How Many Clothes do Children Really NEED?: And where to buy them.

How many clothes do kids need?  The answer to how many outfits depends on a lot of factors.  We’ll talk babies, toddlers elementary through high school about how many sets of clothes a kid ACTUALLY needs.

In my recent reader survey someone asked — how many clothes does your child have?  How much do they need?  I think it depends on a few factors:

**UPDATE:  While taking kids shopping is SO fun {note: sarcarsm font} I found this service that has made a huge difference — especially with my back to school shopping.  You can see my experiences with my daughter and with my teen son.

How many clothes do kids need?

How many sets of clothes does a child need, depends on:

1.  If you have a washing machine — if you don’t, you’re less likely to wash frequently, so you might want more.  Also, your desire to wash frequently.
2.  The age of the child
3.  How dirty the kid is (or, if they’re babies, how much they spit up — or blow out their diaper).
4.  Your budget — new clothes can be pricey!
5. Do your kids wear a school uniform?
6.  Your clothing storage space

The reality is that kids clothes can really big a BIG budget suck.  They can drain your time, and your energy (looking to organize kids clothes << that post has a ton of great info).  Plus, in trying my own efforts to have a minimalist wardrobe I wanted to research this a little further.

In this post we’re going to go over (clicking on the link will take you just to that age-range)
Newborns
Toddlers
School Aged Kids
“Back to School” Tips
Teenagers

I also created a handy-dandy organization checklist that might help you stay a bit more on top of it:

BTW if kid’s clothes organization has you puzzled — I LOVE this.

Not only does it help me kids clothes in line, but I’m finally teaching my kids the life skills they need because I’m not constantly overwhelmed by my own.

So you know:

I am not picking a BARE MINUMUM here, but I am trying to pick towards the lesser end. Obviously, 2-3 outfits would be enough if you’re able to wash them daily.

How many clothes does a newborn need?

Newborns need the largest number of clothes, as their bodily fluids are entirely unpredictable. 🙂

Clearly, these values are just based on my own history and budget.  Keep in mind that although we spent the first 3 years of our marriage hauling laundry to the laundromat, we did get a washing machine once I was pregnant.

List of baby clothes you need:

• 5-10 sleepers
• 1-2 good outfits (you’ll likely have more, but the reality is that they are in sleepers or onesies most of the time)
• 5-10 onesies
• ** A lot of it also depends on the weather.  If it’s hot out you’ll have more onesies than sleepers.
• A couple pair of socks — my kids were often in sleepers whic don’t require socks…
• Maybe a pair of shoes (check out the cute ones you can get free here).

** In re-reading this list I was thinking how MANY more baby clothes we had than this. I am just really listing the BARE minimum. I also have a list of baby needs (beyond clothes) that you might find helpful.

Best places to get baby clothes:

While I buy a LOT of my baby clothes (and frankly, a lot of kids clothes in general) I do have a few stores:

Favorite Overall:  Carters — they just have AWESOME baby stuff.  Good prices, quality product.  I love them!

Best splurge:  I drool over Janie & Jack.  I usually got one outfit from there, just because they’re SO. DARN. CUTE… (ESPECIALLY for newborns) — but so totally unreasonably priced.  But still…. you only have a baby once, right? {sigh}

Best Budget Option:  I find that of the big box stores Target is on point.  Great prices, adorable clothes.  Their new Cat & Jack options are bright, colorful and fun.

FYI,  babies have their own set of supplies — I have a post all about the 11 things you can’t do without for newborns.

How many Toddler Clothes do I need?

• 5-10 shirts
• 3-8 pants
• 10 Socks (mostly because they get lost REALLY easily)
• 2-3 pair of shoes (I always tried to keep the next size up on hand since somehow their feet grow overnight!)
• 1 Dressy Outfit (tailor “dressy” to your needs, but you should probably have at least one outfit that looks nice if you get invited to an event — if you go to church weekly, I’d have at least 2).

