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.
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.
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
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?
4 comments:
My children have the same kind of wardrobe that yours do. We even have twin friends to hand down twin outfits to us. My girls get new shoes and new Easter dresses. I do not buy the Easter dresses, that is reserved for Jeremy's aunt :)
our approach is exactly the same.
NEVER retail full price...only DEEPLY discounted, if even that(grandma spoils OCCASIONALLY!).
goodwill, charity thrifts and hand me downs are the name of our game, and my girls are learning to be SO frugal and stylish in the thrifting world.
my oldest finds and comes up with the cutest outfits...all on a dime.
it's so much more fun that way, and it saves so much money that we don't have to spend on clothes anyway(and we don't use credit...lived and learned on that one)..
hand to mouth over here!
xo :)
great post! We do the same thing in our family and feel super blessed to have so many clothes handed down to us. :)
I love what you said, "If you won't listen to her when she's 5, she may not listen to you when she's 15."
good stuff
Yes! We do the same things. Thrift stores, Target clearance, hand me downs from friends, and the occasional special thing from a Grandparent or Aunt. Sometimes I even have it together enough to sew a few pairs of pants, but that's usually for the baby sizes! I love showing our boys the quality of clothes we can get at a thrift store for nothing compared to the high prices to buy the same things new. They are right there with me (so far) and agree that they would rather we spent our money on something else! I really try to emphasize that we "choose" not to spend our money on things like that so that they don't worry about us *not* having money. I remember worrying about that as a kid and I don't want them to have that burden! I would say that like you, I would love it if they were all dressed fashionably all the time and pre-kid definitely saw things differently. Fashion can be so fun and if I had a girl, I know I would struggle with this even more, but right now, I have 6 little boys who don't care too much how I dress them! I'm thankful for that!
Also. At the risk of sounding like a crazy stalker, I wish you lived closer and were a real person in my life because I would love to talk to you about Asperger's and I really like your style and your heart for your kids. We're in ministry too and well, there's just something about that isn't there?! Hope you're enjoying your new home!
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