where to buy socks, uniform etc. for very chunky child?

jellyhead

Can anyone point me in the right direction or suggest a forum where these things are discussed?

My 3 year old is enormous - he wears age 6 clothes, his ankles and wrists are like tree trunks, his hands are like dinner plates etc. etc.

He will be the youngest in the reception class in September and his fine motor skills are poor, according to nursery. I need to teach him to manage his own shoes and socks before school starts, but he can't do the socks. I think he'd find it easier if they were looser on him but his ankles are really big and his feet and high and wide.

There must be places that sell wider clothes but I can't find any locally. I keep hearing about a rise in childhood obesity so there must be a retailer selling clothes for chunkier children? My boy isn't fat, by the way, before anyone suggests a diet and extra exercise as a way of getting him into smaller clothes - it's his genes, he's just built like um, well, a rugby player is how the health visitor puts it.

jenhug

bhs do "generous fit" school clothing.
One thing our playschool used to do to help motor skills was letting the children butter toast etc, they use a similar motion to what they will do when they start writing.

jenhug

next also do a generous fit sizing on some jeans.

Maybe try sport socks that come to the ankle instead of up the leg?

jellyhead

I buy next clothes for him and they are more generous than anywhere else locally. Their socks don't seem any wider than the supermarkets though.

That's a good idea about buttering toast, i'll get him to practise. I tend to do things for him instead of letting him try them for himself - i've noticed recently that he's a lazy toad lol!

dizziblonde

You're probably going to have to get very very used to taking up trousers to be honest. My younger brother was built like a brick lavatory (and below average height) and we ended up buying his uniform at the local M+S factory shop and removing several inches of trouser leg with him stood on the dining room chairs for years. For shoes - one thing to help him get them on the right feet is to get a permanent marker and draw arrows on the inside soles of the shoe facing inward -->

craftyfox

i have one of those :eek: i big child i mean my eldest if 10 and is wearing 15-16 yrs or small mans with a size 7 adult shoe and is 5' tall :j at age 3 he was in the 6-7 clothes range and i didn't buy anything for his age i always just bought for the size of him and if that ment he was wearing things that fitted and he looked normal in it didn't matter what size it was.. sometimes he prepared my socks as they didn't hurt his legs (i usually wear black socks)

tessie_bear

dont dry cleaning places do alterations ? some tesco school trousers have an elastic hook that makes the waist a bit bigger

chmmy

Jellyhead although the nursery have said his fine motor skills are poor, I can assure you that he wont be the only child in his class who struggles with socks.

I dont know about other schools, but at our school they only get the children to change their shoes to plimsolls for PE for the first few weeks or months because otherwise the whole PE lesson is taken up with changing! Also they should have at least one TA so there will be a couple of adults to help.

I know the school will encourage independence but they will also help if a child is trying their best but physically not ready yet to change by themselves.

dizziblonde

If it's PE day as well - put thinner socks on so plimsolls go on over the top easily. Getting plimsolls on over thick sports socks when little feet have grown slightly since they've been bought is a nightmare (no wonder the kids struggle) - especially the elasticy ones rather than then ones with velcro.

phunkles

Lego is good for motor skills and hand eye co-ordination
Plus it helps that its a really cool toy

Janepig

I've got the opposite problem - where to get uniform small enough for DS!! Sweatshirts should be okay because the shop I get them from does them from age 2 and I have some hand-me-downs from DD, but trousers and shorts are something else!!

JH it doesn't surprise me you saying you get Roo's clothes from Next because they are massive!!! I recently bought shorts for DS from there in age 9-12 months and they fit like a glove, despite him being 3 and a half!! I'd love to meet the child aged 9-12 months that could fit into them! And although slightly on the small side, he's by no means tiny or skinny for his age. So its strictly adjustable waists only for him - if only I could get small enough trousers now!!

We're also trying to get out of the habit of "helping" DS with everything, particularly eating. He's pretty good at getting dressed, but he's terrible at eating, holding a knife and fork, etc... and then theres also managing to get himself clean after <ahem> visiting the toilet. It's so much easier (and cleaner) to do it for them that it's difficult then to take a step back and let them learn for themselves.

Jxx