I’m on Spring Break this week (which means I’ve mostly been wearing yoga pants and t-shirts), so I’m skipping my regular wardrobe post and talking about Sam’s instead… Honestly, he has a lot better clothes than me anyway! 🙂
shirt, glasses, shoes – Baby Gap/ hoodie – Target/ shorts – Mini Boden (2nd hand)
I mean, need I say more?
Truth be told, I’m pretty passionate about finding cute (and affordable) clothes for a little boy that make him look little but not silly. (Read: I don’t want him to look like a “little man” OR a baby.) While I often find myself getting frustrated at the HUGELY disproportionate amount of cute things for girls vs. boys, the last three years have made me appreciate the challenge of dressing a boy – and I’ve gotten pretty good at it too, if I do say so myself. 😉
Up until recently, the majority of Sam’s clothes have been hand-me-downs from generous friends or consignment sale finds. But, I’ve realized lately that the older he gets, the harder it is to find cute second-hand clothes in good shape. (I suspect that this has something to do with the fact that most little boys are just like Sam — they play HARD and are HARD on their clothes too!) Anyone else noticed this?
I still frequent Once Upon a Child (and other local sales), but I’ve also found some great deals at mall stores for this spring. My favorite places to shop for Sam are Baby Gap (my very favorite), Old Navy, and Target…
This season, I had to start almost from scratch with Sam’s wardrobe. But, thanks to some generous friends and family, coupon codes, outlet malls, and the sale racks, I feel great about his closet right now… Here are a few (ok, a lot) of my favorite items for little boys in stores (and Sam’s closet*) right now:
*Just to clarify, all of these items are NOT in Sam’s closet (I wish). But, it is a pretty good representation of what he wears most days. 🙂
T-Shirts – Plain cotton t-shirts make up the VAST majority of Sam’s spring/summer wardrobe. You know I can never resist a good stripe, but we also have LOTS of solid pocket tees (I like the ones from Old Navy, shown above) and an occasional, well-done “graphic tee” (Gap almost always hits that nail on the head).
Oxfords & Polos – These shirts are just a little dressier (great for school/church/etc.) but still casual and comfy enough for a busy little boy.
Hoodies & Long Sleeves – I especially like a good zip-up hoodie that can be worn over a short sleeve t-shirt on cool mornings, but I love all of these options pictured and find there are plenty of opportunities this time of year to wear long sleeves.
Chinos – You already know how I love a good colored pant, and Sam’s wardrobe is no exception. I think a good, clean pair of khakis (mostly worn for church and other “dressy” occasions) are essential – everything else is just fun… Gap’s “pull on” jeans – which seem so much comfier than regular jeans – are a MUST at our house.
Shorts – Colored, printed, plaid… I LOVE the options out there for little boy shorts. Any of these pair great with the solid pocket tees I mentioned above, and make him look a little more “put together” for school, etc. I also love drawstring – especially jersey material – for days when we are really playing hard.
Raincoat – Sam actually wears a Walmart raincoat that a friend monogrammed for us a year or so ago (I love it), but he will be outgrowing it soon, and I’ve had my eye on this one for a while. There’s just something about a classic yellow raincoat, don’t you agree?
Shoes – A pair (or two) to slip on (you really can’t beat Crocs – on sale at Zulily right now), a pair to run in (we’ve been wearing New Balance – from Rack Room – for over a year now and really like them), and a pair to dress-up (we have a Sperry knock-off also from Rack Room that we like a lot), makes a pretty solid shoe collection for a little boy. FYI: So far, we’ve been tying shoes, but I’m getting kind-of sick of it, so we’ll likely move to velcro for the next size up.
There you have it, folks! Sam’s wardrobe is actually a lot more fun than mine, don’t you think?
Where do you shop for your little one? What do you consider “essentials”?
BONUS: I like to buy Sam custom, hand-made clothes for “special occasions” like the first/last day of school, holidays, parties, etc. My VERY favorite place to buy these is from Room to Romp on Etsy – I’ve been shopping with Sandy since Sam was super little, and I’ve never been disappointed by the quality (or cuteness) of her work. Right now, she’s running an awesome deal in her shop — with every purchase, you get a FREE “birthday” shirt in your child’s size… That’s TWO hand-appliquéd shirts for $16.00 + shipping (no code needed). You really can’t beat that! I got Sam’s adorable little apple shirt (above) and am saving the “3” shirt for closer to his birthday this summer. These also make GREAT birthday gifts. (The shorts pictured are from Sandy last year – still going strong!)
E
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