Back To School Shopping

Shopping for clothes for my son is difficult. I have to get elastic waste pants or shorts because he doesn’t know how to do buttons or snaps. I have to get slip on shoes because he doesn’t know how to tie shoelaces. I also have difficulties with tags on his shirts. Usually, I end up cutting them out, but even cut out, they still bother him. Thankfully, manufacturers are now starting to make tagless clothes.

Hanes is one clothing manufacturer that becoming well known for now being tagless. Yeah! My son has Hanes t-shirts, boxer shorts, and underwear. I can find Hanes in most of the stores we go in to shop for clothes. I don’t even need to bring my son, because I can always be confident that the sizes I pick out for him are correct.


If your child needs a belt to wear, MySelfBelts sent me some information about their belts. I think they sound like a great idea for kids. I don’t have any, but I read the description and looked at the pictures. These belts use Velcro. I think children who have poor fine motor skills (like my son) would have an easier time with the MySelfBelts. They also come with different themes to fit your child’s tastes. Their website is www.myselfbelts.com.

I was also given information about Be Buddies Not Bullies t-shirt from www.verymeri.com. The neckline is great for kids that have trouble with the necklines on shirts being too confining. The company also has these shirts available for schools to use as fundraisers.

I also would like to share some information from another mom that I think has excellent advice on back to school shopping:

Norma Rosenfield, Woodland Hills, CA mom of a 10-year-old boy with autism

We have had a hard time for years and years with clothing and shoes. I have a few tips in case it is helpful:
“- oftentimes, Walmart and sometimes Target will carry jeans that have full elastic waists. But they sell fast, so you have to get in right away. We started running into a problem as our son got older, because he would put his hands in his pants, and we needed to have a button & zipper. We can't go into the store to try on clothes, so it was really hard to find jeans that would fit. Now, we use jeans from Lands End with the elastic on the sides and they also have adjustable straps. If they don't fit, for some reason, you can take them back to your local Sears store for a refund without a problem. I also noticed that Gap Kids has elastic waisted jeans with a button up front on its website--they look like a good deal of elastic all the way around. These are all good options for parents who cannot take their kids into the store to try clothes on (like us).

- for shoes, I've shopped at Stride Rite for many years because they go all the way up to size 7 for big boys - the shoes have the velcro hook and loop straps. But now it is getting harder, as he gets into 7 or higher. The men's shoes with velcro are the stuff that old men wear in the nursing home. So I'm on a hunt for better options and considering laces at this point. I saw some cute Converse velcro strap shoes on Gap Kids, however, they are for younger kids. They are cute though and I think they were under $25.”

Going shopping with our children can be extremely difficult. Some people choose to shop alone and guess at the clothing sizes. If you do this, make sure you know the store’s return policy. Other’s, like me, like to take our child to the store to try on the clothes. I like to do this early in the morning. There are less people in the store and my son is his at his best at the beginning of the day. I let my son choose what he likes, within the limits that I provide him. I steer him away from anything with buttons or snaps. I keep the shopping trip short. We do not need to buy everything at once. Parents know the limits of their children. Don’t get caught up in trying to do everything at once. Watch for the signs from your child that it is time to bring your shopping trip to an end. Afterwards, do yourself and your child a favor. Give both of yourselves a special treat, a reward that will make the shopping trip worth it.