If your kids are like mine, it feels like they're growing out of their clothes every other day — all the full-length pants become capris and long tunic shirts become their more trendier crop-top counterpart. And, as a full-time working mom of three, I simply don't have the time to run out to the store all the time to replace kids' clothes. That's not even counting the time it takes after they try it on and decide something is itchy or not to their mysterious style preference, leaving you with a bunch of stuff to return.
So, when I heard about Stitch Fix Kids, a kids' version of a subscription service I'd always been curious to try out for myself but never got around to (isn't that just #momlife), I knew I had to try it.
The concept is the exact same as the adult version: You fill out a bunch of basic info about your child (or children), like height, weight, sizes they currently wear, etc., then go through a fun questionnaire where you start narrowing down their style and preferences. First, you start off by selecting the kinds of activities they like to do (like biking, arts & crafts and reading) and attempt to sum up your children's personalities by checking off a bunch of adjectives that fit them.
Then, you get to the good stuff — you answer a series of questions about how certain types of clothes fit on your child, so they can get a better sense of fit.
Stitch Fix
Here's where it gets really customized: You start selecting things you don't want on the clothes sent to you — things like sequins that many kids may complain are too itchy or big logos or even denim (my kids still hate wearing jeans).
Next comes the fun part: You select which of the prospective outfits your kid is most likely to wear, and then select price points for each type of item, patterns to avoid and more. Then you sit back and wait.
In a matter of days, 8 to 12 pieces hand-selected for your child by a stylist will arrive on your doorstep in a happy package filled with the clothes, as well as stickers and activities for little ones.
When our box arrived, I was surprised to find that all the pieces were brands I had never heard of before. The quality seemed great and it was fun to see my daughter try on styles of clothes I normally wouldn't have thought of getting her. The package even came with a note from the stylist with suggestions on how to style the pieces together.
Not all of them were hits (because she's a 5-year-old), but many definitely were. I heard a lot of "Ooooh, this is so soft!" comments, and there was a pair of tie-dyed leggings she refused to take off.
There's a $20 styling fee for the box, but it's applied as a credit toward anything you choose to purchase from the box. If you decide you want to keep all the items, you get to take 25% off the total — which is actually pretty sweet deal — or you can pick the pieces you want to keep and send the rest back.
In the end, I ended up sending back (in a super convenient prelabeled envelope that you literally just shove all the clothes in) about half the picks — either because of price or my kid wasn't a huge fan. For next time, I think I'll lower my price range on certain items even more, just to ensure I only get things in that range.
As this was our first time with Stitch Fix for Kids, as the process goes on and the stylist sees what works and what doesn't, we'll get better and better curated choices. You can choose the frequency of the boxes, anywhere from monthly to once every three months to only when you go on to the site and say you want a box.
All in all, it was a great experience. I would definitely try it again to see what's in the next few boxes. Anything that saves me time I'd otherwise spend wandering around a store with kids is pretty much priceless.
