I don't know what to do about pants for my almost 4 year old. 3T just fits but a little short, so I'd hate to buy 3T pants knowing he'll outgrow them in a month or two. 4T is too big on the waist, and will fall off. How do you alter pants to fit better. I don't own a sewing machine, and I really don't want to do safety pins (my husband's suggestion:)) Are there elastics that I can easily hand sew? Or other alternatives? Thanks
Updt: I usually do buy the pants with the adjustable elastic, however I purchased a bunch of pants from Gymboree and Old Navy and none of have the band. I was hoping to just fix them instead of returning them.
Thanks for everyone's feedback. I normally buy the pants with the adjustable waist. I recently bought some sweat pants without the elastic and no belt loop and was trying to figure out how to alter them. I did order the dapper snapper thing someone metioned, and I think it'll be great for jeans. For the sweats, I'll try the rubber band thing or maybe I can find the adjustable elastic band to hand sew on. Thanks for all the ideas.
A friend of mine recommended something called dapper snappers. They are a belt the snaps to the back of the pants to cinch them. You can find them online.
Actually Children's Place pants are made w/ an adjustable tab to pull the pants in for smaller waistline and then expand them for their growth. WIsh they made them for women.
Why don't you try buying jeans or pants with belt loops and buy a belt? My little guy had the same problem. The length of his pants was great, but the waist was huge. We thought that he was too young and small for a belt, but it worked great and I don't feel like I am wasting clothing and money.
Hi P.-
When I read your post it was if I wrote it myself. My son is too tall for 3T, but the waist on 4T is too big. If you shop at Gap or Old Navy, most of the pants have an adjustable waist built in. You just pull the tab to the size you need and fasten the button. There is also a website called Myself Belts. The belts come in all different patterns and they velcro close.
My son was born on Dec 19th. I have not been able to get pregnant again either, so I know exactly what you mean about him being the "miracle of your life"
Hope this helps
K.
buy the pants with elastic in them already.. the adjustable type.. Children's place, Old Navy and others sell these.. good luck
We have the same problem. My kids are tall and thin. We buy pants with the inside adjustable waist. You just pull the inside elastic and rebutton it wherever you need. I've seen the adjustable waist pants in almost every store. GAP usually always has them, and I just bought a pair of Levis from Marshalls that also had the adjustable waist.
Practically even brand of kids clothes have pants with adjustable waists. Don't cost any more than those without. I've needed to use those on my daughter since she was a year old.
Hi,
Obviously I'm way behind on reading some emails, but I had this problem with my kids, and it's really an easy fix. For elastic waist pants, try them on your child, then on each side by the seam, fold in enough fabric so they will fit properly & pin or measure amount. All you do next is sew the new seam you made down on each side on the inside of the pants. I usually pinched the part to be taken in together, then flattened the fabric (the original seam) that would be inside the waistband down before sewing, otherwise you'd end up with this lump of fabric that may be uncomfortable. You can do it in two steps, sewing straight up the new seam, then flattening and sewing down the pinched in part, but I tend to do it all at once to save a little time. I've only done this by hand, and it really is very simple to do. If your child gets bigger, just rip the seam you made out. I actually have a pair of sweats my 7 year old daughter has that need this kind of adjustment now, since they don't have a drawstring on them.
P.
Old Navy and some other places have elastic waists that are adjustable with buttons.
There are lots of brands of jeans out there that have elastic waist bands. You can tighten as much as needed. The elastic is pulled in and fastened to a button. Try wrangler or even faded glory at walmart.
Hello!! I had the same problem! The only solution I found was to go to Old Navy or the Childrens' Place. Their 4T's are adjustable waist. That's the easiest thing to do because as you said, before the winter is out he will grow and a 4T will probably fit just right. I actually found that Childrens' Place fits a little better... but any adjustable waist would work for this problem. You can also find some adjustable waists in Target... you just have to look because not everything there has it. Good Luck!!
I buy my son the pants with the inside adjustable waist. You just pull the inside elastic and rebutton to reduce or extend the size. I buy his at Marshalls or TCP. They last a good amount of time because I usually buy them one size up. My son is a little on the tall side so I always have the problem with the waist being too big.
