they can get pricy. I love children's place and Carter's too. JC Penneys has a ton of brand names too and a pretty good selection IMO. Walmart has some cute stuff too and actually wears really well. Some seem to fade or fall apart after a few washings. No matter the store, I always try to think ahead and shop clearance for the next season.

Ebay? You can usually buy a bunch of clothes for an OK price, and most people post plenty of pictures. Other that that, i am a major thrifter... Amazon has some nice brands of kids clothes too!

I am really "anti" sayings on clothes too. I guess I just think it looks... lame. I would rather have cute, simple clothes with no words on them. I try to buy my clothes out of season too... So buy fall-winter clothes now, when we are going into spring, and when winter comes around -snatch up all the summer clothes for next year. Another Idea is to join clothing clubs like zulily and totsy who have "private" sales of some really cute clothes.

Goods Luck!
-M.

Targetm JCPenney and the local consignment store which had wonderful stuff (lots of expensive name brand clothes for at least half or less). That is also where I buy all our snow suits since we want to buy one when there is snow her in Boston and in December the stores already have Easter dresses it seems. Name brand snow suits for $10-$15 can't be beat. Some really good brands we have worn and sold back to the consignment shop once we were done with it, since the quality stuff can be washed thousands of times and still look new.

yes too picky
Kohl's and Target is where I shop
Children's place and Justice when they have a sale
For the most part all those "kids clothing" stores are too expensive for me.

I'm glad other people feel the same way I do. My daughter is 3 1/2 now, and while I used to do well getting Carter's baby clothes at Kohls it is getting harder and harder to find things I don't hate.

Part of the problem is that I don't want to spend days searching for cute things, I'd rather be outside, having fun, etc.

Other than the ideas below, I got some cute things at H&M, and at Janie and Jack. Yes, they are crazy expensive full price, but they are almost never full price. I got a gorgeous silk dress for her birthday for something like $16! Oh, and Mom used to do surprisingly well at Costco of all places!

Anyway, I'll be watching here for ideas, because it is getting harder. And I want things that could last, but not spend too much because at 3 and in daycare, we are big on stains and rough usage. The children's place stuff is cheap, but of varying quality, and the sick tie-dye machine comment is spot on!

Everywhere. Old Navy has cute things and they have 50% off (or more) at the end of a season. I got my friend's DD a cute jacket for $1 because I bought it in the spring (for her to wear the next fall). I also got DD socks for 75 cents there because, again, they were end of season. I also troll the sale rack at Gymboree. We get a lot of clothes at Target and I've gotten DD basics (plain shirts with just a L. stitched heart) at Children's Place. For dresses, I like Macy's, Khol's and JCPenny's. I also go to our local (very large) thrift store every couple of months b/c on Mondays they have 25% off sales. I look for sturdy brands (like Oshkosh and Gymboree).

Sometimes I hit Kohl's, but agree that some seasons there is nothing cute. (and I always find that Jumpin Beans runs small, so buy a size up) I also try Target, Old Navy, Gymboree (though the sale racks as that is also expensive, though worth it as the clothes are good quality), and Children's Place.

Lands End or LLBean online. Sign-up for their daily email and wait till you get to the sales. If you have a Sears nearby, they sell Lands End and will have ridiculous sales mid-season.

We LOVE the outlets for Baby Gap, Gymboree, Ralph Lauren, OshKosh and Carter's. We have one set of them about 45 minutes south and another set about 45 minutes north. I try to hit them at least twice a year. The ones here have really good deals! OSH KOSH and Carter's have amazing coupons to go with already marked-down items. It also depends on what it is, but Old Navy has always been great for us as well as Target -particularly for shorts. I also find mall department stores have incredibly good sales -Belk's, Macy's and Nordstrom particularly. I'm a big fan of Mini Boden, and while they're pricier, we always splurge and get a few things from there and CWD Kids too. If I had a girl, I would have to get some dresses and leggings from Hanna Anderson. You can sign up for emails and get some deals. They have some cute boy stuff as well -I've gotten a few things -but their girl clothes are absolutely adorable!

I get everything from old navy, target and on occasion Walmart.I'm a fan of buying cheap stuff that still looks cute. They will grow out of it super fast!

I'm in Pittsburgh, too. I have a boy only.
The "bigger" boys dept (7-14) at Kohl's is even worse. 3 shirts, 4 jeans, VERY limited selection!
I HATE the crappy kids shirts with stuff all over them...can I get a plain t-shirt please???!!!
Old Navy, Marshalls, Dicks Sporting Goods, Target, JC Penney, Dunham's, Children's Place, Crazy Eights....

For your daughter, have you tried Justice?

I have been known to purchase children's clothes from Old Navy, Younkers/Bon Ton, JC Penney, Walmart, Kohl's, Target, Gymboree, The Children's Place (I don't have a lot of luck with them), Crazy 8, Kmart, Land's End....

Target is one of my fav spots to buy clothes. JC Penny, Old Navy, and Childrens Place too.