5 kids bottom wear styles every growing child should have

1. Twenty pairs won't help

Kids outgrow pants faster than you can hem them, so a packed cupboard mostly means a lot of pairs that stop fitting in the same month. Five well-chosen ones do more. Here's the set worth starting with.

2. Jeggings

Ask a kid which pants they like the best, and jeggings usually win, mostly because of what's missing. No stiff button digging in when she sits, no fight with a zip. From a distance they pass for jeans. Up close they're stretchy knit, so look for spandex on the label, since that's what lets them spring back after a day of squatting.

3. Bell bottoms

Fitted on top, wide at the ankle. A pair of bell bottoms can turn a plain tee into an actual outfit, and kids like the swish when they walk. Length matters more here. A hem that pools on the floor gets stepped on, ripped, and eventually cut off, so try them on with shoes. 

4. Denim

The knees go first on kids' pants. Good denim lasts through crawling, scraping, and sliding on gravel, and it hides mud better than any light colour. A little stretch helps, since stiff denim can put a kid off wearing it altogether. 

5. Trousers

Now and then the day calls for something neater than jeans. Maybe it's a school function, a wedding, or a visit to grandparents. Plain trousers in beige or some  dark shade go with nearly any shirt, so one pair does a lot of work. Check the waist before anything else. If your child can't manage it alone, every bathroom trip becomes your job.

6. Track pants

These live on the floor at home. They're for lazy afternoons, long car rides, and the park, and they're the first thing most kids ask for after school. The pair linked here is 100% cotton in a heavy jersey, so it's soft but not flimsy. Letting them wear track pants at home also spares the nicer pants.

7. Putting the set together

Start with one pair of each. Buy a size up, not two, because pants that are too long just get stepped on. Go by the size chart rather than age too, since two kids of the same age can be a whole size apart. After a few weeks you'll know which pair gets worn the most, and that's the one to buy a second of.

8. Shop the 5 Kids' Bottomwear Styles

Jeggings, bell bottoms, denim, trousers and track pants, all in one place. Browse One Friday's kids' bottomwear, check the size chart, and start with the pair they'll reach for first.