5 Ways I Make Clothing Shopping for My Toddlers Easier

Before I had Lee, I day-dreamed of the cute outfits I would dress my little one up in: overalls, coordinated t-shirt and pant sets, and kiddie versions of adult clothing…

But in reality, I find clothing shopping for him to be a laborious chore. Lee wears out and grows out of clothing so quickly that I found myself constantly ordering clothing ad hoc-- a sweater here, a light jacket there… It was quite tedious.

So here are the ways I’ve made shopping for baby and clothing shopping easier...

1. Create a capsule wardrobe or shopping list for the season.

A capsule wardrobe is a finely edited collection of tops, sweaters, and bottoms that you can easily mix and match. The objective is to have a limited number of core pieces, so you’re not constantly shopping for new clothing or holding onto items you don’t (or in this case, your little one doesn’t) enjoy wearing. 

If the capsule wardrobe approach piques your interest, begin by taking stock of what your toddler wears on a weekly basis. Count the number of outfit changes they undergo in a given day and tally up roughly how many bottoms, tops, and pairs of socks they wear throughout the week. From there, tack on a few season-specific items like a rain slicker for spring or extra sweaters for winter. 

This exercise will give you a focused shopping list for the season and ensure you have a balanced assortment of items your little one will actually need and wear.  

2. Set a color scheme or palette. 

Whether you opt for a capsule wardrobe or not, having a limited color scheme for your baby’s wardrobe will immediately help you focus while you shop. Whether browsing online or in the store, setting your sights on a small set of colors will instantly edit items out. Moreover, having a wardrobe of all complementary colors makes it easier for you to throw an outfit on your toddler that automatically matches.

Given that we wear Earth tones ourselves, I’ve extended that color scheme to Lee’s wardrobe, too: mostly blues, greens, and greys. If you need some inspiration for a color scheme, check out this Color Palette website.

3. Buy multiples of the same basic pieces.

I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me when Lee was younger, but: Why was I spending so much time finding five different pairs of jeans in varying washes? Why did he need seven distinctly different t-shirts? To immediately cut down on my shopping time, I buy duplicates of basic items for our toddler like jeans, sweatpants, and layering-friendly long sleeve shirts. 

4. Opt for a Montessori wardrobe.

If you want to quickly cut down on clothing clutter, consider storing your toddler’s clothing in a Montessori wardrobe. (Here is our full article on Lee’s Montessori wardrobe, including how we keep it organized and tidy.) 

The benefits of a Montessori wardrobe are twofold: for starters, having open storage means you’re less likely to lose track of items that get squirreled away in the back of a crowded closet because everything is out in the open. Moreover, you’re less likely to allow unsightly clutter to accumulate.

Secondly, a Montessori wardrobe encourages your toddler to exercise their autonomy and dress independently by giving them easy access to their clothes. It may take a week or two for your toddler to resist the urge of dumping their clothing on their floor, but you’d be surprised at how quickly they lose interest in the “game.”

5. When shopping online, check the size chart.

This also seems like a no-brainer, but always double-check the size chart (not just the age ranges) when shopping for baby clothes online. Lee is tall for his age, so I continuously need to reference the size chart to ensure I’m ordering the right size. Admittedly, it can be tedious to individually check, but it ultimately saves me a trip to the UPS store to exchange items for a different size.

Do you have some shopping and life hacks to share? Help us and email your wardrobing tips to parentingstyleblog@gmail.com!