With some children’s clothes, it can look as though they are in a race between growing out of them and wearing them out. Finding clothes that look stylish and can cope with your child’s activity levels may seem like an impossible task, but there are ways to get the balance right if you put some thought into organizing your kids’ wardrobes.
When you do laundry, check for clothes that will need replacing soon so that you can replace them before the situation gets desperate. These simple tips will help you to find the right clothes to keep your children looking and feeling great:
Do Buy a Size Up
Manufactures’ labelling can be hugely inconsistent when it comes to aged-based sizing, so make sure you check each item before buying it to make sure you aren’t going to end up with something that will only last for a few months.
Choosing clothes that can be worn with belts or pants with adjustable waistbands can help your children’s clothes last longer as you can adjust their fit as they grow. Hard-wearing fabrics like denim will last until your child grows out of them, so they are a good choice for larger items that you want to last for a long time.
Don’t Buy Too Much
Children grow so quickly, and many parents find that they have sometimes grown out of things before they’ve even had the chance to wear them more than once or twice, particularly at the baby stage. Choose items that will definitely get worn and only replace them when needed.
Do Let Your Children Choose Their Own Clothes
Some children don’t show much of an interest in what they wear, but some have strong opinions from a very early age. Letting children choose their own clothes gives them a sense of autonomy and helps them develop a sense of responsibility for their own self-care.
Of course, sometimes they are going to pick an outfit that isn’t appropriate for the weather or the occasion. You can avoid this by giving them a choice of two (or more) combinations that are suitable and allowing them to pick which they prefer.
Don’t Keep Clothes If You Can Pass Them On
Once you have passed your clothes down to your younger children, give them a new lease of life by giving them to another child that can enjoy them. If you don’t have a friend or family member that could use them, then donate them to charity.
Not only does this help your children to find their clothes instead of wading through outgrown outfits, but it also helps them to understand the principles of recycling and charitable giving. These will help them develop good habits when it comes to managing their own wardrobes and keeping their clothes in good order as they begin to take more responsibility for themselves.
Do Be Realistic About Your Children’s Tastes
Your child might have a favorite character or color at the moment, but these are always subject to change, especially as they get older. Limit how much you buy to fit them in the future as you may find that their tastes change significantly as they grow.
Some children also have strong feelings about textures and fabrics and will shy away from clothes that are too tight, itchy, or feel ‘wrong’ in some way. Listen to your child and accommodate their preferences whenever possible so that they feel comfortable in their own clothes and look forward to getting dressed every day.
Whether your child has a strong preference for a certain type of clothing or not, putting a little thought into their clothes can save you all a lot of stress when it comes to getting dressed. If you consider what they already own when buying new clothes, you can choose items that will go well with what they already have and that will make it easier to put together a variety of outfits.