How Many Clothes Does Your Kid Really Need? The Full List
Change of season is the time to do some wardrobe organizing and get our clothes ready for different weather. For your first son or daughter, you have to get ALL the clothes every season. If this is your first child, you might be confused as to how many clothes your little one actually needs.
On the one hand, getting too many cloths will be a waste of money as your kid is growing fast in their first years and whatever you buy will fit for one season only, sometimes even less (My son’s first pair of shoes became too small on him a month after we bought them! I swear babies have sudden growth spurts where they practically go to sleep and wake up bigger. crazy.) On the other hand, not getting enough clothes will result in you making laundry every second day. So once and for all, let’s put it all in order and see exactly how many clothes a little toddler will find useful to have.
First, think of the kind of clothes he/she will need, for example shirts, shoes, socks, trousers, shorts, hats…
Second, divide the clothes into two groups – casual clothes and elegant clothes.
Then, work out how many of each will be the right quantity.
Don’t just get “7 sets, one for each day of the week”, because some items you need more than others. While you might find it useful to have 7 shirts, 7 hats will surely be unnecessary. In the same way, your kid will need more casual clothes than elegant clothes.
So what do you need?
Keep in mind that not all the items listed below will be of use to your particular child, so just ignore the ones you know you won’t need.
Additionally, and that’s important – mind your laundry frequency when buying everyday clothes. Babies and toddlers are experts on getting their clothes dirty and you don’t want to run out of clean shirts before your laundry day!
☀️ Summer wardrobe: ☀️
Casual everyday clothes:
6-7 shirts
4-5 shorts and trousers
1-2 hats or caps
A pair of shoes or sandals
5-7 pairs of socks*
3 sets of house clothes / pjs
1 swimming suit
1 pair of flip flops or other beach shoes
Elegant clothes:
2-3 sets** of clothes
A pair of elegant shoes
1 hat
*If your kid is wearing sandals you won’t need that many socks, get only 2-3 pairs for the few times they do wear shoes.
**A set is a complete outfit. It can be: shirt + trousers / shirt + trousers + waistcoat / shirt + trousers + suspenders… etc.
☂️ Winter wardrobe: ☂️
Casual everyday clothes:
6-7 shirts
4-5 trousers
1-2 hats
1 coat
2 buttoned cardigans*
2 full sweaters
2 knitted vests
A pair of shoes
A pair of boots
7 pairs of socks
3 sets of house clothes / pjs
1 pair of slippers / house shoes
A few warm/thermal undershirts and underpants
Earmuffs
2 pairs of gloves or mittens
Elegant clothes:
2-3 sets of clothes
A pair of elegant shoes**
1 hat
*You can get cardigans with or without a hoodie, whatever you prefer.
**Consider using the same pair from the summer, if they can be good for winter too.
Tips for choosing the best items:
👕 Get tops in different colours. And when I say different, I mean – each top should be completely different colour. And PLEASE don’t (!!) stick to blue or pink.
👖 Get shorts or trousers in basic colours. Shades like dark blue, grey and khaki will go with just about any top, but try to find a top to match a pair of purple trousers and you will end up with black or white. So be smart about it – colourful tops, basic coloured bottoms.
🌱 Always choose breathable materials (such as 100% cotton) for clothes and shoes to keep your toddler comfortable and happy.
🎩 When getting elegant sets of clothes, get each set in a completely different style, and if possible, try to go for items you can mix and match. That way, 2 sets of clothes will give you at least 4 possible combinations!
🖍️ Blue for boys and pink for girls is a silly thing, don’t you think? I always think all colours are for everyone but I find so many people who stick with boring options and I can’t understand why. For my son this summer, I chose tops in yellow, black, pink, red, turquoise, white and green. Blue is not even on the list but pink is. See? Choose your colours freely!
What’s next?
Learn the secrets to create stunning combinations and make your kid (and yourself!) the best dressed person in any room! Dive into the stylish world of colours, patterns and accessories. Find everything right here.
Any tips you’d like to share? Any items you can’t go one season without? The comment section below is waiting for you. ✍🏼
