Younger son needs clothing size my older son is wearing

Silver Member Joined: May 07 2009 Posts: 591

I have two boys who are 3 1/2 years apart. My older son is very short, and my younger one is on the taller side of average. They are usually one size apart which worked out great because as soon as my older son was finished with his clothes, it would go right to my younger son. It's now at a stage where my younger son needs to move up a size, but those things are still fitting my older one. A few problems:
1. I don't want to spend extra money to buy a double wardrobe in one size.
2. I don't want my older son to be any more self-conscious than he already is about his height, by having to wear the same size as his younger brother.
3. The next size up is still too big for my older son and I don't want him to have to wear things that are flopping off of him (although that might not bother him, it just doesn't look good).

I'm not sure what to do to maintain a balance.
Ideas?

Platinum Member Joined: May 06 2007 Posts: 8521

What's the question? Both kids need to wear clothes that fit. I would get different clothes for the second so they don't have to share, and try to buy cheap.

But other than that, there's only so much you can do.
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Gold Member Joined: Mar 31 2010 Posts: 2093

Hmmm...a clothing dilemma. Decide which is worse...your son's self-esteem possibly suffering from having to wear the same size as his little brother, or you having to deal with him wearing clothes that are still too big on him. Anyway, you may just be delaying an issue that will come around eventually - that your younger son will grow taller than your older son and have to wear bigger clothing than he does!

Silver Member Joined: Jan 19 2009 Posts: 619

Reminds me of my younger years. My sis is 3 years younger than me and wore one size smaller than me for as long as I can remember. It never really bothered me but possibly cuz I'm a girl.

Posted: Tue, Apr 13 2010, 1:11 am Post subject:

My three older girls are all about a size apart. They pick from teh same wardrobe. Some things fit all 3, some fit only 1 or 2. Your younger ds needs clothes that fit, so either buy him new ones or let them pick from the same clothes.
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If you choose to dress them both in the same size, designate particular clothes for each boy. And remove the labels that state the size.
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Posted: Tue, Apr 13 2010, 6:40 am Post subject:

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

You might have to forego item 1. Or, if until now you had a lot of clothes per season for each boy, you could see if it makes sense to cut down on the number per child and do laundry more often. In any case, I wouldn't make either of them wear clothes that don't fit them.

Gold Member Joined: Feb 05 2008 Posts: 2428 Location: UK

My 1 year old and 2 1/2 year old wear the same size. I have a double wardrobe.

Gold Member Joined: Mar 23 2007 Posts: 1877 Location: NY

My boys wear most of the same size. They're 2 yrs apart but the younger one is 90% for height and weight and the older one is 15%, so that means they're about the same. At at certain point, when you hit the big boy clothing area, at least the tops are sized as xsml, sm, med, lg. Obviously 4-5 sizes are meant to fit more than 5 ages, kwim? It's just reality that unlike when kids are 4 and under, where their age often correlates t their clothing size (sz 18-24, for example, for the same age range), it's just not the same as they grow up. A size small can fit a 5 yr old or an 8 yr old.

You can even label their clothes if you intend to keep them separate so as a prev. poster said, they can view that as belonging to one child or the other rather than being a certain size. My kids, ages 6 and 4, don't care that some of their clothes go back and forth. Maybe it's a boy thing? They don't care about clothes.
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Get one of them (or both half) new clothes. If you must remove the size labels. It may be a pain but they need to be comfortable whether you like it or not.

Personally I'd love this problem. My first 2 boys are under 13 months apart so I was hoping to have them share a size at one point but #1 is very tall and #2 average so won't be happening. Now hoping that #3 (19 months younger than #2) is taller and catches up! I'd rather deal with fewer clothing sizes, sharing, mixing and matching etc, awesome!
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Silver Member Joined: May 07 2009 Posts: 591

Thanks for your responses. I guess you're right that I'll have to buy a double wardrobe. It'll be hard to get different things for each boy because they have a dress code for school and there's a very limited repertoire of what I can buy for them. Their clothes look mostly the same now anyway!.. Oh well.

I have never managed to benefit from the hand-me-down wardrobes.

My oldest is very very petite (shortest 6th grader from a grade of close to 200.) Oh well. My next DD is 3 years younger and about the same size as my older one (she's a drop shorter but also a bit plumper so that makes up for it. Funny - she's also petite but my older one is VERY petite.)

When they were younger I used to match them but I don't anymore. They each have their own clothes. My older one, understandably, does not want to wear what the 3rd graders are wearing, or even the 2nd graders. Plus I make an extra effort to buy her very nice, a drop more upscale (but as much on sale as possible - I'm on a tight budget!) clothes so that she feels more mature. She's a size 7 in 6th grade! She can't look like she's seven!

And it didn't pay to save my clothes from my 9 year old for my 2 year old. Clothes don't last that long in storage - they stain, stretch, etc...so I just give everything away and buy new. I do my best to shop the sales, buy at the end of the season for next year, etc...

On top of that, I'm grateful to be spending money on my children's clothes. I had several years where my $$ went trying to have them.
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Posted: Tue, Apr 13 2010, 11:19 am Post subject:

My two oldest girls wore the same size for a long time, not my second wears a larger size than my oldest. We never made a big deal about it and they never seemed to have an issue with it. Everyone wears what fits them, the numbers don't mean much.
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Diamond Member Joined: Jan 19 2006 Posts: 4428

Gold Member Joined: Feb 25 2009 Posts: 1317

Just last week, my 13 yr old brother complained he suddenly grew out of his clothing. We gave him the 19 yr old brothers pants to try, and they fit! I guess in this situation it was worse for the 13 yr old because he just started growing!

I sell to this woman who has twin boys and a son a year younger all 3 of whom are the same size. she buys stuff by the dozens, lol. but seriously, you gotta do what ya gotta do...especially if they all have to wear the same stuff for school anyway, whats the big deal if they all share?

Silver Member Joined: May 07 2009 Posts: 591

Posted: Tue, Apr 13 2010, 10:07 pm Post subject:

Dd and her sister are over two years apart and wear the same size sometimes. The boys also wear the same size shirts and are not the same age. Don't make a thing out of it and he won't either hopefully.
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Silver Member Joined: Jun 14 2009 Posts: 806

such fun now you can match them so cute