Drawstring pants

Ah spring...where did you go today? Nothing like waking up to snow falling. It snowed enough that our driveway guys came and cleared the driveway. And then it warmed up that what snow remained on the streets/driveway melted. I thought this might be the last snowfall of the year but there's a potential storm coming for Saturday. At this point they are saying rain but a slight shift in the storm could dump snow on us for Easter. We're going to have to paint our eggs bright neon colours if we want to hide them outside.

I got the candy for the kids Easter baskets today. Our grocery store had tons of chocolate but next to nothing in the way of jelly beans. I finally found some that I hope the kids will like. We didn't go overboard on the candy - some peeps, Caramilk eggs, Cadbury mini eggs, and some Kinder Surprise Eggs. The kids have never had Kinder Surprise Eggs before because they aren't allowed to be sold in the US. But here in Canada we can get them so I thought it was time for the kids to experience them.

I've noticed that Canada has some more relaxed rules for things for kids than the US, like the Kinder Surprise eggs. A good example of this - drawstrings. No, you can't buy a coat in Canada or the US that has a drawstring hood for kids but you can buy pants/shorts for kids in Canada that have drawstrings - real working drawstrings that actually adjust the waistband of the clothing. Good luck finding those for young kids in the US. You can find adjustable waist pants (buttons/elastic) or those lovely fake "drawstrings" that are simply two short pieces of material/string sewn to the outside of the pants and may adjust the waistband by about 1/2" (which is to say, they do nothing!). 

I bought S a pair of shorts to wear for soccer that have a real working drawstring, which is great because she's got a small waist but she's tall, so I have to buy a larger size for the length (don't get me started on the length of girls shorts. That's a whole blog entry on its own). Because they are big for her, I need to use the drawstring to make them fit. My sister in the US bought some fleecy pants for S for Christmas. Guess what they have at the waist? Those short, good for nothing, wanna be drawstring ties. The pants fit but they start to slide down from time to time but can I tighten the waist? Nope...well, I can but it's not enough to make a difference. It's definitely frustrating.

I did some quick research to see if I could find out why there is a difference. What I found was interesting. Neither country allows drawstrings in upper outwear for kids, and I understand why that is the law. And in both countries manufacturers are allowed to put drawstrings in kids' pants, provided they meet certain guidelines, but for some reason in the US they don't (or at least not very often). I'm guessing that it's cheaper not to put a drawstring waist in but honestly, I would pay a little more for a pair of pants for my kids if they have a drawstring. Maybe they don't put them in because younger kids have trouble tying them. Maybe they think US parents don't like them. I don't know. But maybe one day I'll meet someone who designs kids clothes and I will ask them. :-)