Youths' Fashion Strains Family Budgets - buying children's clothes

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Sept, 2000

As children grow older, their demands steadily expand to include high-priced, brand-name merchandise, leaving parents to face some difficult decisions. Will my child wear this expensive garment for more than one season, after the trend dies? How can I meet my child's clothing wants while satisfying his or her needs? Can I even afford to buy these items?

The key to shopping for youngsters' clothes is planning ahead, suggests Pamela Norum, associate professor of textile and apparel management, University of Missouri-Columbia. "It is typical for children to want to dress like their peers," notes Norum, a mother of three children, ages seven to 13. "There are times when a child will want a very costly item, more items than what your budget allows, or items that you deem inappropriate. You may be able to compromise and find an item that is similar in styling, but not as expensive or distasteful."

She recommends that consumers pay special attention to growth features and quality of garments to get the most for their money. Growth features include adjustable straps, deep hems, elastic inserts, stretch or knit fabrics, and roomy armholes. Quality features include reinforced knees, shrinkage resistance, bar tacks or reinforcing stitches, generous seam allowances, and even short stitching. Other ideas to help stretch the clothing budget include:

* Purchase from various sources. Buy items that you don't expect to be worn more than one season at lower price stores, while putting your money into higher-quality items that might be worn frequently or for more than one season.

* Comparison shop and buy items on sale.

* Have kids "shop" by catalogue--identifying items that appeal to them--and utilize that as a guide when you purchase gifts for them, whether it is actually through that catalogue or not.

* When buying clothes on the Internet, stick with those brands that you have bought before and whose sizing you are familiar with to lessen the need for returns.