D.
You should be able to find pants with adjustable waist bands at Old Navy, Walmart, Children's Place. I always buy a larger size than what my kids are currently wearing and roll them up. By the end of the winter they fit perfectly and I don't have to spend the money on bigger pants half way through the season.
Like the other post said, I would suggest adjustable waist band pants like levis or gap. You can even do a search for adjustable waistband pants on Amazon. Belts are another option. But these 2 suggestions are really only for jeans or pants with belt loops. I have yet to find the solution for other types of pants.
very easy answer, i do it all the time for both of my kids:
-- Elastic rubber band about 3/4"- 1" in width
-- cut about 4"-6" in length
-- sew it by hand on the inside of the waistband while gathering the pant fabric slightly , so the waist becomes smaller. the elastic will help to keep it on the waist tighter. gather about 2 inches at the back (on the inside) only
i hope it kind of clear
Hi There,
I have the same problem with my dauger! Most of Old Navy's little kids clothes have the ajustable waiste, and so do some of Osh Kosh clothes. (and The Childrens Place) as was mentioned by another mom. You could also try a belt, but this can be tough for toileting!
HI P. - you can 'hem' the pants using double sided clothing tape. You just lay the tape on, fold up the pants, and irong. The great part is it's not permanent. You should also look for pants that have the adjustable waste band inside inside. I ALWAYS buy those. I know Target has them, and I believe Osh Kosh does also. My son is tall but skinny so I have problems with pants being long enough without the waste being too big. I hope this helps!
I have the same trouble. My son is 26 months but the 2T pants sag on his hiney. So i looked for 2T size styles that had belt loops. I have a toddler belt and it does the trick. Or Old Navy has these great elastic adjusters in several of its pants
Old Navy (a GAP store) also has the adjustable waistbands, but at a cheaper price than GAP. That's just about all I buy for my son. The pants last a lot longer and when they get too short in length, I cut them off as bum around shorts 'cuz the waistband still has so much give.
I have the same problem with my son's pants. I found that most childrens pants at Walmart have elastic adjustable staps on the insides of the pants. So there is no need to alter the pants.
We have this problem too, so now I ONLY buy pants that have the adjustable elastic waistband. Problem solved.
my son is a string bean, we only buy adjustable waist. childrens place has them too, and so does lands end. try on childrens place stuff though, some of it is way too big even with the adjustable waist, he is swimming in some of them, stays up but looks crazy. plus now with the skinny jean style, you will be able to find ones that look more proportionate with the waist all sucked in, i got the ones from old navy and like them.
My daughter is the same way. She is 2 and really short. 18 months pants are HUGE and 12 months are too short, so I will just buy 18 months or 24 months and roll the top and bottom to make them the size needed. Sometimes it does look funny if the tag is hanging out, but usually their shirts will cover that.
Hi,
Gymboree and the Gap make boys pants with an elastic waist inside that allows you to tighten and loosen them. So, if you buy them in a 4T there and put them on the tightest allowed he can wear them now. Can loosen as he grows.
Hope that helps,
I have a 3 year old boy and this is what we do.
K.
My grandkids have the same problem. Old navy has pants with adjustable elastic on the inside of the waist. They work out great and look wonderful.
My second daughter was born on Christmas eve 2 minutes before midnight. She was 10 days over due and we always joke that the only reason she came out at that time was because she didn't want to miss Santa.
Hi,
I have a similar problem with my son as well. While I currently purchase the jeans with an adjustable waist in Old Navy or Children's place he out grows the length quickly. Another mom just told me yesterday, that Kohl's and maybe even the Gap have toddler sizes in a slim size. I have not had a chance to check it out, but if you have these stores close by maybe you can check it out.
S.
How about a pair of suspenders? I used them for my kids and they loved them. And their pants stayed up too!
My daughter is also almost 4 and is very thin but is tall. she can still fit a 3T in the waist but the length is to short. Now most of the pants have the adjustable waist I buy those. For sweats or pants or skirts you can easily buy elastic and add to waist. (No sewing machine needed)