Best places to get toddler clothes:

Best Overall:  Target — I LOVE the bright colors and adorable patterns available at Target.  Toddlers are rougher on clothes as they’re exploring more — and getting more food on them (think, stains) — so Target is an awesome option!  Again, their Cat & Jack line is a favorite of mine.

**One of the things I like most about ALL of the stores I am posting about here, is how they allow kids to be KIDS — no immodest or “can’t play” clothing — it’s awesome! **

Great Dress-Up Option:  It can be hard to find dress-up options at the other stores I’ve found, but I have found good stuff at TJ Maxx or Burlington Coat Factory (I don’t think they have an online store) at good prices.  Might be something to check out if you’re in the market for that (especially boys — you can often find cute girls dresses at most stores).

How many sets of clothes should a child have?

My kids have “play” clothes that are good for the weekends/summers/holidays and then “school” clothes.  Aka, if stuff gets stained or just looks really worn I just say — let’s save that one for Saturday.  Something to keep in mind, that not all clothes have to look awesome.

I’m going to give the actual numbers I aim for with my daughter, but clearly, you can adjust based off of what we talked about at the top.

The girl really likes her clothes too — so keep that in mind (although my boys were rougher on clothes, they just didn’t want as MANY as she does):

• Tops: 10 (most of which are t-shirts)
• Pants: 7
• Dresses (she loves to wear dresses to school, with leggings underneath): 3 (these are “play” dresses, not Sunday dresses)
• Leggings: 3
• Tights: 2
• Nice Dresses: 3 (but she somehow has WAY more – keep in mind that we do attend church weekly)
• Socks: 10 pairs of socks
• Underwear: 10
• Shoes: 4 pairs of shoes (Dressy, casual, tennis shoes and a pair of sandals)
• Pyjamas (for sleep): A couple pair

Best Kids Clothing Stores:

Again, I get the majority of her clothes 2nd hand, or at thrift stores — it is WAY easier to find great girls clothes at thrift stores — but I also like to get her some new things (and she loves that too).

Ways to Get Used Clothes:

• Tell friends and family that you love hand me downs if they ever have any their kids outgrow
• Send the clothes you don’t need to another child (good Karma)
• Shop thrift store sales

Best Place for Kids Clothes:  Children’s Place — I just love how the majority of their clothes are for KIDS.  I find long shorts, where no undies will ever peek out.  When I find a sale I often can’t beat the prices!  We’ve often found great Sunday stuff for my middle son here.  I’m a huge fan.

And, of course: There’s Target.  I seriously can’t decide often with the Cat and Jack line (be sure to check the cartwheel app if you’re shopping in store).

Figure out your goal in “back to school shopping”

Back to school shopping can have several goals — and you need to figure out what yours is:

• Fill out your child’s wardrobe for the season (even if that season is ending soon)
• Giving your kids confidence with a few new pieces
• Holding off on buying new things until it gets cooler.
• Organizing the clothing from last year
• Organizing your kid’s closet

All of those options are valid — so just pick what works for you!

How many clothes to teens/tweens need?

Good luck. Teens. Am I right?

I have a few rules about buying my older kids clothes:

1.  They buy the majority of them, I give them a large enough allowance that they can buy a few things if they need to (I often do a few basics at the beginning of the school year/seasons change/holidays)
2.  They can’t buy more than what fits in their drawers — I try to keep small dressers, and so far that has helped my daughter realize it’s easier to keep a small number of clothes organized vs a large number.
3.  I don’t buy things I won’t approve of them wearing — 110%.  I don’t want to veer to something I kind of think isn’t the best.  Everything I buy is 100% modest 100% appropriate.  For me, that means everything has sleeves, no even NEARING inappropriate graphics.  I want to make it really clear early on. But, again — my kids buy a lot of their own clothes, so that part is up to them.

