girls

Bikinis For Girls: Yea Or Nay?

July 9, 2010 By Blonde Mom 15 Comments

Somewhere in my mom’s photo albums is a picture of me rocking a bikini at age 2. I’ve got the cute toddler belly and I’m wearing a big floppy hat.

Neither of my girls have a bikini, but I’d not given that much thought until last weekend when we were headed to my sister’s pool and Miss A declared, “Mommy I want a BIKINI!” The girl. She knows what she wants in fashion. (Which is more than I can say for myself at times.)

Miss C has tankinis, while Miss A’s bathing suits are all one piece. Miss A thinks of tankinis as bikinis as one and the same…try explaining the difference to a 5-year-old.

I was looking at bathing suits online for Miss A and came across a few “interesting” ones as well as some string bikinis.

Would you let your daughter wear this purple sequin bikini?

It’s from Target and it’s for girls sizes 4 to 16.

It just seems a little too Kendra Wilkinson meets Prince to me.

On the other hand, this bikini for infants and toddlers from Target I find totally adorable for a toddler wearing a straw hat and big sunglasses at the pool or beach. I think I would even wear it. You know, if it came in size MOM. It looks a bit retro Hollywood.

This two-piece swimsuit from Gymboree for older girls (they don’t even call it a bikini) is cute, too, with the skirt and halter top, but Miss C at 8 would probably think it is too “cutesy.” Miss C at 5, however, might love it.

I’m not totally opposed to 2-piece bathing suits for little girls but I favor tankinis. Both my girls are really active and I don’t really want them strutting around the pool in sequins.

So what say ye? Bikinis for little girls or no? I think it depends on the cut of the bathing suit and their age.

Filed Under: My Girls, Parenting 15 Comments

Of Hemlines And Hoochie Mamas

March 11, 2009 By Blonde Mom 11 Comments

Because I have two little girls 33 months apart in age I save every stitch of clothing that can be passed down to Miss A. Don’t fret, she gets lots of new things thanks to the grandmas. The budding diva slash Hannah Montana in training slash future American Idol winner year 2025 shall not be denied!

I’ve noticed that since Miss A is growing into the last of the toddler sizes, a size 4t, that I’m having more and more trouble discerning what belongs to Miss C and what belongs to Miss A as I go through their clothes and set things aside that are too small for Miss A to pass along to a co-worker. The items that they can still wear I’ll put in storage for next season.

Here’s an example of sizing differences that definitely show how styles slim down as girls age and wear larger sizes.

shorts-ii

Can you tell which pair of shorts is a size 4t and which is a size 6x? The white shorts on the right are actually size 6x from Old Navy. Granted they are the surfer style (ie pretty dang short) and the pair on the left are in the longish range, in my opinion, even for a 4t, but still.

shorts

Same thing with these denim skorts. The skort on the left is a longer style skort in a size 4t from Circo (Target brand) and the skort on the right is a size 6 short skirt I picked up for Miss C at a consignment sale that she could actually wear when she was 5 because it ran so small.

Shirts are especially prone to run small in size 6 and up as they are the more fitted style.

No wonder tweens and teens and grown women alike have body image problems!

I always remember to shop by fit, not by label, but I never thought it would start with my girls at such a young age. I’m definitely not a prude when it comes to clothes and I won’t be dressing the girls in ankle length pinafores any time soon, but I’m also not going to go for the hoochie mama wear, either.

Filed Under: My Girls, Parenting, Retail Therapy 11 Comments

Bad Santa

December 9, 2008 By Blonde Mom 7 Comments

Miss C asked Santa for a Bratz Kidz Ice Cream Maker Snow Village last year but strangely enough the elves ran out of them.

This year she’s still talking about the ice cream maker and since her belief in Santa lies precariously in the balance, I asked Santa to pimp, I mean, pony up. Thankfully the ice cream maker doesn’t come with a hot tub or a Bratz dude masseuse doll to help work out those sore post skiing muscles.

I don’t really have an all out ban on Bratz products, but we don’t have any Bratz dolls in the house as we’ve conveniently avoided them. I do think the Bratz dolls look like mini strippers, though, so I’m quite content that Miss C enjoys playing with her Barbies. The Barbie movies are inspiring and full of girl power and lovely classical music tracks. Barbie also has high career aspirations. She’s been a poop scooper, a veterinarian, and a teacher. The Bratz? Their claim to fame is Botoxed lips that need their own zip code, a wardrobe that is the envy of the Pussycat Dolls, and I suspect they have mad pole dancing skills.

The dilemma is Miss C is at that age where she’s going to start the downhill slippery slope to disbelief in Santa. She’s already been asking me very pointed questions about how Santa does the whole travel around the world deliver gifts to children thing and why there are different Santas on duty each year. I know how her mind works and she will be crushed if she doesn’t see the Bratz ice cream maker under the tree in a few weeks. Because her request is more about a girly ice cream maker, than a Bratz doll, I’d been leaning toward finally making her Christmas wish come true. Plus the Bratz Kidz line seems like a kinder, gentler, less sluttier version of the grown up Bratz dolls. Since there will be a halt on future Bratz, perhaps this will be an heirloom to pass on to another generation. I mean who needs another Madame Alexander doll?

Last weekend after a bedtime story we were talking about Christmas and Miss C’s eyes got wide and she said very seriously, “Mommy, you know what I want for Christmas?”

I braced myself. I knew she was going to talk about the ice cream maker. AGAIN.

“A trampoline!”

Trampoline…one word guaranteed to strike fear in the most neurotic of mothers who envisions taking her child to the ER.

That was the clincher. I couldn’t get to my laptop fast enough to bid on, and win, a Bratz Kidz ice cream maker snow village on ebay last night. Thankfully the doll that comes with it is fully clothed.

Does anyone have a number for a Bratz hit man? This doll has a lot of pressure on her to be on her best behavior, otherwise she may disappear.

Filed Under: My Girls, Parenting 7 Comments