Ten Popular Kids’ Clothing Brands: Ranked Worst to Best
summer sales are here!
Midrange Clothing Fourth of July/End of Season Sales:
Janie and Jack – Up to 70% off, plus 10% off your first order (steals: shorts under $20, dresses and rompers under $25)
MiniBoden – up to 60% off (steals: shirts under $15, skirts and shorts under $30)
Hanna Andersson – up to 60% off plus an extra 20% off (steals: shirts $10-$15, dresses under $25)
Primary – 30% off everything plus 20% off your first order
[Winter Water Factory, Frugi, Jackalo, Tea Collection, and others are also running sales but these were the best deals I found.]
Keep reading to learn why it’s smart (and sustainable!) to shop these midrange clothing brands and see the top ten kids clothing brands ranked best to worst.
There is a fine balance to buying kids’ clothing – you want something good quality, but you also know kids are active, messy, busy little tornadoes. To spend an arm and a leg on the cutest outfit scientifically guarantees that they will inevitably vomit half-digested chocolate milk all over it. You want enough clothes that you have a good rotation but you also don’t want too many that pile up. Quality, quantity, price, sustainability, durability, and washability are all factors you take into account.
The Lowest Bidder
For a while I bought clothes from anywhere that was the cheapest, but realistically, the clothes faded, tore, stretched, or shrank faster than I could keep up with them. True, you don’t feel guilty throwing away a rag, but ultimately you didn’t really get your money’s worth. But when considering the sale prices you can find for better quality, I think you end up losing in the end.
From an ethical standpoint, most stores that offer extremely cheap clothing at cheap prices are likely involved in poor environmental practices, unsafe work environments, and modern day slavery. You can read this article about a factory collapse that killed 1,100 workers here.
Thrift Stores
I also tried shopping second hand and thrift stores, and that can be hit-or-miss. This is the best option if your main concern is sustainability, but you spend so much time and effort hunting and sifting through a wide variety of clothes and can sometimes end up paying just as much as you would have for something new, and it’s not even the thing you really needed. I leave places like Good Will usually regretting wasting my time. Upscale consignment shops are a bit better. Online used clothing can be bit easier to search, but again, with shipping costs, sometimes you end up paying for something used that you could have gotten new on sale with free shipping. PoshMark, Mercari, E-Bay, Facebook Marketplace,
Disclaimer: This post contains NO affiliate links. I have searched online to find reviews but unfortunately the internet is saturated with bloggers wanting to get affiliate compensation for recommending certain brands, so how trustworthy can they really be? I was on a website where they were posting a list of “sustainable kids clothing brands” and they had a bunch of affiliate links, including a link that said “I never buy the cute $5 tees from Target.” ! Ugh. I just thought it would be helpful to have a concise evaluation of popular brands to decide where to shop for kids’ clothing. My conclusions are based on Reddit and my personal experience.
Walmart (wonder Nation)
Notorious for poor ethics and low quality, the Walmart kids’ clothing brand Wonder Nation cannot be expected to produce some stellar clothing. Their prices are low, but Walmart does not use discount coupons or sales, so the prices end up being the same as some other brands on sale.
Price: $
Style: Poor
Sustainability: Poor
Durability: Poor. Never buy second-hand.
Best to Buy: If my kids need jeans and Oshkosh isn’t having a sale, Wonder Nation jeans are surprisingly the next best that we have found.
Old Navy
Price: $
Style: Awkward cuts and not very trendy.
Sustainability: Poor. Fast fashion which inherently unethical by design.
Durability: Poor/Fair. Most of the items I have bought at Old Navy did not hold up at all. They shrink, fade, and lose their shape quickly. The girls t-shirts never seem to fit properly and the flannel shirts are nice for a few wears but shrink.
Best to Buy: cheap leggings, socks, etc.
Target (Cat and Jack, art class)
Price: $ Pricing is slightly higher than Wal-Mart, but Target does sales.
Style: Some Cat and Jack staples are cute. Some of their items are inappropriate for young girls. Art Class shirts seem too short by design.
Sustainability: Poor
Durability: Poor. I got a few Cat and Jack clothes that held up great, but most of their things fade pretty badly in the wash.
Overall: I avoid shopping here because I feel that I pay more than what the clothes are worth, and I do not enjoy navigating their ugly website.
