I've been trying to find creative ways to help my toddler embrace her independence. If it were up to her, she'd already be driving herself to school at three years old. Obviously, she can't do everything she wants to yet, but I also don't want to dull her light and cap her independence. One thing I've started doing with her is having her pick her own outfits.
I started by creating a capsule wardrobe for her. Trust me, this does not mean only boring basics; it's just a way to make everyone's lives easier. I have this list below I can check every year or season to see what's outgrown and what needs to be replaced. If I have everything on the list, we're all good to go. It makes shopping a breeze, and I just re-order similar items from Amazon in the next size up each time. If I have this capsule wardrobe, anything else we add is just fun extra pieces.
For my daughter, she knows that she has to be wearing at least one item from each category, organized into shelves and cube boxes, but she can pick and choose which one she wants to wear. Since they are capsule items, she can pretty much pick blindfolded and things still match. One way we do this is by having really neutral pants, shoes, and jackets, and really fun bright shirts and dresses. She gets the independence and learns how to dress herself while it’s easy on everyone.
I tend to thrift most of my kids clothes but I liked similar items that are my go-tos if I can’t find it thrifted. Anyway, here's the breakdown:
Tops
I always make sure to have lots of neutrals in long and short sleeve tees, and then throw in a bunch of fun shirts and sweaters.
Long Sleeve Tee | Sweaters | Fun Shirts
Bottoms
I always go with basic neutral colors here since most of the shirts are bright and bold. Again, it just makes it so easy to mix and match and we're not spending an hour in the morning looking for the matching leggings to a top we found.
Leggings | Biker Shorts | Denim Leggings | Jean Shorts
Outerwear
I try to get one for each season. A lighter linen or denim one for summer/fall and then a heavier one for fall/winter that both can double for nicer events or just casual. This list doesn't include things like a snow jacket or specific season/activity wear. I have a box for those we bring out on occasion but I don't really consider it part of the day-to-day capsule wardrobe.
Linen Jacket | Denim Jacket | Pea coat
Dresses
Most of the dresses we get are for specific events, so we have a handful of nice church, Easter, and Christmas dresses my daughter can pick from. I also love to find vintage dresses for her; we have a handful of Vintage Ralph Lauren ones that are to die for. When I notice her outgrowing them or summer is around the corner, I always buy a handful of these cotton dresses - they're $5 and she can run and play in them. Probably her most used item in her closet.
Shoes
Shoes are the easiest part, in my opinion. She only has three at any given time. We do a dress-up shoe, an outdoor shoe, and a pair of Crocs. She can wear any one of them at any given time and opts for a ballerina flat most of the time. For the dress shoe, we usually do a ballet flat or Mary Jane. For an outdoor shoe, we either do a tennis shoe or a boot depending on the season. And then she always needs a pair of Crocs because they're just so comfy and easy.
Ballet Flat | Mary Jane | Tennis Shoe | Crocs
By having a capsule wardrobe, we're making mornings less stressful and giving my toddler a sense of independence. Plus, shopping is a breeze, and getting dressed is actually fun. Do you have any tips for creating a capsule wardrobe for your little ones? Share in the comments below!