A few months into mom-hood, I befriended two wonderful moms who had babies born days apart from my child. It was also a nice surprise to learn one of the moms, Bethany Phillips, gave birth to her son Reese at the same hospital I gave birth to my daughter! It amuses us to see the contrast our kids’ growth – hers at the highest end of the spectrum, and mine at the lowest! Bethany wrote the following guest post on suggestions of what to buy for your tall child:
100th Percentile
At 9 1/2 lbs. and 23 1/2 inches long on the day he was born, there was clearly no way my son Reese was going to fit in the cute, newborn-sized coming-home outfit I’d picked out for him to wear. Until his third birthday, he’s consistently been in the 100% percentile for height for his age (he slipped to 99% at his three year wellness check-up).
When your kid wears a clothing size equivalent to a child twice his age, it provides some unexpected challenges.
When your kid wears a clothing size equivalent to a child twice his age, it provides some unexpected challenges. When his 2T pants were getting small on him I bought 3T, only to find that they were already too small. I was confused, until my husband pointed out that the 3T might not be cut to accommodate a diaper.
my husband pointed out that the 3T might not be cut to accommodate a diaper.
When I returned them to the store the salesperson commented that “usually by the time they are three they are out of a diaper.” Well, no, not always, but I pointed out to her that my son was currently only 18 months old. His first real shoes, bought before a trip to the east coast for his first Christmas, were a size 6 1/2 double-wide. He was eight months old at the time. So there’s been a lot of searching to find the best products for a very tall baby/toddler.
Diapers
Honest Diapers
When he was an infant, we exclusively used Honest Company diapers. While I very much liked their environmentally-friendly component, it was really because their design, especially around the legs, worked best to prevent leaks and blow-outs. We stuck with them until he outgrew their largest size.
The Switch to Pampers
At that point we switched to Pampers, who make a size 7 diaper for kids 41 lbs. and up. I’ve been unable to find them in stores (and I live in Los Angeles) so I’ve had to order them online. Thankfully they are available as a subscribe and save item.
Sleepwear
New For Baby brand Sleep Gown
He outgrew the sleep-gowns pretty fast, which was inconvenient for middle-of-the-night changes. I lucked into finding a brand called “New For Baby” that ran longer than other brands did.
Hanna Andersson
I’ve found that the sizing on pajamas seems to be the most generous at Baby Gap or Hanna Andersson, where he would fit in a size for a longer amount of time than he did pjs from other places. Both are obviously on the pricier side, so hitting them up during sales (or catching Hanna Andersson on Zulily) are usually my best bets.
The challenge now is that he’s moved into kid sizes, and many of those don’t come with the fitted cuff on the pants
The challenge now is that he’s moved into kid sizes, and many of those don’t come with the fitted cuff on the pants. So for the fall I’m going to have to brush up on my sewing skills to be able to hem the pants on his size 6 pjs, as he’s more long torso than long-legged.
Onesies
Onesie Snap Extenders
Onesies were also a challenge as he grew so fast that they would get snug at the crotch quickly. I learned too late about the onesie snap extenders, but those obviously would have been a good thing to have.
Baby Gap
I found that I got the most time out of a size on the onesies from Baby Gap. Shirts are usually fine from anywhere, though Carters and Old Navy tend to be cut a little narrower.
Pants
The Children’s Place
The Children’s Place has been our go-to for pants, as several of their styles have a more generous seat and still work with a diaper even in a 5T (his current size). They also have several styles that have an adjustable elastic waistband on the inside, so I imagine if your child is tall but also lean they would also work well.
I imagine if your child is tall but also lean they would also work well
Crazy 8
Crazy 8 has also worked for him for pants and shorts, although he’ll grow out of a size with them before The Children’s Place clothes of the same size.
Swim
iPlay Swim Diaper
I’ve always used reusable swim diapers for Reese, so I have no idea on sizing for disposable. I really like the iPlay brand, both the diapers and then, when he got a bit bigger, they make swim trunks with the diaper attached. Unfortunately, he outgrew their biggest size when he was about 2 1/2.
iPlay Swim Trunks
Kushies
Kushies brand makes one that goes up to 50 lbs. so since we’re still in the potty-training phase, that’s what we use. Now the issue is that he’s in kid’s size small swim trunks, and they come with the mesh underwear attached to the trunks. Since he may not grow out of these trunks by the time he’s completely potty trained, I didn’t want to remove the mesh and then he couldn’t use the trunks later. So I cut them at the seam in the crotch, figuring if he still fits in this size when he’s fully potty trained I can just sew them back up.
Shoes
Stride Rite
Thankfully his feet thinned out some from when he needed the double-wide shoes as a baby, but Reese still needs a wide width in shoes.
Stride Rite is, hands down, the best place I’ve found for wide-width shoes for kids
Stride Rite is, hands down, the best place I’ve found for wide-width shoes for kids. One thing that is a bit of a challenge for him is that, because he’s in a size 12 1/2 shoe, they no longer come with the velcro all the way across the top strap. There’s just a little tab of velcro on the end and then on the side of the shoe. It makes it harder for him to do the straps of his shoes all by himself and have them be secure. But it makes sense because most kids in that size no longer need the full-velcro closure.
Car Seat
Diono
Other than clothes, the big challenge was finding a car seat for him after he outgrew the rear-facing infant car seat (which he did at about 9 months old). We wanted something that would let us keep him rear-facing for as long as possible. I also wanted something that, even once he was turned facing forward, would let him be in the 5-point harness for as long as possible, even if he was tall enough to use the lap-shoulder belt. I also wanted something that he wouldn’t grow out of before we were done with it, necessitating buying yet another seat/booster. We found the Diono Radian RXT (now the Diono Rainer) seat, which can be used from the time they are born until they are completely out of a booster. It’s lower profile let him stay rear-facing longer, and at 43 inches he’s still comfortably in the 5-point harness. It’s on the pricier side, and it’s heavy (it has a steel frame) but it was definitely worth it.
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