A couple of days ago Nate and I escaped our cold-ridden home to the mall. Not much of an escape, but the weather was rainy and there aren’t too many other places around here where we can walk that don’t involve retail therapy.
I ventured into the Baby GAP and went straight for the sale rack. As I perused onesies and t-shirts featuring monsters and wrenches, all of which were, sadly, much too big for Nate, another couple entered the store with their new baby boy. The sales clerk babbled her canned sales pitch at them, telling them to take their time! Look around!
Their response led me to believe they had never set foot in any children or babies clothing store, ever.
“There’s so much more in the girls’ section than in the boys’!”
Well, DUH.
There’s always more in the girls’ section than in the boys’. Always. It doesn’t matter where you’re shopping, whether it’s Target or Wal-Mart or Old Navy or Baby GAP. The clothing in the girls’ side of the store always outweighs that in the boys’ side. It’s a kind of subtle torture we mothers of only boys have to endure when shopping for clothes for our sons. I ogle the sweet, tiny denim skirts, the soft, plaid sun dresses and the perfect, wee, shiny shoes on the way to shorts and t-shirts featuring cartoon characters, trucks and dinosaurs.
Don’t get me wrong…I like dinosaurs. It’s just that a lot of boys clothes are…boring. And I hate babyish baby clothes. You may have noticed that Nate doesn’t wear a lot of clothes that look like baby clothes. I like clothes for him that look like regular clothes, only smaller. This is why I love his Pink Floyd and Star Wars onesies and bought him a Beatles t-shirt that day at the mall. Why my favourite item of hand-me-downs are a little pair of cargo pants. Why I can’t wait for him to be big enough for two-piece jammies.
I don’t want no stinkin’ baby clothes.
So far the most imbalanced shop I’ve been to is Gymboree. The boy clothes literally had one tiny corner of the store, way in the back. I don’t know if you have Kohls up there, but they seem to have more equal selections. And I love little boy clothes, truly, but I do wish there were more options. There are times when I just want something cute with stripes, not something else with a freaking ball on it. Dear baby clothes manufacturers: giving birth to a male child did not make me spontaneously like sports. And miniature adult clothes for boys are heartbreakingly cute, where the ones for girls tend to be a bit frightening. That said, I will admit for the record that I looooove footie pajamas. I just can’t help myself!
Mr A spent his first week in sleepsuits and since then he's been dressed properly! He rocks jeans and layered t-shirts and most definitely doesn't do pastel blue!
I love dressing Nate, too! Especially if we are visiting some friends or family.
I hear you on the baby colours! Zach is in dark greens, navy, brown etc. Osh Kosh/Carter's is still my favourite for mini size real clothes! Don't let the bigger girls' sections fool you – just because there is more doesn't mean it's as good! I have a harder time shopping for Faith. It's a like it all or don't like any of it!!
I actually haven't been to that store, yet, but I will now! I've heard that The Children's Place has great sales, too.
Weird…I could've sworn I commented on this earlier today. I love little boy clothes, but I agree that the selection is limited. I'm a huge fan of dinosaurs, but not so much trucks or rescue heroes or fix-it guys. And what is with the sports? Just because I gave birth to a male child doesn't mean I'm suddenly into basketball, baseball, football, and soccer!
I think the most unbalanced store I've been to so far is Gymboree. They had literally one tiny corner and two racks devoted to very cute but way too expensive boys' clothes. The rest of the store — and all the display space up front — was devoted to girls' clothes.
I will admit that I love footie pajamas, though. I think they're so freaking cute! And onesies. I'm a sucker for onesies.
My grandmother was always dismayed that all her great-grandkids were dressed like kids and not babies! Undeterred, she provided all of us with handmade knitted sweaters for our new sons and daughters. Eight years later, it's one of the few articles of clothing I've kept.
Right now I am TOTALLY loving the sleepers, even though you probably hate them (since they're baby-ish). I love them because Nolan has yet to figure out how to get out of them! He always takes his pants off during nap time and chews on his socks, lmao.
I know what you mean, while I love being a mama to a boy…seeing all those girls clothes and how cute they are makes me want a girl too! Then I can shop for both boys and girls clothes
My MIL insisted on trying to dress my son in those baby-ish, Little Lord Fartlek, Mary Poppins-inspired, early 1900's outfits that made me want to GAG. I think it's so much more adorable to see a little dude in his Gap jeans and a Pink Floyd shirt, with a beanie! Oh, and some Puma's obviously. But to each his own. And those people in the store: were they aliens? How did they not see that before, in any other store, ever?
Amen. As messed up as it sounds, I don't really do the clothes shopping in our family specifically because we only have boys. I leave it to my husband. A girl would torture me in a million and one ways but being able to shop for her wouldn't be one of them.
I just bough Chaser like 8 vintage type shirts at Target. Mayhaps I should send you some. Just tell me what size to get! : )
I really love baby boys clothes…especially the more "manly" kind. I know people ooh and ahh over the girlie stuff…but I've got a soft spot for the boys stuff. Maybe because my first was a boy?