New Year, New Kids Clothes! What Your Child Needs For The Start Of The New Year

The new year is coming up, and with it, the end of the school year approaches. Now is a great time to take advantage of all the Black Friday deals and refresh your kids' clothing with some new to you staples. 

Our favorite way to refresh a wardrobe is to invest in quality pieces that are paired together and coordinated in a capsule wardrobe. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to build your child’s capsule wardrobe and where to splurge on seasonal pieces to keep your kids comfortable and dressed for the weather.

The winter off-season is also a great time to find amazing deals on spring and summer clothing like rompers and swimwear. Check the racks at your local consignment or thrift store and check your email for newsletters from your favorite shops and brands detailing their seasonal savings. If you are buying new, be sure to invest in brands that take an ethical and sustainable approach to production.

Chances are it’s been four or five months since you’ve done a big assessment of your kiddo’s clothes. It is good practice each season to go through their wardrobes to make sure the ever-growing magic beanstalks that are your baby boys and baby girls have clothes that fit them well and are comfy for the weather. Keep quality in mind over quantity.

A great way to keep your kiddo’s wardrobe fresh and account for growth spurts is to invest in layerable coordinates and create a capsule wardrobe. Choosing a theme for your child’s New Year wardrobe means you can invest in pieces that work together as a capsule over investing in individual outfits. And the best part is, this basic plan will work for your kiddo all the way through their tween and teen years.

Think of your kids’ wardrobe as items that all work or pair together, and choose a centralized color scheme to keep things easy and coordinated. The easiest way to coordinate a capsule is to buy everything from the same brand, as most brands have a centralized theme for each new collection and simply release new arrival items each season that fit this theme.

Some of our favorite unisex capsule color schemes are:

• Primary Color — Dressing your kiddos in red, yellow, and blue with a little bit of white and black to round it out. 
• All Gray With One Pop Of Color — We love hues of gray with either yellow, orange, or baby blue as a great accent color.
• Black And White With An Accent Color/Pattern — Black and white are classic and easy to find when shopping.
• Nature Inspired Colors — Nothing works better together than the greens and browns of nature. You can even throw in an accent color like violet or yellow to brighten it up with accessories.

Creating a capsule wardrobe for your kiddo means that it’s easy to layer up and layer down pieces and add in new complementary pieces as your child grows out of them.

A kids capsule wardrobe includes around 13 to 15 everyday wear pieces. This means your child will have approximately six bottoms and six tops and one or two special occasion items for each season. Investing in a capsule wardrobe frees up money in your budget to invest in quality items that will last longer and be more durable, even though it can be tempting to buy all the baby clothes that you set your eyes on. 

PJs, puffer jackets, and seasonal accessories like raincoats, scarves, and hats should be excluded from the capsule wardrobe count, as well as kids' shoes. This count above only includes the clothes your kids will be wearing every day. We're not trying to take away the fun racecar sleepwear from your toddler boy or the Disney princess nightgown from your toddler girl, we promise.

Let’s break down what items you’d find in a winter capsule wardrobe. The first question is, does your child enjoy wearing skirts or dresses? 

If so, then it is okay to incorporate a skirt and a dress in your child’s seasonal capsule as long as those items can be layered with accessories as temperatures fluctuate. For this example, we are going to assume your child does enjoy dresses and skirts.

Items found in a winter capsule wardrobe:

• Two pairs of leggings or joggers/sweatpants — These double as activewear!
• One mid-length skirt — These can be paired with tees or bodysuits for an easy outfit when your little girl dresses in the morning.
• One mid-length dress — The great thing about dresses is they can be layered with a cardigan or a long sleeve t-shirt underneath for an entirely different look. They are also absolutely adorable with a set of leg warmers and booties!
• One pair of neutral-toned pants — Neutral tones will pair with just about anything. 
• One pair of denim pants and one denim jacket 
• Two light-colored t-shirts — If you have a baby, you can easily swap these out for onesies or one-piece jumpsuits.
• Two flannel or patterned dress shirts — Be sure the colors fit in with the rest of your capsule so they can be wrapped around the waist when needed, worn buttoned up, or unbuttoned and tied over a dress or skirt.
• One pullover sweater and one button up or zippered sweater —  We love a good hoodie and a librarian style sweater to dress up or dress down a look. You could also sub out a blazer here if you want a dapper look.

There are a few items that are separate from your capsule wardrobe but still necessary? For winter, that’s the clothing that keeps our kids warm and dry, like jackets, hats, scarves, and gloves. These items will help add functional flair. So while you're adding in new items to your child’s capsule wardrobe, it’s also time to assess your kids’ winter wear and replace anything that is too small, was lost, or no longer effective.

January and February get cold, wet, and windy. Be sure your child has all of these items in their winter arsenal, and if not, it’s time to replace them so they can enjoy the outdoors without fear of the cold.

• Mittens — Mittens are great for cold walks to school and getting kids in and out of the car when running errands. We love the mitten with strings connecting the two that can hang with your kiddos’ jackets for easy accessibility till they are ready for epic wintery adventures.
• Waterproof Gloves — Every kid needs a pair of waterproof winter gloves for building snowmen and getting into snowball fights, or simply walking to school on a rainy winter day. These gloves lock out moisture so your kids’ hands can stay dry and toasty warm while they play in the wintery magic.
• Ear Warmers — Ear warmers are a must for colder temps when kiddos have prolonged exposure to the elements. A lot of heat is lost through our heads, so adequate ear warmers will help keep those ears cozy and warm so your tiny adventurers can keep on playing, and you can slip them in a bag or tote when your little one is tuckered out. 
• Solid Winter Coat — The great thing about searching for a new winter coat is that there are tons of them in consignment and thrift stores. Winter coats are one of the most donated items. Kids grow out of their clothes so quickly, and coats are one of those things that you need even if your kid is headed into a growth spurt.
• Face masks — These days, we need to cover up for more than just the warmth. Make sure that your kids are safe and protected and focus on their wellness. 

Our tips for buying your kids a winter coat: 

• Always buy bigger — Give your child one to two winters to grow into their new coat. We promise they will still have fun and stay warm!
• Always buy weather/waterproof — Invest in a coat that will keep your kids dry. This is a huge factor in keeping them warm. Tweed coats are adorable, but a coat with a waterproof shell is irreplaceable in the event of wet conditions. 
• Always buy for colder temperatures — Instead of buying several different temperature coats, buy one good coat for very cold temperatures. For the other lower temps, you can layer clothing to keep your kiddos warm, but you’ll need to keep them warm and dry with the correct outerwear when the really cold temps hit.

Capsule Makes Perfect

In conclusion, creating a capsule wardrobe for your kids helps simplify both your lives. You only have to replace one item at a time as your child grows out of or damages something instead of the entire wardrobe, and you can easily cycle seasonal pieces in and out.

A capsule wardrobe saves you time and money and helps you focus your budget on the items your child really needs as the seasons change, instead of focusing on the new best-sellers. Plus, they’ll look super dashing and fashionable in their preplanned coordinates and make less clothing faux pas when it comes to dressing themselves!

Sources - 

https://wellnessmama.com/195162/kids-capsule-wardrobe/  

https://www.scarymommy.com/dressing-your-kids-secondhand-clothing/  

https://abundantlifewithless.com/capsule-wardrobe-for-kids/