I have so much fun dressing Sophie now that I’ve found shops and boutiques that carry clothes in fabrics, styles, and colors that I love. Thankfully, I will be able to shop from the majority of these brands well into the girls’ childhood so I’m excited about that (and I’ll be adding in pieces from Abercrombie Kids and crewcuts by J.Crew when the girls can fit into them!).
You can find my post regarding where to shop for baby clothes here, and while there is definitely some overlap in brands, there have been enough closet updates for toddlerhood that warranted its own post. Since we don’t gatekeep around here, I wanted to share our favorites with you!
*Note: The list is obviously biased toward girl’s clothes, but it definitely includes shops that sell items for boys and gender neutral pieces as well.
FOR BASICS
Jamie Kay
Every new launch is a challenge because I usually want to buy everything by Jamie Kay for the girls. 🤣 This is hands-down my absolute favorite place to shop for their wardrobes.
*Top Tip: You can also find a lot of their products sold by boutiques online if the item you want is sold out on the JK website.
Wheat Kids Clothing
I really like Wheat Clothing’s printed leggings to supplement our Jamie Kay legging collection. They often use Liberty floral prints and the colors can be really versatile for your littles’ wardrobes.
BabyGAP
BabyGAP offers core basics with a little twist, such as shirts with a slightly ruffled sleeve hem. Love their dresses (that include bloomers!) and denim. I get Sophie’s jeans (toddler jeggings 😅), denim overalls and denim jackets here and always love the quality and fit! These are great for easy mixing and matching with pieces from other brands.
Don’t sleep on Gap Factory or Old Navy for kiddo items! A LOT of their stuff is ultra colorful and have bright rainbows and unicorns, etc on them, but if you hunt enough you can find some neutrals / solids and classic styles.
Carter’s
Similar to BabyGAP, but I find more at Gap than I do at Carter’s. I have found some adorable sweaters/cardigans and dresses/rompers at Carter’s though! Their Little Planet Collection is where I find the most success.
FOR SPECIAL PIECES
Rylee + Cru // Noralee
I usually end up shopping at Noralee in particular for Sophie’s family photo outfits and have been really pleased with the quality! This is where I bought her dress for our Mommy + Daughter Date to see The Nutcracker ballet this coming holiday season and she’s sooo excited to wear her “extra fancy dress”.
Rylee + Cru is a little less formal, but still has the same wonderful quality.
Ralph Lauren Kids
Okay, hear me out… I know the Ralph Lauren price tags can be a bit daunting, but these items are made with heirloom quality so they can be worn a ton and still be able to be passed down (with proper care, of course). Perfect for special events, family photos, or even just pieces that you / your child LOVE and will get a ton of wear.
H&M Kids
H&M Kids has a great selection for both baby AND toddler at agreeable prices.
Zara Kids
Zara Kids also has some really beautiful pieces for special occasions.
MISCELLANEOUS
Outerwear
My absolute favorite places to shop for functional outerwear (think denim jackets, down puffer coats, water repellent jackets, and winter accessories) are BabyGAP, Wheat, and Zara. We’ve also purchased pieces from Reima USA in the past, which we loved, and I just became aware of Northern Classics (they sold me on washable outerwear!!) so I wanted to include those options as well!
*In outerwear I buy a size or two up to get a few years’ of wear out of them.
Swimsuits
Now that we live in the suburbs and have access to pool clubs and have a backyard that can accommodate baby pools we actually get a decent amount of use out of our swimsuits!
I wrote a full blog post here about toddler swimsuits if you are looking for even more detail, but as a rule, our family loves minnow swim! Minnow makes the CUTEST swimsuits around. I’m so glad that they offer mama sizes in most of their prints because I often want them for myself!! 😂 It’s the perfect opportunity to match / coordinate with your mini!
HAIR ACCESSORIES
Lou Lou & Co. is tied for my favorite spot to buy bow clips — specifically their velvet ones. They have so many beautiful color offerings!
The other brand tied for first place as my favorite bow seller is Acre Goods. They have such beautiful and unique (yet classic!) bows in new colors / fabrics every season!
BASEBALL CAPS
Admittedly, we don’t wear a ton of hats (thanks, ponytails and buns!), but when we do, we always shop for them from BabyGAP or Rey to Z.
SUNGLASSES
We are BIG fans of polarized sunglasses to protect our girls’ tiny peepers! We’re pretty traditional in our style so we got the girls Weefarer sunglasses, but if you’re looking for something beyond the classic Wayfarer design, Babiators also makes a variety of [polarized] baby sunglass options!
SOCKS
SquidSocks are amazing because they’ve been designed to prevent littles from pulling them off! That fact alone is worth it’s weight in gold! 🤣 They have little silicone dots on the inside of the sock that grip to the skin and make it almost impossible for babies and toddlers to pull off (but not for parents! 😉). Sophie has used these since she was born and we love them!
*They’re also really helpful for tiny kiddos walking on non-carpeted floors because of the grippys on the soles.
We also love these no-show socks for wearing with sneakers and these merino wool boot socks for wintertime to keep toes warm on the playground.
Shoes
Kids grow out of their shoes SO FAST, it’s insane. 😵💫 I try not to spend too much on shoes, but I also want to make sure that our girls’ feet are properly supported / protected.
Native for foam rubber Jefferson sneakers / Chase sport sandals for warm weather
The Children’s Place for leather sneakers with Velcro straps
ChildrenChic for Mary Jane style ballet flats
Hunter and Hubble + Duke for rainboots (“gumboots”)
Wheat and Pehr for shearling lined rubber boots
Nordstrom does a wonderful job of stocking a great variety of little kid shoes!
…
*Note: If you’re interested in buying gently worn items in good or great condition, I am slowly starting to sell some of the more special pieces on Poshmark as the girls grow out of them (you can click here to shop!).
It honestly pains me to say goodbye to these items (it feels so… final? even though we are certain that our family is complete), but it makes me feel better to know that these sweet pieces are going to good homes and will get a second life with other families!
If you’ve been looking for clothes for your little that fits a similar aesthetic to mine (classic, feminine, muted, neutral), then I hope this post has been helpful for you. Happy shopping, friends!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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