Best to Buy: cheap leggings, hair accessories
Carter's
Carters makes cute sets and outfits for babies and young children. They are reasonably priced if you get them on sale or find them at a store like Sam’s Club. Considering the wear and tear toddlers put into their clothing, I like to have a few things that I know aren’t going to last long anyway. However, I feel like they oversell themselves and the quality has declined over the years. I get some things like their $6 graphic tees or matching sets.
Price: $$
Style: Cute florals and patterns, rompers and matching sets for babies. Somewhat childish for older kids.
Sustainability: Poor. However they have a clothing line called Little Planet which sells organic clothing.
Durability: Fair. Most items fade and shrink within a few washes. Stains do not come out easily. However, with babies and toddlers who wear through clothing quickly,
Best to Buy: Baby onesies/sets, inexpensive toddler tees
Osh-Kosh
Osh-Kosh is a sister company to Carter’s, however, I have noticed differences in the quality of the clothing. Osh-Kosh is the only place I buy kids’ jeans as they definitely have proven to be the best quality and longest lasting, and as long as you shop their sales they end up being the same price as Wal-Mart or Old Navy.
Price: $$
Style: Not necessarily stand-out unique, but you can find some cute pieces
Sustainability:
Durability: Jeans – Excellent. Other items – fair/average, slightly above Carter’s
Best to Buy: Jeans, overalls, skirts
Gap
Price: $$$. Shop the sales and shop online at the GAP Factory.
Style: Somewhat old fashioned, but timeless.
Sustainability: Fair
Durability: Great. Everything I have bought from GAP has held up longer than it takes for the child to outgrow it. We have also received GAP clothes as a hand-me-down from cousins and it’s still in good condition. Some of the sweaters shrink but I feel like that’s pretty normal for sweaters, and other than getting smaller they stay in good condition.
Best to Buy: girl’s tops, matching sweatshirt/sweatpants sets, character tees
j. Crew (Crew cUTS)
Price: $$$ – J. Crew is kinda pricey, but they have regular sales and an online Factory store. They also have a 15% military discount. Online prices end up being better than in the store, and you can shop online at the J. Crew Factory for good sales. (I have used both and you can find good deals on both)
Style: Classy, original graphic tees. Not a wide variety, they have a few staples (cardigans, tees) which stay the same year to year, and then a few new distinct unique items each season.
Sustainability: Average
Durability: Great. Clothing holds its shape and size well and does not shrink or fade easily.
Overall: J. Crew has a good reputation for classier, well-made clothing. I have had a good experience with everything I have bought from J. Crew. and I have a personal preference for their style.
Best to Buy: Graphic Tees (especially for boys), lightweight hoodies, cardigans, some girl’s tops
Primary
Price: $$$ – 20% off your first order, regular sales.
Style: Very plain and simple. Solid colors of the rainbow. They have recently added some new patterns like polka-dots and stripes, but everything is very basic and all gender neutral.
Sustainability: Good. Organic cotton meets Global Organic Textiles Standard and Oeko-Tex 100. One Redditor said “Part of my ethical parameters includes buying good quality that will last –> buy less clothes.” You can read their sustainability statement here.
Durability: The clothes are durable and last a long time.
Best to Buy: Basic Tees and dresses.
Boden (Mini Boden)
Price: $$$$ ($25-$80). Military discount available.
Style: Unique and original, beautiful dresses and appliqué tees, a few staple items like Henley’s and pointelle shirts
Sustainability: Good, at least on paper, they have a lot of ambitions and statements about ways they are seeking to be sustainable and ethical. You can read their statements here. again, the theory here is buy better – buy less – wear more.
Durability: Excellent. I have a toddler dress that I got secondhand and it has been through a lot of wear and tear and is holding up great.
Best to Buy: unique items like their dresses or appliqué t-shirts, on-sale/clearance staple items ($15-20), upscale thrift stores or online second hand
Hanna Andersson
Price: $$$$ – The clothing is expensive, and they do not offer a military discount.
Style: Fun bold colors and patterns, a lot of gender neutral things, some limited edition character lines like Harry Potter and Bluey.
Sustainability: Good. You can read their sustainability statement here. The have a part of their website where you can buy second-hand “hanna-me-down” items from individual sellers. OEKO-TEX 100 Certified.
Durability: Excellent, at least for their older items. I have a dress that I got secondhand which is still going strong, washes very well, and hasn’t faded after dozens of washes.
Note: It has been said that their customer service is poor and if they send you the wrong thing it is very frustrating to make returns.
Best to Buy: Second-hand, special pieces, clothing you plan to use for multiple children, high quality pajamas.