the rockn' star superhero girl and thoughts on kiddo clothing

 

my 5yo fashionista does not care one iota that every single part of this outfit came to her used.  nope.  she thinks she looks like a rockn' star who can take on the world.  i also can't imagine correcting her rockn' star to rock star.  nope.

i rarely buy clothes for my kiddos. hand-me-downs are the name of the game.  freecycle has been our very good friend.  the thrifting efforts of great-grandma and great-aunts always bring us neat finds from goodwill and garage sales.  and then the grandmas are good for a splurge and a bit of something brand new.  so yeah.  i limit our shopping to the occasional pair of footwear.  maybe a deep discount target or old navy purchase.  i try to be strategic about buying things that will help tie together the free and gifted stuff. 

oh wait.  we bought the shoelaces.  the ultra pre-loved converse needed a pick me up (aka the old laces snapped), so she chose the black with pink stars of course.  because that is so rockn' star. 

all this to say, i like fashion.  i might not be up on all the current trends, but i like clothes and looking cute in them.  pre-mamahood, i also imagined dressing my kiddos in uber adorable outfits each and every day.  the reality is we don't have the money or inclination to put that much effort into their wardrobes.  we make do with what we have and we hope to teach them to be thankful for what is available.  and they are still ridiculously adorable.

here are some of my quick thoughts on dressing the littles. . .

teach standards now that you want them to maintain as they grow.
whether it be how you budget for shopping or what type of clothes exemplify modesty, make sustainable decisions when possible.  and tell them why you chose those standards.

let them have fun.
they are kids.  their clothes will probably get messy.  their halloween costumes might beg to be worn for three months straight.  does it really matter what he wears today?  if it does, then fine.  but if it doesn't. . . remember they are kids.

 let them give input.
if you are not listening when she's 5yo, she might not hear you at 15yo.

 

supergirl shirt : freecycle
black corduroy skirt : hand-me-down
grey short leggings : freecycle
pink socks : freecycle
pink converse : goodwill (gifted from family)
black and pink rockn' star laces : target

now tell me. . . how do you approach children's wardrobes?