How to tighten pants without sewing? Talk amongst yourselves.

Amanda has a clothing fit question for you:

My son is very tall but very thin, so I often find myself buying pants that are too big for him in the waist but fit him in the length. I've also been fortunate to receive a lot of hand-me-downs. Unfortunately, a lot of these pants came without belt loops, so I can't use a belt for them. Has anyone come up with an easy way to tighten pants that don't have loops!? Looking for something that doesn't require a permanent fix like sewing.

My only suggestion involves buying new pants with the adjustable-waist elastic you can cinch (those were the only pants that would fit my slender daughter when she was younger).

Does anyone have a good waistband hack for Amanda?

Related: Elastic hack: how to tighten loose pants without sewing

Comments

[Jen]

I haven't actually used these, but they strike me as an awesome solution. I have a skinny tall toddler as well and I keeping meaning to place an order:

http://www.dappersnappers.com/main.html

Little snaps that make waists smaller. But I guess you have to have belt loops, so it doesn't help Amanda that much.

[Cathy]

I haven't tried this, but I wonder if you could sew velcro on the inside of the waist and make it adjustable. It's sewing, but adaptable. You could probably glue the velcro in too. I think you would only want to use a small amount of the prickly side, and more of the fuzzy side if it were done on the inside of the pants.

We still get adjustable waist pants for my 14 year old step-son. Best thing ever.

[Autumn]

My daughter has the same issue and I use diaper pins on the pants that just won't stay up.

[Jenni]

How about safety pins? Worked when I was little. just fold in the sides and pin (using a large safety pin). No sewing involved and very adjustable!

[LisaZ]

There's also that iron-on seaming stuff that you can use to cinch the back of the pants together while ironing on the ribbon that keeps it in place.

[ikate]

you can sew your own adjustable elastic in the waist pretty easily so they will be like the pants purchaed in the stores now. I've done it on several hand-me-downs for the same reason. It's very simple sewing:

http://deannasstuff.blogspot.com/2007/11/diy-adjustable-waist.html

[Josie]

You can add a drawstring. No sewing involved. I've posted the directions over at my blog:

http://organizedmommy.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-tighten-pants-without-sewing-add.html

[Jennifer]

A pair of suspenders would also work. He'd look charmingly old fashioned to boot!

[gmartin215]

My son was (is!) the same-plus he had a 'no buttons, no velcro' rule.
I had to break down and sew. Take them in along the seat seam. It's still sewing, but it's quick (I sometimes did it by hand) and way cheaper than new pants!

[mrspooley]

Anybody have a hack for too long pants? I have to buy larger sizes to fit my one yr old and I'm forever rolling those things up. I'm hoping he'll thin out and grow tall so we can still get a lot of use out of them but for now he's a charmingly chubby fella.

[The Opinionated Parent]

Dapper Snappers are the way to go. Cheap enough to make it a waste of time to make your own!

[La Rêveuse]

Same problem, so I save the non-adjustable pants for at-home days when we use cloth diapers. The bulk holds them up!

[STL Mom]

Here's instructions that involve a little bit of sewing, but not much skill: http://whosies.blogspot.com/2008/04/ending-bum-crack-one-pant-at-time.html
All the stitching is inside the waistband, not visible from the outside of the pants, so it's okay if you have to do it by hand and it's a little messy.

For Mrs. Pooley - here's instructions on hemming pants without cutting off the bottom (skip the step where she cuts off the excess fabric). If you use loose stitches, it's easy to release the pleat later and make the pants longer again:
http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38

[Hayley]

It's sewing, yes, but not permanent - tack a strip of wide elastic along the inside back of the waistband. Use a strip about 4-5 inches long, pull it taught & pin it to the waistband - you can use a few rows of very simple running stitch to secure it. When you're ready to pass the pants along, or need more waist room, just snip the threads - the running stitch will pull right out :)

(Confession: I do this to my own jeans sometimes :) )

[kendra ~ shoppingfortwo]

I wish I had something more creative to suggest, but we use safety pins at our house.

[Glenn]

Why not suspenders? Can look cute on boys at least.

[Robin]

I have bought plain girls' pants for my skinny son before with good results. Girls' pants seem to be longer/leaner than boys, at least at the Gap and Old Navy.

[Spookygirl]

DapperSnappers are the way to go!!

[Jennifer]

For the too long pants, roll them up to the right length then either put a couple safety pins on the inside or do a couple tacking stiches; easily cut and re-tacked when he grows a bit taller.

[mrspooley]

Thanks for the suggestions! Now I've got some things to try.. whew!

[kris]

You could also try http://www.dapperlads.com
They have elastic magnetic belts which might feel a little more grown up. Little bit more expensive, but more flexible and longer lasting I think...

I also like to roll the waistband. It makes it a little bulkier and apt to stay up, and helps with the length as well. Totally non-sewing, totally easy, totally reversible.

[Christy]

Why not try old fashioned suspenders?

[MacDaddy]

Problem SOLVED: Plastic links

We have tons of those "chain links" lying around that we used to use to clip toys to the stroller & crib.

Like these:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2734997

Put one on each side of the pants through two belt hoops, and you're in business.

Our baby loves to grab the two links like little handles on either side of her pants. Also helps her dress undress herself for potty training.

[Samantha]

I am a total Dapper Snapper lover! If the pants do have belt loops, there is no better way to fix them. Very high quality!

[brandy]

drawstrings are dangerous on children's clothes. please don't add drawstrings to your kid's clothes!

[Andrea]

I had the same problem with my skinny son and my mom bought mitten clips. They work best if the pants have loops but will also work just clipped to the elastic waist. No sewing and they are usually strong enough to keep the pants cinched.

[Rebecca]

This is what I do...
I have bought plenty of adjustable waist band pants and once they grow out of them or get huge holes in the knees(the latter is more likely), I take the adjustable waistband (elastic with button holes in them) and with a seam ripper, open up the inside of the waistband. I then thread the elastic through the back of the the pants and sew two buttons on near the openings I made . Viola! Totally adjustable pants! I do these a lot with jeans and corduroys.
FYI--Target and Walmart both carry adjustable pants for under $10.

[Tiffany (Life on the Road: Home Business, Homeschool and Cats!)]

I have two hard-to-fit kids, so I've collected these ideas on my blog... Thanks for the great topic!

[twinsanity]

Depending on the age of your child, you might be better off going UP a size. My 3 year old twin girls are very skinny. They have 17" waists. They need 3T for height. 3T pants have a 21" waistband, so even the adjustable waist don't work because we really can't take them in 4 inches and still maintain any sort of comfortable fit. Plus the buttons for the adjustable elastic always ends up sitting right on their hip bones and rubbing a raw spot. Girls 4 SLIM has a 19" waistband (2 full inches smaller than 3T), so they adjustable waist band needs less adjusting and the slightly higher waistband means no hip bone sores. Sewing a hem is easier than trying to take in the waist. I'm hoping to get an extra year or two out of them by letting out the hem as the girls get taller.

[stephanie]

Check the elastic inside. If the waistband has elastic, sometimes you can cut a little hole in the back, or better yet, use a seam ripper to make a hole where the tag is. PUll the elastic through and make a knot in it to suit your child's waist. You can cut off the excess or tuck it in to be let out later. Be careful, though. Some waistbands are sewn/attached completely around the band to keep the elastic from rolling. When that's the case, I resort to a very messy needlework job where the tag is.

[Cin_D]

Mitten clips work well for us!