Children Wearing Suspenders

Children have a natural need to wear suspenders – their hips have not fully developed and so wearing anything at the waist will simply cause the pants to fall to their feet. This is exactly where suspenders are needed. All children can and should wear suspenders to hold up their pants. They are comfortable and stylish. Furthermore, as the child grows, the suspenders can be adjusted to accommodate the growth, and the child can enjoy learning and playing all day without the nuisance of constantly pulling up their pants. As long as children have been wearing pants, they have been wearing braces.







Some modern outfits:

And braces for formal occasions:

At a younger age, Prince William wore braces:

Braces are not only for boys, girls also look sharp in them with a skirt:

Button-on braces or clip-on suspenders?
Should a child wear button-on braces or clip-on suspenders? You may think that buttons will pop-off faster than suspenders, given the high level of movement and activity that children do  during the day. However, clips are only effective in gripping pant material and cannot accurately hold onto the pants over time - they will eventually snap off. Buttons, on the other hand, will remain in tack even when there is significant movement and activity. Furthermore, even with 1 button popped off, the pants will still stay up, as the braces have 6 connection points compared to only 4 with suspenders (refer to my previous posting on connection points). 

For example, refer to the photo below. The boy's side brace buttons have both popped-off, but his pants remain up and comfortable - he simply needs to get new buttons sewn on the sides.

Buttons are more secure than clips, and for this reason children should wear button-on braces.  Historically, when braces were predominantly worn in society during the first quarter of the 20th century, children wore braces:

As the century progressed clip-on suspenders became more common and boys started wearing them to keep their pants up.

Nevertheless, children should wear braces to hold up their pants. Children's pants rarely come with buttons, so unless you are prepared to sew buttons on to their pants (which is not that difficult), they are relegated to wearing clip-on suspenders.

What to look for when selecting children braces
The first thing to remember is that children are smaller in size than adults. As such, the braces should have smaller straps to ensure the braces fit comfortably on the child. This means that the straps are narrow, the brace loops not too large at the front of the chest, and the straps are not too long to fit comfortably.This photo displays a proper fit:

Secondly, the straps should be adjustable in both the front and back, to allow for adjustments when the child grows, as well as adjust the back junction, if possible. This is primarily for Y-back suspenders. The back strap should adjust to fit the child. 

Thirdly, if you are going to use clip-on suspenders, I highly recommend X-back style. This provides 2 connection points at the rear to hold up the pants - right where the child needs it the most as they will be bending over, stretching and reaching, which will put a lot of strain on 1 clip at the back. The rear junction should be adjustable to accommodate the child's growth.

Get X-back suspenders for children

In summary, if you have children, give them some relief from constantly pulling up their pants and get them a pair of braces. They will thank you for the comfort!

Discussion:

• If you have children, do they wear suspenders or braces?
• Did you wear braces or suspenders as a child? What did you wear clips or buttons?
• Did you enjoy wearing braces or suspenders as a child?

Note: all photos are used solely for non-commercial use and to illustrate braces in fashion. No plagiarism is intended.