So far, my sons aren’t big clothes hogs and we’ve been lucky to get a lot of great hand me downs.  They mainly wear those, and I’m grateful for them.

But, I do see this becoming an issue with kids.

So, I’d just try to take stock of what you have before you go to the store.  We’ve still had a lot of good luck at TJ Maxx for older kid’s clothes.

AND, if you/your child just hate going to the store, try Stitch Fix kids it seriously has SAVED me for back to school shopping. I adore it!

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So, that’s it.  Kids’ clothes in a nutshell.

A few parting thoughts:

Ways to Save on Kid’s Clothes

1.  Be open to hand-me-downs.  You can always take your time to go through the bags to see what will work and what isn’t useable for you.  They can be AWESOME.
2.  Be open handing down — be sure to share your kid’s clothes once you’re done with them.  You can truly be a blessing to someone else.
3.  Shop off-season sales and keep a stash of clothes for the next size up.  You’ll be grateful you did — and you’ll save some good money!  You can see how I deal with kid’s clothes in this post.  I have a pretty great system in my daughter’s room.  If you’d like me to do a FB live about it — let me know.
4.  Shop used — I have great posts on both shopping for girls and shopping for boys at thrift stores. What to watch for.  They’re each kind of their own beast, so be sure to check that out!
5. Look for good condition — It doesn’t help anyone if you’re buying clothes that are on their last leg. Getting good brands in good condition may last through multiple kids!
6. Save big on special occasions — “Sunday best” clothes can cost a lot more, so make sure you prioritize getting those at a great price. Plus, if you have an outfit in advance for something like that, you won’t splurge when you’re desperate.
7. Don’t forget this to help you organize the mountains of clothes. 🙂

Honestly, at this point in time I shop at thrift stores a lot, and then twice a year (because Arizona only has two seasons — “hot” and “not hot”) I use Stitch Fix Kids. My kids aren’t big shoppers, and the pricing with Stitch Fix Kids is surprisingly good. My daughter absolutely loved her last box.

Be sure to be REALLY specific about what you need. If you need many more pants than you need shirts — be sure to tell them that. Since we’re often filling in the gaps around what we could find at thrift stores, that helps us a lot! you can see all of my kids stitch fix videos here:

I have created a handy-dandy clothing checklist for you to fill out and put in your purse.  I’d just use hash marks as you buy things so you know how close you are to your goal. 🙂  It even allows you to buy many sizes (either for the same child or different children)

Minimalist Kid’s Wardrobe

There is nothing wrong with having a LOT of clothes for your kids, or having less. I think it’s really up to you and what you want to do.

Pro’s of having lots of kid’s clothes

• Kids get to try a variety of things and see what fits their style
• You don’t have to wash as often
• You’re not as worried if they ruin a piece

Con’s of having a lot of kid’s clothes

• Possibly more laundry/folding
• Overwhelmed to organize it all
• Kids feel entitled to many clothes

What you MOSTLY don’t want to do is to not focus on what you want. So, if you want to have 10 shirts but are constantly buying them because you think they don’t have any — that is not a great plan. Hence, the printable!

Kid’s Capsule Wardrobe:

Especially as kids get older, pick clothes that are in a similar color palette or match well, and just get a few pieces that they love and can wear frequently. More clothes doesn’t necessarily mean they love them more.

Round-up of awesome kids clothes stores:

• Carters — they just have AWESOME baby stuff.  Good prices, quality product.  I love them!
• I drool over Janie & Jack.
• I find that of the big box stores Target is on point.  Their Cat & Jack line is a favorite of mine.
• I have found good stuff at TJ Maxx at good prices.
• Children’s Place — I just love how the majority of their clothes are for KIDS

And, if you’re looking to get those clothes (and kids) organized, don’t miss Family Routines… it really gives helpful advice to get your family on track, and having YOU do less! Check it out here. Shhh, don’t tell anyone but you can save 10% with code SAVE10. 🙂