10.22.18

Where I Shop for Kids Clothes

Where to Shop for Kids Clothes

I’ve been planning to write this post for months and finally sat down to do it. Before I had kids, I always chuckled when I heard mothers say they shopped more for their children than themselves. I didn’t get it then, but I do now! It’s a ton of fun to shop for little ones. I mean, I still obviously prioritize myself when clothes shopping (once selfish, always selfish), but I also love to buy for Lawson and Sybil. Let’s face it, I’ll only get to influence their style for so long. You bet your little arse I’m taking advantage while I can!

Since Lawson and Sybil are still growing so much, they usually need mostly new wardrobes every 6 months. They get shorts/tee shirts/sandals each spring. Every fall we refresh their jeans/pants/sweaters.

At the end of each season, I donate or sell everything I don’t expect they’ll be able to wear the following spring/fall. I am not overly sentimental when it comes to their clothes. Of course there are certain pieces I love, but I take a million photos so I’ll always remember them. It probably helps that we give hand me downs to their cousins. I still get to see my favorite pieces live on, which makes me so happy.

My personal philosophy is to focus on quality over quantity for shoes and jackets. Everything else they go through so quickly. I can count on one hand the pieces that I’ve paid full price (well, except Target’s Cat & Jack line because it’s so inexpensive anyway). I love a good sale and will patiently wait for one. For me, paying full price is like admitting failure.

Lawson is tall and skinny while Sybil is short and skinny (she’s already labeled petite!). I’ve found most clothing brands seem to run big, which leads to challenges shopping for each of them.

I do almost all their shopping online. It’s impossible to have them try on in the store. Ordering online, trying on at home and then returning in person seems to work best for us.

Where I Shop for my Kids’ Clothes

Shirts

The majority of shirts for both Lawson and Sybil are either Gap, Old Navy or Cat & Jack. Occasionally I’ll splurge on a shirt from J. Crew for Lawson (always during a sale though). Lawson’s current favorites are the J. Crew henley cotton shirts, Old Navy graphic space tee, and Gap flannel shirt. Sybil loves wearing her Gap chambray shirt, last year’s version of this Old Navy sweater, Gap plaid ruffle top and a couple of Carter’s shirt that I got at the outlet and can’t find online (sorry!).

Bottoms

If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know I’ve struggled to find pants that fit Lawson. He’s tall and skinny. Most pants fall off of him. This year he finally has 8 pairs of pants that actually fit! He has the Cat & Jack skinny pants in every color (camo is his favorite, he once wore them 3 days in a row), two pairs of the J. Crew ollie wash skinny jeans and two pairs of J. Crew cords in stretch fit. He wears a size 3T in all of them. I’ve even started buying the Cat & Jack pants in the next size up.

For Sybil, she mostly wears leggings since I haven’t found a pair of jeans or leggings that fit her yet. Almost all of her leggings are Cat & Jack or Carters. They’re so inexpensive that I have to stop myself from buying more. Her current favorites are the Carter’s heart leggings, Cat & Jack black jeggings and Carter’s floral leggings.

Special Occasion

My absolute favorite special clothing for Sybil is Crew & Lu. It’s a boutique clothing line started by a woman in Arizona. She’s a complete sweetheart and I love supporting her small business. It’s definitely a splurge, but there are a couple of awesome sales throughout the year. There’s one on Wednesday! They always announce sales on Instagram so follow her there.

Pajamas

My favorite pajamas are Gap and Carter’s. They are soft and hold up well to repeated wear and washing. I also really like Crewcuts for Lawson (Sybil is still too small since they start at a size 2) and occasionally will buy pajamas from Old Navy (Lawson has these pajamas to remind him of camping and he loves them!)

Socks/Underwear

Almost every pair of socks and underwear that Lawson and Sybil have are from Gap. Their socks are my go to because they still have grippers on the bottom. Lawson is obsessed with his day of the week underwear. We talk about what day it is every single day when he gets dressed. His current favorite socks are these dino stripe crew socks. He wanted to wear them so much I had to buy another set!

For Sybil, I love the June & January knit tights. They come in a ton of colors and are available in sizes ranging from 0-6 months to 5T. The bright colors are really vibrant (Sybil is wearing the bubblegum tights in this photo). I do think they run a little big and would suggest sizing down. For reference, Sybil wears the 12/24 month size.

Shoes

Lawson and Sybil get one pair of sandals each spring (Lawson’s birthday is in April so his are usually a birthday gift) and Nike sneakers each fall (generally during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, Lawson has these and Sybil has these). Our go to sandals for Lawson are the Birkenstock Roma. This was Sybil’s first summer wearing sandals. She lived in See Kai Run. I’ve also tried Saltwater sandals but we didn’t love them. They’re really stiff and take some wearing in. I’m a firm believer shoes shouldn’t require a wearing in period for adults or kids! Last year for Christmas we got Lawson the kid version of Allbirds (adorably named Smallbirds) so he could coordinate with Jim. They’ve been great, but he’s in the largest size so we won’t be able to get another pair for him. :(

They each also have a pair of Hunter First Class rain boots. I bought Lawson’s two years ago during a sale and Sybil got her black rain boots from Uncle Zack for Christmas last year. They absolutely love their rain boots and wear them more than anything else. I cannot recommend these enough!

Jackets

When we lived in Arizona and California, we didn’t need heavy duty jackets. Lawson and Sybil each have a Patagonia fleece (similar) or nano puff jacket. Sybil also has a denim jacket (similar) that my girlfriends gifted her before she was born and this Cat & Jack puffer jacket. In one of my motherhood Facebook groups, someone mentioned she always gifts a Patagonia nano puff jacket for a baby shower gift. I thought it was such a good idea!

We’re still figuring out their winter gear. I’ll plan on sharing what we’ve bought for Lawson and Sybil in a separate post soon!

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